It takes a lot of effort to build strong loyal relationships with your customers. One of the most important things to establish for your salon is loyal customers who repeatedly come to see you for services.
Building clientele takes patience, time and effort on your part. We’re here to help you learn the best ways to ensure your books are full of clients who will continue seeing you long after their first service.
Friends and family are usually the first people you’ll go to for help with building your brand name, but they’re also helpful when building clientele. We understand you always have to start somewhere, but as you establish yourself as a professional in the beauty industry, we strongly suggest charging your family and friends. Of course, offer them a Family & Friends discount, but refrain from giving out your services for free.
There’s a good chance your friends and family will refer you to their other friends. Word of mouth is one of the most common and reliable reasons why people choose a certain salon and spa over another. The more friends that are being brought in, the better the likelihood of you getting a larger number of loyal clients.
Promoting your business online can help bring more foot traffic into your salon and spa. We suggest following the tips below to help promote your business:
WEB: Create a website where people can find your address, phone number, and the services that you offer. Clearly share who you are and what makes your business and service experience so special.
SOCIAL: Take pictures to post on your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or LinkedIn accounts on daily basis. Clients will always look at a spa’s Instagram account before choosing to visit. They want a space where they can look at the work you’ve done on other clients; plus, it helps inspire them.
EMAIL: Send out marketing emails to help keep regular clients engaged, scheduling consistently and staying in touch with what’s new.
In our day and age, it’s almost a habit to read reviews before making any decision on a product or service. If your salon and spa has no reviews or all negative reviews, people won’t feel the importance of going to your salon. It’s an easy way for them to skip your location and jump to the next featured salon and spa.
Prioritize obtaining reviews from your guests. You can do this by asking clients to leave a review on Google, Yelp, or other platforms after their service while they’re checking out. You can also attach a sign with a QR code that asks guests to write a review. This sign can be attached to your stylist mirrors, bathroom mirrors, or esthetician room doors.
It’s important to stay up to date on all the latest trends. This doesn’t just mean in correlation to the services you offer, but also with your website. Highlight any new products you are using or any upcoming deals on your website’s home page to grab attention and show that you offer the latest and greatest. Clients should associate your salon and spa as one that is on top of the newest trends and offers the best in services, features, and deals to their guests.
Hear us out – collaborating with other salons and spas can help expand your salon’s network. Now, we don’t advise you to collaborate with salons and spas that offer all the same services that you do. For example, if you are a hair stylist, collaborate with a nail artist who can refer their clients to you for their next hair appointment. Or, if you are a medical spa, collaborate with a hair salon or massage studio.
Don’t be surprised if at times you feel more like a therapist than a salon owner. By making clients feel comfortable, conversation will flow easier, they’ll feel a connection to you, and they will want to keep scheduling their appointments with you. Showing that you care and always remaining kind will impact your clients in numerous ways, turning them into long-term, loyal clients to you.
The chance of a client returning for another service decreases if an appointment isn’t made before they leave your salon. Let’s face it, we are all busy. When a guest forgets (or isn’t reminded) to reschedule their next appointment, time will go by, and before you know it, they’ll have moved on to a new service provider or you won’t have their preferred time available.
Scheduling in advance ensures clients receive the day and time that works best for them. Try setting up clients on a consistent schedule; that way, they always remember what day and time they should expect an appointment.
Clients like to be in a space that is warm, inviting, and on-trend. We suggest making your space bright with natural lighting, which gives an aesthetically beautiful feel to the space. Adding art to the walls also helps the space feel welcoming and stylish. To make your space even more inviting, add plants around the room to freshen it up.
It’s great to post before and after pictures of a service you did for a client. Before and after services always perform well on social media so we highly suggest it. However, never post anything that is altered. Steer clear of overly editing your photos because it can alter the color tone and shadows of a patient’s skin, hair, etc. Snap a before and after photo, choose the photo that has the best angle and lighting, and post that one to your social. A client will know if a picture you posted from their service does not look anything like the finished product, and you don’t want new clients coming in expecting a result that is not true.
You will leave a long-lasting impression on clients if you go above and beyond during their service. For example, add a 2-minute scalp massage as their face chemical peel sits on or do a quick makeup touch-up on their lips before they leave. Quick, low-cost bonuses like this make a guest feel cared for and thought of. It truly completes the service experience for them.
By incorporating these suggested tips into your business, you will see your clientele grow and loyal connections being made. And even if you have already achieved a full list of loyal clients and jam-packed days, you should always still follow these tips to ensure consistent satisfaction and optimal growth for your business.
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