Picture your most recent client consultation: as they settled into your chair, shared their upcoming wedding plans, their workplace challenges, or their hopes for a transformative new look.
These intimate conversations are the heartbeat of salon businesses, where trust builds and relationships deepen with every visit.
Yet the moment clients step out of our salons, our marketing often reverts to cold, generic broadcasts. We send the same automated texts and templated emails to everyone, completely abandoning the personal touch that makes our in-chair experiences so special.
This gap between the in-salon experience and bland marketing messaging comes at a price: research shows over 70% of consumers now expect personalized interactions from businesses, with 76% expressing frustration when communications feel generic (Source).
For salon businesses, where relationships are everything, these statistics should be a wake-up call.
Watch episode 37 of Marketing 100 where salon business experts John and Kayle dive deep into personalizing salon marketing strategies that will transform your salon’s marketing in 2025.
Continue reading below for our complete breakdown of how to make your salon’s marketing as personal as your in-chair conversations.
Why Personalization in Salon Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever
We’ve all been there – opening our email to find dozens of irrelevant promotional messages, many from businesses we don’t even remember subscribing to. As salon professionals, we risk damaging our brand if we fall into this same trap of impersonal mass communication.
This is especially critical for salon businesses. When you’re using SMS or text marketing, you’re entering your clients’ most personal space. Sending irrelevant messages isn’t just ineffective; it can actively damage your brand’s reputation and harm your business in the long term.
In the era we’re in, so many businesses are looking for cost savings and automations. And in all of that, we’re kind of forgetting the importance of the human element. In the world of a salon business, relationships are everything.
The business impact is significant: according to recent research, 89% of marketers see a positive ROI when using personalization in their campaigns. Even more compelling, 60% of consumers say they’ll become repeat customers after receiving a personalized experience (Source).
Essential Personalization Strategies for Your Salon
1. Know Your Ideal Client Inside and Out
The foundation of personalized salon marketing is having a crystal-clear picture of who you’re talking to. When you try to speak to everyone, you end up speaking to no one. Take time to visualize your ideal clients – the ones you love having in your chair. Think about:
- What challenges do they typically face?
- What topics do they bring up during appointments?
- What makes them a perfect fit for your brand?
Here’s a practical tip: Think about your favorite clients – the ones who regularly visit your salon. What do they usually talk about? What brings them to your salon? Understanding these details helps you craft messages that truly resonate.
Use this mental image every time you create marketing content. Whether you’re writing an email or crafting a social post, imagine you’re speaking directly to this person. This approach makes your message sharper and more likely to resonate with the clients you truly want to attract.
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Don’t worry if your message doesn’t appeal to everyone – that’s actually a good thing.
It might polarize, and it should polarize. If it doesn’t resonate with certain people, that’s actually better – because they’re probably not the right fit for your brand anyway.
2. Use Smart Targeting in Your Communications
Modern salon software should allow you to segment your client base and send targeted messages based on their preferences and history. This means considering:
- Which services they typically book
- Their preferred stylists
- Their booking frequency
- Past purchasing behavior
For example, if you’re promoting a new hair coloring service, you might want to target clients who:
- Have previously booked color services
- Haven’t visited in the past 8-12 weeks
- Typically work with specific stylists who specialize in color
This targeted approach ensures your message reaches the people most likely to be interested.
Using a modern salon management system like Mangomint can make this process easy, allowing you to track client data and use it effectively in your marketing efforts. This enables you to send effective salon text messages that feel personally crafted for each recipient.
The Impact of Personalized Salon Marketing
When done right, personalization in your salon marketing can transform your client relationships. Instead of being another business cluttering their inbox, you become a trusted advisor who understands their needs and preferences. This approach not only helps retain existing clients but also attracts new ones who appreciate your authentic, personalized approach.
This personalized approach aligns with modern consumer expectations: 66% of customers now expect brands to understand their unique wants and needs. When businesses fail to deliver this understanding, consumers report feeling like “just another number” (Source).
Creating personalized marketing doesn’t have to be more expensive than traditional broadcast messaging.
Today we can enable truly personal interactions with clients in ways that don’t cost more than traditional broadcasting – there are actually smarter ways to do this.
The key is using the right tools and approach to make your marketing more relevant and engaging.
In Part 2, we’ll show you how to use automation to make your personalized marketing effortless, plus two more essential strategies that will transform how you communicate with clients in 2025. [Link coming soon]
P.S. For even more proven salon marketing tips, don’t forget to check out the rest of our Marketing 100 series.
