With salons opening and closing across the UK in accordance to local restrictions, business owners have every right to be in frustration. While others are getting super busy for Christmas, others had to cancel all their appointments and stay closed; this has probably resulted in a chaos between hairdressers and clients’ communication. Maybe now it’s the time for salon owners to reconsider their marketing and communication tools, see what works and what isn’t that effective and take it to the next step; as we move forward, modern and effective tools are needed more than ever. Talking effectiveness, HOB Salons has launched an App to make life easier for clients to interact and connect with the team – and boost business for the salon group.
The HOB Salons App means clients can now manage and book their appointments, build up electronic loyalty rewards and view the latest offer. Great idea and it definitely works for them. Is it something that all salons should try?
Natasha Grossman
General Manager, Natasha Grossman, explains: “If there’s one thing Covid-19 has created, it’s most certainly that it’s bought the digital future forward. People have had to learn new ways in how they shop, work and even teach and creating digital platforms enables greater accessibility and productivity that results in overall performance, turnover and profit. We wanted to increase our number of online bookings, increase the level of accessibility to our clients and to connect and interact with them. We’re delighted with the response we have had from clients so far.”
Top tips for launching an app
You may feel all excited about launching your own salon app or you may be sceptical or find it useless. Or you may have done it already but the results were not as expected. There are many factors that should be taken into consideration from salon owners who want to take this step and a few essential questions that need to be answered. According to Natasha, these are:
1. The most important thing to ask yourself is what is the objective – why are you launching an app?
2. What is the investment – how much is this going to cost you?
3. What is the return on investment – is it worth your time and money?
4. What is the timeframe – it can take longer than you think so do you have time to focus on this?
5. What does the app say to clients about your business?
6. Consider what the benefits are to your clients – will it be easier for them to book appointments around their own schedule?
7. Be ready for a surge in online bookings when the app is launched. We’ve already seen a huge percentage increase because it’s so simple.
8. Keep an eye on your analytics –you can measure how many people have downloaded the app, what time they are booking and the services they are looking at. Then, you can then put together more effective marketing campaigns.
Give it a good thought, sit down, write some notes and make a plan. If your business is currently closed, we urge you to use this little break to organise your marketing strategies for when you are open again. This could make your business grow and make a real change in your life. New Year, new beginnings…
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