In today鈥檚 digital world, a large part of serving your customers is being able to stay connected to them digitally through email and online promotions, even if you don鈥檛 use a computer in your day-to-
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For small beauty and wellness businesses, creating an exceptional experience for your customers and catering to their needs is what sets you apart from the competition. But in today鈥檚 technology-driven society, a large part of serving your customers is being able to stay connected to them digitally through email and online promotions. So how can you keep your beauty spa or hair salon tuned in to technology without having to spend tons of time and money? Thankfully, there are many small business digital marketing tools that are affordable, accessible and don鈥檛 require an advanced degree in computers to operate.
Send Out Emails Like a Pro
Instead of sending a single email from your personal webmail provider, like GMX.de or web.de, using an email marketing provider can help you manage your customer email lists, customize messages and keep you clear of activities that could get you flagged as a spammer. Plus, using a made-for-business email tool gives your communications the professional polish that tells your customers that you鈥檙e a credible business. Two popular small business email marketing providers are MailChimp and Constant Contact. These email marketing software providers both have similar set ups, and smaller businesses can benefit from their flexible pricing structure. For example, MailChimp allows businesses to send out 12,000 emails a month to a list of up to 2,000 customers for the low, low price of FREE! You don鈥檛 have to spend a penny to send out emails to a small group of clients.
Use Templates Built For Beauty
Putting together an email doesn鈥檛 have to be a gruelling experience. Both MailChimp and Constant Contact offer an online email editor with drag-and-drop features that makes personalizing your spa or hair salon marketing as easy as playing a game of Candy Crush.
Still not sure where to start? Many email providers offer sleek, professional templates geared toward your beauty business. They鈥檒l supply graphics and set up the overall look of the email, and all you鈥檒l need to do is type in your message. Plus, they provide useful email marketing tips to optimize your email for delivery and user engagement.
But to really connect with customers, you need to do more than just send out a random email every once in awhile. That鈥檚 where email segmentation can really make your beauty business shine and help you drive repeat business.
Customize Your Message With Segmentation
Email segmentation lets you divide your customers into groups based on their interests and behaviors. Then you can personalize the message that you send them. For example, you can email clients based on the last time they came into your shop for a service. Imagine dividing your clients into three groups: active, intermediate/space, and inactive. For active clients, customers who purchased within the last week, you can send out a message thanking them for their business. For intermediate/space clients, customer who purchased more than a week ago but less than a month ago, you can send an interesting informative email that advertises services you offer that they may not have tried yet. For inactive clients, customers who haven鈥檛 purchased from you within a month, you can send an email that reminds them that it鈥檚 time to schedule their next appointment or to repurchase products.
Emailing based on last service date is only one way to segment your customer list. You can choose the segments that work best for your business. Perhaps you need beauty salon promotion ideas. You can create a coupon or voucher code for your customers based on customer loyalty. For clients who rarely book a service with you, you can email them a voucher with a small discount or free service upgrade. For clients who frequently book a service with you, you can email them a voucher with a larger discount or free service when they refer a friend. Other segments to consider are client gender, type of service or new clients.
Make Your POS Work For You
When you鈥檙e a hands-on business owner, you can鈥檛 be expected to keep track of all your different customer segments manually. A mobile point-of-sale (POS) system like Paymash can double as your customer relationship management (CRM) system, voucher code generator and tracker, inventory management system and more. Paymash can keep track of your customer segments and makes reviewing your customer analytics easy for marketing novices. It organizes your data into simple charts and graphs that are a breeze to interpret.
Based on your customer analytics in Paymash, you can easily export your customer list to your email marketing provider and schedule the perfect message for that segment. It just takes a few clicks. Then you can create a marketing plan or email to-do list that takes into account seasonal trends, like holiday party prep for hair salons, swimsuit season for waxing studios, or even after income tax pampering day for massage therapists and day spas.
Create Incentives For Your Clients
Need to send out a voucher code? Paymash can create your coupon and track redemptions. You can even create customer specific global discounts for your most loyal clients.
Grow Your Customer List
If you're just starting out in digital marketing, collecting customer emails can seem like a daunting task. Working behind a stylist鈥檚 chair all day, you may not have an easy way to gather email addresses from your customers. Paymash can help with that as well. This POS system lets you process transactions and send out invoices and receipts digitally. Going paperless with your invoices does more than help out the environment. It also helps you gather your customers鈥 email addresses in a friendly and non-invasive way.
Another way to generate customer lists is to host a giveaway for a free service or beauty package with email signup. You can even encourage additional interaction by offering contest entries through a variety of platforms. For example, customers can enter to win multiple times if they sign up to receive email, like your business on Facebook, tweet about your business or refer a friend.
There are tons of ways to connect with your customers online, and the right tools can make it a natural extension of your already exceptional customer service. Choosing email marketing programs, POS systems and social media platforms that work together is your first step in taking your beauty and wellness business to the next level.
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What digital tools have you found helpful in the past for your salon or spa? Let us know in the comments below.