How to Choose a Salon Marketing Agency in 2023?

For salon owners, knowing how to choose a salon marketing agency can make a world of difference. That’s because, with 1.2M+ hair salons in the US, the competition in the salon industry is tougher than ever.

The right hair salon advertising agency can help you create a steady stream of new clients by identifying and optimizing the right marketing channels.

Not just that, they’ll help improve client retention as well with tried and tested salon marketing ideas like loyalty programs, timely discounts, etc.

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1. Why Do You Need a Salon Marketing Agency?
2. What Does a Marketing Agency Do?
3. How to Choose the Right Marketing Agency for Your Salon?
4. How to Work with a Marketing Agency?
5. Conclusion

Why Do You Need a Salon Marketing Agency?

Good Marketing Isn’t Easy And Has to Improve Constantly

Creating a website and social accounts for your salon is easy, marketing it right is the hard part.

Like trends and styles, digital marketing is also constantly evolving and thus, the same website design, Facebook/Instagram stories, images, etc. won’t always cut it.

They Are Professionals

A salon digital marketing firm would know the ins and outs of the industry by helping salons across the country grow into a brand.

And by hiring them, you get instant access to these experienced professionals full of new ideas on how to make your hair salon marketing effective.

Free Up Your Time For What You Do Best

From figuring out new hairstyles, managing sales, finding the best products for your clients, to ensuring clients leave satisfied from the salon, there’s plenty on your plate already.

After all that, do you also want the stress of ad campaigns, search engine optimization, copywriting, creating Google My Business Profile, and so on?

You Need to Beat Your Competition

If the salon next door is hiring a marketing company, they get instant access to salon marketing tools your salon shouldn’t be without e.g. online campaigns directed especially for getting new clients in the salon.

What Does a Marketing Agency Do?

From creating a Google My Business Profile, branding, creating/updating the website, running Google ads, even salon reputation management or repair, to expert salon marketing focused on driving your local SEO positions up, agencies do quite a bit to promote their clients.

Here’s more in detail about their services.

Effective Marketing Strategy

Marketing agencies dive deep into your business, clients, competitors, understand current trends and create customized strategies with the long-term growth of your salon brand in mind.

Your Salon Branding

Turning your salon business into a brand gives it a unique personality that people can instantly recognize. Good agencies create unique logos, typography, color palette, and other required graphics to ensure this.

Creating and Managing Your Website

To convert leads into new clients i.e., make online appointments via your website, you need a mobile-friendly, fast website with clear navigation and clutter-free design.

The right digital marketing agency will create just that. They’ll also create essential pages like Contact Us, About us, Privacy, forms for inquiries, place social links, and edit posts for better engagement and SEO results.

Search Engine Optimization

From setting up Google Analytics and Google Search Console for tracking results, to keyword research, running audits and making on-page adjustments, creating backlinks, to even diving into local SEO. The right agency covers every aspect of SEO to put your brand in front of thousands of potential new clients.

Salon Social Media Marketing

Hair salons rely highly on visual content like videos and photos. And social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, are tailor-made for it.

But what should a salon post? Also, when and where to make these posts so potential new clients can see them?

That's where the experience of a salon marketing consultant or agency comes in handy as they can quickly identify the channels best for your brand.

G. Michael Salon is an excellent example of why social media marketing for hair salons is a must. Here’s their case study.

Email Marketing

Often overlooked by salons, email marketing is one of those salon marketing tools your business shouldn't be without. Why?

It is one of the most effective strategies for salon client retention as you can reach out to existing customers and promote upcoming offers and discounts.

Plus, sharing relevant content like haircare advice, etc., can also help your brand build a strong relationship with a client.

Advertisement

It isn’t just social media ads that are important. Pay-per-click advertising is one of the quickest and most effective tools for a new salon business to promote itself and attract new clients.

And some agencies go above and beyond that with radio scripts, billboard campaigns, etc., covering every advertising angle that’s best for your brand.

Reputation Management

Did you know 9 out of 10 customers check online reviews before trusting a brand?

A marketing agency can help generate reviews on your Google My Business and social profiles to build a better reputation online.

