By Fred R Andrews 

Marketing is something which many spa or salon owners neglect. There are a lot of people who look at marketing as an expense rather than as a means of generating revenue, which is exactly what an effective marketing campaign is. In order to make the most of your marketing, you'll need to keep on top of things and review what kind of results you're getting in order to keep up with or better yet, ahead of your competition.

Look carefully at what you're doing to market your salon now and see what's getting results for you and what isn't. Look at the cost for each marketing campaign in terms of the return on investment. For instance, are your radio ads generating new business for your salon or are your direct mail efforts having more of an impact? It's all too easy to fall into the habit of using just one type of advertising - which often means losing out on opportunities to reach your target market. The idea is to stick with what works and scale back on what doesn't.

Email Marketing

Ask your clients for their contact information - including their email address. Many businesses find that a monthly newsletter delivered by email can be an effective tool for generating repeat business. You can use your newsletter to remind your clients about new services you offer, remind them about seasonally popular procedures like hair removal and the like. You can also send the people on your email list occasional messages about specials, open appointments and the like.

Cross Marketing

You may want to do cross marketing with other local businesses; it's better to do some marketing along with businesses which do not offer exactly the same services as your spa does. If you know some local hairstylists, this can be a particularly rewarding cross promotion for both their business and your own.

Take Advantage Of Technology

Your salon very likely uses a computerized system to manage bookings. You can actually use these systems to take your marketing efforts to the next level by using their ability to produce reports; these can tell you if there are facilities which aren't being used to their full potential as well as which of your clients haven't been in for some time and should be followed up with.

Networking

Getting out and making a name for yourself is incredibly important. Participate in your community, especially in areas where you'll meet people who are in your target market. People tend to choose to go to people they know for services like yours - when you network with people in your city, you'll be able to make business contacts, get the word out about your business and even bring in some new clients.

Remember, it's not enough to just put a sign out front; you need to put some effort into marketing your salon business and you have to keep up with how your marketing and advertising efforts are working for you. Make your marketing accountable and keep it constantly evolving in order to create a foundation for the continued growth of your spa or salon.

Article Source Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Perfect Color and Cut Marketing was started to help salon owners successfully market their salons and currently has seven hundred plus Salons and Spas around the country that they consult with. Grab their FREE Hair Salon Marketing Report today!

Everyone’s greatest fear when it comes to beauty is fire. Other kinds of burns are just as feared. Scars from burns are almost instant and permanent. Most people think there is nothing that can be done during the initial moments to prevent the inevitable scar. Scientific and medical studies have shown that pouring extra virgin olive oil onto a burn immediately depending on the severity will prevent blisters and further damage and prevent the scar or at least moderate the scarring. Many other Vitamin E potent substances have seen the same results. I've had to use this many times on myself, friends, and my children with very good results.

In the event of severe cuts, road rash, and other frightening events that could damage or scar the face or other areas important to image and beauty it’s vital that the wound be treated properly immediately to moderate the damage and scaring. Of course everyone fears stitches but believe it or not getting a large wound stitched will actually prevent or moderate what otherwise would be a bad scar. It depends on how severe and how wide the wound is gaping. Most doctors when asked will tell you after seeing the wound whether or not stitches would improve your chances of moderating scarring or if the stitches will cause worse markings.

Once again, extra virgin olive oil, as well as Aloe Vera juice squeezed from a leaf of the Aloe Vera plant will increase the speed and effectiveness of healing by more than forty times. And in many cases will even prevent scaring. The juice and oil causes the skin to repair faster and replace the tissues more effectively which prevents scarring and enhances the proper replacement of damaged skin. Also when worried that a wound will become infected which is a disaster as far as scar prevention is concerned, put honey on the wound. It not only disinfects the wound but enhances healing and scar reduction like the other two substances mentioned.

Believe it or not you can actually get huge gallon containers of extra virgin olive oil and even Aloe Vera juice and honey. Imagine pouring a whole gallon of basically vegetable oil onto your face after a fire! Most experts would have a heart attack if they saw you do this but that’s only because we don’t learn these techniques and nobody knows them except for a select class of scientists who care more about people than they do about profits. True there are products you can buy intended for burns, mostly for treating the pain, found in stores but if you read the ingredients you’ll discover Aloe Vera, Olive Oil, and Honey are some of the key ingredients and unfortunately they’re not as potent because of the processing from the factory to the shelf. Food grade Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Aloe Vera you buy at the plant store and Food grade Honey are pure and undefiled and processed very lightly.

