How To Become The Best Salon In Your Area

Whether you're an aspiring salon owner or aiming to expand your services across various locations, there are a multitude of ways you can ensure you're running the most successful, well-established and reputable beauty salon in your area. Without a business plan, marketing strategy and social media presence, managing a salon will be nearly impossible. That's why we're here to provide you with our top tips and tricks on how to run a successful beauty salon — so you can gain a loyal base of recurring clients who are satisfied with your services.

High-quality makeup products to complete your salon kit

Offering your customers high-quality products that won't break the bank is the key to running a successful beauty salon. At Face By R, we stock an extensive range of cruelty-free mineral cosmetics that contain ingredients specifically designed to target impurities and improve overall skin health. Gliding over oily, dry and sensitive complexions with ease, our breathable mineral makeup allows for a gorgeous, fresh and luminous glow — whether your client has asked for an understated look or full glam application. When properly applied, our mineral makeup lasts all day without caking, drying, creasing or moving. It's also a great option during the warmer months, given mineral makeup is water-resistant and doesn't transfer easily.

Free from GMOs, parabens, sulphates, oils and unnecessary chemicals that can dry out the skin, at Face By R, our makeup is packed with plant extracts, natural oils, vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants. These wholesome ingredients help soothe, nourish and hydrate the skin while protecting against youth-depleting free radical damage.

With so many blushes, bronzers, lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeshadow palettes and foundations to choose from, you'll find all the high-quality mineral makeup products you need in your salon for seamless application and guaranteed customer satisfaction.

Loyalty programs entice customers to spend

Wondering how to run a beauty salon from home? Creating a loyalty program is one of the easiest ways to increase revenue and gain a new allegiance of loyal customers. Try offering monthly promotions, early access to new products and items at discounted prices. You can also employ a point-based loyalty program that encourages shoppers to use their points for freebies, cashback or product samples.

The benefits of a loyalty program include:

  • Brand advocacy — Loyalty programs turn regular customers into dedicated brand advocates. By sharing your company's unique brand values and what you stand for, customers are more likely to trust your business and refer your services to their friends and family. This is an effective and relatively low-cost marketing strategy that offers more value than paid advertising.
  • Increased customer referrals — By offering an incentive to purchase beauty products from your salon, loyalty reward programs encourage customers to share your latest deals with their friends and family. The more hype, the better.
  • Higher customer retention — If people find value in your loyalty programs, they're more likely to trust your business and stick around for the long haul.
  • More sales — Many studies suggest that customers agree they spend more after joining a loyalty program. By offering your customers a great deal or products at a discounted price, they're likely to purchase items they may not have otherwise considered.

Spread the word via social media

Think of social media as an extension of your salon's portfolio. When used consistently and effectively, you'll be able to grow your presence online while attracting a range of potential customers who are interested in the beauty sphere. If you have a team of makeup artists working at your salon, share photos that showcase their incredible work — whether that be images of a bride's wedding makeup, a video makeup application tutorial or behind the scenes content. Be sure to add a flattering caption about your client and include on-trend hashtags to boost your social media presence. Including your store or home-studio location in every post will also attract future customers who are looking for a salon in their local area.

A positive customer experience makes a world of difference

Nowadays, customers are willing to pay more for a service if they enjoy their experience. Even if you have the best quality products on the market, if a customer is dissatisfied with their time in your salon, they'll associate those negative feelings with your business and likely never return. A great customer experience is personalised, timely, memorable, effortless and consistent. And as a business owner or manager, it's up to you to enforce best practices, train your employees properly and uphold your company's core values.

When it comes to running a successful beauty salon, listening to your client's unique concerns will ensure a positive experience. Ask your client about their skin type, whether they're allergic to certain ingredients, what problem areas they wish to conceal and what type of glamorous makeup look they're seeking. For instance, if a customer reveals they have dry skin, you'd opt for an alcohol-free, mineral-based makeup product that soothes, nourishes and hydrates their external barrier. If a customer confirms they have acne-prone or combination skin, you'd recommend a mineral makeup product that conceals their problem areas without stripping the skin of natural oils.

Attracting more clients may also include strategies such as:

  • Housekeeping — Before you begin expanding your client base, take a look at your salon's website. If it's cluttered, confusing, visually unappealing or missing important contact information, your business might suffer. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, the pricing is clearly available to view, your services are up to date, and a call to action is included on your homepage. This will encourage and remind potential customers to book their first makeup appointment.
  • Google My Business — This is an invaluable marketing tool that's relatively easy to implement and will manage your online presence across Google. Once you have signed up, you can optimise your account so potential customers can see what treatments you offer, your opening hours, your beauty salon location, your phone number and your website. Encouraging your clients to leave a Google review and interacting with their comments will show you value and appreciate client feedback.
  • Investing in your image — In order to sell your services and increase brand awareness, let strong visuals do the sales pitch. Within your website, you'll need to share professional, eye-catching and high-quality images that showcase your salon's expertise, brand personality and culture. Add some fun team snaps, behind-the-scenes images, and before and after shots to your website to show the human side of your business. Make sure you also include a call to action and an online booking form so your customers can easily make their first or next appointment.
  • Ratings and reviews — If your customer expresses that they're satisfied with your services, ask them to leave a review. Whether they write about their journey on your salon's website or share a post via social media, testimonials will increase brand awareness and encourage potential clients to choose your services over other industry competitors.
  • Social media — Along with asking your stylists to reach out to their social media followers to book appointments, make sure you're using geotags and hashtags that are searchable and specific to your industry area. If you're expanding your business by increasing your social media presence, you'll need to accompany your imagery with compelling captions that tell a story about your beauty business. Asking your followers questions, replying to their comments and joining the conversation will also solidify trust and build brand awareness.
The beauty industry is a competitive market that's saturated with products. But if you know how to run a beauty salon from home, you're on your way to achieving success. Set your business apart from the rest by filling your salon kit with high-quality mineral makeup products, while ensuring a positive customer experience throughout. Introducing a loyalty program and employing social media marketing strategies will also help fast track your salon toward success.