Some agencies also undertake survey campaign management for this purpose and help repair brand reputation if needed (because angry customers are part and parcel of any business).

How to Choose the Right Marketing Agency for Your Salon?

Credibility and Experience

Does the agency have good reviews on its Google My Business and social media profiles? Are clients rating it highly on review sites like Clutch, Expertise, and Yelp?

Oh, and are there ample client testimonials on their website? If yes, you know you are getting a credible and experienced marketing partner.

Furthermore, feel free to ask for client references and make sure you call them. Also, do check out the agency’s graphics, website design and speed, social media ad copies, and engagement for any red flags.

The Right Mix of Skills

Not every agency offers all marketing services. Some are good with advertisements while others with branding and email marketing. Thus you need to find one with the right set of skills.

If you are a new salon, find someone with good credibility and experience with branding, online advertisements, and SEO for salons.

And salons that already have a solid customer base should team up with marketing consultants that work magic with emails and brand reputation management.

Understanding Your Needs and Budget

For salon owners, it is important to give maximum details about their salon business, clients, and expectations. That’s because it gives the agency a better idea of the direction to take with the graphics, social media posts, website design, SEO, etc.

And if you are wondering how much should a salon spend on marketing? Well, a reasonable sum should be good enough to kick things off.

Just make sure you are clear about it from the start so the marketing team can set expectations accordingly.

Understanding of Your Target Audience

Once they know your needs, the next step would be to figure out your target audience and the best channel to reach them.

For this, agencies assess existing customers, social media activity, closest competitors, undertake surveys, etc.

PS: Don’t forget to check for proven results for the preferred channels.

Compatible Work Ethics and Values

The salon marketing agency you partner with is an extension of your existing salon team.

This makes confirming they share the same business values and ethics is as important as good reviews and a portfolio.

That’s because it ensures both teams work in sync and harmony towards a successful campaign.

Complete Understanding and Transparency

Does the company have relevant contact info on their website, like an email, phone number, address, or online chat? Do they respond quickly? Also, how often are they going to share progress reports with you?

Lack of transparency is a major red flag, especially with offshore companies making big promises at low prices, so watch out for the nitty-gritty details.

You also have to reciprocate the transparency. So make sure you give them all the details they need for a fruitful campaign.

Practice What They Preach

Look for companies that practice what they preach. For example, if they believe your email list is the key to business development, do their emails make you want to read, click, subscribe, or buy?

And if it is SEO they want to improve, is it the primary source of traffic on their website?

How to Work with a Marketing Agency?

A few tips to make your cooperation with these agencies smooth and effective:

Set Clear Goals And Targets

Be upfront on what you define as success for your salon and the type of behavior you expect to avoid differences and keep working as a team.

Focus on Outcomes

Always judge a campaign by the results delivered because, in the end, the outcome is all that matters.

Establish Terms for Communication

Would you prefer weekly or monthly reports? And do you want the communication to be via email, phone calls, or in-person? Make sure you set clear communication terms from the get-go.

Meet the Whole Time if Possible

Every salon owner should visit the team working on their campaign and have a word with them. This gives you an idea of the ethics and values of the firm you are partnering with.

Be Flexible

Salon managers must be open to change and suggestions. If you are advised to revamp the website, Instagram page, or logo, take it onboard.

Similarly, don’t be afraid to try a few out-of-the-box tactics to give your brand an edge over other salons.

Trust, But Verify

If the reports suggest an increase in rankings, organic traffic, likes, followers, etc., make sure you manually verify them.

Do not miss our new year salon marketing ideas to attract new customers and grow your revenue.

Conclusion

Creating a marketing strategy for a hair salon is not an easy task. You might need expert help to grow your business and a salon marketing agency can be just that.

And to ensure you get the best value for your money, transparency is priority. Apart from that, you also want the agency to have good online reviews, client testimonials, a portfolio with successful campaigns and similar work ethics.

Citations

Integrated marketing communication
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781444316568.wiem04001

Marketing agency–client relationships: towards a research agenda
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EJM-10-2015-0712

Five approaches to organize an integrated marketing communications agency
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA18426748&sid