#they are so shiny and expressive and the color is legitimately so beautiful

[luckylunatix]

Nothing to see here, just a compilation of N. Gin having the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen rendered on a video game character 😍

[aethling]

Happy Holidays @luescris ! i was your secret santa. hope your winter is full of love and light! accompany fic under cut :)

The color of the door leached onto Jim’s first, hovered over it. He could see his old face in the reflection of the shiny paint. His face. Apparently, he had a scar over his right brow. That was new. But he same brilliant blue eyes. Haunted. Lively. And no longer those of a child. They hadn’t been for a long while now.

He couldn’t imagine what his mother would be like once that door was opened. Would she still be the same mom? He wasn’t the same him anymore. Older, mature, broken. Would she be just as happy as ever? Did she even miss him?  Sure she called him every day for the first week he was gone but she slowly drifted away, and now a call from his mother was a rare thing. She would always begin her calls with an apology. She was busy raising a gaggle of changeling familiars, she was busy rebuilding her relationship with Walt, and she was happy. He wanted her to be happy, it’s not like she needed him to be happy, but at the same time, he wanted her to miss him. He missed her. Some sick part of him wanted her life to be joyless without him. He supposed that made him a bad person, a bad son. He’d been a bad son a lot lately.

He couldn’t bring himself to knock. He was just standing here, alone at the door, trying to gather any courage he had left to just knock on that door. Fighting trolls? There’s nothing to it. Sacrificing himself for the greater good? Easy like pie. Coming home to his mother’s loving arms? Somehow the most frightening thing he’s done all week.

She loved him. He was still her little baby boy. She would most likely be overjoyed at his return. He wouldn’t put it past her to fawn over him all day. Cancel all her plans and spend the day with him. She’d try her best and make Jim his favourite meal. It wouldn’t be good, but at least his mother made it for him. Deya, he missed food. Barabara would greet him like he’d been gone for years and not a few months. As soon as the door was opened, he would be smothered in her motherly embrace. Barbara might not even let go for hours. And he didn’t want her too. He couldn’t wait to hear her scream laugh and smell the perfume in her hair. But then she would ask questions.

What was he even supposed to say to her. What was he even supposed to say to himself. He was having a hard time with this. Everything he’d worked for was gone. His career was over. He couldn’t protect his people anymore. Where was he supposed to go from here. He was weak, and he had nothing to show for his efforts. Nothing but a few loyal friends and a new blood-stained and borrowed sword. It wasn’t even balanced in his hand. Danger was eminent. The threat to the entire world, reality as they knew it, never left. And Jimbo was knocked back to level one again.

He could feel Excalibur’s weight on his shoulders. It might as well had been a feather, compared to the weight he already carried. Young Atlas, always with the world on his back, slowing crushing him minute by grueling minute. He was going to get scoliosis at this rate. But he couldn’t stand it if anyone else would have to do it. It was his burden. He had to keep them safe.

He wondered how Strickler would take his return. He still wasn’t happy about that bastard moving in with his mother, but he supposed he would be civil to his less-than respected father figure. Strickler knew more than anyone of his pain. To be both man and troll. To be forced one way of the other. And Strickler knew what it was like to love Barbara. Jim would tolerate Strickler, if only because they both loved his mother.

The question he knew they would immediately ask, and one he couldn’t avoid any longer, would be how. And how indeed. No one was quite sure what happened to be honest. One moment he was a statue fit for a palace’s garden and the next he was alive in Claire’s weeping arms. All they knew is that she somehow did it. Somehow Claire, his beautiful magical love of his life, brought him back in her sorrow and desperation. Her magic was in his veins. His magic was in his veins. He was still a troll, in a sense, a creature of pure magic, spellbound. Jim wished Claire was by his side now, it would make this all easier. Her presence makes everything easier. She’d squeeze his hand and everything would be alright. She was just comfort incarnate for him at this point.

He still hadn’t completely comprehended that he legitimately died earlier this morning. Or that he was human now. Or that he was back to square one. When did his life fall apart. He knew that he’d get through this, he was a warrior, he always did, but he couldn’t see a path as to how. His future was shrouded in fog, like those nightmares he used to have. Jim could only hope that it wouldn’t end as badly. He could only hope he’d be able to keep protecting the ones he loves. He’d fight tooth and nail for it.

So he did it. He took his fist and he knocked on that door. For an agonizing few moments, he had no answer. He considered they might not even be home. But then, he could hear footsteps get closer and closer and closer until the barrier between him and his mother was ripped away from his sight. She stood before him, disheveled, with a sprig out hair standing straight up and her glasses crooked, but there she was. She looked him up and down, and her eyebrows knit into an expression of confusion for a split second before she threw her arms around her son.

There was no need for explanation, Barbara accepted that her son was back and was going to make sure no one would take him away from her again. She was weeping, and Jim felt her tears on his shoulder. He squeezed her tighter, closer to him. He was flesh now after all, he could hold humans as tight as he wanted to. Barbara’s knees were giving out, and Jim followed her down to kneel, not breaking their embrace. She laced her fingers through the back of her son’s hair. It was longer than she remembered. This boy in her arms was different, but still her Jim. Her son had returned to her, just like he had promised. She tried to say something but all that came out was a desperately sobbed “J-im. You’re—ho-home.”

“Yeah, Mom, I’m home,” He kissed the top of his mother’s head. “I’m home.”

[maggyoutthere]

| Red, Purple and Orange

This blog is now just me re-uploading stuff from my Amino accounts. More stuff from that AHIT Au I have. Spooky stuff with the Moonjumper. Also legit one of the things I'm the most proud of writing? Like ever?? I'm never repeating this again so hhh I wanna save it-

Anyways a few tws because this is a bit spooky. Nothing gory or unnerving happens but I know some people don't like just scary stuff in general so that's your warning

(this used to be divided in 2 parts but eh who needs that)

-

Red, purple and orange.

The whole manor was covered by them. Both inside and outside. Vivid warm colors embraced the whole building as if it was a strong loving hug from a long lost friend. It made the house itself warm. Red, purple and orange. These colors painted the empty dusty hallways as the house remained silent... or as silent as it could. The wooden floors and doors still creaked if touched, and the water running through the old pipes inside the walls made them rustle. The yellow light from outside created bridges of light as it entered through the windows. It had been a very very long time since something like that happened. Red, purple and orange. These colors painted the dusty and... not so empty hallways.

Hat Kid ran through the hallways of the manor. She giggled happily as her little feet thumped through the old wooden floors of the house, her yellow rubber boots squeaking as she ran. She'd put her yellow cape away since the weather started getting hotter. She'd never experienced something like this happening in Subcon. The cold Winter was over and Spring was rolling in with its warm sun and change of scenery. The kid had never seen the Subcon Forest so colorful. It was either always restricted to its ghostly dark purples or its ice-cold blues.

