Creating a salon marketing campaign that cuts through the noise and lives forever – that’s the dream, right?
The reality today is attention spans are short. If you’re not able to say what you need to say in a simple way, people won’t get it.
That’s why having a clear framework for evaluating marketing ideas is crucial.
Whether you’re looking to attract new clients, promote a unique service, or build your brand, you need a framework that works.
But how do you know which ideas are worth pursuing?
Today, we’re sharing a brilliantly simple framework that will help you evaluate and create marketing campaigns that truly resonate with your clients. Best of all, you already have this tool with you – it’s your hand.
Play the short…
…and watch the full episode 51 of Marketing 100 with salon marketing experts John and Kayle as they explain the 5-step Hand Method for creating successful salon marketing campaigns.
Continue reading below for our breakdown of the framework, including real examples and practical tips. Plus, download our free Hand Method Marketing Checklist to start evaluating your campaign ideas today.
The Five Elements of a Winning Campaign
1. Simplicity (The Little Finger)
The foundation of any successful campaign is simplicity. Your message needs to be clear and focused.
When we create a campaign, it’s easy to get very complicated because we want to achieve 3, 4, 5 different things. We want to attract clients, but we also want to attract new staff members, we also want to sell products at the same time, and then it comes out as a Frankenstein.
Think of Thomas Edlund’s chili plant competition: clients receive a plant, grow it at home, share photos, and compete for the biggest plant. Simple, yet effective. This is just one example of how weird salon marketing ideas can create natural buzz for your business.
Examples of Simple Campaigns:
- Monthly client transformation showcases
- “Bring a Friend” referral programs
- Single-focus seasonal promotions
2. Connection (The Ring Finger)
Does it make you feel something? This is one of the most important principles. Out of all the principles, this is one of the most important ones… it should create some type of emotion with you because that’s a sign that it’s a strong campaign that people actually care about and remember.
Research on the beauty industry shows that emotional marketing can significantly influence both client retention and referrals (Verma, 2023).
This is particularly crucial in the hair salon industry, which is one of the largest employers in the United States. While approximately 80% of small business hair salon owners survive their first year, this rate declines significantly after five years. Those failing to implement effective marketing strategies are at a higher risk of failure (Riley, 2021).
The key to creating strong emotional connections is authenticity – your campaign should genuinely reflect your salon’s values and connect with clients’ desires for trust, happiness, and personal transformation.
If people feel something when they hear about your campaign, that’s a sign you’re onto something strong – something people will actually care about and remember.
Your campaign should trigger genuine emotional responses. These emotional connections are what drive powerful word-of-mouth marketing for your salon.
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Ideas That Connect:
- Partner with local charities for donation-based services
- Create eco-friendly initiatives that align with client values
- Share authentic client success stories
3. Iconic Potential (The Middle Finger)
Could your campaign become a signature element that lives on? This is about creating something that becomes part of your salon’s legacy – something that lives on forever and becomes synonymous with your brand.
The best salon marketing ideas have staying power.
Campaigns with Iconic Potential:
- Develop a unique service methodology
- Create an annual community event
- Establish a distinctive loyalty program
4. Amplification (The Index Finger)
If you start to brainstorm and talk about an idea and you realize actually I could do this with that and I can do that with that, then you’re starting to see that this has a lot of legs. There’s so many ways that we could be activating around this one.
Could this live in the salon? On social media? On your website? Could you create t-shirts from it?” The best campaigns work across multiple channels.
Multi-Channel Opportunities:
- In-salon displays and experiences
- Social media content and challenges
- Email marketing campaigns
- Website features
- Staff uniforms and merchandise
- Client take-home materials
5. Distinctiveness (The Thumb)
It should be something that is like, ‘I haven’t really seen this before,’ or it’s really something that is different from what all other businesses are doing. It makes people actually stop and say, ‘Okay, what’s this then? Tell me about it.
Standing Out Examples:
- Create unique seasonal themes
- Develop signature service packages
- Launch unexpected partnerships
The Most Important Part: Your Brand (The Hand Itself)
Your brand is the foundation that holds everything together – like the palm of your hand connecting all five fingers. While it’s okay to miss one or two fingers in your campaign, your brand alignment is non-negotiable.
Think of your palm as your brand essence. Every campaign should reflect your salon’s:
- Core values
- Voice and personality
- Quality standards
- Target client preferences
- Long-term vision
The Psychology of Emotional Marketing in Salons
When developing your emotional marketing campaign, focus on three key elements:
- Authenticity: Ensure your emotional appeals align genuinely with your salon’s values and services. Clients can quickly detect when marketing feels forced or manipulative.
- Trust-Building: Build campaigns that reinforce trust and security in your expertise and service quality. This is especially important in personal care services where clients are putting their appearance in your hands.
- Connection: Create opportunities for clients to feel personally connected to your brand story and values. This might be through shared values like sustainability, community involvement, or celebrating individual beauty.
When evaluating your next marketing idea, simply hold up your hand and count through each element. Does your campaign have enough fingers to stand strong? Most importantly, does it connect back to your brand?
Implementing Your Marketing Strategy
🚀 To help you get started, we’ve created The Hand Method Marketing Checklist for Salon Owners. This free downloadable resource walks you through rating each element of your campaign and planning your implementation strategy.
Start by evaluating your current marketing activities using this framework. Then, follow these steps:
- Team Brainstorming
- Gather your salon team for an ideation session
- Have everyone share what makes them emotionally connected to your salon
- Use the hand method to evaluate each new idea as it comes up
- Document all ideas, even those that don’t tick every finger
- Campaign Development
- Select the strongest ideas that align with your brand
- Map out how each campaign element will trigger emotional responses
- Plan how to measure success (client feedback, referrals, social shares)
- Consider incorporating DIY salon marketing approaches that feel authentic
- Implementation Timeline
- Start small with one campaign element
- Test responses and gather feedback
- Adjust based on what resonates most with your clients
- Scale up successful elements gradually
Pro tip: Use the checklist during your team brainstorming sessions to score each campaign idea. Ideas that score 20+ points are usually worth pursuing!
The goal isn’t perfection – it’s creating meaningful campaigns that resonate with your clients and strengthen your brand.
P.S. For even more proven salon marketing tips, don’t forget to check out the rest of our Marketing 100 series.
References
Verma, S. (2023). Influence of Emotional Marketing on Brand Loyalty among Females in the Field of Cosmetics. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 5(3), 1-25.
Riley, T. L. (2021). Small Business Hair Salon Owners Effective Marketing Strategies [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies.
