Do you ever have those moments where it hits you that you haven’t seen one of your favourite clients in a while? Like a lot longer than usual? It’s hard not to take it personally when you come to this realization, but there are so many reasons as to why a guest hasn’t returned in a while. In this blog, we’re going to talk about the importance of following up with guests after their visit, and how to do it in a simple, organic way that doesn’t feel pushy!
Reasons Why a Guest Hasn’t Visited Your Salon
There are plenty of reasons why people stop frequenting businesses they once were regulars at. Some of it may have to do with their experience at your salon, but some of it is completely circumstantial and out of your control. Outside of the obvious things like a terrible experience with their service or provider, or perhaps they never had any intention of returning and prefer to salon hop, here are a few of the many different reasons why a guest may not return.
1. They don’t feel as if your salon is meeting their needs in one way or another. It’s no longer enough to have the industry basics in your salon, you must stay up to date with current trends/education, stay modern with digital marketing necessities like social media, website/online booking etc, and go above and beyond when creating guest experience. Often, clients will not openly communicate what it is they feel their experience is missing, they will simply book their next appointment somewhere they feel will better serve their needs.
2. Poor communication at any point in the entire service. Whether the guest is unhappy with their service outcome, service cost, or their guest experience in general, it is almost always due to lack of or miscommunication. Unless they have a strong loyalty to your salon business, they likely will go elsewhere with their business.
3. They no longer are interested in the location of your salon or paying your prices. These are both things that are outside of your control and frankly, none of your business!
4. They straight up forgot, or perhaps they are going through something, or maybe a little of both. Life gets busy, things happen, and people sometimes let their self care appointments slip. Therefore, follow up communication is so important, so let’s get into that next.
Why It’s Important to Follow Up With Guests After Salon Visit
There are so many benefits to creating a follow up communication strategy with your salon guests, and it could be the difference between keeping or losing a client. It’s important to have communication with guests following their salon service to ensure they were happy with their experience and interested in returning for their next appointment. As mentioned above, life is busy! It can be hectic and chaotic and it’s super easy to forget about self care and maintenance. By following up with your salon clients, you are reminding them that they are due for a little self care. Or, if they have not returned for one reason or another, you are giving them the opportunity to express their feedback. It’s a mutually beneficial exchange for both you as the salon owner as well as the client.
How To Follow Up/ Reconnect With Guests
There are so many ways that you can digitally connect with your salon guests without a ton of effort. With automation, you can set up messages and prompts to be sent at the time of your choice to guests following their appointments or when they haven’t revisited in a while.
1. Send an email or text asking your guest to review their salon visit on Google. Make sure to include direct link so it is quick and easy for them to drop you w 5 star rating! If for some reason they leave a negative review, it gives you the opportunity to rectify the situation and hopefully save that client relationship.
2. Send a text or email to send your clients X weeks following their appointment reminding them to rebook. Depending on your Point Of Sales system, may be able to automate this message to send to guests a certain amount of time following their visit depending on what the service was. Again, make sure the message includes a direct link or line to book their next appointment to make it as easy as possible.
3. Send a message after a long duration of time following a client’s last visit. Depending on the service, a long time between visits may be 2 months, 6 months, or a year. You may considering including an incentive for rebooking, whether it be a small discount or an added value motive. This is a great way to let your clients know you’re thinking it them and incentivize them with a perk to reward their past support.
Salon S.O.S offers loyalty programs that have an email/messaging system built into it so you can easily automate messages to be sent out to your guests. This incredible system not only allows you to have a branded loyalty app, but also gives you the opportunity to send texts and emails to your client list to promote sales, services, flash promotions as well as to connect with guests between their salon visits! To learn more about this simple and affordable solution and to request a free demo, click here!
You can also automate messages on social media (check out this blog to learn how) or use a third party messaging system to communicate and send automated messages. There are so many avenues in which to follow up with guests following their salon visit and now more than ever, it is important to enhance your salon experience and set yourself apart to retain and recruit clients.
For even more ideas on how to enhance guest experience and make your salon stand out, give this blog about loyalty programs a read!
Come up with a simple, attainable strategy to effectively communicate with your salon guests and follow it. Happy following up & creating next level guest experience, salon owners!
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‘Til Next Time,
Your Team at Salon S.O.S