The trees were the most mesmerizing thing to look at. She'd never seen such colorful things. Their leafs were red, purple and orange. The tall trees towering over her and the entire village no longer seemed threatening or even scary. They looked like they'd come right out of a fairytale! The best part was that, when the sun was bright enough, like on that day, the leafs would reflect their colors on whatever was down below. As much as she loved the winter months she spent with her BFF and Vanessa, she couldn't fake it: she was absolutely amazed by this change of scenery.

A little after last year's Christmas, in the middle of January, Vanessa finally got the courage to give Hat Kid her very own Christmas gift. She felt bad for not giving the kid anything back on that day. And after the beautiful gift she'd given to her auntie... it didn't matter what it was. The point was that she found someone who she could trust. This little child who one day invaded her house, looking for some "time piece" thingy that Vanessa didn't even knew was there, had now become the closest she could call a friend.

On a cold winter morning, Vanessa woke up Hat Kid to a wonderful breakfast in bed and a small present. The queen explained to her the whole thing and offered her the shiny box. Still nomming on a freshly baked cookie, she teared through the wrapping paper, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. Inside the box was a small porcelain figure of a duck. Vanessa pulled it out of the box and showed Hat Kid the little key that was under it, as well as two wood wheels by its side. The queen turned the key a few times and set the toy down as Hat Kid watched, intrigued. The duck suddenly started moving, racing around the room! It went under the kid's bed and then around a few other toys scattered around the floor. The queen laughed as Hat Kid immediately jumped out of bed and started chasing the toy not just around the room, but around the whole manor, waking up everyone with her loud childish laughter.

Now, she was doing exactly the same, but not still in her pajamas. The brownish duck, with it's shiny yellow beak and shiny black eyes, raced down the corridors with the kid following right behind it. For some reason, some hallways were still pretty dark, even with all the light coming in from the windows. It's as if the light couldn't reflect on anything inside the manor, leaving the illuminated bits clear as day and, the rest of the manor, still pitch black. Like an immense dark void with only a few illuminated patches of floor scattered around, far away from eachother. If she wasn't careful enough, she could trip on things that were hidden in the dark, where she couldn't see them.

Red, purple and orange. The little duck turned the corner on one of the intersections and went to the left, away from the edge of the manor and into its inner corridors. There were no windows there. No light at all. Hat Kid felt hesitant, as if she knew she shouldn't even be there. But it was just a house, in fact, it was almost HER house now. She'd gotten so used to the peeled wallpaper and overall spooky vibe of the manor that it wasn't even scary anymore. And yet, she still felt like something was wrong. The hallway was completely dark, only the edge of the doorframe was visible. She couldn't tell where it led to. Her toy was going full speed into that corridor though. She couldn't lose her precious toy!

She took a deep breath, put on her determined expression and ran into the dark void. Her little feet still thumping loudly as she tried to listen for the squeaky sound of her toy as it echoed inside the corridor.

Red, purple, orange... and pitch black

-

Black.

She'd been running for a good few seconds now. Just straight forward. No looking back. That little toy of hers HAD to be somewhere around there. She could still hear it moving up ahead. She'd never really realised how fragile that thing probably was until now. I mean, it's porcelain! On wheels! A little crash or bump into some piece of furniture or even a wall might cause it to at least crack.

Hat Kid was finally starting to get legitimately worried. Where even was she? She'd sure never seen these parts of the manor. That was the only thing she still didn't feel familiar about the house: its layout. The manor played tricks on people, even on Vanessa, and she'd been living there for a very long time. Sure, it was big if seen from the outside, but once you'd step inside, you'd be bound to get lost if you didn't stay close to the windows. The inner corridors of the house were never blocked off. No warnings, no spooky tale about never going there, nothing. It was just common sense, something everybody around her knew, a rule that'd been taught by someone who not even time could remember by now. "Don't venture too deep into the manor. Don't go in the inner corridors of the house."

For some reason, she never really felt intrigued about it until now. Deep down, she knew she shouldn't go there. There didn't need to be any explanation or lesson to be taught. It was like one of those gut feelings; when, just by looking at something, you can tell it means danger. It makes you anxious. Not exactly scared, but unnerved, shaken. Like a primal fear of the darkness and the unknown. Suddenly, she snapped out of her train of thought. She thought she'd seen something. In the distance. What was that? Something was shining...

At the end of the dark void, she saw a light. There was another corridor there! An illuminated one! Oh thank goodness! She didn't knew how much longer she could've run for. She sprinted out of the corridor and back into the comforting light she left behind a few minutes ago.

Red, purple and orange.

The familiar sight immediately made her feel safe again. She was fine, everything was okay. She was still at home, nothing bad happened. Hat Kid leaned with her back against the wall behind her and took a deep breath. She then looked down and saw her toy next to her feet! It had probably reached the other end of the hallway and bumped into a wall. She crouched and picked it up.

After inspecting the toy for a few seconds, she could happily assure herself that it didn't had any cracks. She sighed in relief, turned the key on the toy's belly and dropped it. It creaked a little and speeded off down the new illuminated hallway. Hat Kid laughed and went back to her old self, chasing the toy again.

For a few minutes, it was like that whole incident was just a dream. The scary dark inner corridors of the manor seemed more like a nightmare than a memory now. It was just something that happened. She concluded that's just what it was: scary. The Subcon Forest was scary at first as well, but Hat Kid ended up getting used to it. The same applies to the manor that went from a haunted house to a home. But even those had somewhat of a "comforting" feeling to them. Subcon was dark, but Snatcher's "treehouse" was almost as cozy and bright as her own bedroom back in her ship. Vanessa's manor, despite being in bad shape, gained the feeling of an old home. It felt like a place you would go to spend the holidays or summer break. It had its charm and handful of funny secrets.

However, that corridor didn't share that house's same aesthetic. It felt odd, out-of-place. Maybe it was just too dark to even see anything at all, but just being there creeped her out. For some reason, she was fearing for her life, but there was nothing there that could hurt her. Well, not that she would be able to see it if it was there anyways. Now that she thought about it, what if there was something there? Something watching her? Something waiting? Something cruel, or even vile. Something...

Her train of thought was, yet again, interrupted by something outside of her own thoughts. She felt something. In the air. She could smell something. It was strong enough to pull her back into reality. The smell of something acid and bitter filled her tiny nose as she stopped on her tracks and covered her mouth and nostrils. What the peck WAS that?! It was so disgusting, so repugnant, enough to make her eyes tear up.

Red, purple and orange.

Her little toy slowed down and stopped right in front of her, just a few feet away. It stood still right in the middle of the long red carpet that covered the old wooden floor, illuminated by a window on the right side of the corridor. That stink was coming from somewhere near the toy, Hat Kid was sure of that. That same feeling came back. The primal fear of the darkness and the unknown. She had to get out of there. Something bad was going to happen. She just knew it. She had to get out of there now!

