5 ways to keep clients coming back to your salon

Client retention in a hair salon is a huge asset and can be more lucrative than finding new clients, suggests scheduling and business management software company Vagaro. Whether you're a freelance stylist or employed in a salon, here they share five proven ways to keep clients returning to your salon chair.

1. Use clever marketing tools

Enhance client retention by taking advantage of Vagaro's email marketing tools. Wish them happy birthday, invite them to like your Facebook page, or remind them that they can book with you 24/7. Send a text to a specific customer or set up text campaigns to automatically send on birthdays, before or after appointments, or to lost customers. You can also segment your client base with tags to promote special offers. Targeted messaging lets customers know their experience is customised specifically for them. Did you know text message marketing has proven higher open rates than email and social media marketing? A text marketing campaign books an average of 12.3 appointments per 1,000 texts sent. Plus, text marketing leads to more than two times the bookings as email campaigns. (Based on Vagaro's data)

2. Focus on reviews

With Vagaro, only verified customers can leave reviews. Try to engage with clients by publicly responding to reviews. A well-crafted response improves a customer's experience and shows that you care about your clients. This leaves you with a better overall rating and establishes trust with a potential customer in the future. Upload photos to showcase your work and portfolio. Build your business with reviews from customers with before and after photos of your clients. Set yourself apart from the rest and book clients on the spot.

3. Offer deals

Promote your specials, sales and discounts with Vagaro's daily deals to bring in more business. By adding a daily deal, you are four times more likely to be booked by new customers. Simply select one of hundreds of photos, add a title and description, and customers can book your services immediately.

4. Use an IG Booking Widget

This allows all employees of a salon or studio to implement an Instagram booking widget specifically for their own services, instead of the entire business.  This is great to keep clients loyal, especially if they've built up a relationship with their stylist. Instagram booking integration for Vagaro account owners has been so popular that now it is being made available to all service providers, including booth renters. This is a great way for an employee to share their personal booking links to their customers and avoid competing with their co-workers. It’s also an easy way to help stylists make commission by tracking products sold from their own booking widget. Stylists can use the new booking widget to display only the specific services they offer.

5. Create your own business-branded app

Boost your branding and protect the exclusive relationship with your clients with Vagaro's Branded App. It allows your customers to book online, purchase from your online store and manage their customer profile. If you're a multi-site salon clients can easily view all your available locations and choose the one they want to book with. Learn more about how Vagaro supports entrepreneurs around the UK with the day-to-day running of their small businesses, with this short story from Meraki. Chenelle and Nick, owners of Meraki in Milton Keynes, share their experiences of leaving their stable jobs working for a national salon chain to start their own business on Stony Stratford’s high street in 2017. Starting from scratch, discover how they took their vision and made it a reality and the key software considerations to set their business up for success. https://player.vimeo.com/video/708822959?h=6fc3a2b594&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479

About Vagaro

Vagaro is the world’s leading scheduling and business management software, processing 104 million appointment bookings in 2021. Used by entrepreneurs and business-owners around the globe, the platform helps you grow and and manage the day-to-day running of your hair & beauty salon. Try Vagaro free for 2 months today, no contracts or strings attached! Type the promo code “HJI” at checkout to claim this exclusive offer, available to subscribers of Hairdressers Journal for a limited period. This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Vagaro.