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5 Ways Malaysian Business Owners Can Get Loyal Customers to Your Salon

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As an owner of a hairdressing business, getting clients to come to your salon for a hairdo may be easy. The hard part, however, is getting them to come back again!

But do not be discouraged! According to a UK survey, compared to any other brand, product, or service, customers are more loyal to their hairdressers.

But first, why is it so important for you to maintain the loyalty of your clients?

Keeping a steady flow of loyal clientele ensures that your business has regular cash flow.

You would also not have to worry about getting your new hair product range off the shelf with existing customers. Moreover, with existing customers, advocacy is a bonus!

Regular clients are happy clients, and they are the best agents to provide you with word-of-mouth business.

Having a loyal client base helps improve the quality of your service and reputation of your business.

So, just how do you get loyal customers to your salon?

Here are 5 simple ways that you can use in your business to get loyal customers for your salon.

1. Befriend Your Customers

Apart from a job well done on a haircut, the most basic act of building rapport with your client can determine whether or not, they will come back the next time.

Having a friendly chat with your customer makes them feel welcomed, at ease and comfortable. In the long run, this will foster a sense of belonging in your clients.

Consult your clients, share some ideas and tips with them on how to fix their hair and beauty issues. Educate your clients on what it takes to improve and maintain the results of their style and treatment.

This will help your customers to understand the importance of what you are doing, and why they should keep coming back to maximise the benefits of your services. Furthermore, in doing so, you will be able to gain their trust and confidence.

Local salons such as Toni & Guy Malaysia, Number 76 and Ridzokumura are well known for their quality customer service.

Another way to get loyal customers to your salon would be to entice first-timers. Provide new customers with an offer they can’t refuse, such as a complimentary service on their next visit.

Perhaps a free haircut with their next hair colouring or treatment appointment?

On another note, while it is important to focus on your customers, it is equally important to take care of your employees as well! Click here for some tips on how to retain your lead hairstylist.

2. Keep it Personal [restrict]

Do you invest in quality products, while also looking out for your customers’ hair health and safety? Do you always ensure that your customers leave your salon happy and satisfied?

Even in doing so, you could still lose your customer with an attractive discount offered by your competitor.

So, what could you do differently to build on the perceived value of your clients?

One unique and creative way is to give your long-term customers a personalised, handwritten letter frequently. Let them know how important they are to you.

Whether it’s an email or a text message regarding a new service or treatment they should try, a new loyalty offer, or a follow-up message asking them about their next visit, just make sure that they are tailor-made for each customer.

Try recalling what your customer had shared with you on their last visit. Maybe it was about a new product they have just started to use. Include that in your personalised message by asking about their progress.

Little things like this matter, because it shows your customers that you do not only see them as profits for your business. It shows that you have human value, and are putting in the effort to get to know them personally. This improves the relationship with your customers by a great deal!

3. Remember Special Days

Going the extra mile to get loyal customers is without a doubt, worthy of your time, effort and money.

Let your customers know that you care and remember the little things! And one good way to start is by remembering the special days and occasions of your customers.

Keep a record of important dates such as your customer birthdays, festivals they celebrate as well as the first time they visited your store.

You could then deliver personalised greeting cards or handwritten letters along with a gift or a voucher for a free or discounted service, to their doorstep. Who doesn’t love freebies, right!

You could do the same for special occasions like Mother’s Day, Women’s Day, etc and even on days that mark your yearly anniversary with your customers.

Do not limit your gift options to only your range of hair care products. Consider any kind of beauty or body care products such as face moisturizer, face pack, beauty kit, and more, as long as they are suitable for your customers.

If you have not received any reply following your delivery, give them a friendly call and follow up on your offer. This will prove that you are genuinely interested to reward your customers and are not only concerned about making profits. Customers will be very likely to appreciate this quality and find more value in your service.

Click here to take a look at the membership privileges of salon Number 76. Also, check out the promotions offered by Centro Hair Salon.

4. Incentivize Customer Referrals

What other more effective way is there to encourage your customers to rope in their friends and family, besides incentivizing customer referrals?

Consider deals such as, “Bring a friend to get a free haircut!”, or “For every two referrals you bring in, you will get a free hair treatment of your choice!”

Take for instance the referral promotion offered by Centro Hair Salon, it enables both customers and their friends to receive 20% off for Treatment & Chemical Work which includes colouring, rebonding and perming.

You could even take it a notch further by coming up with ‘Referral Score Cards’.

Have varying levels of rewards for your customers based on the number of points they collect for their referrals. For example, if they have successfully referred 10 clients, they will receive a free set of hair care products worth RM500.

This is a very good strategy to not only get loyal customers to your salon but it also widens your customer reach while increasing your business revenue.

5. Use Social Media Engagement

Retention focused marketing strategy has gone digital, and if you do not ensure that you remain relevant, you are very likely to lose out!

A huge portion of most salons’ customers are millennials. The best way to engage your millennial customers is through social media. In fact, earlier generations have caught up on this trend as well.

Have an active Facebook or Instagram account and frequently post hair transformation or makeover videos and pictures. Feature your customers more often! This greatly helps to increase customer trust and influences customer behavior.

For example, the trend of customers posting pictures or video clips of their satisfied hair results, influences others to also want to come to your salon and get their hair done. This actively encourages customers to easily and directly share their testimonies and feedbacks.

Additionally, it is very important for you to promptly reply to comments and private messages. As a result, customers will be assured of your quality customer service and find you more reliable.

Some popular Instagram accounts of local salons include La Diva Touches Times Square, The Room Professional Hair Studio, Centro Hair Salon, and Avant La Mode.

Actionable Takeaway:

The key to get loyal customers for your salon, is to begin with a brainstorming session with your team. Think of how your business can leverage on the quality of your service to drive customer loyalty.

Most importantly, think from the point of customers. So that you have a better understanding of what ‘they’ would prefer instead of what you ‘think’ they would need.

Directly cross-check with your existing customers to measure how accurately your perceived needs of customers matched with their actual needs, and fill the necessary gaps.

Following the identification of needs, start strategising. Learn from your competitors and from bigger salons in the country when planning your strategy. This can give you an idea of what could possibly work and what would not for your business.

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