How to Get More Customers Through Your Salon Door

What does digital marketing involve?

For a salon, digital marketing includes everything from sharing a haircut on Instagram to appearing in a local search or emailing a client about an appointment. Paid adverts are part of it, but so are your service descriptions, reviews and booking page.

Someone who discovers you online will probably want to have a look around before committing. They might check your prices, find a stylist whose work they like and read a few reviews. Your job is to give them enough information to feel comfortable booking.

1. Make posting easier on yourself

Trying to come up with a fresh idea every day is exhausting. Keep a folder of photos and a short list of things you could talk about, then set aside a little time each week to put your posts together.

There’s usually plenty happening in the salon already. A client has chosen a new cut. A stylist has finished a course. Someone has asked how to recreate their blow-dry at home. With permission from anyone featured, these are all starting points for a post.

When you share a result, add a little context. What did the client ask for? Did they want something easier to maintain? Were they growing out an old colour? Those details give someone reading a reason to stop and take a closer look.

You can also post availability. Be specific about the service and time: “We have space for a cut and finish with Sophie on Thursday at 2pm” is useful information. Include the booking link so people don’t have to ask for it.

2. Check what people see when they Google you

Search for your salon as if you’d never visited before. Are the opening hours right? Does the website link work? Can you tell where the entrance is from the photos?

These small details are easy to overlook when you know the business inside out. A new client doesn’t have that knowledge. They may be wondering where to park, whether you offer the service they want or how to get in touch.

Keep your Google business profile up to date and add recent photos when you have them. If a client tells you they’re pleased with their visit, you can invite them to leave an honest review.

Reply in your own voice. A short, personal thank-you reads better than the same response pasted under every review. If someone has had a disappointing experience, acknowledge their concern and offer to speak with them directly.

3. Be specific with paid adverts

Before spending money on an advert, decide which appointment you’re trying to generate. Perhaps a new stylist has room for more colour clients, or you want to promote consultations for a particular service.

That gives you something concrete to write about. Use a relevant photo of your work, explain the offer clearly and direct people to a page where they can find out more or book. Keep the audience within a distance people could reasonably travel to your salon.

Start with a limited budget and keep track of the enquiries. If plenty of people click but nobody books, check what happens after the click. The price might be unclear, the booking page might be awkward or the service might not match what the advert led them to expect.

4. Make your website useful to a first-time client

Open your website on your phone and try to book an appointment. It’s a simple check, but it can reveal a surprising amount of friction.

A visitor should be able to find your services, prices, location and booking details without hunting through several pages. If a price depends on hair length, the stylist or a consultation, explain that beside it.

Give your main services enough space to answer the questions people ask. For colour, that might include what the consultation covers and how appointments are arranged. A team page can help someone choose a stylist before they arrive.

Use clear descriptions of what you do and where you’re based. Write them as you would explain the service to a client. Repeating “best hair salon” throughout a page adds very little for the person trying to decide whether to visit.

5. Write about the questions you hear in the chair

If clients regularly ask the same question, it’s a good subject for an article.

You could explain what to bring to a colour consultation, how balayage differs from highlights or what to consider when planning wedding hair. Start with the answer you’d give in person, then add anything someone reading at home would need to know.

Keep the subject narrow enough to cover properly. An article answering one question is easier to finish and more useful than a long introduction to everything about hair care.

You don’t need to commit to a weekly blog if you know you won’t have time. A small collection of useful articles that you keep up to date is a reasonable place to begin. Share them when the subject comes up in your emails or social posts.

6. Give your emails a reason to exist

Before sending an email, ask yourself why a client would be glad to receive it.

You might be announcing that a popular stylist is opening extra appointments, sharing seasonal opening hours or passing on aftercare advice. There’s no need to dress a useful update in a long newsletter.

Send marketing emails to clients who have agreed to receive them, and keep the content relevant. Someone who visits for colour may welcome different updates from someone who booked once for a wedding.

