Going online – it’s the new normal
Business is tough enough already, so give yourself every advantage to get clients through your door and cash in your till
Grocery shops, team meetings, TV, restaurant bookings… Our lives in 2021 are powered by the digital experience, and yet 75% of UK salons and barbershops still rely on paper appointment books* – and only 18% have taken their businesses online**. The reality is, you need to be where your clients are, and more than ever they are online, at all hours of the day and night. If you won’t give them the chance to make their booking at 11.14pm on a Tuesday, they will find a salon or a stylist that will.
The digital environment was explored at length at Salon Smart LIVE last month – we heard and learned so much from our presenters about the benefits to business of digital technology. “Technology is highly important – and sustainable,” says Monica Teodoro, general manager of education and professional development at L’Oréal Professional Products Division. “It’s about human pragmatism bringing us closer to human connection – we want to be connected.”
She’s right. We do. And it works! “Technology enabled us to kept in touch with clients [during the Covid pandemic] – talking trends, hair care, online shopping…” says Andrew Barton, creative and communications director at Headmasters. “It revived everything and got us ready for reopening – and in the first two weeks we took 30k+ appointments group-wide.”
Enough said, right? Wrong! Especially for you, HUBers, we pored over the Salon Smart session notes and searched the soundbites to bring you a stack of expert guidance, new product innovation and inspired ideas, which we hope will help to propel you and your business forward and into #YourDigitalFuture.
You’re welcome. 😉
For years, the salon fascia served as a salon’s one and only shop window – the imagery within it, a glimpse at the stylists behind it… but that’s all changed. First came the websites, then the social feeds, and the resulting reality is that, today, salons and certainly self-employed hair pros often have – or can create – more visibility, online.
And now, more than ever, it’s vital to use your digital shop window – and indeed your wider ‘online environment’ – to convey your brand values, your style and culture, the kind of hair that makes you bookable… There are whole generations who have grown up using social media as a search function – these are tomorrow’s clients. And while, arguably, there are other client groups who have not and never will fall under the spell of social media, the power and potential of ‘the Gram’ is just too strong to ignore.
“The pandemic meant we only had the digital environment to rely upon,” says Jason Crozier, owner of new digital content agency, Croznest. “We’ve created this new social space that’s cultured, and we can use it to engage emotionally with clients and encourage them to come back to us for more products and services.”
Dorothy Constantino, head of partner engagement at Treatwell, agrees: “Social media is not a one-way conversation, it’s a value exchange.” Meaning, you should be showcasing and replicating your salon experience through your social feed. Think more deeply about what your clients are looking for, what they’d want to see and what they’d want to know.
“The most successful brands tell the best stories, adds Marcus Allen, salon manager, educator and business mentor. “Consumers will believe in your brand, and understand it, if you show them a story.” But, advises Claire Martin, master stylist at Gro London and founder of cLHAIR – a web and social hub serving both pro hairdressers and hair-obsessed consumers: “Generate a community, not a following.” Claire uses social to showcases her expertise – providing training and tutorials and having ongoing conversations. She has amassed a whopping 35.6k followers on TikTok, attracting new clients to GRO London who might otherwise never have known the salon existed. “There should be a direct correlation between what you post and who you attract to your chair,” adds Claire. “It’s about building trust – giving clients a direct line to the hairdresser.” Ultimately, it’s about building a bond before you even get your hands on a client’s head. Basically, you can grow your desired clientele, online.
Traci Witherington, owner of The Glamour Garage salon group in London and Surrey, believes our feeds should work even harder for our businesses. “Instagram shouldn’t only be a pretty platform to show what your stylists are creating,” she says – heralding social media as a platform to promote expertise and to educate, to highlight processes and pricing, and to include shopping elements, too, so that your posts are making you money even when you are closed.
Adds Claire: “Be fully transparent,” she says. “No filters, real light – and be honest about formulas and timescales.” Claire’s language on social media is catered to clients, and everything is focussed on driving people to click through to her website and, ultimately, book in with her. Job done.
That pencil-smudged, coffee-stained appointment book on your reception desk might look innocuous enough, but it’s holding you back. Why? Because the paltry number of online bookings is not through a lack of consumer desire – online is how we all choose to organise our lives now. And that works for us. So let tech work for you and your business – it’s the way to be and be seen.
