How to Attract New Clients to Your Salon: Friend Referrals

How to Attract New Clients to Your Salon: Friend Referrals

Off to a busy start to 2014!! BeautyMark loves Friend Referrals. We believe they are one of the best tools to attract new clients to your hair or beauty salon. In fact, 74% of women felt recommendation was the most important factor when choosing a hair salon. Moreover, clients who come via recommendation tend to be more loyal than those attracted by discounts or other promotions. 

What makes a loyal client willing to recommend your salon to their inner circle sanctum? Make them feel good. Clients might forget what you said,  forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Ask yourself, how do your clients feel when they visit your salon? Do they look and feel fabulous as they leave? 

Trust is key to getting salon recommendations and fundamental to the success of implementing this marketing tool. Your clients must feel confident that if they recommend you, their friends will have that same great experience. 

5 ways to increase salon recommendations

So how can salons and spas harness this powerful word of mouth marketing among friends and family?

Ask them. Many salons overlook this. A simple card referral system works excellent so that your client has something to pass on to their friends. 

Be generous with your marketing incentives. 10% off is hardly going to tempt someone to spread the word about how great your salon is. Calculate the  dollar value a new salon guest is worth to your salon over the period of a year and mark your incentives accordingly.

Make sure you promote your salon friend referral system through your salon website and salon email.

Regularly advertise your salon friend referral on your Facebook page and tweet it to your followers. 

And finally, don’t forget to measure the number of new salon clients who come via recommendation.