Snapchatting Your Story

     We’re always looking for a way to be on the cutting edge and stand out from the pack. I just listened to a salon business podcast about using Snapchat to grow your business. If you have teenagers you already know this social media darling. It has been around since 2011 and like all other platforms high schoolers were the first to use it. Within the last year, like other outlets, businesses have picked up on this unique platform to be able to interact with clients in a much more personal way and offer behind the scenes, in the moment content.  It has become a great way to share your salon story. So you send a photo or video that disappears within 1-10 seconds and once the viewer gets it they can choose to share it respond to it or not. The time sensitive format tends to create a sense of urgency within the viewer to react quickly as snaps only have a 24 hour life span. It is promotion in the moment.  

 

      Integrate Snapchat into your other social media channels to inform people about current events. There seems to be an increase of use in the evening hours and on the weekends. There is also a peek after lunch, when people are hitting that wall and disengage from work to check in with social media for a break. You can set up a series of Snaps, say a gel polish application or nail art in the moment and at the end include a special offer with a code to be used or booked within the 24 hour period. This encourages clients to check in regularly. You can build in promotions or simply inform and educate. Snapchat is a much more personal way to interact with clients. Very few beauty professionals are using Snapchat so you will get a lot of traction becoming an early adopter. Like any other channel you must go all in and devote the time, at least a few months to build a following and to gain interaction. Have fun and you will soon learn what Snaps outperform others. For salon owners with staff , have several staff members Snapchatting your salon at the same time. One person doesn’t have to run it and your clients are getting many different views of what is happening in your salon. Because this is such a visual business it is a great outlet to be using and sharing. It recreates that personal interaction without having to be in the salon. It empowers users to be creative and clients feel that special connection. It’s building relationships, always the goal. Let go of that traditional fear of social media postings and create conversations in a more organic fashion. Content can be constantly created through photos, which get the most engagement. Set up a Snapchat account with a user name and email or phone number and drive people to Snapchat from your other social media sites.

 

      Post things like don’t miss Snapchat Saturdays on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and maybe share things like favorite nail art of the week or best nail restyle. Snapchat events to personally connect with clients that could not be there to make them sure not to miss the next event. Let people k now you are sharing unique information and specials on Snapchat. Gauge your Snapchat success by client response and visits unique to Snapchat offers. You can also track shares and views. Even though the Snapchat demographic is mostly 17-25 it is reaching into the 30 somethings evolving like other sites. You may need to share with your clients how to use it, but then you have empowered them to adopt the new technology and stay on trend, and doesn’t everybody want to keep up? Research also shows early adopters of technology are generally a stronger financial demographic. So take the time, give it three months at least,  have fun  and you can really build your business on Snapchat, cuz that’s smart marketing.
Listen to the podcast here
Check out the book here

Are You a Customer Service Super Star?

 

     Let's talk about something often overlooked by professionals, yet never overlooked by the client. Customer service, or in our arena, client service. Many a tale is told about horrible service, yet you will be hard pressed to find stories about great service.  Since we are in a service business this should be a top priority in our tool box. Don’t bother marketing yourself to the masses if you don’t have exemplary client service.  I attended a class given by a gentleman from the Ritz Carlton hotel chain several years ago in Orlando on customer service. The Ritz Carlton is legendary for their customer service and he had great information to share. Why then if great customer service is so important do we have such a hard time finding it? With the onset of social media customer service horror stories are only a click away. So many rant over poor customer service but rarely rave about good customer service. So what are the key ingredients to great customer service?  Anticipate needs. Don’t just respond to them. If you know what your client likes to drink why not have it ready for her when she arrives for her appointment? If you know her favorite shades why not pick up ones at the store or the latest show and tell her I thought of you. Everyone likes to feel special and anticipating your client’s needs is a huge advantage in today’s busy, take a number and wait your turn business world. If you know there is a special event coming up for your client why not offer to get their appointments on the books before they get shut out, or you end up working extra hours. Also if you know you will be out of the salon during one of their appointment time’s look ahead to accommodate their appointment so they are not scrambling at the last minute. If your salon allows, why not offer a glass of wine after a long grueling day? 

   

      Clients so appreciate the little touches that make their visit an experience. If problems arise work diligently to find the best solution possible, even if you have to go a bit out of your way. Taking care of a problem swiftly and compassionately turns the problem into a great customer service experience. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking What is it you would like to have happen here? If there are mistakes such as in booking or miscommunication in pricing, own the mistake upfront. Don’t avoid it, deny it or try and bury it. Oftentimes when I have a problem arise I automatically assume the mistake was my fault. Saying I’m so sorry I must have miscommunicated or made this error myself, let’s look at possible solutions together. Many times the client will actually realize it is their error, but because they were not put on the defensive from the onset they are much more agreeable in finding a resolution. We all just want to be heard and understood, our clients are no different. When you go above and beyond your clients expectations, clients tell others. It is the backbone of client referrals having great customer service. BE a story they want to share that sheds the best possible light on your salon. It’s not hard to deliver great customer service but it is a decided practice. You must be present, so your client senses you truly care about them and the service you are providing. Make them the star for that half hour or hour service. Encourage them, compliment them and don’t forget to thank them, after all without them there is no us. Continuing to strive toward excellent customer service is smart business and smart marketing.

