With our beauty-conscious culture, your salon should at least be able to stay afloat (if not do just fine)even during times of economic strain. If it's not, well... the economy may be a factor, but your advertising may be just as much to blame. During a recession, our first instinct as a business owner is to tighten up those purse strings and cut as many expenses as possible.
While cutting a few corners is a great idea, there are 2 things you don't want to skimp on: Quality supplies and good, consistent advertising.
Don't start using sub-par products- your customers can tell the difference. Chippy nail polish, less fragrant spa products, cheapo hair gel, and worse, streaky tan solution... Using those is a sure way to tick off your clients. Most folks are willing to pay a few bucks extra when they know they can expect a certain level of quality. (I KNOW I do.)
You may think that you're selling hair cuts and spray tans, but lets go a little deeper to examine what you're really selling.
Recently I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant, in a foul mood. As we sat down at our usual table and I ordered my usual fajitas, I immediately began to feel my spirits lighten.... UNTIL the food came. Instead of the usual balance of meat, onion, red and green peppers, there was less chicken, and almost all onions. Plus, NO cilantro in the salsa. I found myself disappointed almost to the point of tears over what I'd normally have blown off, had it been any other restaurant. How childish is that? I was even surprised at myself.
This is relevant to our subject, since the same psychology applies. How? Because I'm not just paying for some grub: What I'm really paying for is the way the food makes me FEEL. More specifically, i'm paying for how I EXPECT the food to make me feel. Subconsiously, I was actually counting on that food to pull me out of my bad mood, which is why I had suggested to my hubby that we go there in the first place.
The same concept can be applied to any product our customers are accustomed to. If you're in the business of personal appearance or relaxation, your customer depends on you for that great feeling they get after they leave your salon or spa. What a hair stylist, nail technician, or spa really sells is the expectation of increased self-esteem or peace they are accustomed to feeling after a visit. They will pay more for what they expect- period.
Advertising for your salon is another area to NOT skimp on. With advertising for your hair salon, You need 3 things: Consistency, Quality, and Style.
You must be consistent in your efforts to get your hair or nail salon and spa advertising media out to your target audience. Don't hang up a poster and pin up a hair stylist business card and expect it to still be there, clean and visible, 6 months later. They will get obscured by your competition's advertising junk. Only you know who your target audience is and where they hang out. Whoever they may be, you need to make regular visits to those places to refresh your posters, hand out business cards, and make your presence known. Make sure you look great while doing it- you're a walking billboard in this business, you know.
Quality is super important when advertising your hair salon, barber shop, or nail salon. Even when you're not exactly a high-roller from your salon profits, you don't want the public to think you can't afford quality advertising. Why? Because You want to give the impression that you do a lot of business. Why do you want that? Because if you do a lot of business, then it logically follows that you must be doing a great job, which is why you are able to afford better quality advertising than your competitor who is using cheap business cards and posters.
Style is the next most important element when it comes to your advertising materials. That's really a no brainer. Show good judgement, good taste, and style in your ads and business cards, and your customers will know that you're a person who has the know-how to make them look stylish.