What is in these substances that produce such amazing and miraculous results? Many of the properties found in these substances are mystery especially in the case of Honey. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has some Vitamin E but not enough to be considered potent. Maybe we will never know. Mother Nature keeps guarding her secrets but as long as we know what to use we can be prepared. Keep these things handy around the house. You never know when a child knocks over a pot of boiling water onto a hand or even somebody’s face heaven forbid!

How to apply these is somewhat untraveled territory because as a disclaimer I need to make you aware that these treatments may not be approved by a doctor, experts, and the medical community, and public safety agencies. In the case of severe burns you should know that pouring oil onto the wound will trap heat and cause the wound to hurt very badly. One technique I use is to pour cool water (non-chlorinated if possible) over the wound after I’ve applied the oil, because much of the oil will remain even with the water washing it away. With severe burns you are not supposed to use cold water because it is lethal and causes death if the victim goes into shock. Use slightly cool or even slightly warm water. Some experts even advise against the use of water completely. Do not try to remove clothing or anything found on a burn. Let the emergency care personnel take care of it. The most you can do for burn is gently cover it with medical bandages and gauze and get the victim to a hospital immediately. I personally pour on the oil and then cover the wound which will get you a very severe tongue lashing by the doctor but it’s up to you whether or not you want to risk the scar damage being worse than it could have been.

As a disclaimer I would recommend that you use these techniques on non-serious, non-life threatening wounds only. Also most doctors will help you do it if you mention your desire to use Vitamin E oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Aloe Vera. Mostly these techniques would be most beneficial when applied during the healing process. The nice thing about Extra Virgin Olive Oil is that it can be poured on so that you never have to touch the wound. Aloe Vera is almost the same way, slightly more solid like a gel. And the same goes for Honey. And these substances protect the wound by forming a slight coating over the wound especially in the case of Aloe Vera which seems to form a shell over the wound that gets dark in color. Olive Oil raises the acidity level of the wound back to the level that is normal for skin to maintain the skin’s own anti-infection, anti-bacterial properties. Olive Oil also helps gauze and a bandage to not stick to the wound which is nice for when bandages need to be pulled off.

In the case of paper cuts, most likely not a threat to beauty however it’s a cool trick to know because paper cuts of course ironically are one of the most feared minor wounds because it’s usually so very painful during recovery and seems to heal so slowly and feels like the skin has cracked and will not go away! This is another important point to know. Olive Oil absorbs very quickly into the skin and might seem to disappear after only 15 minutes and so needs to continually be reapplied to keep the wound wet. This wet condition keeps wounds from drying out and cracking. In the case of paper cuts you’ll notice that Olive Oil also acts as a light anesthesia because as long as the wound is wet it does not hurt like paper cuts usually do with every movement and accidental brushing on something else. Especially on road rash which is similar to a burn and stays painful for awhile sometimes the Olive Oil keeps the wound moist so that it heals without cracking, and speeds healing, and dims the pain. A lot of times road rash wounds have lint and dirt and other materials smashed into the wound, Extra Virgin Olive Oil helps these things surface and come out of the wound painlessly.

Why does the Olive Oil need to be the Extra Virgin variety? Because Extra Virgin has more of the Vitamin E like properties, in fact the other versions of Olive Oil are completely useless for healing wounds and in fact some are hazardous and detrimental and toxic. Good luck in every disaster, and follow your gut instinct and if you feel that you shouldn’t do something, follow your first impression and trust in yourself. That inner voice is almost always right until your doctor or the emergency responders arrive. Some of these techniques and treatments might cause more problems, so be sure to use them only on minor wounds until you’ve become a little better at applying them. Experience sometimes is the best medicine. More often than not, it’s the minor, tiny little cut, that nobody fears until a scar is revealed that surprises everyone catching us unawares. Scars unfortunately seem permanent in most cases. Technology is revealing secrets through surgery and lasers and other treatments for removing scars. But we can do even more in the prevention by knowing the cool facts about these three substances found in any grocery store!

Read more about your health and prevention of beauty damaging forces at my website: www.healthya.webs.com and have a fruitful week!

–Ben Waldon (Avid student of Nature, Nutrition, & Life)

“What’s your favourite treatment?” As a Beauty Therapist I bet you have been asked this question hundreds of times.

