In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the beauty industry has emerged from hibernation. Clients are once again free to book appointments and receive treatments, in much the same way that they did beforehand.
With that said, Covid-19 has brought about a few lasting changes to the way that the average salon operates – and some of those changes look set to be with us for the long-term. If you’re trying to get the message out about your business, then you might want to re-evaluate exactly how you’re going to do it.
Switch to home-based
According to some estimates, around a third of self-employed beauticians have altered their working habits during the pandemic. Garages and spare rooms have been altered so that clients can be received in the home. Some businesses have gone mobile, with treatments being provided on the client’s property.
This practice offers a degree of freedom and flexibility, but it denies businesses the marketing opportunity that comes from having a fixed premises with public visibility. Effective marketing is critical to the survival of any beauty business. But exactly what does effective marketing look like, in this industry?
Marketing your Beauty business
Let’s take a look at a few strategies that might help you to get the word out to would-be clients.
Social media
Beauty is an inherently visual business, which lends itself nicely to social media platforms like Instagram. You’ll be able to take before and after pictures of your satisfied clients, to demonstrate just what you’re capable of. Or, you can simply encourage your clients to do it on your behalf. Make sure that you don’t take pictures without the client’s permission – this can easily backfire.
Capital Hair and Beauty is a business specialising in professional-grade beauty products, including furniture, tanning solutions, and hair removing wax. They recommend a strong presence on Facebook: “Set up a business page so that clients can message you, make bookings and also leave you a review. It’s also a great place for you to find people just like you, which is perfect if you’re looking for advice on anything from choosing the right manufacturer to how to deal with cancellations.”
Networking
If you’re attending conferences, or using platforms like LinkedIn, then you’ll need to be able to talk yourself up to complete strangers. For beauty therapists, having a supply of business cards to hand out is crucial. This will provide a means of getting a message across that will linger in your client’s pocket, until they either pick the phone up themselves – or pass your details to others.
Video
YouTube and TikTok offer an opportunity for your to share your expertise with the wider world, and to establish your reputation for expertise. Filming demonstration videos in a salon environment can help to get your audience familiar with your business, and perhaps to feel warmly towards it, before they even come in. Thus, you’ll be fostering loyalty even among people who aren’t yet clients.
Consistent Branding
All of your business’s branding should be joined up. That means a consistent colour palette, and consistent fonts, and that you use the same logo everywhere. What your customer sees on your website should be reflected in your physical printed material, and on your premises. This will help to generate the impression of reliability, and to reassure clients that they’ve in the right place.
