Email marketing is crucial for hair stylists today…and it is the first thing to land on the back burner. Just the thought of trying to tackle email marketing can be completely overwhelming, right?
But email marketing can’t go on the back burner anymore. We learned the hard way that social media platforms can change the rules on us at anytime (Facebook and Instagram both introduced algorithms that don’t guarantee our messages will show up in the newsfeed at all.) What if, in the future, they charge for membership and that is the only platform you market from?
The good news? Email marketing is really freaking easy. You just need a plan.
It’s generally best to start with three easy campaigns: birthday emails, annual referral campaigns, and a solid monthly newsletter. We can talk about the first two another time; today, let’s focus on the most important piece and tackle the newsletter!
Let’s talk about a couple common email marketing objections:
Why is email marketing such a big deal?
It is the only way to control when your clients receive your marketing messages. Both Facebook and Instagram use an algorithm to determine what makes it into the newsfeed…so about only 3% of your followers see your posts. 3% at best! For some, it’s actually less.
With email marketing, 80% of your messages are likely to land in your audiences’s inbox. That contact is priceless.
But only 20 – 40% of my email marketing messages even get opened so what is the point?
Wow! If 20 – 40% of your messages are opened, you are totally and completely winning. (If less than 19% of your emails are opened, we have some work to do.)
Think about how you scan your inbox. You probably open somewhere between 10 – 30% of messages sent from businesses, right? Your clients do the same.
It’s estimated that the average person sees less than 30% of posts in their social media feed, so with email marketing, the odds of your message being received are likely better than ever if you were just using Instagram or Facebook.
Plus, 20% of clients opening your email is way better than 0% (a.k.a., not sending newsletters at all).
I just don’t have the time to add anything else to my plate.
That is the biggest BS objection of all. Once email marketing is in place, it should take you less then one hour per month to manage it. You just need to have a system and the marketing will essentially run itself.
Okay, now that you’re convinced that email marking is crucial for hair stylists and salons, let’s work on crafting the perfect monthly newsletter.
Meet the 4 Ps of perfect salon newsletters
Personal
We are in an emotional industry and our clients want to be a part of our world, so give them a sneak peek!
Talk briefly about your recent family vacation, how your son made the all-star baseball team, your trip to new restaurant in town, the movie you just saw they have to see because it’s so amazing.
Professional
In the professional portion of your newsletter, talk about what’s going on with you or the team.
-
What classes are you taking?
-
Are you hosting any salon events this month?
-
Did you just get a new retail line in?
*HINT* If you have no professional news at all each month, that is a major red flag. Your business needs to constantly be growing and evolving. No client wants to be in a salon or see a stylist who is stagnant. That can get you by for a while, but over time your clientele will dwindle.
Promotional
This is what most salon owners and stylists are actually doing already because they see “salon newsletter,” they think promotions.
This section to talk about the your huge retail sale or your phenomenal referral program. Educate your clients about your rewards program or the Mother’s Day gift cards they can purchase directly through your website.
Praise
Praise for their client for their loyalty and encourage them to praise you as well.
Maybe you do this by always closing a newsletter by thanking guests for their continued love and support, and encourage them to head over to Yelp to write a review and, in return, you’ll give them a complimentary in-salon conditioning treatment at their next visit.
If you think it’s too forward, know that this produces major results and floods your accounts with raving reviews.
Because sometimes all you have to do is ask.
The best part about newsletters is you can sit down and probably write three months worth right now. Get them all set up in your system and use automation to mail them out on the first of each month. This doesn’t have to be a big deal! Have fun with it and enjoy watching your business grow, your retention improve, and your promotions become more effective.