Generally Therapists give a one word or one sentence answer.

As a business owner this question opens the door to promote your brilliant services and products.

Often we hear matter of fact answer: “Facials”

It may be, heaven forbid, “I don’t know, I like everything.”

As a Therapist I always ask other Therapist this question. I always get a rather vague or simple matter of fact answer.

As a business owner use this question as an opportunity to effectively and persuasively promote your treatments and products.

Do you offer a unique treatment? Which is your most profitable treatment?

Now is your chance to promote it.

“My personal favourite is reflexology. Do you know about this technique?” This gives you the opportunity to explain the treatment.

“Our clients love our rejuvenation treatments. It is a winner, definitely a favourite. If they feel old and haggard they are always surprised by how rejuvenating our treatments are. We customise our treatment to specific skin type and condition. Our rejuvenation treatments include photo-rejuvenation, skin resurfacing and skin tightening. Have you seen the brochures we have available?”

“If clients are feeling stressed or run down Judy is the favourite Therapist. She is our body treatment expert.  She has a heated bed and her treatment room is filled with the relaxing scent of lavender. I have to agree with her clients that she offers the ultimate in relaxation. She is a genius in loosing tight muscles.”

When you are questioned about your business, your service and products always speak VOLUMES of your UNIQUENESS and Professionalism. Remember people buy solutions. Tell them about your benefits and results.

People want to know, “what’s in it for me?”

TIP: Define your business.  Prepare an answer, so that you don’t stumble, hesitate, uh and ah about what you do for a living.  Being able to communicate the benefits of your business is the foundation of your success.

Build Client Relationships and Increase Repeat Business

Potentially, sales not only increase when you reach more prospective clients with your message but also when you motivate and prompt loyal clients to make repeat purchases.

As a Hair and Beauty Salon owner your database is an asset worth its weight in gold.  Consider the lifetime value of a loyal client. How much does each of your clients spend on average per month, per year and over a lifetime?  It costs anywhere from 5 to 8 times more to gain a new clients as opposed to keeping your clients. Therefore, it is obvious you need to place as strong emphasis on keeping existing clients. Keeping in touch with your clients and staying top of mind is important to increase repeat business. By sending email to your database you can send a lot more follow-up and repeat messages than you would otherwise with traditional advertising.

Email Marketing is a highly effective way to build loyalty and trust. It is an excellent and cost-effective medium to combine with your other marketing mediums. The best email lists are those that contain the names of loyal repeat clients and interested prospects who know you and your salon well enough to recognize your emails. Continue to grow your database by asking all new clients and prospective clients for permission to send emails.

 Valuable Content

When people share their email address with you they expect to receive something valuable. Boring and repetitive emails will lead to low open rates.

Your aim is keep content relevant and valuable. You will need to keep your readers attention while you make an effort to influence new and repeat business. Content = your message, your information.

Email content just as with regular printed marketing material; needs to grab attention and be relevant.

Use catchy words that are personalized and  hint to the content of your email. Your email subject line should be compelling and prompt the reader to open your email.

For example if the email is about a new skin care treatment, your header may read: “New skin care treatment improves your skin immediately”

Emails containing valuable information based on your skin care knowledge and experience are generally more effective over time than email that constantly make sales offers and feature your salon, treatments and products. Spend time to edit and polish your message. An effective message needs to be interesting to the client. Think of your content as an informative newsletter or article, rather than a sales letter. You are educating, inviting and enticing them to discover your unique salon experience.

Email Marketing Checklist:

 □ Ask each client and prospective client to share her email address.

 □ Collect email addresses from telephone enquiries.

 □ Ask permission to send emails. Have a privacy and anti-spam policy.

 □ Provide a way for people to opt out of your email list.

□ Make sure your email contains your contact details. Physical address and telephone number.

□ Keep headlines clear and concise.

□ Keep paragraphs short.

□ Avoid clutter. Have white space to make reading easy.

□ Have a strong call to action.

□ An expiry date helps to encourage a response.

□ Be prepared to handle incoming responses and questions.

□ Avoid spam (unsolicited commercial email). People don’t like receiving it. If your email is perceived as spam, ISPs will block your email server from sending emails.