Write a clear subject line, say what you need to say and include the appropriate link. Then look at whether readers click, enquire or book. That will tell you more about their interest than guessing which subject line sounds cleverest.

7. Film the things clients don’t usually see

A short video can give someone a feel for the salon before their first appointment. You could show them around, introduce a stylist or explain what happens during a consultation.

If talking to the camera feels awkward, start with something familiar. Ask a colleague to pose a question you answer regularly and record your response. You’ll have a subject to focus on instead of trying to deliver a speech.

Keep the sound clear, add captions and get permission from anyone who appears. A brief clip with a useful answer is enough; you don’t have to turn every appointment into a filming session.

8. Try a live Q&A if it suits your team

Some stylists enjoy answering questions on camera. If that sounds like someone in your salon, a short live session could be worth trying.

Choose a topic people already ask about and collect questions beforehand. That way, you have somewhere to begin even if viewers are slow to join in. Something specific, such as preparing for your first colour appointment, is easier to manage than a general session about hair.

You can save useful answers and share them afterwards. But if live video feels like a chore and your clients aren’t interested, put your time into another format. There’s no requirement to use every channel.

9. Put useful advice into a small guide

Think about the information you find yourself writing down or explaining at the end of an appointment. Could a client use a copy to refer to later?

A colour aftercare sheet or a wedding hair checklist could work well. Keep it short enough to read on a phone and include your contact details in case the reader has a question.

You can make it available on your website or send it after the relevant appointment. If you ask for an email address to deliver it, be clear about any separate sign-up for marketing emails.

Only make a guide if you have something useful to put in it. A few practical pages are plenty.

10. Follow up with people who have shown an interest

Choosing a new salon can take a while. Someone might browse your colour services, compare a few places and come back days later when they’ve checked their diary.

Retargeting adverts are one way to reach previous website visitors again, where the necessary permissions and platform settings allow it. The message could explain your consultation process or feature feedback from a client.

If you try this, pay attention to how often the adverts appear and whether they lead to appointments. Repeatedly showing the same offer can become irritating. Set a budget and review the results before spending more.

11. Look for local people you could work with

An influencer partnership makes more sense when their followers could actually become clients. Location matters, as does the kind of content they share and how their audience responds to it.

Take time to look through their work before getting in touch. Would your salon fit naturally into what they post? Are people engaging with their recommendations?

Agree on what they’ll create, when it will be published, what you’ll provide and how the partnership will be disclosed. Putting the details in writing helps avoid misunderstandings later.

A dedicated link or booking code can help you see the response. After the campaign, check how many enquiries became appointments before deciding whether to repeat it.

12. Thank clients who recommend you

If someone loves coming to your salon, they may already be sending friends your way. A referral offer gives you a way to thank them.

Keep the arrangement easy to explain. For example, an existing client could receive a small credit after the friend they referred completes their first appointment. Work out what you can afford and make the conditions clear from the start.

Mention it when appropriate, add it to your website and make sure the team knows how to record a referral. Nobody should have to chase a reward they were promised.

Over time, check whether referred clients return. That will help you judge how well the programme is working for the salon.

What to tackle first

If your contact details are wrong or booking is difficult, fix those before planning a bigger campaign. Otherwise, you could spend money sending people to a website that leaves them confused.

After that, choose something you can keep up with during a busy week. You might start by posting recent work regularly and asking new clients how they heard about you. Their answers can help you decide what deserves more attention.

Keep a simple record of enquiries and bookings from the activities you try. Give yourself time to see a pattern, and remember to count the time spent producing content as part of the effort involved.

You’re running a salon, and there are only so many hours in the day. A marketing routine needs to fit around that reality.

Need a hand with it?

If marketing keeps falling to the bottom of your list, it may be worth getting some help.

At McElligott Digital Marketing, we help local businesses with websites, search optimisation, paid advertising and content. We can talk through what you’re doing now, where you’re getting stuck and what you’d like to improve.

Book Free Consultation

Frequently asked questions