The Salon Digital Marketing Revolution

By Jeremy Herring

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock lately and missed it, the tanning industry is in the midst of a digital marketing revolution!  It has been so exciting to see cutting-edge solutions and packages that are capable of meeting the needs of virtually any size of business. It also challenges the status quo, and the time is NOW to either realize what you’re losing by not utilizing these powerful yet simple tools – or else to re-evaluate your current tools and strategies to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

Coming away from the recent IST Executive Trade Event in Chicago, our representatives had the opportunity to get down to the grassroots level with salon operators to understand how they are marketing and what they are paying. Needless to say … we were surprised, to say the least!  One person shared of spending upwards of $500 per month with an email service to send about 2,000 emails. In comparison, our Marketing Hub includes 10,000 emails per month for less than $120 – and that price also includes text messaging, a customized website and social-media management all in one. If the apparent animosity of the competition is any indication, this probably means that we’re stealing away customers with better pricing and service.

So how does this all break down for your business?  Well, that will depend on which group you find yourself in: those who’ve never used digital marketing before, or those who are currently using a single-point solution.

The former group – those who’ve never used digital marketing – may be unaware of how powerful this marketing format can be, especially within certain market segments. For instance, did you know:

• 90 percent of all text messages are read within the first three minutes of delivery?

• 95 percent of 18-to-24 year olds text?

• 98 percent of phones sold in the U.S. are SMS enabled?

• 25-to-34 year olds are more likely to access their email via their cell phone?

• Mobile email usage has increased 36 percent in the past year?

• There are more than 700 million users of Facebook?

• There are in excess of 200 million users of Twitter?

In the latter group, think about how you currently reach out to your customers. Does it include the ability to reach out to them and measure their engagement to your message – or is it simply the shotgun marketing approach in the hopes of hitting the target audience?

Understanding who your customers are and how they prefer to hear from you is crucial to the success of your marketing efforts. Let’s take a look at the key elements to the marketing equation.

Point of Sale

It all begins right here when you make your first impression. New customers may already be hesitant to volunteer cell phone numbers and email addresses in the fear that you will begin spamming them. If you’re making a good first impression and building a rapport which will instill confidence in the customer, then getting good contact info shouldn’t be a hassle. Take a look at your entire new customer experience and ensure that your point of sale is capable of effectively collecting this valuable marketing data goldmine.

Text Messaging

Having collected the customer’s cell phone number, it’s important not to abuse the privilege. Depending on the customer’s cell phone provider and plan, too many text messages could end up costing them money for exceeding their limit. It is far better to leverage text messaging as an “opt in” as opposed to an “opt out.”  Simply direct them to text your keyword to a short code to enroll, and let them determine if they are willing to accept your text message marketing. This can also be employed via your website, which will be discussed a little later. The strength of text message marketing is that it is highly targeted and allows for short, timely messages.

Social Media

Social Networking has become the water cooler of the 21st century. To get a feel for the pulse of your customers and to engage them in a manner never before available, you need to be representing your business on sites such as Facebook. Your customers are your fans and you can post messages to the entire fan base with relative ease. To make it even simpler, Social Media Manager tools allow you to schedule your posts in advance, taking the manual labor out of engaging your customers. Additionally, the ability to “listen” to your fans and gain insight into their perspectives is the kind of feedback never before available to small businesses outside of complex focus groups.

Website

Your business’s website is its billboard on the information superhighway. It creates an impression of your business in its design, content, relevance and even its ease of use. Unless you are already a web designer or contract a professional web designer, the chances are that your homemade website is saying the wrong thing about your business. Fortunately, there’s no reason to invest in a depth of knowledge when there are convenient and user-friendly web-building tools available. In addition to simplified content management and integrated video, the best website is only worthwhile if it can be found – which is why search engine optimization is important. Without this vital step, no one will ever see your snazzy new website!

Email Marketing

Email is a great opportunity to communicate on a more one-to-one basis with your customers. The strength of a good email marketing tool is its ability to parse your customer data, identify which customers are most likely to engage with a particular promotion or offer, and selectively market to them in a timely and personalized manner. There is also great opportunity to configure automated triggers as well, reaching out to customers who haven’t been in for a while, who are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, or even in response to a recent purchase. There is really no limit to the ways you can leverage email marketing; it’s by far the most cost-effective one-to-one communication tool available.

Print Mail

All this is not to say that printed mail marketing is dead – but rather, that it has simply diminished in timeliness and effectiveness due to the technological revolution of the culture. Print marketing can still be very successful, for example, in reaching out to new potential customers.

Partnership Rebates

The benefits of partnership with a particular manufacturer or distributor are numerous, but one of them is the rebates and subsidies you can reap when you leverage their brand recognition along with your marketing efforts. If you are not currently in a partnership, it is worth pursuing in order to further reduce your out-of-pocket costs when employing any or all of the marketing tools outlined above.

Jeremy Herring is the business support manager for Helios LLC. He is chiefly responsible for Helios’ media and public communication, as well as overseeing any training initiatives. Herring can be contacted at herringj@gohelios.com .