The Truth About Salon Marketing

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      Michael Colosi from Salon and Spa marketing is dedicated to helping fellow professionals grow their business. We share so many of the same philosophies I am happy to share some great nuggets from a recent video I watched. Many of us are under the assumption that having more money will solve our business problems. Money will not solve your problem, but understanding and using great marketing will. It is a lesson as old as time, Give a man a fish he eats for the day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Once you understand this you can work less and make more. We operate our businesses under the delusion that all you have to do is build visibility for our salons to gain all the clients we will even need. You must search beyond all the advertising and marketing hype of shiny programs and glittering websites. You need to develop a direct response marketing platform and quit buying all the hype from industry quote unquote experts that have never even owned a salon. It's not about the quality of services, or quantity of what you offer or even the friendliness and efficiency of your staff. It's about finding pre qualified clients that are looking for you, willing to pay  your prices and excited about referring you to their friends and families. You must implement a marketing program that can be measured and tracked. Once you leave behind the blind advertising traps you will attract a salon full of high paying quality guests. As a salon professional you must learn that it is much more profitable to work On your business than In your business.

      Today get out your calendar and mark out a 30 minute block of your time each work week. Refuse to do anything during that time slot but work ON marketing your business. Take control of the future direction of your business. Working smarter, making more money and working less. Who wouldn't want that? There are challenges yes. You must continually market for new clients. 1  I know that  you are already busy and may not have the time to get new clients. 2 Your skills are as a technician, not a marketing person and 3, marketing costs money, money you have spent in the past that did not get you new clients. This can make you hesitant to spend any more money on marketing. You must have multiple ways to generate new clients. Do the easiest things first, that cost the least amount of money. You have current clients, past clients and new clients. AS for current clients, you must do everything in your power to retain them. Understand the lifetime value of a client. We have discussed this before. This is calculated by the number of visits per year by the amount they spend by the number of years they are your client. 26 visits X amount they spend $40 X years they are a client 9 = $9360. Remember, these are averages. Changes your belief about the value of each person in your chair doesn't it? How do we put an invisible cage around them so they never leave you? Stay engaged.  Do you send a monthly newsletter? Why? You stay top of mind. Let your clients be your best marketing strategy. Once they trust you they refer friends and family. Make it fun and interesting, about more than just nails. Maybe fashion tips, great recipes etc. It doesn't have to be fancy,  keep it authentic. Have a hard copy in your salon, email it to clients, have a download on your website.  Do you have a system to keep current clients on time and reduce no shows? Did you realize even 5 no shows per week cost an average of $10,000 per year? You must implement a system to send out Text reminders, mobile text promotions and email promotions.  Free up your time, make more money and have your business run more efficiently. Start implementing these strategies in your business this week and you will soon reap the rewards.

Amazing event

Grace Church

 

So this past weekend I attended a concert at Grace church in Middleburg Hts with the special man in my life. He attends bible study there and heard about this concert coming to the church. It was Broadway Comes to NE Ohio. J. Mark McVey, who played Jean ValJean in over 3,000 performances of Les Miserables on Broadway and internationally,  performed selections from the immensely popular musical. He also performed other inspirational music selections, interspersed with personal stories from his life, career and faith journey. While this was amazing and inspirational there was another man that spoke for a few minutes, Gerard Long from Alpha USA.

 

Gerard Long

 

