E-Mail

E-mail uses resources already available to most small businesses—basically, a computer, e-mail program and Internet connection. At the very least, salon owners may choose to tackle an e-mail marketing program by themselves, without the aid of specialty bulk-mailing software or third parties.

Those needing assistance can buy a software program specially designed for e-mail marketing. A few hundred dollars will buy software that generates simple, plain-text letters to a few hundred recipients, where much more money will get a program complete with campaigns, test groups and reaction surveys. "It moves over into the advertising world at that point, and all of the potential expense that you can incur from that type of campaign," Sadler says.

A third option is to use an ASP, or application service provider. "It might cost you $20, $50 or $100 a month, but you’ll manage your e-mail list over the Web and do all of your e-mailing through a Web interface," Bredenberg explains. "The application hosting company will provide software on the back end. You won’t have to have anything on your own computer."

Before salon owners attempt to send bulk e-mails from their desktop computers, it’s best they check with their Internet service provider (ISP) to make sure it’s OK to run an e-mail marketing campaign from the server. Many ISPs have restrictions on mass e-mailing and it could get a salon owner’s account pulled.

The benefits of permission-based marketing are still being fleshed out, Sadler says. Studies show that businesses need to integrate their message through some combination of television, radio and print advertising. The online world is one of those methods and should be used.

"We see it every day," Sadler says. "You talk to your colleagues. You talk to people who are friends of yours who don’t work in the same industry that you do. You’re starting to realize that now people have e-mail. It’s the way we communicate today."