Tuesday 24 July 2012
Jump on the Loyalty Bandwagon!
In previous SalonHero blogs we have harped on about the importance of customer retention. The first point of call is obviously being able to provide the best treatments, with great service at a price the customer is willing to pay. Doing this will ensure that the customer will always leave the salon happy, however may not guarantee they return.
Friday 20 July 2012
Top 8 foods for healthy hair
We all know that an adapted shampoo and a good conditioner are essential to have beautiful hair. However, if you have an unbalanced diet, those products won't be very useful. Your hair needs its daily amount of vitamins and other minerals to stay healthy and crash diets can affect the hair cycle.
Here is a list of some foods that, when included in your diet, help maintain healthy hair.
Tuesday 17 July 2012
From The Apprentice to the Beauty Industry - Interview with Alex Epstein
There are many different ways people get involved in the beauty industry, some being less conventional than others.
I recently interviewed Alex Epstein who owns Concoction, a hair product company based in Manchester. After working as a marketing executive and participating in the TV show The Apprentice, he finally started his own company in the British beauty industry.
Thursday 12 July 2012
7 tips to help your salon beat the recession
We are all feeling the recession and, as much as people say the beauty industry is less affected by it, the bottom line is business ain’t what it used to be! Attracting clients is getting harder and many salons try to keep their head above the water by slashing their prices.
There are other solutions, which do not involve selling your services at a major discount but instead focus on quality, customer retention and cost control.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Add value to your salon services!
Let's imagine this situation: a new customer just moved into town and is on a hunt to find a new hair or beauty salon. If all the salons in the area have the same price range and all enjoy a good reputation, how to make sure this client will choose you? Here is your main challenge as a salon owner.
You could obviously offer an exclusive discount for these customers, cutting your cost for a first time appointment, with the confidence that you can provide such a great service that they will come back. The problem is that you will get customers willing to pay the offer price but rarely willing to pay the actual price. Moreover, it's not what customers are looking for.
If you want to be picked among all the others, you have to add value to your salon services and offer your clients a good deal. It's not complicated, won't cost you a lot and will make them feel like they are getting extra value. Something they wouldn't get if they were going to your competitor.
If you don't really know what to begin with, here are some tips for you!
Thursday 5 July 2012
We’re on a hunt for an online marketing intern!
Are you looking for a marketing internship in the beauty industry? Well, that’s your lucky day, we have one open position in our head office in Manchester.
Tuesday 3 July 2012
SalonHero has entered Race for Life
We at SalonHero think that a person’s health is the most important thing on Earth and we are commited to do our best to help people preserve it. No, we are not pharmacists or scientists or doctors but we are trying to raise money for the UK Cancer Research.
We recently entered
Race for Life, the biggest event to raise funds for cancer research, that will
take place in Manchester on the 21st and 22nd of July.
Well, when I say we, I
mean one of us. This event is women only and since SalonHero only has one
female as part of its team, she will be the one running while the rest of us
will be cheerleading!
Flora will be running
the 5k race on Sunday and needs your help to reach her fundraising target.
Don’t hesitate to sponsor her online and make other’s people life easier and healthier.
Thank you in advance
from all the team at SalonHero!
Wednesday 27 June 2012
The top 6 hair styles for this summer
The joyous start to the UK summertime. I thought you may have missed it, and so did we!
It was somewhere in the middle of all the heavy rain we’ve been experiencing last week.
At SalonHero we believe in everything fresh. A fresh start to a season, a fresh you. Rummage the cupboards for those skirts, perch the sunglasses on your nose and, most importantly, change up your look with a summer hairstyle.
If you’re looking for the hair essentials this summer, then here’s your list of the top styles. Why not give them a go?
Monday 25 June 2012
Do you have a website? Here are some tips for you!
Did you know that there are now over 580 million websites online...and that this figure is increasing everyday? Impressive, isn't it?
I’ve noticed on Twitter that many salons and spas are now setting up their own website, and why would you hesitate?
It has now become very affordable if you’re looking for a basic and easy to use website. It is easily customizable and you can add different type of content like text, photos, videos or your Twitter feed for example.
However, there are some techniques that you should use with caution and others that really have to be avoided if you don’t want your potential customers to run away. So if some of you want to set up your own website, here are 5 things you should pay attention to.
Tuesday 19 June 2012
8 beauty facts worth knowing
We are lucky enough to be in an industry full of useful little facts, but after some research, I have discovered that there are a lot of myths and old wives tales.
In this post, I have therefore compiled some beauty facts worth knowing if you want to remain healthy and beautiful. Enjoy!