 Alpha is an organization that gives people the opportunity to explore faith and its meaning in life in a relaxed friendly setting. He was a very charismatic, well spoken, attractive man and I immediately thought, this man has it all. Probably a charmed life, beautiful family, the whole nine. He invited everyone there to services the next day where he would be discussing overcoming life's difficulties and tragedies. He looked like he walked off the cover of GQ. I was intrigued, what could this man know of tragedy? The whole next day I thought about going to one of these services and I decided to go back Sunday to the 6:00 service. I texted my guy and he said he would join me, great, but I was going regardless. The worship service started as usual, praise songs, the pastor spoke for a few minutes and then Gerard took the stage. I was right, he had lived a charmed life, until tragedy crashed his world. He shared with us the most incredible story of faith and love and God's grace. His youngest son 17 year old Alex had befriended a troubled boy at school. He came home one evening and told his parents he had taken a drug, and he was sorry. While upset they figured they would nurture him at home and the drug would eventually work it's way out of his body. It was a rocky few days. A friend of Alex's had also e-mailed him that his ex girlfriend had put a wiccan curse on him. Which he added as a side note that if anyone ever hears of this to not take it lightly, it is pure evil. At one point within those few days Gerard's wife got an impulse to check on Alex in his room. It was 7 in the evening and what she found in his room was a suicide note. They rushed out to try and find him, track his whereabouts, called police and searched the better part of the evening. Finally the police told them to go home and wait to hear. Unfortunately later that night they did hear, they found Alex at the beach, he had hung himself. My heart literally dropped, THIS was not the story I thought I was going to hear. Gerard went on to talk about the desperate times that followed. Through scripture and God's grace he struggled on. His wife struggled as well. The cold hard facts are that over 50% of marriages end in divorce after such an incident. But Gerard prayed with all is might, he shared how he prayed every day for God's grace to get him through the days, weeks and months that followed. They argued, his wife got sick, very sick yet he continued to keep praying. He shared that he knew she needed to be loved yet she became very difficult to love so he prayed for God to help him love her when he felt he no longer could. Little by little the clouds rose and the aching pain loosened its grip and they began to heal. His love for his wife truly saved her life, and certainly their marriage. I was amazed at his conviction of faith and love of Jesus Christ as his savior in his darkest hour. He spoke about eternity and how our lives on this plane are just a vapor, a flash of time in the grand scheme of things. He understood that anything taken from you in this life will be given back to you ten fold in the next. He has faith he will see Alex again and this reunion will be amazing in eternity. This really helped me gain new perspective on my sisters death. He has written a book called Breakthrough I have ordered.  I can't wait to read more about this man's journey and his incredible faith.

Take That Chance

      This week I want to talk about taking chances.  I began  my beauty training in high school, took my state board, was handed  my license and was thrown into this wild world of beauty. A bit ill prepared I might add. The industry back then, did just not have the same tools for newbie's it has today.  I stumbled along for about 10 years, taking classes here and there and built a pretty decent clientele. When I took a break to have a family I went to part time work but was still missing something. While attending a class with Vicki Peters she relit a fire in me.  A fire that had been reduced to a smolder. I took a chance and gathered my courage to speak to her after the class. I was intimidated I must admit, she after all even back then was an industry guru. But I took that chance. Vicki was quite different than her classroom persona. She got very real, very quick, looked me square in the eye and said" You need to be an educator". We walked down to the show floor where she introduced me to several regional managers and told them I would be following up with a letter. Just like that, in 10 minutes the direction of my life was altered forever. Vicki took a chance on me that day too, one I would not take for granted. And I certainly was not about to disappoint her, even if she didn't know me from Adam.  I did follow up with the manufacturers, got hired by one and while working at the following show in the fall, I reintroduced myself to Vicki as an educator for one of the manufacturers I met that fateful day. Can I take credit for this chance, this change? Did I believe in myself? Not completely. But others did, many others took a chance on me, on the potential they saw in me. Way before I recognized it in myself. I still pinch myself today wondering do I really have this segment on Nail Talk Radio reaching thousands of listeners? Me?

 

     Over the years my confidence has grown. I studied hard, worked with mentors, crafted my skills to carve out a niche for myself. There is a philosophy called stretch and secure. Every time we try something new, take a risk,  we reach outside our comfort zone. Sort of dangling over the edge of that cliff. It takes time for knowledge to build a bridge under us and secure that growth. It is uncomfortable, sometimes scary. But necessary. It is the cycle of growth, stretch and secure, stretch and secure. Was everything I did successful? Heck no. I had my share of crash and burn moments, the learning, growing, grunting moments. But each time I was humbled I had the opportunity to begin again. With the new knowledge, well that didn't work. Did I get discouraged? Absolutely. Did I have a few pity parties? You bet! I'm pretty sure a few of you have been to them. But through all this stretching and growing, crashing and burning, I know I have a gift. A God given talent that I am supposed to share with the world. We all do. Maybe my journey is my gift. To share with others my triumphs and tragedies. To share that if I can so can you. What is your gift? What is it you are supposed to be sharing with the world? Have you grown complacent where you are? Settling for good enough? So take that chance, stretch yourself to discover your true purpose, your gift. I guarantee.. you will Amaze yourself. Once you start walking and working in your purpose nothing can stop you. I've mentioned this quote before but it bears repeating. John Wesley, an eighteenth century theologian said, “When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.”