Mom's Special Day

    

      Yes mother’s day is this weekend. And hopefully you all have gotten your mother’s day specials out there already. But the beauty of social media is, it’s never too late. Mother’s day gift card sales should be second only to the Holiday season.  So how do you get last minute gift card sales? Post a contest on your business page every day.  Maybe things like do you live the farthest away from your mom?  Best mini me’s? Most deserving mom?  Why your mom is the best in 40 characters or less.  You can post different contests on different mediums. Instagram is more photo friendly for those doppelgänger photos.  Or why not post a favorite photo? I love those reenacted photos we have seen so much on social media. Facebook is better suited for a longer post, more story friendly. Maybe share a favorite memory, favorite meal or favorite vacation you shared. And don’t forget Twitter for why my mom is the best, in 40 characters or less.  Take photos of a Mom’s special spa basket of products and likes and shares are automatically entered to win.  Make sure everyone knows all posts on your social media sites will entered to win, and encourage them to share.  There are countless specials to consider and I always liked to partner with another area business to get twice as much exposure. Network with owners or managers to see if you can exchange gift certificates or products and services outright.

 

     

     Look to partner with a wine and beverage store so mom can get her drink on, because you are probably the reason she drinks anyway.  Offer a percentage off your services for every one of their customers to purchase for their mom and visa versa. Restaurants are always a good business to partner with.  Take mom to lunch and enjoy a free dessert or appetizer and Mom gets a free upgrade, or retail product or percentage off her service at your salon.  Local florists can be a good resource as well. Look around at all the area businesses and brainstorm with friends, staff, heck why not ask mom what her first choice would be. I had a contest years back where kids could enter their moms in a contest for a free make-over. Imagine my surprise years later when I moved my salon and found that letter. I was able to give that mom the letter that her daughter submitted, good thing because her daughter was now a teenager and I don’t think I need to say anything else on that.  Create mother daughter services that can be enjoyed together, whether it is a simple manicure or a half day of pampering. In some instances they are both moms and could both use their own pampering.  So take advantage of social media this week to blast your message across the miles for mother’s day smiles because that’s smart marketing.

Do as I Say...and as I Do

I had the great fortune to be asked once again to help out with the Solon Civic Club Fashion Show this year. My good friend and stylist Kelly Ameche was kind enough to include me on her fabulous team. While I blog about doing these things from the photos you can clearly see, I take my own advice. One of my nail "models" booked a pedicure with me before she even left the salon and I had several more women at the show tell me they were calling for appointments. Reaching out to the community with an open heart is the best way to build your brand :) Thanks again ladies!!

Spring trends

 

My beautiful client Beth, one of the members

The Team

The kids always steal the show!

 

Teen choice

Color fade and stamping

 The kids are always fun :)

 

Incoco wrap with stamping

Gel Polish with stamping

Are You In Demand?

   

   

       I’ve been seeing emails from a few of my salon friends sent by Demandforce. They have been on my radar for a while so I thought I would investigate.  What is Demandforce? According to their website  “Founded in 2003 by Rick Berry, Demandforce’s mission is to help small businesses thrive in an evolving and increasingly complex connected world. Demandforce bundles the marketing and communications tools that any business needs to succeed with customers today into one powerful web-based application that seamlessly integrates with existing work flow systems, works automatically, and delivers guaranteed results.”

     Salon owner  Maisie Dunbar has worked with Demandforce for two years going on three. I asked her what working with Demandforce has meant to her business. She does not recommend it if you are a one person operation unless you are not fully booked and you have the capital to pay for it. At $300 per month it is not cheap. The salon with one or more employees looking to take their business up a notch it’s definitely worth looking into. As a salon owner Maisie feels that constant pressure to make sure her staff is being fed with enough clients to generate a good living. She feels partnering with Demandforce has helped her build her already strong marketing message. She can also modify any message they send to make sure her brand is consistent.  For those salon owners that don’t have a marketing mindset  partnering  with Demandforce will help you build a marketing strategy and provide helpful tools. It is not fully automated though, Maisie told me that you still have to be diligent and committed to your marketing campaigns to ensure success.  She also shares that their customer service is excellent and they will spend as much time as needed to help with challenges making sure you get what you need.  

     They help grow your business through communication in the form of Social Campaigns, Customer referrals, Automated communications, Customer reminders, Appointment confirmations, satisfaction surveys, postcards and management system sync. So what does all that look like?  It uses something called Timely  to stay active on Facebook and Twitter. By committing to just 30 minutes a month you can have an active and engaging social media strategy. Demandforce keeps track of customer referrals and sends an automated email, asking them to refer their friends & family. It then tracks top referrers, so you can reward them. With their Automated communication   they  customize the frequency of your messages for each client,  automatically update the email frequency with management system updates and bring clients back with tailored  communications.  Customer reminders go out to clients that have gone AWOL making it easy to reach out to those who haven't visited in a while. You can set up automatic reminder messages based on individual clients' needs or past-due services. Free up valuable time and resources by having Demandforce  automatically deliver reminders and confirmations using email and two-way text messaging. Reduce the chance of no shows by 40%, yes I said 40%.  Satisfaction surveys  automatically collecting customer surveys to show how your business is performing. You can customize your questions to focus on things that matter in your business.  Demandforce automates retention postcards, offering various templates  you add your target and they do the rest.  And last but not least it syncs with your salon software to be always up to date. 

 

     They also enter your business in their Intuit business network and market you to other small businesses helping you form strategic alliances. So if you are willing to make the commitment, are ready to take your salon from good to great Demand force might be smart marketing for you.