The second day of HJ’s Business Boardroom, in partnership with L’Oréal Professionnel, was focused on marketing, as the 2026 team came together at the L’Oréal Academy. Here, we take a look at all the highlights, plus share the top tips you need to know for your marketing campaigns…
Not caught up with everything that happened on day one? Take a read here!
HJ’s Business Boardroom: Day 2 Highlights
Mentor and industry entrepreneur Sean Hanna initially got the team to break down marketing campaigns from the fashion and sports worlds, before turning their attention on their own businesses.
“Marketing is the magic component for all businesses – it’s a secret source that allows your business to be more profitable,” explained Sean, who has won numerous marketing awards throughout his career as owner of seanhnna salons. “One of the biggest issues our industry faces right now is that the fashion is for long hair – so they come to the salon less frequently, there are too many appointments available and as a result, client relationships are more important than ever before. Your marketing has to be good to get clients through your door and ultimately, put up your prices.
“Nike sells trainers and clothes, but their marketing is about how you feel when you wear them – it’s about empowering you and making you feel good. We might have a smaller audience, but the power of marketing is exactly the same.”
Sean added: “People remember people, not a sales pitch; ‘20% off colour this week’ is a sales pitch. ‘Sara had a great new colour before her wedding, see how we did it’, is a marketing story.”
The mentees then shared their own marketing experiences and supported each other putting together their marketing calendars.
Next, three-times Marketing Campaign of the Year winner and current Business Director of the Year Michael Van Clarke gave an insight into what makes his marketing campaigns so effective. “Clients make a judgement really quickly – while the way the team dresses isn’t going to gain new clients, it’s the small details that are more important than you think. It goes without saying the haircut and colour has to be fantastic, but in today’s world it’s the whole experience that matters. Your internal marketing is how the salon feels, the small touches like flower arrangements, the team and the language, then there is the external marketing which is aimed at new and existing clients.”
The mentees grilled Michael on everything from running a first-class business, setting prices, and recruiting the right team. “As an industry we don’t recognise the value we give beyond the haircut. You don’t go to a restaurant because you are hungry, it’s everything else you get when you visit. It’s the same with a salon; take away the haircut and your clients are coming to you because you make them feel comfortable, you make them feel important and speak to them like an old friend. If they feel they get all this and a great haircut, they will pay for that,” he explained.
Top Tips for Working on a Marketing Campaign
- Develop a campaign that will resonate with your clients - it could be one price or a tiered price, but it will push up the average bill.
- Losing some clients isn’t a bad thing as it gives you some space to attract the right clients for your business.
- Plan your timeline and work out your marketing costs, try and keep it low cost and high impact.
- If clients have left keep them on your email list, these messages from you will remind them what they liked about you in the first place.
- The value is all about your story, not about discounts.
- Create a client avatar who you are talking to and keep them in mind when you are putting together your stories and ideas. This keeps you focused on creating a marketing campaign at the right people.
Reasons Marketing Works for Your Business
- Marketing is more than just advertising; it’s about your branding how you look and feel.
- It’s the experience you offer, your reputation and how people perceive you.
- It attracts new clients and gives you some flexibility to get rid of old clients
- It allows you to increase your prices while building trust and loyalty
- It attracts new team members who want to work with you
- It develops loyalty as it tells clients what you stand for
- If you don’t do any marketing, people will forget you exist! Clients and team members before disillusioned and uninspired, business then stalls and resilience drops.
