You know the old refrain: winning new clients is good. Keeping the ones you’ve already won over is better. Much better. In your line of work, as in many others, acquiring new clients costs a business on average 7 times more than retaining existing ones. The effort isn’t the same, as you can imagine. Where you have everything to prove to a new client, whom you may have struggled to bring into your salon, you simply need to nurture a relationship of trust with those who have already chosen you as their go-to beauty and/or wellness professional. Today, then, we’re looking at how to build client loyalty when you work in a hair salon, a beauty salon, or even on your own. Believe us: you have everything to gain.
Building client loyalty at your salon: a long-term saving
Loyal clients, the best way to secure your business
For several years now, the beauty sector has been facing some difficulties. You may have noticed: clients come in less often and spend less. This can sometimes lead to salons closing.
Faced with this, one effective solution stands out: loyalty. Building a caring, trusting relationship with your clients will encourage them to come back to your salon. 71% of women even say they are loyal to their hairdresser. Taking care of your clients, in your salon and beyond, remains the best way to keep them coming and secure your business over time.
Worth reading: a complete study on the relationship between women and their hairdressers (in French).
The assurance of selling more products
Turning your salon’s visitors into loyal clients will also help you sell more of your products. Think about it: by coming to your salon regularly, the client gets used to your products. Even better: she likes the results. Sometimes to the point of almost depending on them.
If you use a very particular, even fairly rare, product line, your loyal clients can become regular buyers. They’ll buy exclusively from you. This can contribute a great deal to increasing your revenue.
Free advertising through word of mouth
And the highlight of the show: your loyal clients are your best communication tool. What could be better than testimonials and positive client reviews to bring more people into your salon? A loyal client is a client who advertises for you without you even having to ask. All it takes is for her to be happy with your services and your professionalism, and for you to give her something to talk about. Why do without free advertising?
How to build client loyalty at a hair salon or beauty salon?
Use digital platforms to stay in touch
The best way to stay in touch with your clients is to become part of their daily lives. And what do French people do every day? They check social media. So the first piece of advice we can give you is to create a page for your salon, and use it to make people want to come back as soon as possible. The benefits for your salon of being on social media are many. And you can use them to build loyalty in different ways:
- Promote special offers
- Showcase the professionals your clients trust
- Highlight your products and their benefits
- Put your clients’ satisfaction in the spotlight
- etc.
Keep in touch with marketing campaigns
Beyond social media, you can also stay in touch after the service by sending offers and other information to your new clients. This works especially well through text message or email marketing campaigns.
By contacting them regularly, you keep your clients from forgetting you. Quite the opposite: you encourage them to come back soon to enjoy in-salon perks. For example, you can communicate about:
- Promotions on your services or products
- Key dates such as Valentine’s Day, New Year’s or Mother’s Day
- Limited editions of certain products available only in your salon
- A reminder that the client’s last visit was (a little too) long ago
You get the idea: the possibilities are endless. It’s up to you to be creative!
Develop a loyalty program
Who has never bought something or a piece of clothing they didn’t need, for the simple reason that a loyalty offer was running? We’ve all done it. And it will be the same in your salon. Saving money remains a strong motivation for your clients. By offering them a loyalty program, you give them the chance to come more often without breaking the bank. You both win!
And remember: the better you take care of your clients, the more they’ll want to come back. So it’s well worth making your clients feel privileged. A loyalty card can be an excellent loyalty tool. You’ll quickly achieve steady, consistent traffic in your salon.
RDV360 software helps you create and run your loyalty programs. Here’s a preview with our tutorial, available on our YouTube channel.
Dare to make the gestures that make a difference
Building client loyalty also means being close to them, knowing them and showing your appreciation. If you use management software with a client file feature, you can use their data to show them you care. Send them a text message for their birthday, with a promo code valid for the month. Encourage them to treat themselves to a relaxing moment on their name day. Wish them a happy New Year with a nice photo of your team… Show them they matter to you, and that they’re right to count on you.
Free up time to build loyalty with management software for beauty and wellness professionals
Retaining clients who have already visited your salon takes less time than acquiring new ones. Even so, it requires personal commitment and communication work. Using management software for hair salons and beauty salons like RDV360 can help you put your plan in place. Not only will it help you free up time, thanks to the many features available, such as online booking or the NF525-certified POS (NF525 is the French certification for POS software). It will also let you set up and grow your loyalty program directly in the software.