The Australian beauty industry consists of more than 35,000 businesses – each vying for influence. To differentiate yourself from the countless others, small business owners will likely need to employ a series of marketing techniques in order to grow in this competitive market.
This beautician’s guide to marketing is designed to put your marketing plan on the right track.
Hopefully, these 6 small beauty business ideas can help you attract new customers and grow your beauty business.
1. Start with the basics
Although you might be eager to get started, it is important to have the basics in place before you start any salon marketing strategies.
While you don’t need to have any special certificates or qualifications to be a beautician in Australia, you could think about a Certificate III in Beauty Services to help you develop the professional skills necessary for the job.
You will also likely need to consider getting an Australian Business Number, registering your business with the correct business structure for you, and purchasing the right insurance
Your business registration should not be difficult if you choose to organise your business as a sole trader rather than a company. But sole traders are legally and financially responsible for their business. This is known as personal liability. It means that your personal assets will be at risk if anything goes wrong.
It’s important to consider the advice of a finance professional to help you through these critical steps.
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, despite your best intentions. This is why it’s also important to have adequate beauty salon insurance in place just in case they happen. The most popular type of hair and beauty insurance salon owners have for their businesses is Public Liability cover.
Public Liability insurance covers legal fees and costs for any claim made against you by a customer, member or supplier for injury to their property or loss as a result your business activities. If someone trips on some cut hair or breaks a few bones, you will have the protection you may need in case of a claim against you.
You may also lose clients if you don’t offer protections. This makes it even more important to ensure you have the basics covered from a marketing perspective.
2. Increase your online visibility
If your spa and clinic business isn’t already engaging online, then it’s probably time to make that happen.
Similarly if you are online but your business’ digital presence is lacking, you may need to branch out and explore new platforms to boost visibility.
From your website and social media profiles to guest spots on industry-related websites, there are plenty of options to increase your online presence and advertise your beauty services.
There are also many beauty directories and beauty booking sites available online where you can advertise your brand.
3. Understand your audience
Quite simply, no matter how much effort you put into your marketing strategy, it will likely fail to deliver results if it doesn’t reach your intended audience.
It’s important for salon owners to know who their target audience is and how do they reach them.
An existing client base can give some useful insight into who uses the services offered, but it’s also essential to analyse industry trends.
Many salon owners are unaware that creating an online presence is not only about marketing and attracting new clients, but about meeting their changing needs.
Have your ear to the ground just in case they move away or towards a particular product or service so you can tailor your salon accordingly.
4. Implement an SEO strategy
While websites and social media are nice and flashy, it’s search engine optimisation (SEO) that really drives a salon’s marketing strategy.
It helps to match what your customer are after with what services your salon is offering, making it easy for new clients to find your salon through a search engine.
Salons can improve their search engine ranking by including relevant keywords and phrases in online content. This is an important consideration considering that three-quarters (or more) of search engine users don’t scroll past the first page.
For information about SEO strategies for small businesses, click here.
An online tool like Google Ads, which displays the keywords and phrases that target audiences are searching for, is a great place to do keyword research.
It’s important to recognise that SEO isn’t something you can do once and forget about it. It is something to be done regularly, especially in beauty industries where the seasons and events of the year can have a significant impact on audiences.
Try to include these keywords naturally in a content strategy and use them within regular blogs and guest posts.
5. Work with influencers
Since 83% of customers claim to be motivated to act through word-of-mouth, influencer marketing can be an effective way for your business to reach new audiences.
Influencer marketing offers your business access to a ready-made pool of potential clients and associates by combining forces with a reputable and respected figure.
It has become such an integral part of so many marketing strategies that Australia is actually working on its own guidelines for influencer marketing for standardisation of practices and procedures.
Although influencer marketing is useful in many industries, it’s especially effective in the beauty industry, given the preference for peer reviews.
There is no standard for beauty services, unlike businesses that sell products. The final result depends on the practitioner. A peer’s opinion can be very motivating.
It can be difficult to reach out to influencers. However, it is possible to make your brand, and your audience grow by creating a solid outreach strategy.
It is also important to measure the influencer’s return-on-investment, and track referrals and traffic to this source. This will ensure that influencer marketing efforts are reaching their goals.
6. Focus on visuals
Visual marketing is essential in the beauty industry for two reasons. The first is that humans are, by nature, visual learners. It’s estimated that around 65% of people retain information better when presented in visual form.
Secondly, beauty is an aesthetic industry. It’s all about the style and design of the final product. Visuals are a key part of salon marketing strategies.
You might consider using image-based social media platforms like Instagram or Pinterest to centre your brand around.
The visual nature of your marketing strategy also means that photography and video skills are paramount to your success.
Consider investing in ring lights and a quality camera to get the best results.
Get marketing today!
The beauty industry is expanding, and now may be the right time to think about how to grow your business and develop your beauty business marketing plan.
By employing these six beauty business marketing strategies, hopefully, you can give your beauty business the boost it needs!
This information is general only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be relied upon as advice. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording.
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