With the bit of bravery she had left, and with a free hand that wasn't covering her nose, she reached to grab her toy and run away as fast as possible. Then, out of the darkness, something quickly snatched her toy and pulled it into the black. Hat Kid jumped back. What... what was that?! What was happening? Was someone toying with her? Playing tricks on her? Was this Snatcher's doing? He sure loved to scare the kid, but she thought everyone was too busy doing their royal duties to play with her. She'd never seen her BFF using something like what she saw. What pulled her toy were a few shiny red ribbons. No, strings. Red strings, just quickly flowing and cutting through the air, fast enough for the kid's reflexes.

Hat Kid grasped her stomach. She felt like she was gonna throw up from the frightening atmosphere and the nauseous smell. Screw that toy. Vanessa would understand. She just needed to get out of there. She just needed to talk to someone who might know what was actually happening. The light from outside no longer seemed so inviting anymore. It was getting dark outside. The colors became cold and gained a certain blue-ish hue.

- Auntie! Auntie Ness! Help me! - the kid yelled as she lifted her head, hoping to make the sound somehow louder. And, as she did, she saw what was causing that smell.

Red, purple and orange

And yet...

she wished it was all black.

[doeeyeddarlingxo]

Myriad Misadventures - Chapter 7

The Myriad Misadventures of a Midgardian Queen-In-Training - Chapter 7

AO3 | Previous | Next

Word Count: 1421

Pairing: Loki/Reader

Rating: T

Myriad Misadventures - Chapter 7

The palace is...well, it’s huge, not to mention beautiful, with walls made of pure white stone and dozens of windows framed in gold. It’s preceded by a large lawn and driveway, and circled by woods that seem to extend well past the limits of your eyesight. Everything is so bright and vivid, the needle-leaved trees scraping the cloudless, cerulean sky, blossoms of every color growing along the driveway and edging the castle itself.

It is an incredibly intimidating sight.

“Come on!” You feel a hand around your wrist, and before you know what’s going on, Sapphire is pulling you into a run. “You don’t want to let them get ahead, do you?”

You don’t really care either way, but you humor her, running until you’re a few feet to the left of Juliette and Li, both of whom throw lofty glances in your direction. Juliette’s hair, a deep, sunrise red, had caught your attention the moment you saw her on the train, but you hadn’t really gotten a good chance to look at Li before - she’s as beautiful as the others, if not more so. Her hair is so black, it has an almost purplish tint to it, contrasting magnificently against the bright, clear aqua of her eyes. She could legitimately pass for a porcelain doll, or a fairy. Even her gait matches - she seems to float, walking with delicate, pixie-like steps. It’s enchanting to watch, but when her eyes flicker back in your direction, you immediately turn your gaze on the white gravel of the ground.

As you place your foot on the first step, you are startled by a loud creak. You and the others watch in awe as the tall, twin doors swing open at a snail's pace, allowing you to take in the foyer little by little. It's still overwhelming - the ceiling is cathedral height, with another tapestry hung up on the emerald walls every few yards. The floors are partially covered by lush green carpeting, like a runway, with thin, shiny stripes of ivory on either side. In between the tapestries are wall lamps, with candelabras beneath - and is that a chandelier you see? Yes, yes it is. Squinting, you make out another one a little further down the hall.

Entering the palace makes you feel as though you have left behind the twentieth century entirely. This new world is impressively, impossibly grandiose, straight from the pages of a fairy tale. You have fallen out of the reality you thought you knew, and into a fantasy swathed in emerald and cream.

"Well, shit," Irina breathes from behind you. You're inclined to agree, and from the expressions on the other girls' faces, so are they.

From the end of the hall, you see...something. A grey line, growing closer and closer; as it approaches, you see that it’s mainly comprised of men in green-grey uniforms - guards? I think? A few yards before reaching you, it stops. The center figure steps out to approach. Heavier, but elegant, clad in a moss-green ball gown, with her waist drawn in (presumably) by a corset and emphasized by the swell of her skirt. As she sweeps forward, the velvet of her dress rustles.

“Good afternoon, girls.” She beams at each of you in turn. “My name is Lady Amara, and I will be your guide for the duration of your stay.” As she speaks, she makes some hand signal at the guards; at once, they all turn sharply, and head back to the end of the hall. One lingers, standing a few feet behind her. You notice, with no small amount of discomfort, that he’s staring at you. When you make eye contact, he licks his lips, and winks at you. You turn your gaze to the floor, suddenly uncomfortable. Lady Amara turns to him, and motions for him to step forward, which he does. “This is Captain Absidor Walden; he is the head guard. He will be going over some of the safety measures which are in place to ensure your security.”

“Good morning, ladies.” His words come out thin and throaty, more rasp than voice. His skin is tanned, his hair slightly longer than a buzz-cut, and although he’s far from ugly, you’re immediately put off by his bearing: he carries himself not like a high-ranking officer, or even a nobleman, but with the cruel arrogance of a slave owner. He looks each of you up and down as he speaks, and you notice again that he spends a little extra time appraising you, though this time you look away before he has a chance to make eye contact. “You all have been allowed one personal item; we will be collecting and checking those before you are escorted to your rooms. You have each been assigned a maid. In case of an emergency, each maid has been provided with a key to their contestant’s room. Upon arriving in your rooms, you will change into one of the outfits provided for you. Your clothes from home are to be discarded; your maid will help you with that. You will be allowed access to both email and ‘snail mail’ one day each week, but any packages containing anything other than a letter will be discarded immediately, a fact which we will inform your primary contacts of.”

Lady Amara nods. “Thank you.” The captain and his guards march back down the hallway, until they’re no more than specks in the distance. “Guards are stationed at each of the castle’s four exits, at the main gates, and at various points throughout the surrounding grounds, including the gardens, the stables, and the woods, which you’ll see later.” She pauses to give you all a tight-lipped smile, head tilted to the side. “Any questions?”

"So, what's Asgard like?"

"And of what concern is that to you?"

Her tone of voice is so sharp that Rosa actually takes a step backwards. "In the contract. It said the winner - "

" - and their family would be moved to Asgard. Yes. Relations between His Majesty and his family are somewhat...strained. Negotiations are currently taking place to alleviate the tension, hence his absence." She pauses to clear her throat. When she begins speaking again, her tone is considerably brighter. "Never fear, though! He is scheduled to return to the palace in seven days, which gives me just enough time to educate you on the behavior expected of you during your stay. For the next week, you will be trained in table etiquette, inter-realm politics, proper dress, etcetera. The king's arrival will likely be commenced with some sort of event, the details of which will be announced a few days prior to his return. Your lessons, however begin now."

"Now?" As in, now now?

She sighs, closing her eyes as though she were suffering from a headache. And that makes three people who I’ve managed to tick off in one day. Good job, (Y/N). Really solid work. “Yes, Lady…?”

“(Y/N).”

“Thank you.” She claps her hands together. “To begin with: breakfast will be served at eight o’clock each morning, dinner at five p.m. sharp. Lunch is to be taken at your leisure, though you're welcome to join me in the dining room at twelve thirty. You may want to keep your schedules relatively free once his majesty arrives, as there is no set rotation for how he will be dividing his time up amongst you.” Does that mean he picks the dates? Do we have the option to say no? “You will be shown to your rooms before dinner. This is the Ladies' Parlor; feel free to come here to read, compose letters to your families. Most importantly, we will congregate here each week to watch the weekly segment on television.

