Salon and Spa Social Media

Social Media has a valuable place in a service business marketing mix and I have no doubt social media tools are here to stay, but in my business, we're also seeing a bit of the "BUZZ" wear off for Salon and Spa professionals.

It is true that Facebook and Twitter can help you communicate with and inform many people of news in a single click of the mouse, but too many times, I'm seeing a Salon or Spa using this new media only for "couponing" their services. Filling last minute cancellation with a tweet or post is very cool, but continual service discounting offers can hurt your reputation with existing full-price clientele.

Just like I teach in our business management forums, I'd rather see promotions like a product "gift with purchase" type of offer that adds extra value when a client pays for a service. I recommend professionals always use these marketing tools for product-centric savings that will drive an immediate response from clients and build product sales for the future. For example: An offer like "Buy one regular price - get one 50%" can significantly increase retail sales. In my experience, if a client goes through two bottles of a product - they are usually hooked and will be back for more. Or better yet, I've seen this promotion do even more to build future sales when the client is required to buy a product they've never purchased before as their 50% savings selection.

When I owned my salons, I learned quickly that there were only so many hours a day to do services and focusing on building a loyal product buying clientele was a great way to increase revenues. Once I figured out how to do that, I focused all of my Salon and Spa promotions around retail products to expand our number of product purchasing clients.

I never made a cent from a service client unless a service was performed, but I made a bit of profit with each product sold. There is time involved in the first sale of a product, but repeat sales do not typically require service time. Multiply this effect across your clientele and you may be surprised at how much money can be made if you stopped discounting services and focused on product promotions.

From my perspective, one of the great things about this rush to social media has been the way that it has opened a dialogue with Salon and Spa professionals about how using technology tools can be very effective for service providers.

These "broadcasting" tools can be great, but every salon and spa professional should be implementing online business management with day-to-day business-building tools like the automated and on-demand email marketing available in VirtualSalons and VirtualSpas.

Everything from appointment confirmations and reminders to our "Thank You's" and "We've Missed You" email provide the opportunity for you as a service professional to offer custom product-centric promotions and make a closer digital media connection with each of your clients.

I will be excited to watch for creative new promotions via Facebook and Twitter. If you come up with a great product promotion share your success with me and our subscribers on our Facebook page.