How To Attract Brides To Your Salon

Here comes the bride, marching her way through your salon’s front doors. Are you prepared? Do you have a plan in place that will attract brides to your beauty salon, offering services that will tempt them to come to you for the special day? And not just the bride but the wedding party, as well. Weddings are a multi-billion dollar industry. If you want your salon to be able to make an impact and compete in the wedding industry space, you’ll need to be able to capitalize on it by offering services specifically formulated for every bride, groom, and person in the wedding party. Here’s how you get the bride to say “yes” to your salon.

How To Market Your Salon To Brides

Salons offering a multitude of beauty services are on every street corner, and every page one of Google. How are you going to be heard and seen over all of the noise? You need to build your reputation and name recognition. As brides start planning all the details of their weddings, they search for all the services they’ll need online and at expo events. They ask friends and family for recommendations as well. You need to be top of mind to woo the brides.

Online portfolio. Presumably, you have an online presence. If you don’t, now’s a good time to get started. A website, a Facebook business page, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter. All of these social media platforms, or even just a select one or two, are perfect places to start. Since you’re in a visual field, it is smart business to share pictures all over the Internet. Pick your favorite bridal customer images and show them off in different forms of online portfolios. Expert Tip: Always get permission before sharing photos online. Also, don’t forget to have your branding on the images, so potential customers will know how to find you. You can create your own salon hashtags to keep images easily searchable. For example, Salon Envy might create their own hashtag #SalonEnvyBridal

Host an on-site bridal expo. Maybe you’ll pair up with a bridal boutique, or you’ll host an expo right in your salon. Advertise through FB ads and other cost-effective advertising means. Offer free mini services, discounts, wine, and finger foods. Leave a lasting impression in the minds of brides-to-be all over your local area. Expert Tip: Try to book appointments, even if it’s for a trial run, during the event!

Attend wedding expos. Rent a booth or chair at a bridal expo. Those events are usually jam-packed with brides-to-be exploring their options in all things related to weddings. Make sure to have one-sheets and other marketing materials handy; they’ll be your business cards at these events. Expert Tip: Similar to in-house expos, trying to book bridal appointments immediately is always a good idea created.

Networking works. Having the right contacts can increase your bridal business. Leaving your business cards with popular local florists, photographers, caterers, and other businesses that work in the bridal industry can aid in spreading the name of your salon. Expert Tip: Inviting local journalists and bloggers in for a free service in exchange for a review piece is also an excellent way to promote yourself online.

How To Create Your Salon's Bridal Package

Your salon offers all types of services, so it should be easy enough to set something up specifically for bridal clients. As you already know, bridal is big business. The more prepared you are; the bigger your salon can grow in that segment of the industry.

Create custom packages. Offer differently priced wedding day packages, tailored to a variety of price points. Have packages for large and small groups, as well. Also, when creating the package, you need to keep in mind how many stylists and makeup artists you’ll need for that day. Inspect the competition in your area, keep your expectations realistic, and set your prices.

Protect yourself. Have a clear bridal contract & schedule in place, ready to be signed by the bride, her party, and your salon. This not only will highlight the required services being given to the bride and her party, but it will also guarantee that you aren’t holding the space for a no-show.

Trial runs. Offer a discounted, or even free, trial run to experiment with different bridal looks. This will help alleviate any doubt the bride may have, and it will also contribute to making things go smoothly when the big day arrives. Plus, you want to make sure that the bride is going to have the perfect wedding day look, the one she had always dreamed of. Your salon could even structure it as a “Girls Day Out” type of event which could get everyone excited about using your salon! Remember to take a picture of the bride after each ‘look’, so you can remember the style you created.

Complimentary products or services. This is a momentous day for the bride. Going above and beyond will only add to her excitement. Adding complementary products or services could be as simple as a free lipstick with the purchase of a full bridal package. Or, perhaps throw in an eyebrow arch with her mani-pedi. It’s the little things!

On the go. Offer to come to wherever the wedding party will be. Of course, whether or not this is doable could depend on many factors, but the more convenient you can make your services, the better! This can be a great addition to your revenue stream because you can add a premium for this service.

For the men. Consider specializing in additional services tailored toward the groom and his groomsmen. Have packages that will complete their wedding day look. So many salons cater toward women and their events. Don’t leave the guys looking grungy; it’s their big day too!

How To Keep A Bride & Her Guests Happy

The entire bridal party, from the bride to the bridesmaids, along with both mothers of the bride and groom have all made appointments with your salon for this extraordinary day. Your stylists are booked all morning doing updos and applying makeup to a variety of different hair types and facial features. What else can you do to make a positive impact on this significant day? The bride will remember how you treated her and her friends for the rest of her life. Since word of mouth is one of the largest product promoters, starting her day off in the most positive light will only come back and bless you multiple times over. And who knows, you may have a whole bunch of new and loyal customers based on how your salon took care of them for this auspicious occasion.

Set the expectations. For your peace of mind, you’ll need to set some expectations. Your salon is completely booked up by a bridal party, so you’ll probably want to ask for a percentage of the cost up front, because there’s always a risk of cancellation or no-shows. This will ensure that minds won’t change last minute.

Plan in advance. Trial runs are extremely important when it comes to wedding services. These will aid you in knowing what you’re going to do and give you an exact idea of what products you’ll need on hand, how many stylists to have ready to go, and approximately how much time you’ll need per person. Having everything ready will save you and the bridal party a lot of pre-wedding jitters.

Comfort and relaxation. Set a relaxing and comfortable ambience in the salon. Chances are, a few of the ladies will be on edge. The bride probably will be hungry and anxious, and everyone else will be a little nervous, as well. A nice touch would be to offer easy-to-eat finger foods to snack on. Partnering with a local restaurant or catering company can provide a great cross-promotion business created.

A little self-promoting can go a long way, especially in the beauty industry. And a blushing, beautiful bride singing the praises of your salon and all its fabulous services can go even further. All it takes is treating the bride the way you’d want to be treated on your wedding day. Having a bridal service-ready salon can be a huge bonus to your business.