You’re ready to make your neighborhood beautiful. But first, you need to get more customers into your salon. With nearly one million hair salon businesses in the United States, there’s some serious competition out there! Here are six tips to bring more foot traffic to your salon and stand out from the pack.
Hang posters around town
As people are out walking around town, they’re not focused on their electronic devices, which means your social media and website marketing materials won’t make a difference for foot traffic. However, if you can get your marketing materials in front of their faces in the real world, you might be able to convince them to wander into your shop.
Hanging promotional posters around town is a great way to showcase your salon to passersby in the real world and encourage them to come to your shop. Of course, your posters need to catch their attention. They need to look good!
Since you’re busy styling hair all day, you probably don’t have time to design eye-catching posters from scratch. Luckily, there are thousands of free beauty salon poster templates available from websites like PosterMyWall. It’s the best way to get professional poster designs without taking time from your busy schedule.
Offer seasonal promotions and deals
Nobody can resist a good deal. If someone is walking around town and sees a display for an irresistible deal in a store window, they’re bound to walk through the door!
Think about what season or holiday is coming up and create a few special promotions or discounts. They don’t have to be massive discounts, but any type of special promotion could be enough to get more people off the street and into your salon — especially if it’s related to the current season or holiday.
Host an open house
Many people feel anxious or uncomfortable about going into a business for the first time without a specific reason. So give them a reason with an open house!
Open house events are a great way to encourage more people to come into your salon and get to know your staff. Since there’s no pressure to actually get their hair done, people will feel more comfortable coming in to see what your salon is all about. And once they’re in, they’ll feel more comfortable coming in in the future.
For even more foot traffic at your open house, provide some food or refreshments, activities, or maybe even music. The more fun your event, the more people will come in!
Give out free gifts
Everyone loves free stuff! Hang a poster in your salon window offering a free gift with a purchase. For example, give away a free sample-sized shampoo or hair spray for walk-ins. People walking by your store will see they could get an extra goodie for free, think about how they’ve been needing to get a haircut or styling for a while anyway, and walk right into your salon.
Organize a workshop
Hair styling takes skill. And not everyone has the skills required to keep up with their hairdo. Share your expertise and get more foot traffic into your salon by organizing a workshop.
Pick a styling skill that everyone should be able to do to look their best. Then pick a day and time, set up some tables, and teach people how to do it the right way.
People will come in just to learn from you. And once they do come in, they’ll become more familiar with your salon and your team’s expertise, encouraging them to schedule an appointment down the road.
Plus, whatever skill you decide to teach is a great way to promote products, too. For example, if you organize a hair-dying workshop, you could have all your dyes laid out on the counter for people to purchase after.
Complete your Google Business profile
Sometimes people are out walking around when the sudden realization that they need a haircut or styling strikes them. And when that happens, they’ll likely pull out their smartphone and search for “hair salon near me.” If you want more foot traffic, make sure your salon shows up on that list!
The best way to get your salon in the search results is to create a Google Business profile. When someone searches for hair salons in their area, Google will put your salon’s information at the very top of the page, even above the actual search results.
Customers can click on your Google Business Profile to see your salon’s information, including hours, phone number, website, address, and even rating. In just a few clicks, they can schedule an appointment or set your salon as their destination in their favorite GPS app for a walk-in.
Boost your salon’s foot traffic
People are out walking around every day. Get more of them to walk into your salon with some effective marketing strategies. Design eye-catching promotional posters with templates, offer seasonal deals, give out some free gifts, host an open house, organize a workshop, and complete your Google Business profile. It won’t be long before your salon is a regular stop during people’s day-to-day routines!