25 Apr Salon Client Retention: How to Keep Clients Coming Back
Salon Client Retention: How to Keep Clients Coming Back
Are most of your salon’s customers first-timers? As a salon owner, it’s important to focus on not just gaining new clientele, but increasing client retention. Repeat customers are going to spend more money and increase your overall salon revenue, so it’s important that you focus on them. The great thing about turning first-time customers into loyal clients is that you don’t have to sell them your services. They are already interested. Instead, you just have to give them a reason to return! Here’s how to keep clients coming back:
How to Keep Clients Coming Back to Your Salon
Loyalty Programs
Having a loyalty program for your salon clientele is probably the most popular way to keep clients coming back. Simply put, loyalty programs are designed to encourage customers to book/buy more from your salon by making them feel appreciated and valued. There are various types of loyalty programs, such as a points system, VIP status, or punch cards. Although the incentives for earning rewards might vary depending on the type of loyalty program, all programs encourage the same things. If you are a repeat customer, you will be rewarded in some way.
Aside from helping your salon gain more repeat clients, there are other benefits of having a loyalty program. Loyalty programs can help your salon build a client database of emails and phone numbers, assist you in getting referrals, and contribute to an overall increase in revenue and engagement.
Immediate Re-booking
When it comes to appointment booking, reserving and maintaining is the goal. That being said, it can be difficult to achieve this without pre-appointment booking or immediate re-booking. Booking ahead of time is one way to decrease the chances of cancellations or forgotten appointments, but immediately re-booking after a client completes their service is almost a guarantee that they will return. Likewise, you won’t have to chase them down in order to secure their appointment. Doing so also encourages a line of communication between you and your clients, which strengthens the relationship even more.
Email Lists
There are many ways you can build a client database and collect email addresses. Once you have done this, utilizing your email list is another way that you can turn your customers into repeat salon clients. From reminding them about their upcoming appointments to thanking them for their business, there are endless ways that an email list can keep clients coming back to your salon.
Types of emails to keep clients coming back:
- Follow-up emails
- Post-purchase emails
- Client anniversary emails
- Thank you emails
- Informative emails about the loyalty program, any special events, etc.
- Appointment reminder email
First Time Customer Perks/Discounts
Lastly, offering your first-time customers a discount or benefit of some kind can encourage them to return to your salon as a repeat client. By offering a first-time customer a perk, you are essentially giving them a discounted trial of your services. Doing so gives first-time customers the opportunity to see the value in your services before fully committing to them. It builds a sense of trust and strengthens the relationship early on, which will encourage them to return and pay the full price going forward.
Key Takeaway’s for Your Salon
- As a salon owner, it’s important to focus on not just gaining new clientele, but securing that which you already have.
- The great thing about turning first-time customers into loyal clients is that you don’t have to sell them your services entirely because they are already interested in choosing your salon. Instead, you just have to give them a reason to return and become a repeat client.
- Four ways that you can turn your salon customers into repeat clients are through building a loyalty program, pre-appointment booking/immediate re-booking, utilizing your email lists, and offering first-time customers a perk or discount of some kind.
Having good reviews is a key component to attracting new salon clients. You also want your returning clients to let others know how great you are. Read our blog on getting more online reviews to find out how you can work on this!