 

Rock Your Retail

 

      Just this morning I got a text from a salon owner friend that had this question for me.
"Where can I get handbags and jewelry to retail? I'm short a stylist and would love to increase my income."
      Well. The first hurdle is already overcome understanding this is a great way to increase your income. I absolutely love retail. It shows up every day, ready for work with a great attitude. Needs a little tending, rearranging and promoting but no training, coddling or maternity leave. After giving my friend a few trusted websites I added a few marketing ideas to make sure she sells through the inventory.

      First off put a retail rewards program in place. I use a point system. Many salon software programs are equipped to track retail sales, if you don't have a program don't sweat it. Rewards programs are easy enough to keep track of with a good old fashioned ledger. Every dollar spent is worth one point. You can have clients get points for other things as well like 5-10 points for every client referred, 5-10 points for every gift card purchased over 100 dollars. You get the idea. Every January tally up the retail points and reward with gift cards. You can set up your system however you want. I do ten dollars for every 100 spent in retail capping at thirty dollars. Put together a special Retail Rewards event to give out your gift cards or certificates . Invite all your loyal retail buyers and put together an evening of mini services, wine and cheese and special incentives to use them that night towards retail, gift cards or services.

      When you get your new retail in, set up a trunk show like the fancy designers and invite your top buyers. Eighty percent of your retail dollars come from this top twenty percent. Offer them the first look at your new items with a fun night out and encourage them to bring a friend. We usually spend more with an accomplice. Put out a nice spread with wine or a salon-tini. A specialty drink unique to your salon. The purse strings tend to loosen up with the encouragement of an adult beverage. Don't forget to reward your staff with selling bonuses. I let top sellers go to the wholesale sites and pick the item of their choice, up to $50.00. These sites usually lower their prices the more you purchase so it is a win win.
      Location is everything. Where is your retail area? Make sure you place the items in a high traffic area. Make up signs with prices, on your computer, not on post-its. Keep it classy. Many people won't ask the price if there is not one on the item. They figure it is out of their range. If you get an exceptional deal on an item think about offering an extra percentage off for your retail rewards members. Put the offer right by the item so new clients that may not be aware of your program can ask about it. Have shelf talkers on every table and station, heck even on the wall of the bathroom. Things like have you seen our hot new bags? Also put signs around the salon that say Learn how to get free products or services. When clients ask how explain your retail rewards program and make sure to sign them up. Each member of your team needs to learn the question have you seen our new?...fill in the blank. One of my former staffers sold like crazy with this simple Oh my gosh have you seen this? We all love something new. Share your enthusiasm with your clients. Having a strong retail area alleviates the daily struggle for numbers. Think outside the bottle, don't just carry oil and polish. Your clients are buying boutique items, they need to be buying them from you. Plus when their friends see their new trendy items it gets you more word of mouth traffic. So consider becoming the go to place for the latest trends, because that's smart marketing.

What Gets Rewarded Gets What?

 

      My tip this week comes from a message from one of our loyal listeners. DanaLynn, or you may know her as FunFancy nails messaged me for some advice. She writes" I won a whole year supply of Tammy Taylor supplies and wanted to do something in return- kinda like paying it forward. I decided to give a free full-set of acrylic enhancements every month. I mentioned it to a client and the response I got was "well that doesn't help your current clients".
      For my current clients I have a loyalty program for them. After 10 stamps they receive $30 to be used towards any service. I also send them a $5 "D" dollars for their birthday and for their anniversary date with me. I think that's plenty! What are your thoughts? I messaged back I think that's plenty too..but I can see how they might feel left out of the "Tammy" gifts. Maybe your current clients can go in a pool and pick a winner once a quarter for a free fill...until you run out of product. So this conversation got me thinking about loyalty programs again. I know I have shared my thoughts about them before but they are worth revisiting with new data and research.

