How to Find New Clients for Your Spa or Salon for Under $10,000/month

Too often, mid-size businesses that have experienced some success will start to let things like client acquisition go by the wayside. It’s easy to feel like you’re in a place where you might not need to put as much work into generating new business because the business is doing that on its own. However, if you’ve got a spa or salon, you have a highly competitive business that needs dedicated attention on finding and retaining clients, both now and for the long haul. 

More people are venturing out of their homes and getting back to some semblance of the life they had before the pandemic. They’re returning to the salon or spa for their favorite relaxation experiences, but they may not automatically return to their previous location. People have many reasons for trying somewhere new or looking for a different service. If you want to catch their attention, there are a few different things that you can do. 

Your budget is bigger, which means your options are more varied than they were in the past. And as you’ve surely figured out by now, you can do a lot more with $10k a month in your marketing budget than you can with a mere $1,000 (or no marketing budget at all). The choice comes in which tactics will prove to be most successful for your salon or spa because what works for one business isn’t guaranteed to work for all. 

Here are five of the top tactics that should be part of your strategy. 

Tactic #1: Ask for reviews and recommendations 

Cost: Free, unless you offer discounts, incentives, etc. 

Reviews and testimonials are always going to get a lot more credibility than your own content. You can tell everyone that you’re the best spa or salon in the city, but of course you’re going to say that. When people hear it from others, though, they’ll be more inclined to believe it. You should attempt to get reviews from all of your clients and post them on your website or allow people to post their own. 

Reviews on Google and your social media pages are also good—anywhere that people will pay attention and see what others think. You shouldn’t feel bad about asking for these reviews, and you can even set up a referral program if you want to give something back to people for helping you out. In any case, the more reviews and recommendations you get, the more business you will see. 

Tactic #2: Network, network, network 

Cost: Free, unless you pay for memberships, networking event tickets, etc. 

Networking is a critical component for several businesses, but especially in the personal care and professional services industries, knowing the right people makes all the difference. You can attend local trade shows and expos, connect with other businesses online or through social media, and collaborate with other businesses in the area for special packages and offers. 

Consider attending wedding expos and showcases, prom and formal shows, and any other type of event where your salon or spa might be able to draw in some new business. 

Tactic #3: Improve your local SEO 

Cost: $250-2,000, varies depending on what you need 

Local optimization is a must for any business that hopes to continue to grow and succeed in today’s market. While digital marketing is a key element of your success, you’re not going to market to just anyone online. People who aren’t local won’t be able to benefit from your services, after all. Therefore, it’s important to have a solid strategy in place for local SEO and make sure that your salon or spa is completely optimized for local searches. 

If you use your Google Business Profile, online directories, and other resources to promote your local presence and get noticed, you will see an increase in the number of organic leads you have coming from search engines and other sources. You can even hire an SEO expert to do the optimization for you and provide you with future advice and insight on how to keep things optimized moving forward. 

Tactic #4: Use social media to your advantage

Cost: $0-$1,000, varies 

If you create and manage your own social media accounts and pages, you won’t have to invest any money in this tactic. However, you could opt to have a social media expert take a look at your accounts and help you get them up to par. They can also offer insight and advice on how to best interact and engage with people, what kind of things to post and share, and other details. 

The salon and spa industry relies heavily on creating personal relationships and connections with people. That’s why social media is so important. You can reach out to your client base and meet them in a more personal manner. You can also use social media to showcase your services, your past work, etc. This all goes toward improving your reputation and helping you generate new clients from all possible avenues online. 

Tactic #5: Outsource to save on work and money 

Cost: $250-$5,000, depending on what you outsource 

When it comes to building a successful business, part of that comes in knowing what you can do and knowing what you should delegate. And whether you realize it or not, you’re never going to be too big for outsourcing. As you grow, it can be a great way to get certain things handled and have a solution that scales with you over time. 

For starters, you can partner with the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai to serve as your 24/7 answering service so that you never miss another opportunity. And, when you work with us, we can do a lot more than that. Our services include everything you could think of, from lead intake and appointment scheduling to live website chat and even supporting your outreach campaigns to find those clients in the first place. 

And as always, it comes with a custom-tailored strategy to manage all the details. To learn more or find out what we can do for your salon or spa, schedule a consultation or reach out to us at hello@smith.ai. 

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