With four salons to manage, Traci used to worry about empty columns. Not anymore. After re-evaluating her business’s digital presence, Traci Witherington increased her client list by a whopping 800 per cent. Her winning formula was all about marrying client reach with the speed and ease of booking across the brand’s website, social media and – most importantly – salon software (she uses Treatwell Connect, in case you’re wondering). “It’s the change that makes the biggest difference, while being the least time consuming,” says Traci. “We don’t sell by item or service name, but instead we sell a look as a complete package.” And yes, there’s a button for that.
Another embracer of targeted tech is Gatsby & Miller in Amersham – crowned Best Salon Experience winner at Creative HEAD’s 2020 Most Wanted Awards, and proud owner of its own salon app, which puts all of the power into the client’s hand and without doubt extends client connectivity while streamlining and making more efficient their G&M experience. The app features functions like GPS to trigger push notifications and sign-in information when clients arrive at the salon; a drink order to a client’s station is only a tap away; there’s a built-in Google review system; and clients don’t even need to leave the chair to pay their bill. According to salon manager, Dawn Montgomery, 50 per cent of clients use the app – and love it.
Lacey Hunter-Felton is co-founder of Hunter Collective – a co-working space for hairdressers – and is currently developing booking software for HC’s freelance community. “Digital helps to facilitate bookings, transactions and more, all from a client’s station, so you can be completely present when a client is in your chair,” she says. “See digital as a business tool – to help you build and grow. It aids productivity – you’ll be in the moment, loving what you do.”
And we had to mention this lovely little addition to the SalonIQ offering (the tech company behind the Gatsby & Miller app). Developers worked flat out during lockdown to create a new recommendation tool that stores product and service info within a client’s file. So, following a service, if a client chooses not to buy a product or book their next appointment, the system will generate an email or SMS message to prompt a new purchase or re-booking, later. It’s a simple, automated, one-click process that keeps the client engaged and, crucially, maximises revenue opportunities. Pure genius.
Just like a holiday, a night away or even a meal out, your services have a value – and it’s becoming the norm for consumers to part with at least a percentage of the total cost of their holiday/hotel room/restaurant booking ahead of time, in order to secure or confirm it. It’s a pretty normal and expected transaction these days. So why not safeguard your business by doing the same?
Deposits and pre-payment systems, for example – implemented by many salons during the pandemic and a functionality that is now build into most, if not all, online booking systems – massively help to reduce cancellations and no-shows. It’s not rocket science. It’s tech savvy. You need this. But be clear and upfront about your policies – make sure the client confirms they understand the commitment they are making, and the consequences if they don’t show, at the time of booking. If the box is not checked, they’re not coming in…
Ensure every single team member knows the drill, too, so your policies can be enforced and in a consistent manner. “Post a video on social media to explain your policy and communicate it in a nicer, lighter way,” says Dorothy Constantino. “Start with the positives – ‘excited for you to come back to the salon’ – and then put across your key points.” A video message will have that human touch – there’s body language and tone of voice – meaning your important memo is more likely to resonate more so than, perhaps, a written note would.
But aside from any kind of payment exchange, booking software can help you get ahead of potential no-shows by facilitating even the simplest of communications between you and your client. Clever features such as automated emails, SMS reminders, patch test notices, Covid consultation forms and even birthday messages mean all help to get people in your seats on the right day at the right time – especially when people have booked at night or on the fly. And remember, nowadays not receiving an online confirmation following a booking or communication ahead of an appointment can throw the average consumer into a panic. Again, it’s normal to be contacted in this way. So make it your new normal.
One last word on – well, words. According to Treatwell, one in five people read online customers reviews and they continue to play a key role in capturing new clients. “They’re one of the most powerful ways to drive footfall,” says Dorothy Constantino. “It’s still word of mouth, just in a different format”.
But don’t wait until a client has left the building to secure a top rating. Strike while the iron is hot, says Andrew Barton: “Provide an app or a QR code for clients to leave reviews. Encourage staff to encourage clients to leave the review before they leave the salon – when they are most ecstatic.”
Post lockdown it’s imperative we all take the leap online – it doesn’t need to be expensive, time-consuming or complicated, but it does need to happen. And let’s face it, it’s much easier to invest in technology now that will help your business grow, rather than waiting until you can’t live without it…
*Powered by Flossie **Treatwell 2021
