How to Market a Beauty Salon: 6 Steps to Better Beauty Industry Marketing

Sabrina has been running her salon for five years. She’s making money, has some loyal clients, and loves her day-to-day work. But Sabrina wants her beauty business to grow. Problem is, she’s not sure how to make it happen. She’s a beauty professional—not a marketer. With so many avenues for beauty industry marketing, it’s hard to know where to start.

If you’re a beauty pro looking to grow your business, look no further. Here’s how to grow your salon business and beauty brand in six ways.

1. Have a professional and visually-appealing website.

Your website creates first impressions. So, to promote your beauty business online, make sure your website puts your best foot forward. 

You don’t need to spend a lot of money or hire a marketing agency. In fact, many beauty business owners create impressive websites with drag-and-drop website builders, like Squarespace and Wix.

As part of your beauty salon’s marketing strategy, determine where your website needs work. Ask yourself these questions:

• Does the website align with your brand’s colors, personality, and tone of voice?
• Is the design attractive?
• Is the site functional and fast? Can clients easily find the information they need?
• Is your website helping new clients find you?

If you have the basics down, like information about you, your business, and your services, start looking at how to make your website do more for you. You can help people find your website by improving your search engine optimization (SEO) with relevant keywords and content, like blog posts. 

2. Use free beauty industry marketing tools like Google My Business.

Google My Business is a free tool for companies to manage their listings on Google Maps and Google Search. It stores basic information about your business, like your address and hours of operation. You can also customize or improve the page by uploading photos and adding service information.

If you haven’t already, create or claim your business on Google. Once you’ve established your Google My Business profile, maintain it by updating information. For example, if your general hours change, it’s important to update them on your Google My Business profile so new clients know when they can reach you. You can even update your holiday hours so potential clients know when you’re open.

Another way to leverage your Google My Business profile is by asking clients to leave reviews. They’re a powerful tool for marketing a hair salon or other beauty business. Reviews have a huge impact on your online reputation, credibility, and visibility. The more positive reviews you collect, the better your search rankings and social proof will be.

While Google My Business is essential, it isn’t the only one. Consider establishing profiles on other search engines, too, like Yelp.

3. Demonstrate your expertise on social media.

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms aren’t just for connection and entertainment.  They’re for promoting businesses like yours, too. Through your beauty salon’s social media, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, create a community, and find clients.

Unfortunately, you can’t just create an account and sit back. You have to post consistent content to see results. Some types of social media content you might try include:

• Tutorials.
• Transformations.
• Behind the scenes.
• Inspiration.
• Product reviews.
• Testimonials.
• Promotions. 

To boost your reach, you might pair up with other beauty professionals or micro influencers to create content. You can also practice social listening, or following posts about topics relating to your business. This can help you understand what people are saying, follow what’s trending in beauty industry marketing, and join the conversations.

4. Run ads.

Once you’ve established a rhythm to your organic (unpaid) marketing efforts, it may be time to invest in paid advertising. 

Social media advertising is a great place to start. It’s inexpensive and easier to set up than other kinds of ads.Before developing more robust ad campaigns, consider “boosting” your existing organic social posts.

For more advanced digital ads that target what people are searching in their internet browsers, you can run Google Ads. Google offers free support to businesses and can give you advice on how to set ads up based on your budget and goals.

Social media platforms and Google aren’t your only advertising options for marketing a beauty salon, though. You may find great opportunities through local businesses and publications or through collaborations with other beauty professionals.

5. Offer benefits and discounts.

For more beauty industry marketing, lean into benefits and discounts.

New and potential clients love feeling like they’re getting a deal. Here are some beauty salon promotion ideas to consider:

• New client promotions, like discounts or add-ons, get new folks in the door.
• Seasonal and limited-time promotions, like Mother’s Day hair treatments or summer skincare packages, encourage customers to act quickly and can drive immediate sales.
• Referral programs reward existing customers with discounts or free services or products for each new customer they send your way.
• Giveaways and contests of retail products or free services can generate buzz and lead to new clients.
• Loyalty programs and membership rewards create incentives for your existing clients to visit more frequently.
• Add-on or express services, like tinting or hand masks, can increase the amount each client spends during their visits.

6. Sell products.

In addition to growing your business with more customers, you can also expand your offerings by selling products

Clients may love the shampoo or the cuticle oil you use. They might ask you to recommend beauty products for additional care and maintenance.

Consider selling those products to your clients. So long as you don’t manufacture or alter the products, your product liability insurance should cover any claims that may come from your product sales.

Let WellnessPro grow with you.

As your beauty business (and beauty industry marketing) evolves, so do your potential headaches. One bad experience or accident can spell disaster—but it doesn’t have to. 

Here at WellnessPro, we provide insurance that caters to professionals across the beauty industry. Whether you’re a hairstylist or an esthetician, a cosmetologist or a nail technician, our beauty insurance policies grow with your ever-changing business. Get coverage today for as little as $159 per year.