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Re-invent your Beauty Salon
| To have a Successful Beauty Business you need to differentiate yourself from your competition. Read the following statement carefully: If you do the same things over and over again, you can only expect the same results over and over again. You need to do something different to get different results- right? You need to re-invent your salon. Do your clients NEED to wax their legs? Do they need to have a facial? I would have to say, “No.” They could shave or they could pamper their skin at home. Do people NEED to buy coffee at the local coffee shop or do they NEED the latest gadget? Probably not, but people want to socialise over a cup of coffee, or relax and savour some “me-time” with a cuppa. It’s about the experience. Or they want the gadget, because they want an up-to-date image. People don’t necessarily buy because they NEED something. The need is often deeper than the material item they are purchasing. The need may be self-image, a sense of luxury or indulgence etc. It is important to realise that people do not buy things for their face value. People have perfectly functional cars, mobile phones, clothing etc. but there is always a “NEED” for more. It really comes down to a NEED for happiness. We often think we will be more fulfilled if we have the newest edition of “xyz”. I want you to realise that we are not selling commodities. Beauty Therapy is not a commodity. If I can buy a certain product at a certain shop for $130 and another store sells the same product, same brand for $160, where do you think I’ll shop? I don’t know about you, but I will shop at the cheaper store. Who wants to pay more for the same item? Now you do not want to be just another beauty therapist in an ocean of Beauty Therapists. I was employed by a Skin Care Clinic which charged more than average for their Non Surgical Face Lifting treatments (their main service), and I believe they should, as they have superior computer aided machines which offer a patented wave form. Totally different wave frequency in comparison to other Non-surgical probes and therefore the results are superior. They have documented proof that their machine is the most powerful. You could literally see results after just one treatment. The crazy thing is they did not advertise that they have outstanding results compared to any other Non-Surgical Micro current Treatments. In the absence of this valuable information the only comparison is price! If all things seem equal, the only way a prospect would judge you, is on price. To be a successful Therapist, you need to get out of the commodity trap. When you differentiate yourself from everyone else, you no longer need to compete on price. Your aim is to be like no other Beauty Salon. Don’t use words that sound the same as everyone else. The beauty industry underwent some changes, when business men and women decided to use advanced terms and phrases to differentiate themselves. Beautician became Beauty Therapist/Aesthetician. The word Cosmetologist was invented for beauticians who performed beauty and hairdressing services. It is no longer creams, moisturisers or gels. New enticing words have been created, for example Skin Support and Repair System, Super Nutritive Crème, Anti-oxidant Serum. Not just a Beauty Salon, but names like Beauty Spa, Beauty Lab, and Beauty Clinic. These creative words and phrases give a sense of being an up-to-date expert. It creates the perception of offering new and advanced treatments. To be an Expert in your field you need to offer a new and different approach to your business, so that you stand head and shoulders above your competitors. |
Power Up Your Salon
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8 Keys to a Strong Marketing Strategy
By Julie Chance
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a one person shop, to be successful, you must have a marketing strategy and you must implement it consistently. However, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune and you don’t have to be a creative genius.
The key is developing a marketing strategy that forms a solid foundation for your promotional efforts. Implementing promotional activities such as advertising, direct mail or even networking and one-to-one sales efforts without a marketing strategy is like buying curtains for a house you are building before you have an architectural plan. How would you even know how many curtains to buy or what size they needed to be?
You can develop a strong marketing foundation by:
1. Defining your product or service: How is your product or service packaged? What is it that your customers are really buying? You may be selling web-based software tools but your clients are buying increased productivity, improved efficiency and cost savings. And if you offer several products or services which ones are the most viable to promote?
2. Identifying your target market: Everyone or anybody might be potential clients for your product. However, you probably don’t have the time or money to market to Everyone or Anybody. Who is your ideal customer? Who does it make sense for you to spend your time and money promoting your service to? You might define your ideal customer in terms of income, age, geographic area, number of employees, revenues, industry, etc. For example a massage therapist might decide her target market is women with household incomes of $75,000 or more who live in the Uptown area.
3. Knowing your competition: Even if there are no direct competitors for your service, there is always competition of some kind. Something besides your product is competing for the potential client’s money. What is it and why should the potential customer spend his or her money with you instead? What is your competitive advantage or unique selling proposition?
4. Finding a niche: Is there a market segment that is not currently being served or is not being served well? A niche strategy allows you to focus your marketing efforts and dominate your market, even if you are a small player.
5. Developing awareness: It is difficult for a potential client to buy your product or service if they don’t even know or remember it exists. Generally a potential customer will have to be exposed to your product 5 to 15 times before they are likely to think of your product when the need arises. Needs often arise unexpectedly. You must stay in front of your clients consistently if they are going to remember your product when that need arises.
6. Building credibility: Not only must clients be aware of your product or service, they also must have a positive disposition toward it. Potential customers must trust that you will deliver what you say you will. Often, especially with large or risky purchases, you need to give them the opportunity to “sample”, “touch”, or “taste” the product in some way. For example, a trainer might gain credibility and allow potential customers to “sample” their product by offering free, hour long presentations on topics related to their area of specialty.
7. Being Consistent: Be consistent in every way and in everything you do. This includes the look of your collateral materials, the message you deliver, the level of customer service, and the quality of the product. Being consistent is more important than having the “best” product. This in part is the reason for the success of chains. Whether you’re going to Little Rock, Arkansas or New York City, if you reserve a room at a Courtyard Marriott you know exactly what you’re going to get.
8. Maintaining Focus: Focus allows for more effective utilization of the scarce resources of time and money. Your promotional budget will bring you greater return if you use it to promote a single product to a narrowly defined target market and if you promote that same product to that same target market over a continuous period of time.
Before you ever consider developing a brochure, running an ad, implementing a direct mail campaign, joining an organization for networking or even conducting a sales call, begin by mapping a path to success through the development of a consistent, focused marketing strategy.
Strategies-by-DESIGN is a Dallas, Texas based firm that helps small and medium sized businesses Map A Path to Success by providing consulting, training and skills based coaching in the area of marketing strategy development.
For more information go to www.strategies-by-design.com or call 972-701-9311.
Top 7 Beauty Salon and Spa Ideas for Marketing to Get More Clients for the beauty salon owner
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Advertising, 100 Words that Sell
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Psychology of Persuasion in Advertising
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Six Simple Strategies to Increase Profits
Research the latest technologies and techniques. Today the opportunities are endless. Creative entrepreneurs are continuously developing extraordinary Spa treatments. Consider the cost of new business developments, cost of staff members, space required, cost per treatment, return on investment. Take into account marketing and advertising. List the pro’s and cons. New and interesting treatments and spa experiences are constantly emerging and evolving. The beauty industry is embracing wellness as a future practice. Therapists are using their imaginations and creating their own custom spa experience by integrating a variety of therapies. |
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Advertising - Words that Sell
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Marketing Plan Basics
Every business needs to begin
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