The salon business has had a tough year thus far. However, the following year doesn’t have to be as difficult! Creating your salon marketing plan for 2022 will aid you in increasing profits, attracting new consumers, and retaining current customers. Getting started is simple; but if you do it alone, without enough back work, you may not get the desired outcomes.

Instead, look at the big picture before getting into the specifics. And we’re here to walk you through it in a few simple steps. 

Create Your Salon Marketing Plan for 2022 in 8 Simple Steps

Whether you run a mobile local business salon, a tiny beauty studio, or the salon with the best hairstylists in the area, you’ll need a salon marketing strategy to assist you reach your corporate objectives faster and better. 

1. Assess your 2021 performance 

Consider how your hair salon business growth in 2021 when deciding what you want it to appear like in 2022. Determine which components were effective and which were not, as well as what would need minor modifications.

Track, analyze, and assess your  hair salons metrics to establish a baseline for the coming year’s performance. Here are some numbers to consider:

• The average number of appointments per month
• The typical number of visits per month
• Average revenue for the year and monthly revenue
• Data on total income and monthly income
• Number of new clients acquired throughout the year
• Total no. of clients

This exercise will provide you with salon marketing ideas for your company’s current and future condition. Attempt to connect these figures with your marketing activities. Did you achieve the maximum amount of bookings when you pushed it all out with your marketing efforts? When you used a specific method, did you improve social media interaction and followers?

These questions will assist you in creating a marketing strategy for your salon that is informed by your previous year’s experiences.

2. Set realistic salon marketing strategies for your salon business 

After you’ve researched the competition, set your salon goals based on the findings. Determine your salon objectives based on the two following criteria:

• Short-term objectives: The goals you want to achieve in the next few months and then throughout the year.
• Long-term objectives: These focus on the broad picture. The goals you want your salon to reach at some point in time. For example, you might wish for your business to be known as “the neighborhood beauty salon” or “an upscale hair salon,” etc. This will provide you with a sense of purpose and energy for your marketing efforts. 

Basically, you must first paint a picture of the type of salon you want it to be in the future, and then reverse engineer to create your salon’s objectives. Consider how much money you want to make this year at your salon – revenue, profits, the number of new clients, retention statistics, social media followers, salon website visitors, etc. – while keeping in mind your long- and short-term goals. Then examine how you may accomplish these aims.

It’s all about being honest with yourself, keeping one thing in mind, and not setting ridiculous goals! You don’t want to be disappointed at the end of 2022. As a result, it’s preferable to start small and establish easy salon marketing objectives.

3. Finalize your budget

Consider the money spent on marketing as an investment, not a cost. You may be familiar with how much you spent on your marketing efforts in 2020. And now that you’ve set your objectives, you know where you want to go. So, taking into account where you want to get and the amount of money required for getting there, determine how much more money you’ll need to spend on marketing.

As a rule of thumb, you should budget at least 5% of your gross sales for salon promotion. If you want to speed up your business’s growth, though, consider raising your marketing spend to 10-12% of revenue. Keep in mind that the choice is yours and that you are the only one who can make this call.

4. Amp your website and social media in alignment with your goals 

In this era of technology, your online presence is more crucial than ever. Many business owners have had to learn this the hard way during the epidemic. Furthermore, your salon’s website and social media accounts can be excellent marketing tools. It’s critical to spend time and effort updating and upgrading them. And doing so may help you attract and engage new visitors. Not just that, it will also assist you in regaining the attention of your existing clients.

You may give your website a new look by switching color schemes, updating the content, adding new photographs of your work, testimonies from pleased customers, and client photos.

Offer the same salon services on your social media handles as well – request them to tag you in their photos and repost them, post frequently to improve interaction and viewership, upload pictures from the job, market your offers.

Remember that the goals you set for the new year should be reflected in all of your activities. Adding a booking call to action, such as a Book Now button or link, to all of your marketing channels is another crucial step in increasing conversions. You may add a Book Now button to your Instagram, Facebook, Google My Business profile and website if you use Appointy.

5. Focus on retail 

Retail can be an additional revenue-generating segment with huge profit margins. You should spend more time and think more about your retail business. Sense your customers’ pulse about your current retail products. Request feedback to understand what kind of products are their favorite, and take a look at the last year’s retail sales to get more accurate results.

This year, you may stock up on your favorite items and attempt to increase their sales. There may be certain goods that you know are fantastic but have yet to capture the attention of your consumers. Try offering these items at a lower price with other products that they will appreciate. Also, inform your clients about the advantages of what you’re selling them.

If you don’t currently operate a retail line, you may distinguish yourself from your competition by starting one. The exclusivity can be extremely beneficial! You also know what your consumers want and need. With unique discounts, product bundling, or free extras with the pricey services, you can start selling your items today.

6. Create an advertising plan for the year 

If done correctly, advertising in a salon may be quite beneficial. While Google pay per click has been around for some time and is effective, Facebook and Instagram advertisements are becoming increasingly popular. And why not? You may target a very specific segment of your audience based on gender, tastes, geography, and more using these platforms!