"You may notice a distinct lack of modern technology here; the television is a necessary exception, and will only be used to watch the weekly segment. You will also be allowed to contact your families once a week via electronic mail, as Captain Walden mentioned, but you will not be given any other access to the internet.” She looks down the corridor to your right. “Ah, just in time. You each have half an hour to get ready before dinner.

Eight girls, all dressed in plain white aprons atop ebony dresses, line up facing you, four on each side of Lady Amara. The one furthest left is the first one to speak. “Lady (Y/N)?”

“Yes?”

She smiles at you. “This way, please.”

[mydigisalon]

55+ Salon Marketing Ideas To Attract New Clients

Online and digital marketing has opened a portal so huge that there are endless things we can do to reach our goals. But we often get distracted by things like “ Viral video concept” and other shiny things that we forget to build a solid base for a brand and dive right into accomplishing bigger goals. While experimenting and trying new tricks is a must in marketing, it’s never too late to perfect the basics.

With fundamental basics, you can never go wrong while building the foundations of your salon. These basics are the tried and tested salon marketing ideas that can be tweaked and improved according to our needs. These basics will help you out at any and all stages of your business to reach out to potential clients and build your brand image. There are 5 things you need to work on for a strong base for salon marketing ideas. Let’s dive into it without further discussion.

Salon Marketing Basic #1: Visual Branding

Visuals always speak louder than words. The visual appeal of a salon should be consistent everywhere from their social media, website, email right to their offline pamphlets. Make sure the color scheme goes with your brand aesthetics and expresses your brand perfectly. To get all this right you need to make sure that everything is just perfect. Focus on key pointers like what your salon personality should be like. Some of the brand themes which you can try are artistic, edgy, indie, wacky or calm, you can even go for abstract. Make sure whatever salon marketing ideas you choose is in sync with what you want your brand to express.

Second thing is that you should keep your target audience in mind at all times while implementing your salon marketing ideas. Think of all the demographic and characteristic traits they might have. Apart from the age group, consider their business interests, shopping behaviors, likes and dislikes etc. Only after all this is sorted, go for your brand logo and color palette. E.g. yellow and teal can be used if you are going for an edgy punk rock look and rose gold or peach if you want to get a more classy and feminine vibe. To sum it up, your brand image should be consistent, meaningful and attract the right audience.

Salon Marketing Basic #2: Website and App

Salon owners don’t give websites and salon booking app much thought and this is where they go wrong. The first thing that potential clients look for when they think about researching a business is to check the website. To help you get the importance of the website we have listed down 4 points:

It helps to connect with your clientele and tell your story in your own words along with pictures of your work. You can tell them about the time where you started, what you believe in and what your vision is.

It gives your salon a sense of legitimacy because the users will have a place to get in touch with you even if they are within your vicinity.

It will help in SEO and SEM optimization. The easiest way to get on top in google search is through SEO optimization and you need to have a website in order to do so. You can even link your social media accounts on your website to reach a broader set of audience.

You can put valid and updated information on your website. Things such as services available at your salon, prices, timings, your best workers and specialists etc.

Salon marketing apps are also important because they give a more personalized feel to the user. Clients can look up for their previous and upcoming appointments along with the pricing for other services all at one place. But keep in mind that all these things should be branded and follow a color palette or theme that represents your brand to your clients in a way that they get a sense of familiarity. They should be able to associate the colors or theme with your brand and recognize you. Website is the best way for clients to book an appointment instead of calling the salon to schedule it. Give your clients as many options as you can.

Salon Marketing Basic #3: Social Media

Social Media has to be on the list of salon marketing ideas, a lot of salon owners are already on it. However, you have to know how to make it work and get potential leads through it.

There are a lot of social media platforms available out there, you can get the best salon ideas via social media. However, not every platform is good for everything. E.g. your brand page on LinkedIn might not be the best option. Facebook and Instagram are better suited for interactive brands. Instagram is perfect for creating a visually appealing vibe with filters, colors etc. It works more like a portfolio for your work. Facebook, on the other hand, is text and videos. The algorithm these days demands more videos like Live podcasts to get more likes and engagement.

Salon Marketing Basic #4: Facebook Ads

Social media marketing or SMM is to reach out to potential clients that you can convert into customers with a little push. Regular social media updates will help in getting people more acquainted with your salon. But Facebook and Instagram ads are important beauty salon advertising ideas to get real-time customers for your salon. Facebook ads with proper targeting and budget will give amazing results. There are 5 things you need to keep in mind about getting everything right.

Friendly and personalised language.

Try to go for short video clips instead of pictures

Keep time-sensitive promotions with a call to action button.

Use Facebook ads manager to keep a track of the metrics and analyse the numbers as frequently as you can.

Change the text copy and creatives timely. It will help to optimize your ad campaign and get more clients.

Salon Marketing Basic #5: Email & Social Reviews

Apart from a website and social media marketing, the marketing suite for salon should also include email marketing and social reviews; two things you can not afford to miss at any cost. To connect more often with your customers you need email marketing because there is no guarantee that they will check your content on your social platform. To make sure that they do not miss out on important deals and other offers, send them a personalized email. It will help them re-book more often. However, make sure they are not sale mails, they’ll go directly to spam or get deleted. Fill your email with personalized content like staff image, stories etc It will help your clients feel more connected with you. It is vital to add emails to your beauty salon marketing plan.

The last point is social reviews, always ask your users to rate and review you on Google, Facebook, Yelp etc. This helps your clients to become your brand advocates by publicly vouching for your work. New customers always go for genuine reviews, they check different platforms for reviews and ratings before spending their money.

It doesn’t matter how good your services are, if the clients are not aware of your brand then your business is as good as closed. You need to make sure that your brand is visible and stands out to get more clients.

Looking for marketing and advertising ideas to grow your salon business?

Let’s take a look at these easy, tried-tested and effective salon marketing ideas to help you secure more clients.

Still thinking how to market your beauty salon? To help you secure more clients, you can definitely on these salon marketing tricks for an easy win. They are easy, tried-tested and fun.

1. Get Your Spa or Salon Listed On Online Directories

Users have a habit of searching online before spending money on services or products. This is the reason why your brand should pop up in search results like google my business, yelp( this is really important, make sure you have an account on Yelp with good ratings), and other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram etc. with a business profile.

2. Form Partnerships with Other Local Businesses

In order to get new clients and enhance your beauty salon marketing strategies, form new alliances with local businesses with similar offerings. Eg. buy dinner, get a haircut free or movie free etc. These are some of the best hair salon advertising examples that can work for your salon. Offers and deals are really important when it comes to new user acquisition.