 

      It's been said what gets rewarded gets repeated. Are you rewarding your clients? Loyalty programs make your clients feel special and after all don't we all just want to feel special? According to Colloquy, a marketing firm specializing in loyalty programs, loyalty memberships exceeded 2 billion in the United states alone, that works out to about 18 per household through 2010, up 17% from 2008. They also estimate that an astounding $48 billion worth of rewards are handed out annually.
According to Belly, a national loyalty program,
88% Of businesses with loyalty programs are more profitable than competitors who do not.
65% Of customers say they would recommend a business because of a rewards program.
73% Of customers want a universal loyalty solution where they shop.
46% Of customers have increased frequency of visits for a business with a rewards program.

     Many solo nail businesses don't have the means to afford a high end loyalty rewards program or the technology to track it. So Keep It Simple Sweetie. A punch card works great and it's easy peasy. 10 punches gets a free polish change. or something like that. Never give away your bread and butter, to those that are already on board. Make the reward for a service you are trying to promote, or a person you are trying to build. Be on purpose with your rewards. Remember though the average margin for profit hovers around 10% when all is said and done and paid so make sure you are not giving away all your profits. If you are in a plaza you can have loyalty cards printed up and sold in each business. Try and get 100% participation from each business to encourage your clients to shop there more often.
     This Chicago based company called Belly is building huge loyalty program that you can earn points to other businesses as well. They provide all the technology, an Ipad for your business as well as a mobile app and have plans that range from 79-149 dollars per month to have a turn key mobile rewards program. It's kind of fourquare on shopping steroids. Check it our online and check out more about rewards programs on my blog, Adventures of a probeauty girl and of course my books now on Amazon.com because that's smart marketing!

Recap from Premiere Orlando 2013

 

Get Your Marketing Moving....Seriously Moving

         Video marketing is on the rise. It has been on my radar for quite some time now. But I always look to how effective any trend might be before I jump on the bandwagon teetering out of control. Looking at the research from Stephanie Frasco on Social Media Today, here's why I think we should pay more attention to video marketing now than ever before.

• About 46% of people say they’d be more likely to seek out information about a product or service after seeing it in an online video. (Source: Eloqua)
• The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. (Source: Mist Media)
• Video and e-mail marketing can increase click-through rates by more than 90%.(Source: Mist Media)
• Video equals higher viewer retention. The information retained in one minute of online video is equal to about 1.8 million written words. (Source: Brainshark)
• Video attracts two to three times as many monthly visitors, doubles their time spent on the site and has a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
• Of the 80% of internet users who watched a video ad, 46% took some sort of action after viewing the ad. (Source: Video Brewery)

                                                                            http://socialmediatoday.com/

       With Facebook acquiring Instagram many in the social media game wondered if they could maintain the edge Instagram built in their rise to the top. Adding the Instagram video feature again added concern that Facebook would ruin the features that made Instagram so unique. Well the critics have been silenced with what the social media savvy are calling this video feature an out of the park hit for Facebook and its millions of users. How are the Instagram savvy using this new feature to promote their business? Let's take a peek behind the scenes, Instagram style.

1. Use Instagram to humanize your business....Our business lends itself particularly well to this. Good news is if you already have an Instagram account, you're good to go. If you don't..what the heck are you waiting for. This medium lends itself especially well to our industry, it is so very visual.
2. Introduce new products, services or specials. These short burst videos are perfect for introducing a new service including a few seconds of each step with a beautiful finished result. A quick how to use a new product demo can entice clients or visitors for that matter, to check them out in person.
3. Testimonials are a great way to use the new Instagram video feature. Put a face with all those nails. Of course clear it with your clients, but what a better way to build your brand and loyal following than to feature some of your nail stars.

     Instagram videos are limited to 15 seconds and also have 13 filters to choose from, which by the way..are not the same as the photography filters. They are unique to their video feature. You can stop and start as many times as you like. Unfortunately the application kept crashing on my Galaxy so hopefully they will be on this Android fix soon.
Maisie Dunbar of Maise Dunbar Spa Lounge posted several Instavideos from an event she hosted at her salon. Perfect use of this new social media app.

 



Maisie On Instagram Video