□ Consumers tend to perceive frequent emails as spam when they feel that the content is irrelevant, repetitive, or too long. Typically email frequencies would include:  

· Weekly

· Every two weeks

· Bi-monthly

· Monthly

Resource and Recommended reading:

Email Marketing for Dummies by Arnold, John

Like many new technologies the use of light for photo rejuvenation purposes generates a lot of confusion about what is best, how it works, why it works, and the difference between the different devices out there. In past articles I’ve addressed some of the above points however what I’d like to accomplish in this series of articles is to clear up or remove the confusion surrounding lasers with regards to laser skin treatment and LED photo rejuvenation for the skin. In Part 1, I’ll focus on laser, pun intended!

We hear a lot about lasers these days, they’re in the news, talked about on the Internet, offered as facial treatments etc., but what is a laser? Well, the word itself is actually an acronym, coined in the 1960’s, and stands for, “Light Amplification by the Stimulation of Emitted Radiation,” but don’t let those big words put you off. Let’s put that mouthful in very simple terms; lasers are devices that bounce light around in a tube that has mirrors at each end. The mirror at the end where the light exits is half the strength of the mirror at the opposite end of the tube. This allows the light to easily pass through making it a very focused beam. The surface area covered by this laser beam is very focused, and generally covers an area as small as a pinpoint and up to 3/16th on an inch when used in a photo rejuvenation device. 

We read that Lasers are hot and can be used in industry to cut or burn through very hard materials, they’re used in dentistry now instead of drills, they’re used in medicine during surgery to cut and cauterize tissue and they can even be used as weapons by the military. So if they are that powerful how can they be used safely on the skin? Well, in the case of laser skin treatment, these lasers are used in very short bursts and feel like a rubber band snapping against the skin. When used in such short bursts, they cause micro injuries to the skin, that the body has to heal, resulting in fresher looking skin. 

As a final note, realize there are different kinds of lasers, some are “Hot” and some are “Cool”. For the purposes of this article we’ll limit our discussion to cool lasers. These lasers produce no heat and when applied to the skin they cause an effect by stimulating the metabolism of the skin cells through the process of photo stimulation. This in essence is LED photo rejuvenation.

We’ll start with exactly what an LED is. The term LED is derived from the beginning letters of the words Light Emitting Diode. A diode is basically a computer chip. So, an LED is a small computer chip that when, a small electrical current is passed through it, will light up or “Emit Light”. The diode is encased in a clear resin that can be shaped causing the light to cover a wide or narrow area. Now, the factors that determine the color of the light are the elements that the diode or chip is made of, different combinations of different elements create different colors of light. As a side note, you will often see the term wavelength used to describe the light coming from LED devices; this term refers to the color coming from the device. 

We now know what an LED is so why are they so prevalent in photo rejuvenation and photo facial devices. The answer is simple, they are compact and lightweight, strong, durable, very powerful, bright, efficient and when correctly powered they create very little if any heat. And most importantly they are extremely effective in facial skin care. All of these qualities make LED’s ideal for photo rejuvenation and photo facial machines. This also helps to explain the current popularity of these devices, as 20 years ago, the technology didn’t exist to make what is now becoming commonplace. The advances in facial skin care, and natural skin care products, have just begun. It makes me wonder what the next 20 years will bring in this field.

We’ve discovered in the first 2 articles that lasers by their nature shine a very concentrated or focused beam of light, whereas LED’s shine light, though not as powerful, over a wider unfocused area. Think of the difference between the light from a laser pointer and the light from a flashlight and you’ll get the idea. Let’s keep in mind the objectives of photo rejuvenation whether from lasers or LED’s. We want to apply the desired colors or wavelengths of light, in a powerful enough form that will penetrate into the skins’ deeper layers. This stimulates cell metabolism, causing an increase in collagen and elastin production. This is your LED photo facial and the ultimate in skin care treatment. 

The key word in the above statement is “desired”. If you are using laser or LED, as long as you are applying the desired colors does it matter what the source of the color is? In a word the answer is no. Do you need the penetrating power of a laser? In my opinion, no you don’t. So what it boils down to is time, cost and convenience. Lasers are typically expensive, found in salons and their session times are quite lengthy by virtue of the fact that they can only be applied by an operator (cosmetologist or aesthetician), to a very focused area then moved to another area. Even if there are multiple lasers in the appliance most of the skin surface is not receiving the light. This fact makes them less convenient.

Let’s go back to the laser pointer and flashlight analogy. How much longer would it take to apply light from a laser pointer to every square millimeter of skin on the back of your hand compared to a flashlight? I rest my case.

