Online marketing can make your head spin. There are countless options, experts, trends and changes. That’s why we created this 4-week marketing plan with easy-to-use steps so you can start marketing your salon online (or step up your current efforts). By following one clear-cut action per day, you’re online marketing efforts will see huge results.
We’ve created a PDF of the 4-Week Online Marketing Plan that you can print off and use to keep your efforts on track. Download here.
Below is a breakdown of the plan:
Monday: Create a Facebook Fan Page. This should take about 30 minutes to get everything setup. Upload lots of photos, info about your services, and most importantly, a way for people to reach you. If you have one already, post something!
Tuesday: Create your Google Places page. Put your business on the map for free with Google Places (places.google.com). Easily add photos, bio, hours, coupons, etc. This will also allow clients to leave Google reviews about your salon. Be sure to list your studio # in the address!
Wednesday: Survey Your Clients. Put together an online survey to find out what your clients think about your products, your service, and whatever else you’re curious about. Sometimes the biggest ideas will come from your clients! Use free sites like Wufoo.com to create surveys in minutes.
Thursday: Yelp Me Out! Create a Yelp account if you don’t already have one (takes about 10 min), add photos of you and your salon, and as many before & after pics as possible. Also write a detailed bio about you and your services. This will help people know exactly what you do just from viewing your profile.
Friday: Get Listed. Spend a few minutes online today making sure your business is listed on every website possible. Sites you want to be on include: Google+, Google Places, Yelp, CitySearch, YellowPages, KSL Local, Angie’s List, Foursquare, etc.
Saturday/Sunday: Create a Salon Menu. Your clients may know what services they like, but do they know everything you offer? A printed salon menu also looks professional and speaks volumes to your ability to market your business. And don’t forget to frame it!
Monday: Create a YouTube Page. This should take about 15 minutes to get everything setup. Upload any videos you may have already, and start thinking of videos you can begin making in the future. Download the “Capture” app to easily create videos from your smartphone.
Tuesday: Re-post a review. Take a screen shot of a recent positive review on Yelp or Google and post to your FB/Insta/Pinterest pages. Remember, its not bragging when you’re good at what you do! If you have a really stellar review, also print it off and tape to the corner of your mirror for all to see.
Wednesday: Gather Emails. It will be very boring and tedious, but spend an hour today collecting all of your clients email addresses. This may require some creative thinking on your part if you don’t gather that info, but it is also acceptable to simply text or call them for it as well. Besides, they’ll receive better deals anyway.
Thursday: #Hashtagcrisis. Take some time today and decide on your hashtags, and use them religiously! Many people fail to use consistent hashtags, only to lessen the effect of their posts and photos online. To co-brand with Image Studios, be sure to use: #imagestudios & #lovewhereyouwork
Friday: Send an email. Use one of our pre-designed MailChimp header graphics to send an email to your clients. Schedule the email to send 30 minutes after you are done just in case you decide to change something after it is all said and done.
Saturday/Sunday: Write a Book. Just kidding! You’ve already written it if you’ve been taking photos of your work! For a truly stunning marketing piece in your studio, use iPhoto or artisianstate.com to print an actual picture book for clients to thumb through. It will also help them decide on what style they want.
Monday: Schedule Ahead. Choose the holidays you want to market special offers to your clients, and set reminders 4 weeks prior to each one to start planning on what you will do. Some offers can be one-day only, others can be 2-3 weeks before. Plan your entire holiday marketing plan for the year…today!
Tuesday: Tell Your Story. Again. Its probably been a while since you have posted something on FB about your salon and what services you offer. A lot of times clients may only know a narrow scope of things you do. Post your bio on your page – it will serve as a reminder to all your clients (and potential ones) about your business.
Wednesday: Show the Benefits. Post a picture and explanation of a product or service you offer and describe the benefits. To help you think of this, ask yourself “What problem does this service solve for my clients?” Remember, people buy results, not products. What results do your clients see after a visit to your salon?
Thursday: Review your “About Me” info. Make sure all of your info online is updated and accurate on all 3rd party websites. Do you have an updated website, email, or phone number? Do you have a new service you offer? Do you have a service you need to take offline? Do you have an ongoing offer you want listed?
Friday: TXTMEPLZ. More and more clients prefer to text, but is the number listed for you online a cell phone? If so, be sure to indicate that they can text or call you (in that order) and you’ll see a guaranteed spike in text messages as clients message you instead of call. Don’t forget to update all your listings online.
Saturday/Sunday: Got Feedback? Now that you are handing out your “Thank You” notes asking clients for info on their experience, you should now have quite a bit of these. Hang these around your salon, create a “Wall of Fame” where you post them, and even scan them and post on FB, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
Monday: Ask a Question. Post a question on FB to engage clients and attract new ones. Questions could range from “What do you think the hottest hair color is right now?” or “What did you think of Michelle Obama’s dress last night at the awards ceremony” to get people engaged.
Tuesday: Schedule Future Posts. FB allows you to schedule posts up to a year in advance. Spend some time gathering photos, articles, interesting style blogs, etc., and schedule 2-3 posts each week for the next 3 months. Then set a reminder to do this every 3 months so you stay on top of it.
Wednesday: Schedule Future Emails. You just finished your FB schedule, now schedule a few emails. It is recommended to send 1 email a month with updates and special offers to your client base. Schedule 3 months of emails today, and get creative with any of our pre- designed email headers.
Thursday: Happy Birthday. Spend a few minutes going over your client records and see who has a birthday coming up in the next month. You can send each one of them a handwritten card or one of the Image Studios birthday cards, and be sure to include something for them such as the birthday special offer certificate from Image Studios.
Friday: We Miss Your Face. Getting inactive clients back into your chair is 4X cheaper than aquiring a new one. Go through your client records today and mail each of them a “We Miss Your Face” mailer. Be sure to handwrite a little note on a sticky-note and put on it to add a personal touch.
Saturday/Sunday: Record a Video. No one wants to watch a blatent self-serving video – they’re boring, and people won’t engage. Instead, think of creative ways to show off your personality, sense of humor, a thought you have, or even an interview of a client. Post to FB, Insta, and YouTube when done.