3. Offer Referral Discounts

Referral discounts and offerings are a great way to retain old customers and at the same time acquire new ones. You can even work with local businesses for referral schemes. E.g. refer 1 get 20% off, these offers are really lucrative and will surely get you good on foot traffic in your salon.

4. Loyalty Programs or Punch Cards

For your loyal and recurring clients make sure that you have an ongoing loyalty card or offer at all times. It will help you build a good rapport with them and they will keep visiting. E.g. hair spa free after 4 transactions.

5. Salon Promotions that Works

Customers love offers and discounts. Offers like first time visit, last-minute specials or monthly on house discounts or yearly visits etc. You can give clients offers when they first visit or during any time slot when the traffic is low etc. It will pique the customer’s curiosity and they might end up booking an appointment because of these offers. All in all, the ultimate goal is to build salon promotions that work.

6. Share Your Promotions on Social Media

If you have a running promotion or offer, do not forget to list out on Facebook and Instagram. Even if you put a story and your reach is organic, make sure you do it. It will give the vibe that it is an exclusive offer for your social media followers.

7. Make Use of Facebook & Google Ads

Facebook and google ads help in bringing legitimate leads for the business. When users look at an ad they tend to go for it 40% of the time. The success of these ads will depend on your targeted audience and other creatives. When a customer visits your website you can use these ads to re-target them by showing banner ads and redirect them back to your page.

8. Run a Contest in Your Salon

Social media contests are a great way to acquire clients. Run a referral campaign e.g. the user with the most number of referrals will get a day of free services or a hair makeover etc. It is one of the best hair salon Facebook post ideas to increase your salon’s engagement. Think of it as more like a small gift if they get you an adequate number of new clients.

9. Create An Email Newsletter

When your clients book an appointment with you or are paying for the services used, you can ask for their email addresses. When you have enough email IDs in your database to work on, you can blast monthly emails to keep them updated about your salon promotion ideas and offerings. You can even personalize this experience by sending individual reminders addressing them with their names along with the promotions that they can avail.

10. Holidays, Special Events and Gift Certificates

Holidays are a great way to catch potential clients. E.g. Mother’s Day, Black Friday sale, New Year, Christmas etc you can give small discounts like 20% off for all mother’s hair spa on mother’s day. You can even include your client’s anniversary and birthdays to make them feel special and cherished.

Offers like a free manicure with haircut will get more traffic before valentines and proms etc. will get more teenage traffic to your store. And offers like blowdry free with facial will get more mid 20s woman.

Apart from these offers, Gift certificates can also help you attract new clients around the holidays. Campaigns like free $10 gift cards with every $150 gift certificate purchase. So when a client comes to use the gift card and gets another 10$ service gift card there is a high probability that they will end up using your services again.

11. Create a Profitable Front Desk

Your front desk staff is the face of your brand when a customer enters your salon. Apart from that it is one of the main rebooking sale interactions. You should make sure that your staff is well trained to upsell or cross sell to the clients before and after your services.

12. Set up a Selfie Station with your Salon’s Hashtag

Selfie trend is not going to go away anytime soon. You can benefit from it by creating your own mini photo booth within your salon. Just make sure the lighting is great and your clients will post the pics on their social media channels for sure. You can add props like a hashtag cutout or image in the background to make it more authentic. Ask your clients to use the same hashtag while posting and all the posts will come under it.

13. Create a Memorable Client Experience

The main motive of visiting a salon is not just to get a haircut, people expect luxury and pampering with it. Make sure that you create a memorable experience for your clients right from the moment they enter your salon and it should continue till the moment they step out.

14. Carry Exclusive Products

Exclusivity is a factor that can help build brand value. If you keep high quality products that are available only at your salon, it will differentiate you from the competition. Try to upsell these products, if the clients end up liking them then they will keep coming back for more.

15. Cultivate High-Quality Relationships

If you have recurring customers you should work on developing a long term relationship with the. It will only help you get loyal customer connection but they can also help to recommend your services to potential clients. Ask them to rate your salon on social media platforms and refer offline to their friends.

16. Simplify your Pricing

Pricing is the first thing that customers check when they ask for services. Too many options can confuse the customers, you should work on simplifying your pricing structure and menu. Let your services speak for themselves, keep in mind that customers spend more if they understand everything in one go.

17. Branding at its Best

Just the salon space is not your brand, your employees are representing your brand at all times. Make sure that apart from your salon theme their clothes, hairstyles, makeup skin and behavior are always on point.

18. Offer Add-on Services

If you have any add on services, like free blow dry with hair spa etc, then make sure that you coach your staff properly. They should be able to naturally up-sell add-ons or retail while serving the customers.

19. Hold a Super Sale

Running discounted services or offers is a great way to acquire new customers. Running an end of season sale once or twice a year is a good strategy. During this period you can offer all your products and services at 25% off to stimulate retail sales.

20. Referrals to the Rescue

Another way of acquiring new customers or generating potential leads is Referrals. If you have your salon app, you can run an offer for referrals, like refer 2 people get 25% off on your next salon visit.

21. Online Reviews

Online reviews are really important. More than 70% people look for the salon/business online before availing services. You should request your clients to leave an online review when they visit your salon.

22. Offer Express Services

On the go services are a lifesaver for clients. You can offer express or mini services as add-ons to the original service or as a quick service session in between. E.g. basic manicure while getting their hair coloured.

23. Social Stylists

Make your stylists a social media expert. Teach them about the techniques to capture good pictures and end results after the services. Their profiles should speak for themselves, it will help draw new clients while boosting their and your brand image simultaneously.

24. Manage your Reputation

Positive and negative reviews are a part and parcel of online presence. You should engage with both of them in order to provide better customer experience. Listen to their queries, and try to resolve their issues. Make sure you are always polite and professional while interacting with your customers, even when they are rude.

25. Search Engine Optimization

When clients search for salons in your area, make sure that your ranking is good and you appear on top of the search results. Top result + good reviews = New clients. Hence, your beauty salon digital marketing is quite helpful.

26. Google Ads

You can run search and display ad campaigns on Google ads in order to appear on top. Organic search results are great but paid results will get you reliable clients at a much faster rate.

27. Facebook Ads

Everyone is on social media, so clearly it makes sense to advertise on it. Reaching out to clients via facebook ads can help you target them based on their interests and demographics. You can be as picky and as broad in selecting your audience.

28. Update your Website

Website i really important, if you do not have one get it made. My digi salon can help you with that. You need to get a simple and easy to follow website that conveys your message and brand language clearly.

29. Publish your Salon’s Own Blog

Original content and timely updates on your blogs not only helps clients, it also helps maintain your brand image. You can post blogs related to the current market trends or your offerings and their benefits. If you still do not know where to start then download our app and know about the trendy hair salon marketing ideas.

30. Contribute to Guest and Top Salon Blogs

Guests posts and blogs are important to maintain digital presence amongst popular salon publications. IF you content is accepted by the guest sites, you can get free coverage and traffic while reaching out to a new set of users.