To summarize then the key to effective photorejuvenation is using the correct colors of light or wavelengths with adequate power to penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin. I feel LED based devices have a distinct advantage, as many different effective colors of light can be tightly packed together and overlap each other to deliver multiple colors or wavelengths simultaneously over a large area. The LED photo rejuvenation or photo facial devices will stand on their own in fighting fine lines and wrinkles, and brings to light a new era in natural skin care products.

http://www.lightstim.com/

Author: Andrew Johnstone

Providing service to clients

The very first thing you learn in hairdressing is receiving and greeting clients in a professional, friendly manner. The initial greeting the clients receive at the reception area will influence the whole salon’s wellbeing. First impressions last forever.

With a professional, pleasant and warm approach clients will feel at ease. Your client will have confidence in your skills and will be able to relax and enjoy the experience.
Clients expect excellent customer service when they enter a salon. With so much competition in hairdressing today it’s the quality of service and professionalism a Salon offers that make it successful. An unhappy client will simply take their business elsewhere. As a trainee you will learn how to provide for your clients and the skills required to succeed in the Hairdressing industry. Hairdressing is all about making people look better & feel great. As a trainee you will expand your technical knowledge, learn how to create amazing hairstyles, discover beautiful hair colouring, and also how to deliver quality customer service in the Salon.
Salon etiquette is an essential part of delivering customer service to clients.

Design

Hairdressing is an artistic craft; therefore you must develop your artistic ability. Hairdressing is a business where you are trying to enhance the client’s appearance. From an artistic point of view a hairstyle is an expression of form, shape, colour and texture. When creating a look for a client the hairdresser must consider:

* The shape of the face, profile, head
* Client’s dress and the occasion
* The quality and quantity of hair
In Hairdressing you will learn that vertical lines can add height while horizontal lines can add width and make an object appear shorter. Design lines create an optical illusion, and as a trainee you will learn the concepts of design. You will learn how to apply lines, shape, form, and texture when creating the perfect hairstyle for your client.

Hair and fashion go together, and this should be remembered when styling hair. Regardless of fashion trends, there are certain principles and combinations of line, shape and texture hairdressing must adhere to.

The hairdresser’s aim is to create a hairstyle which is designed to enhance the client’s features and complement the occasion.

Academia International is a leading international college providing cooking courses, hospitality management training, hairdressing courses, and beauty courses. For a free brochure please visit English School.

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_852872_22.html

If you don't design your own life plan,chances are you'll fall

into someone else's plan.

And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."

Jim Rohn


A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

Putting something away is so much easier when you know where it belongs. Once you have assigned everything a home, resist the temptation to just put it down – rather act immediately and put it away. Bonus: you will always be able to find what you want, when you need it.

FILE, DON’T PILE

According to Richard Swenson in his book “The Overload Syndrome” The average desk worker has 36 hours of work on his or her desk and spends 3 hours per week sorting piles trying to find the project to work on next”. Knowing this, and that paperwork is the single biggest contributor to clutter in homes and offices – it is no surprise how quickly the paper piles.

By placing a simple finding system (labelled in/out tray or drawer system) on your work surface and using it regularly; by making immediate decisions with your paperwork as to what needs to happen to it (file, action, delegate, discard) and by making sure you only leave active folders out, you can minimise your paper piling. Make sure your filing system is simple and easy for you to maintain and put time aside to file whenever your drawer/tray is full.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

It is better to have fewer items – all of which you need, use and love than a home or office filled with things that have no meaning to you.

FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT: GET EVERYTHING DONE WHEN IT IS DUE

Being organised is not about being neat. Rather, think of it as about grouping like items together and storing them in a place and in a way that is easy for you to access when you need it. Keep looking for new ways to change the things that are not working – and leave the things that work well for you no matter how they look to others.

DE-CLUTTER

You cannot keep things just because they are interesting. Decide now to make your work space and work like easier by eliminating the excess. Organise desk tops, drawers and shelves. Empty shelves and open areas are fine. No need to cover it with anything. Empty one area or drawer at time. To be organised is a decision to make life easier in every way. Being organised means you can find something when you need it, quickly, with a minimum amount of anxiety and with the confidence that the item will actually be where you look.

Resources: Marcus Gomez, Learn to delegate like a CEO

Odette Pollar, Get Organised! A Guide to Personal Productivity