You can advertise on Instagram because it is a Facebook property. You may also utilize Facebook advertisements to promote your business on Instagram! You may even develop Instagram-specific advertising. Instagram will allow you to more successfully target the younger demographic. Picture, carousel, and video ads are all available.

It is preferable to lead visitors to a landing page in order to generate conversions for Google PPC advertisements. In return for a deal, ask for their name and email address/phone number. Advertisements that include an attractive offer for new clients may be more effective than others.

It’s a good idea to include sponsored digital advertising for your salon in your 2021 marketing strategy. For the most part, you should aim to target Facebook and Google PPC ads.

7. Foster customer loyalty and retention

Did you know that a 5 percent increase in customer retention may result in a 95 percent boost in sales?

Customer loyalty is at the core of your salon’s success. This is why customer loyalty is so important for your salon’s growth. Customers who have already purchased from you are the foundation of your company, and they should be treated with care. It will not only help you keep good relationships with your consumers but also attract new ones by treating them well. Furthermore, acquiring new customers is 6 times more costly than keeping existing customers.

With a salon loyalty program, you may enhance your customer relationships. These will aid in the development of stronger consumer bonds and interest. You may create a variety of different sorts of loyalty programs for clients to participate in:

• In this reward system, customers will earn more points for greater spending, and the total number of points may be redeemed for gifts. For example, if your consumers have amassed a collection of 200 points, you could give them a free haircut.
• Customer loyalty program: This is a fantastic place to start. Give your consumers a punch card with which they should punch each time they come by. When the card is completed, the client gets a freebie item or service!
• Customers who buy these memberships enjoy special pricing opportunities that will help them save money over time. 

Many of these are designed to ensure that your customers keep coming back to your salon. Here are a few basic actions you may take to get started:

Step 1. Start simple: Something is far better than nothing. Choose one of the aforementioned software, ideally punch cards for beginners.

Step 2. Go through your numbers: You don’t want your consumers to be unimpressed by the discounts you’re giving them, and you don’t want to give them discounts so large that they hurt your budget. You have to discover the middle ground.

Step 3. Talk to your loyal customers: Recognize what your consumers want. Would they want a membership program or a points system? Take their comments into consideration while making your decision.

Step 4. Time for action: Once you’ve decided on a strategy, it’s time to put it into action. It will be simpler to implement the rewards program if you use salon booking software like Appointy.

8. Make your 2022 marketing plan pandemic-proof

Although the Coronavirus vaccine is already available, the pandemic is expected to continue for some time. And now that you’re aware of the circumstances this season, it’s even more important to be prepared for the worst! Make a marketing strategy for the following year such that you’ll be ready to generate income in case of an emergency, such as another lockdown.

Here are a few steps you can take to avoid getting caught up in a pandemic:

• Promote pre-booking and online scheduling: Make it easier for your consumers to make appointments, especially when they are busy. You may use a salon appointment system to save time and help your clients.
• Accept touchless payments: The most disputed word is ‘touch,’ owing to Covid. The ideal way to pay online and touchless using secure gateways like Square, Stripe, PayPal, and others is by using Near Field Communication (NFC) terminals or applications.
• Display your social distancing, cleaning, and disinfection measures: Display your anti-dumping precautions in your salon, on your website, and on social media to build consumer confidence in them.
• Embrace virtual consultations: Virtual consultations via popular and safe video conferencing platforms such as Zoom can help you minimize physical footfall while increasing social distance.
• How-to videos with home beauty kits: If a salon closes, be prepared to show DIY beauty for your clients and social followers as well as cosmetics from your retail shelves in the event..  

A salon scheduling software may assist you in coping with the epidemic and saving a lot of time. Appointy’s salon booking software allows you to take online appointments, promote pre-bookings of sessions, set appointment limits, accept digital contactless payments, and provide virtual beauty consultations with Zoom integration!

Make your plan work!

Creating a 2022 beauty salon marketing plan for your business is not enough. You need to make it work in order to achieve business growth. 

The easiest approach to get started is to create your marketing strategy in the form of a calendar. You might use anything as basic as your favorite calendar app (iCal, Outlook calendar, or Google Calendar), or you may work with an online appointment system.

Mark all significant dates and events like Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so on to create personalized offers around them. Also keep in mind to offer specials related to your salon such as your anniversary or other important times of the year, such as the high school proms. 

Finally, don’t make a plan that makes you nervous. Make a plan that is doable and realistic. Also, remember to have fun along the way!

Conclusion  

Being a salon owner, you may find yourself so occupied with making people look and feel their best that promoting efforts may become difficult. A salon marketing plan for 2021 will function as a compass and keep you focused on the big picture so you don’t lose sight of it due to the day-to-day grind! We hope you have a fantastic year as a result of this salon marketing guide. Please leave your thoughts and experiences below in the comments section.