31. Polls, Quizzes and Feedbacks

Social media can be used for a two way communication for businesses instead of just posting content. You can run a weekly series of stories with polls, quizzes and feedback on your social media channels with incentives for participation. It will help boost your online presence and engage with customers who normally wouldn’t.

32. Update your Third-Party Pages

Third party websites like Google and Yelp can help you grab potential opportunities. Make sure your profile on all these partner websites is up to date at all times. If you receive any review or feedback, reply and engage with customers. It will give an impression that you are listening and boost customer experince.

33. Promote Visually Engaging Content

One of the most popular yet trendy salon marketing ideas is promoting visual content on Instagram. Instagram is all about visual content. Anything and everything that grabs their attention within the time span of first 2 seconds will help increase engagement. You should use beautiful pictures in your blogs, posts and website with clear communication. You can try My Digi Salon’s inventory for getting beautiful and appropriate content that you can post on your social media channels.

34. Create an Explainer Video

Small videos are really helpful for increasing reach on socila media. Engaging videos or mini shoots during services like boomerangs etc. can help you connect with a wider set of audience.

35. Try Tik-Tok

Try Tik tok videos for hair colours showing before after, they are in trend and people love watching them for hors. Create engaging videos that tell your brand’s story, or shoot mini videos during and after your services to show off new styling and color techniques.

36. Define your Brand

You should be clear about your brand personality and theme. It will totally depend on your clientele e.g. macho for men only salon and quirky for edgy looks etc. Make sure that it is reflected in all your online and offline communications.

37. Tag your Clients

When you click your client’s before and after pictures, make sure you ask for their social handles. You can tag them in your posts and stories and they can repost them. Clients love getting featured on salon pages, it’s sort of a social validation checklist.

38. Sell Beauty Products Online

Offline upselling is great but to reach out to a new and untouched audience you should try selling your products and services online. You can either add a shop here section on your website with product listings or host an egift section.

39. Build Joint Ventures

Partnering with local business by co hosting events is a great way cross promote your services. Offers like “Visit us, get 10% at Henry’s” etc. will get more customers in you salon as well as your local business.

40. Get involved in National Events

Third party and national events are a great way to unlock potential clients. By participating in national educational events or trade shows can be a great networking exercise. You can learn how to improve your business,get new B2B working opportunities and at the same time improve your brand image.

41. Create Professional Business Cards

One of the traditional yet effective salon marketing ideas is creating a business card. All your staff members should have professional business cards that they can handle to clients and partners. It should ideally have their name, number, email address and contact information. You can even add social media handles to make it more trendy.

42. QR codes for Social Media Handle Links

Instead of typing the handle names on cards and pamphlets, you can get QR codes printed. These QR codes can be scanned by your clients and will redirect to your social media handles. It saves time for the clients who might not make the effort to look you up online.

43. Team Up with Local Schools

Tie-ups with local schools, universities and institutions, especially fashion and hair styling, can help you get quality interns for your salons at a cheaper price.

44. Birthday Offers to Clients

You can offer small rewards or discounts to your loyal customers on special occasions like birthdays. Send it on the day or a day before to remind them that you care and their pampering session is due.

45. Bridge the Gap Between Customers

If you can not give discounts, then try to send out gift cards or text wishes on important dates. These little efforts can help you bridge the gap between you and your customers to help make life long relationships.

46. Networking Events

Stay connected with other top players and professionals in the business. It will help you stay on top in the market with the latest trends. Trying registering and attending events taking place in your vicinity. They are a great way to improve networking.

47. Become an Educator

You are a professional, share some tips and ideas with your followers. You can post and share educational content on your social media channels for your clients. Moreover, you can even host live sessions on Instagram where you can go for Q&A and share educational content or host classes that clients can attend to show them how to maintain their services at home.

48. Apply to be a Talk Guest

Instead of just hosting these classes on your social media channels you can expand your reach by getting on talks as guest speakers. E.g. During virtual events for hair and beauty, you can participate as a guest speaker and share your experience with the attendees.

49. Host a Client Appreciation Event

Thank you loyal clients by hosting an appreciation event once a year. Send an invite to all your VIP clients for a full day or multi day event. You can go out of station or just party all night in a 5 star setting. Client appreciation is the first step in establishing strong relationships.

50. Retarget clients who have Left

If you note that your loyal customers have stopped coming to your salon, e.g. zero visits in the last 4 months. You can drop an email or sms with some discounts for a new appointment. Communication matters so make sure that you convey your message clearly.

A Must Read : How to Generate Leads for your Salon Business

51. Learn from the Best

Make sure that you are upto date with fellow successful and professional leaders. In order to procure their skills and accomplishments, try to follow in their leads. See what they are doing and how they maintain online presence.

52. Give Away Freebies

Everyone loves freebies, instead of offering discounts you can go for merchandising. Give small gifts like shirts, pen, and other items with salon branding as a token of appreciation.

53. Re-Do your Retail

If you feel that your growth has gone stagnant or is dropping, you need to re-evaluate your retail strategy. Take help from us, My digi salon is a complete marketing suite for salons to establish the most effective sales strategy.

54. Offer Discounts to Senior Citizens

Senior citizens tend to be more loyal towards brands and businesses. To make it easier for them to opt for your services instead of your clients, offer senior discounts to your regular and loyal custimers.

55. Send Appointment Confirmations

As mentioned above communication is the key. How you communicate with your customers will directly affect your brand image. To improve it, you can start by sending appointment confirmation texts and emails to your client as a reminder. It will help avoid unnecessary hassles and misunderstandings. Moreover, it is one of the most effective salon marketing ideas.

56. Automated Scheduling Reminders and User Journeys

Automation is the future and you can take advantage of the features available now. You can work on client or user journeys. E.g. welcome email, first appointment, referral emails etc. apart from that you can automate reminder emails like an email 5 weeks after a hair color appointment. You can even send them a ‘we miss you’ email with incentives.

57. Get a Beauty Salon Marketing App

Instead of running here and there for all the things we mentioned above, you should invest in a beauty salon marketing app. Get a customized salon app by My Digi Salon with all the features that you believe are required for your salon e.g. side menu navigation, banners on the homepage for new offers etc. You can get in touch with your customers directly via in-app pop-ups, push notifications etc.

Conclusion

We are sure that the above mentioned salon marketing ideas will help you in your salon management. They will definitely help you in retaining your customers and at the same time acquiring the new ones. You just need to make sure your brand language and visualization is consistent and resonates with your goal.

Originally published link here: https://www.mydigisalon.com/blog/salon-marketing-ideas/

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New Post has been published on Attendantdesign

New Post has been published on https://attendantdesign.com/beauty-school-student-transforms/

Beauty School Student Transforms

A type beauty faculty student helped rework a depressed teen’s hair after she hadn’t combed it for months.

  Kayley Olson, who attends Capri College in Iowa, stated the sixteen-12 months-antique walked into the school’s salon on Monday with her hair absolutely disheveled and tangled.

