Update your business and boost your bottom line

Michael Dewey, managing director of Salon Services, shares his tips for boosting your bottom line this year.      1. Train and gain  Whether it’s a top-up course for existing skills, or a course that will enable you to perform a great new service, training will ensure you and your staff can provide high quality revenue-boosting services. We are seeing increasing interest in specialised hair colour (think grey, pastel and bold shades) and brow treatment courses, thanks to celebrities such as Katy Perry and Cara Delevigne driving consumer trends. These offerings are great additions to existing services and can really boost your salon’s income.

2. Going social

 Providing great treatments and the best services to your customers this year is essential, but don’t forget to let people know what you have to offer. In a competitive market you want to ensure that you’re both gaining and retaining customers. Having a presence on social media channels is more important than ever, and dominant forums like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest can help your business to connect with existing and new customers. Use the start of this year to either create or update your presence on these sites, and employ a system to keep them regularly updated with creative new designs, photos and competitions. But remember, the beauty industry is still a ‘people’ focussed industry; so continue to use simple marketing methods like following up after every visit, and sending reminders by phone or letter to retain a personal touch.

3. Alternative appeal

Nowadays, salons need to cater to a diverse crowd and identify new target markets to ensure they are growing their client base and aren’t missing out on business opportunities. Teenagers are great potential customers and offering “mother and daughter” packages could be a nice way to expand into this market. Birthday party packages for this age group offering hair styling and goody-bags with after-care products are also a great way to build your customer base and increase retail sales. Mums-to-be and new mums are also a good customer group to market to. They will be looking for guidance on how to handle changes to their hair during pregnancy and post-birth.  Providing a hair care guide (with information supported by the NHS) for mums-to-be shows that you recognise the hair concerns your customers may have. Providing a low-maintenance hair upstyle ‘kit’ for new mums, which include easy-to-follow styling guides for simple plaits, ponytails and buns along with the necessary tools - hair ties, hair grips and a bun ring -  could be a great way to help customers style their hair at home.

4. Male grooming

Today’s men are more style-savvy than ever before and the male grooming trend is definitely here to stay. So, if other salons in your area are heavily focused on treatments for women, try marketing male grooming treatments to appearance-conscious men. Men are increasingly looking beyond the standard haircut and opting for specialist treatments such as colour, facials, massages and hair removal, so it is important to ensure your salon can offer a selection of treatments. Try dropping some promotional cards at offices near your salon to invite men to try some of the quick and easy grooming treatments such as aromatherapy scalp massage, using scents such as cedar and sandalwood, and nail treatments, during their lunch break. Having sleek, modern interiors without frills or fuss can make it much more appealing and less daunting to men too.