How to Run a Successful Beauty Business
Surviving as a beauty business right now is difficult due to restrictions. It is still too early when the pandemic will be over. Some countries are trying to return to normal by lifting certain restrictions, but beauty salons are not necessary on the list of establishments that people can visit freely just yet.
Let’s take a look at some ways to run a beauty business more efficiently while things are difficult so that you can come out on top after the pandemic is over.
Set Financial Targets
Getting your fiscal policy in check should be one of the first things on the list. From expenses for products and employee training and wages to income, you need to keep track of real financial data. Doing so will let you know which areas need holding back and where you have more leeway.
Automate Processes
Running a beauty salon requires a lot of time and other resources, so you should look for ways to cut some manual processes by implementing automation tools.
For example, Watalook, a mobile app for nail artist salons, hairstyle salons, makeup salons, and other types of beauty salons, is a tool to make appointment booking more flexible. Letting customers book appointments from their mobile devices by picking a suitable time eliminates the need to travel in person or make a phone call.
With a client appointment reminder app, the time spent on making appointments can be dedicated to other business processes, which should improve the overall efficiency.
The time spent on making appointments can be dedicated to other business processes, which should improve the overall efficiency.
Have Clear Rules Inside the Salon
For beauty salon employees, there are obvious rules, such as personal hygiene, no alcohol or smoking, and politeness, to name a few. However, with the pandemic, there are other imperatives to follow, such as wearing a mask and gloves and disinfecting the workplace.
It is expected that customers will also follow the necessary regulations. Otherwise, you will need to kindly decline them from entering the salon.
The need for such rules stems from the fact that a beauty salon will not operate for too long if authorities get wind of what is happening. Problems with the law will lead to a damaged reputation, and there is no telling whether you can revive the business after, even if you had a loyal customer base before.
Advertise on Social Media
During difficult times, you cannot rely just on your regular clients. Right now, beauty salons are trying different marketing methods to attract as many new customers as they can. Success equals customers, and not putting effort into marketing means that your competitors have fewer obstacles to worry about while they are doing the right thing by promoting their business.
Social media is usually the first thing that comes to mind when talking about beauty salon marketing. It is visual content that does the best on platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Videos and images receive a lot of engagement. As a beauty business, you should have no problems coming up with content ideas. Take photos of hairstyles you do, create makeup tutorials, or even share results using different beauty products.
You might need to hire an SM content manager, but the investment will pay off so long as the person or team in charge knows what they are doing.
Contests are worth a shout as well. You can run a giveaway for a free session and ask participants to share the post on social media so that it reaches more people and raises awareness of your beauty business.
Communicate With Customers and Ask Feedback
Running a beauty salon that keeps the customers happy is a great achievement, and clients are unlikely to offer their advice if everything is fine. However, it is still recommended to seek feedback so that you can get some ideas on potential improvements.
Supervisors do not have the time to talk to every client, and beauticians usually have individual customers. It should be a team effort to collect valuable data from customers, so make sure that everyone involved does their share. Using tools to your advantage like digital signage software in hair salons can make communicating with customers easier by asking for feedback as well as showing promotions and special deals that customers otherwise may not be aware of.
Keep Your Employees Happy
Happy employees equal happy customers, but it is not that simple to make everyone working in a beauty salon to be satisfied with their work. For some, it is the need to seek opportunities to improve their craft and become better at their job; for others, it is a happy work environment or a flexible schedule. Then there are those beauticians who want to try new things and follow the industry trends.
Finding compromises to accommodate everyone’s desires can take a toll on supervisors, but they should still do their best to make employees happy. Otherwise, it will not take too long before someone leaves, and finding a like-for-like replacement could prove too difficult.