: Actress Who Openly Discussed Depression Battle Takes Own Life Days After Grandpa’s Death

  The sixteen-yr-antique said she had faculty images to take for the approaching college year and didn’t have tons self-assurance that her hair may be salvaged so she requested Olson and a co-employee to shave it off.

“She said ‘it’s nugatory.’ I knew right then and there we had to ensure we stored her hair for her,” Olson, 20, informed InsideEdition.Com.

The youngster, who Olson has selected now not to discover, expressed to Olson that she’d struggled with depression for a while, but this year she wasn’t even capable of getting off the bed.

“I changed into heartbroken. I recognize what if appears like to experience worthless and depressed. It became the type of awaken name. We had to assist her,” Olson stated. “It changed into an extremely hard. She cried the whole time we have been combing it out.”

Olson said it took two days and several breaks in among to get the teenager’s hair completely untangled. Olson did the very last cut and style herself.

“When I was given the closing knot out of her hair, I checked out her and stated ‘it’s all out’ and we cried happy tears,” Olson said. “When I showed her the final bring about the reflect she said ‘I am going to smile in my college photos. You made my experience like me again.'”

Olson shared earlier than and after photos of the teen on her Facebook web page and the publisher has on the grounds that long gone viral.

  Read: Dad of Teen Who Jumped Off Bridge Releases Message About Depression and Helping Others

“Mental fitness is an element, it results from people all over the international and of every age! ” Olson wrote the post. “Parents take it severely. Don’t just push your children off and inform them to get over something they legitimately can not. A CHILD ought to NEVER sense so worthless to no longer even need to sweep their hair.”

The publish has been shared greater than sixty-five,000 times.

“It clearly genuinely warmed my coronary heart that I may want to try this with some thing as low as a haircut,” Olson said.

For many of us, it would be a big nonsense even to go to a supermarket with no makeup on.

Media often forces us to believe that a woman with no makeup on can’t actually look somewhat attractive or beautiful.

If someone wants to live a makeup-free life, or at least to be able to have makeup-free days, then it makes sense to put a little bit more effort into caring about the natural beauty of your face, hair, and body.

1) Feel beautiful (even without makeup)   Beauty Student  Transforms

Yes, the first step to natural, makeup-free beauty is connected with your inner perception of yourself – your self-image. If a girl considers herself beautiful and is able to accept herself totally and unconditionally, then the whole world will feel the same about her. Yes, it’s that simple! But if you don’t feel comfortable and confident about yourself with no makeup on, try to adapt the new ‘natural’ image gradually.

2) Your skin is your everything! If you decide to lead a makeup-free life, it doesn’t mean that you need to completely let go of all skin care products. Many skin problems are actually related to the excessive use of makeup; skin tone becomes uneven because of the reaction of your body on a foundation, concealer or blush. If skin problems persist, get a professional advice of a dermatologist; it’s better to treat the problem straight away than to put it on hold into a waiting box. Some other tips for the beauty of your skin include: use facial masks 2 or 3 times a week (choose masks according to your skin type), and exfoliate your skin regularly (we are not only talking about exfoliating your facial skin, exfoliate your whole body.

3) Healthy eating and water Good food is important not only for the beauty of our skin but also for the overall health of our body.

We are what we eat, therefore healthy and balanced diet should be our faithful, lifelong friend.

Make sure you eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, as well as healthy fats and proteins; these are so important for our beauty.

And, of course, our best friend is water! Try to drink about 8 glasses of water a day and also treat yourself with a green or white tea from time to time, because these are rich in antioxidants and will help your skin look fresh and young for a very long time, even without makeup.

4) Smile and love yourself

  A smile will instantly help you to feel and look pretty, even if you don’t have any makeup on!

As Audrey Hepburn once said: “The prettiest girl is the happiest one!” Smile every time you look in the mirror, smile to people you see on the street and, in general, let the smile be your favorite accessory – you will see how the whole world will start smiling back at you!

Love yourself. Accept yourself fully and completely. Love the way you look with or without makeup because you are truly unique and beautiful! Remember it!

5) What about your hair? If you want to look pretty with no makeup on – it’s important to take a good care of your hair and keep your hair color close to natural.

Try to keep your hair in great condition by using right hair care products that are suitable for your hair type, and do hair masks and oil treatments regularly. Nothing can be more beautiful than silky and shiny locks!

It became our daily ritual to wake up early and put on our “beautiful” makeup mask.

In this article, we don’t suggest that you completely let go and forget about taking care of yourself; on the contrary,

How do you feel about yourself inside? It all depends on you. Try to feel beautiful. Yes. Right now, in this very moment… Know that you are pretty!

[mydigisalon]

Salon Marketing Ideas That Will Get You More Customers

Online and digital marketing has opened a portal so huge that there are endless things we can do to reach our goals. But we often get distracted by things like “ Viral video concept” and other shiny things that we forget to build a solid base for a brand and dive right into accomplishing bigger goals. While experimenting and trying new tricks is a must in marketing, it’s never too late to perfect the basics.

With fundamental basics, you can never go wrong while building the foundations of your salon. These basics are the tried and tested salon marketing ideas that can be tweaked and improved according to our needs. These basics will help you out at any and all stages of your business to reach out to potential clients and build your brand image. There are 5 things you need to work on for a strong base for salon marketing ideas. Let’s dive into it without further discussion.

Looking for marketing and advertising ideas to grow your salon business? Check these easy, tried-tested and effective salon marketing ideas.

Get Your Spa or Salon Listed On Online Directories

Form Partnerships with Other Local Businesses

Offer Referral Discounts

Loyalty Programs or Punch Cards

Salon Promotions that Works

Share Your Promotions on Social Media

Make Use of Facebook & Google Ads

Run a Contest in Your Salon

Create An Email Newsletter

Holidays, Special Events and Gift Certificates

Salon Marketing Basic #1: Visual Branding

Visuals always speak louder than words. The visual appeal of a salon should be consistent everywhere from their social media, website, email right to their offline pamphlets. Make sure the color scheme goes with your brand aesthetics and expresses your brand perfectly. To get all this right you need to make sure that everything is just perfect. Focus on key pointers like what your salon personality should be like. Some of the brand themes which you can try are artistic, edgy, indie, wacky or calm, you can even go for abstract. Make sure whatever salon marketing ideas you choose is in sync with what you want your brand to express.

Second thing is that you should keep your target audience in mind at all times while implementing your salon marketing ideas. Think of all the demographic and characteristic traits they might have. Apart from the age group, consider their business interests, shopping behaviors, likes and dislikes etc. Only after all this is sorted, go for your brand logo and color palette. E.g. yellow and teal can be used if you are going for an edgy punk rock look and rose gold or peach if you want to get a more classy and feminine vibe. To sum it up, your brand image should be consistent, meaningful and attract the right audience.

Salon Marketing Basic #2: Website and App

Salon owners don’t give websites and salon booking app much thought and this is where they go wrong. The first thing that potential clients look for when they think about researching a business is to check the website. To help you get the importance of the website we have listed down 4 points:

It helps to connect with your clientele and tell your story in your own words along with pictures of your work. You can tell them about the time where you started, what you believe in and what your vision is.

