Make the most of your mobile marketing

Mobile marketing is becoming essential for businesses: 68% of companies include mobile as part of their marketing strategy and mobile is projected to make up 72% of all digital ad spend by 2019. That’s because customers are using mobiles like never before. In order to attract new business and maintain current customers, salons should adopt mobile marketing as a way to contact customers and offer promotions, tips, appointment reminders and customer service. Here’s how to use mobile marketing to make your salon a success in 2017: Optimise your mobile site Make it easy for clients to navigate your website from their mobile or risk losing business. If you think that’s an exaggeration, consider the fact that 57% of mobile users wouldn’t recommend a business that has a poor mobile site. Make sure:

• The page loads fast (no heavy images).
• All the information fits on the mobile screen.
• Your appointments calendar is easy for mobile users to navigate.

Use images Marketing is often about images, so don’t skip that when you’re using mobile. Showing off new hairstyles and colors, products, introducing your staff, showing photos of your salon’s interior all help customers make the decision to book appointments. Send alerts and news If you’re changing your opening hours or closing for the holidays, let your clients know with a text. Changing locations or opening another branch? Text them about it. You can also let your customers know about a new product line you’re introducing, a new staff member or a new service. Text messaging is an easy way to keep your clients up to date. It’s also one of the most effective ways to communicate news since texts have very high open rates. Allow clients to schedule appointments through mobile This is a huge benefit to clients. Allowing them to book an appointment from their mobile means they can do it when it’s most convenient to them, not when they can get someone on the line or when they’re able to navigate your website’s calendar. Make sure you respond quickly with a confirmation. Send appointment reminders This is a great form of customer service that SMS is perfect for. It helps customers remember appointments they may have otherwise forgotten (happens to us all) and it also prevents your staff from missing an opportunity to fill a slot because of a no-show. It’s best to send an appointment reminder close to the time of the appointment. For example, if a client booked an appointment for 9am, send them a message reminding about it the evening before. If their appointment is in the afternoon, text them in the morning. Provide exclusive promotions Make sure you make the SMS marketing program worth their while by sending clients discounts and offers that can’t be found anywhere else (like social media, email or your website). This helps maintain customer loyalty and prevents opt-outs. Personalise messages Address your clients by name when sending messages. Nothing turns a customer off more than receiving a text that starts “Dear Client”. Using their name makes them feel that they’re important to you, which they are. Send targeted messages Use the data you have on your clients to send them promotions and discounts you know they will take advantage of. For example, if a customer gets a cut and color every month, offer them a discount on their next one. If they get a pedicure every week, send them a promotion. If they’re due in for a tanning session, let them know the next one is half off. By giving your customers discounts on things they can actually use, they’ll be more inclined to stick with a salon that understands their needs. Offer proactive advice This is another customer service you can offer to clients. If someone’s just colored their hair, you can send tips on how to preserve the color for longer. Or if someone has sensitive skin you can recommend skin care tips and products that can be helpful to them. Giving them expert advice that’s useful and relevant can help increase customer satisfaction with your salon. Make sure clients are opted-in Before you put all these ideas into practice, make sure you have permission first. Sending customers text messages without their specific permission (called opt-in) is a no-no. It will feel like an invasion of their privacy and have negative results rather than positive ones. To grow your opt-in list, you can promote your mobile loyalty club with in-store signage and train your staff to mention it to customers. You can also include opt-in instructions on your website, emails and social media. Offering discounts or free gifts as a reward for opting in can also help you grow your SMS customer base.   Tracy Blanchard is a freelance writer and business blogger. She loves to provide actionable advice for small businesses and write helpful guides. Customer service and communication are her favorite topics.