5 Simple Steps to Grow your Beauty Salon using a Bulk SMS System

Productivity, scheduling, time management, these all seem to be buzzwords both in our business and private lives. We live in a world where are schedules are getting more demanding, but we do not have more hours in a day. While this can be both a good and a bd thing, it creates certain challenges in a service-based industry such as the beauty industry.

Every appointment means income, every missed or cancel appointment means no income. While missed appointments or last-minute cancelations often frustrate the service provider, they are the result of overloaded schedules of women who are desperate for a few minutes of pampering, but in their drive to satisfy the needs of all those who depend on them, their me-time commitments are often the first to go out the window.

As a service provider who is a life line for many women, you can either view this as a problem or as an opportunity to add value to your clients’ lives and therefore build a stronger relationship. Clever marketing could help you do that.

Step 1 – SMS Appointment Reminders

The simplest step to implement is SMS reminders of their appointments. With a bulk SMS system, you can schedule your reminders in advance so that you do not have to do this daily.

Step 2 – Slowly implement time-based packages for existing clients

Offer clients an incentive to book a monthly or a quarterly package with you.  One of the incentives could be a fixed monthly appointment time, that they can block off on their diaries in advance. This service will be best marketed in person. Part of your presentation should be how important it is for them to block time off in advance to take care of themselves and that they should view these blocked off times with the same urgency as meetings and other commitments. Negotiate a system where they pay for the month’s appointment(s) in advance in the beginning of the month.

A Bulk SMS system can be used to send a message close to the end of the month, inviting them to book for the next month. Based on their reply an SMS with a link to an invoice can be sent, as well as a thank you SMS once payment has been received.

SMS reminders of appointments can be sent, as well as handy beauty tips that will help your clients feel at their best even when you are not around.

Step 3 – Implement booking deposits for new clients and once off bookings

While you might be hesitant to charge a booking deposit, it is standard practise for other industries and it is starting to work its way into the beauty industry. It is all about how you sell it to your client. If you are going to sell it as a way you are protecting yourself, then it does not make the client feel trusted or valued. If you however sell it as a way for them to commit to themselves and their much-needed time out, then they not only be more eager to comply, but they will feel valued and important.

Again, a bulk SMS system would be great to keep nervous first-time clients at ease. By sending a confirmation SMS, confirming their booking and payment they will know that you have received their deposit and that their booking was successful. Reminder messages of their appointment date will also make them feel at ease. The odd tip or beauty trick will keep you in their minds and will create a sense of excitement about their visit to your salon.

Step 4 – Implement a after service survey

Social proof is another buzzword that is currently flying through all the marketing circles and actually it is just a fancy way of describing testimonials and how we should use them. While many beauty salons are great at taking before and after photos and posting those, there is so much more that you can do. By scheduling following up SMS messages with a short survey about you client’s experience you can collect testimonials and learn how to improve your services.

By changing up your survey every month with one or two questions you can get to know your client base better and segment them better so that should you have new products or services, you can target exactly the right people.

Step 5 – Add a personal touch

By using a bulk SMS system to schedule birthday messages to clients and sending them a discount voucher for their birthday month, you will become one of their favourite service providers. You can also make a note of special events that they have treatments for and schedule follow up SMS messages asking them how the event was. This personal interest will stir up a loyalty with will help you retain your clients even when economic times are tough, and they may be tempted to cut back on their luxuries.

Why SMS and not WhatsApp?

Most of service providers in the beauty industry are women with families and friends. You clients may start viewing you as a friend and therefore where you start building a relationship with you, they may message you at inconvenient times for appointments or quotes, infringing on your much-needed down time.

By using a bulk SMS system, you can separate work and home without having to carry a second phone. All your work-related messages will be a central dashboard where you can manage them from.

The other benefit is that you will be less likely to get lost in a client’s sea of WhatsApp messages. SMS messages have an open rate of 98% and most SMS messages are read within 3 min of being received. The open rate for marketing WhatsApp messages is far below 98%, especially with many people not reading WhatsApp messages from numbers unknown to them.

How to get started?

The first step would be to register for a FREE ClickSMS account and to have your account verified. After that, we can communicate with your website developer and supply the necessary API information to them so that they can integrate the SMS system into your online shop. As an added bonus we will double your credits on your first purchase, so please ask our sales team about that offer.

ClickSMS offers a free SMS marketing course. You can sign up here for this course and get started on undersanding SMS Marketing better