It gives your salon a sense of legitimacy because the users will have a place to get in touch with you even if they are within your vicinity.

It will help in SEO and SEM optimization. The easiest way to get on top in google search is through SEO optimization and you need to have a website in order to do so. You can even link your social media accounts on your website to reach a broader set of audience.

You can put valid and updated information on your website. Things such as services available at your salon, prices, timings, your best workers and specialists etc.

Salon marketing apps are also important because they give a more personalized feel to the user. Clients can look up for their previous and upcoming appointments along with the pricing for other services all at one place. But keep in mind that all these things should be branded and follow a color palette or theme that represents your brand to your clients in a way that they get a sense of familiarity. They should be able to associate the colors or theme with your brand and recognize you. Website is the best way for clients to book an appointment instead of calling the salon to schedule it. Give your clients as many options as you can.

Salon Marketing Basic #3: Social Media

Social Media has to be on the list of salon marketing ideas, a lot of salon owners are already on it. However, you have to know how to make it work and get potential leads through it.

There are a lot of social media platforms available out there, you can get the best salon ideas via social media. However, not every platform is good for everything. E.g. your brand page on LinkedIn might not be the best option. Facebook and Instagram are better suited for interactive brands. Instagram is perfect for creating a visually appealing vibe with filters, colors etc. It works more like a portfolio for your work. Facebook, on the other hand, is text and videos. The algorithm these days demands more videos like Live podcasts to get more likes and engagement.

Salon Marketing Basic #4: Facebook Ads

Social media marketing or SMM is to reach out to potential clients that you can convert into customers with a little push. Regular social media updates will help in getting people more acquainted with your salon. But Facebook and Instagram ads are important beauty salon advertising ideas to get real-time customers for your salon. Facebook ads with proper targeting and budget will give amazing results. There are 5 things you need to keep in mind about getting everything right.

Friendly and personalised language.

Try to go for short video clips instead of pictures

Keep time-sensitive promotions with a call to action button.

Use Facebook ads manager to keep a track of the metrics and analyse the numbers as frequently as you can.

Change the text copy and creatives timely. It will help to optimize your ad campaign and get more clients.

Salon Marketing Basic #5: Email & Social Reviews

Apart from a website and social media marketing, the marketing suite for salon should also include email marketing and social reviews; two things you can not afford to miss at any cost. To connect more often with your customers you need email marketing because there is no guarantee that they will check your content on your social platform. To make sure that they do not miss out on important deals and other offers, send them a personalized email. It will help them re-book more often. However, make sure they are not sale mails, they’ll go directly to spam or get deleted. Fill your email with personalized content like staff image, stories etc It will help your clients feel more connected with you. It is vital to add emails to your beauty salon marketing plan.

The last point is social reviews, always ask your users to rate and review you on Google, Facebook, Yelp etc. This helps your clients to become your brand advocates by publicly vouching for your work. New customers always go for genuine reviews, they check different platforms for reviews and ratings before spending their money.

It doesn’t matter how good your services are, if the clients are not aware of your brand then your business is as good as closed. You need to make sure that your brand is visible and stands out to get more clients.

10 Salon Marketing Ideas

To help you secure more clients, you can work on the below listed 10 salon marketing ideas. They are easy, tried-tested and fun.

1. Get Your Spa or Salon Listed On Online Directories

Users have a habit of searching online before spending money on services or products. This is the reason why your brand should pop up in search results like google my business, yelp( this is really important, make sure you have an account on Yelp with good ratings), and other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram etc. with a business profile.

2. Form Partnerships with Other Local Businesses

In order to get new clients and enhance your beauty salon marketing strategies, form new alliances with local businesses with similar offerings. Eg. buy dinner, get a haircut free or movie free etc. These are some of the best hair salon advertising examples that can work for your salon. Offers and deals are really important when it comes to new user acquisition.

3. Offer Referral Discounts

Referral discounts and offerings are a great way to retain old customers and at the same time acquire new ones. You can even work with local businesses for referral schemes. E.g. refer 1 get 20% off, these offers are really lucrative and will surely get you good on foot traffic in your salon.

4. Loyalty Programs or Punch Cards

For your loyal and recurring clients make sure that you have an ongoing loyalty card or offer at all times. It will help you build a good rapport with them and they will keep visiting. E.g. hair spa free after 4 transactions.

5. Salon Promotions that Works

Customers love offers and discounts. Offers like first time visit, last-minute specials or monthly on house discounts or yearly visits etc. You can give clients offers when they first visit or during any time slot when the traffic is low etc. It will pique the customer’s curiosity and they might end up booking an appointment because of these offers. All in all, the ultimate goal is to build salon promotions that work.

6. Share Your Promotions on Social Media

If you have a running promotion or offer, do not forget to list out on Facebook and Instagram. Even if you put a story and your reach is organic, make sure you do it. It will give the vibe that it is an exclusive offer for your social media followers.

7. Make Use of Facebook & Google Ads

Facebook and google ads help in bringing legitimate leads for the business. When users look at an ad they tend to go for it 40% of the time. The success of these ads will depend on your targeted audience and other creatives. When a customer visits your website you can use these ads to re-target them by showing banner ads and redirect them back to your page.

8. Run a Contest in Your Salon

Social media contests are a great way to acquire clients. Run a referral campaign e.g. the user with the most number of referrals will get a day of free services or a hair makeover etc. It is one of the best hair salon Facebook post ideas to increase your salon’s engagement. Think of it as more like a small gift if they get you an adequate number of new clients.

9. Create An Email Newsletter

When your clients book an appointment with you or are paying for the services used, you can ask for their email addresses. When you have enough email IDs in your database to work on, you can blast monthly emails to keep them updated about your salon promotion ideas and offerings. You can even personalize this experience by sending individual reminders addressing them with their names along with the promotions that they can avail.

10. Holidays, Special Events and Gift Certificates

Holidays are a great way to catch potential clients. E.g. Mother’s Day, Black Friday sale, New Year, Christmas etc you can give small discounts like 20% off for all mother’s hair spa on mother’s day. You can even include your client’s anniversary and birthdays to make them feel special and cherished.

Offers like a free manicure with haircut will get more traffic before valentines and proms etc. will get more teenage traffic to your store. And offers like blowdry free with facial will get more mid 20s woman.

Apart from these offers, Gift certificates can also help you attract new clients around the holidays. Campaigns like free $10 gift cards with every $150 gift certificate purchase. So when a client comes to use the gift card and gets another 10$ service gift card there is a high probability that they will end up using your services again.

Conclusion

We are sure that the above mentioned steps will help you get a basic idea about salon management and unique salon service ideas. It will help you in retaining your customers and at the same time acquiring the new ones. You just need to make sure your brand language and visualization is consistent and resonates with your goal.

Originally published link here: https://www.mydigisalon.com/blog/salon-marketing-ideas/