Friday 15 June 2012
Unconventional marketing ideas for salons and spas (part 2)
I've seen so many blog posts about how to use new technologies to attract more clients, that I'm honestly about to explode. It is always the same thing, the same advice, the same techniques with little or no adaptation.
Tuesday 12 June 2012
SalonHero Needs You! (Salon and Spa owners)
Good evening folks,
Today we would appreciate a bit of help from our beloved regular readers.
Our Marketing Intern (and regular blogger) Flora needs to write an essay about the British Beauty Industry for University and would be ever so grateful if any salon or spa owners out there could partake in the survey.
For once let's show the French that our wonderful Beauty Industry is proactive and forward thinking! All results are anonymous and will not be sold, traded or misused! They are purely for academic research reasons!
Follow the link below and answer the 8 short questions, will only take a minute out of your day and will make you our HERO from hence on forth!
Following this post we will be back to our usual quirky and interesting selves so stay tuned!
Wednesday 6 June 2012
A hairdresser's path to success: Interview with Nicky Oliver
Have you ever wondered what gives a hairdresser a celebrity reputation?
In short, it takes three words: Creativity, Passion and Tenacity.
I recently interviewed Nicky Oliver who set up his first salon about 25 years ago and is now an established landmark for hairdressing in Manchester. During his career, Nicky has opened several salons, created his own hairdressing academy and launched his own product range. He allowed me to pick his brain about his journey to this point, and who knows, maybe his story will inspire you to do the same!
Friday 1 June 2012
Keep Calm and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee!
Today we just wanted to publish a short blog post about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. After all, it's going to be a huge celebration and we all want to be part of it!
This year Queen Elisabeth 2 celebrates 60 years on the throne and we couldn't help noticing that this celebration has a big impact on the British beauty industry. Many beauty products have modified packaging to celebrate this joyous occasion. So when you hit the town this weekend don't forget to dress for the occasion!
Here's a collection of festive cosmetic products to get you in the mood for the long weekend. The sky's the limit when it comes to patriotism in the beauty industry!
Tuesday 29 May 2012
English eat fish and chips, fish eat English feet!
Completely new at the end of 2010, fish pedicures are now a hot trend in Britain. Last year, more than 280 fish foot spas have been listed in the UK and this number increases every week since then. This is not to mention the beauty salons that have bought a fish foot spa to accompany their usual services. They even featured in this season's hit TV series The Apprentice!
In fact, CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) reports that 15,000-20,000 Garra Rufa Fish are currently being imported into the UK, weekly!
However, this trend could end quicker than expected as many experts warn about the possible harmful health implications of such treatment. Banned in 14 states across the USA, this practice is gaining a reputation as unhealthy and even dangerous for people.
Thursday 24 May 2012
8 tips on how to motivate your staff
Your business is your baby and although you may have your good days and your bad days, you want nothing more than to make a success of it.
Now, how do you inject your staff with the same enthusiasm every day of the week?
Unfortunately, you can't force each staff member to drink a can of Redbull every morning and to be honest you shouldn’t need to. Not only is it dangerous for health, but it probably wouldn't work. Lack of motivation isn't being physically tired, it's being mentally flat - just like a tyre on a bike. If you don't fix it, that bicycle isn’t going anywhere.
I have therefore prepared you a little "cocktail" of ideas to remotivate and revitalise your staff, and help bring dynamism and happiness back into your salon!
Tuesday 22 May 2012
"I started cutting hair at 15, now I own a hair product company"
Whether you are the proud owner of a hair salon, beauty salon or spa, you all have something in common: you need suppliers.
I can already imagine you grimacing at the mention of this simple word.
After all, who among you never shouted at one his suppliers because one of your order arrived late or complained that the prices are “skyrocketing”? Honestly?
No, it is never easy to be dependent of someone else but, as you know, it’s vital for any business to operate with suppliers, be it product distributors, utility companies or manufacturers.
How would you run your business without them?
I recently interviewed Scott Michaels (center of the photo), founder and CEO of Hairbond, a hair styling products company based in Lancaster. After 15 years being a hairdresser, Scott decided to take on a new challenge and set up his own company a few years ago. He identified a shortcoming in the male grooming products market and decided that “men deserve better!” So he embarked on a journey which resulted in the creation of Hairbond, the all British Men’s grooming company.
This article aims to show you that, even if the core of the business is completely different, those companies actually aren’t so different from you. I hope it will help you to understand how they work and being less frustrated when your order is delayed ;)
So, what do they require to set-up, run and remain profitable?
Friday 18 May 2012
How do you deal with your highly connected clients?
I was walking by a local hair salon this morning when something caught my attention: clients using their phones while having their haircut.
Crazy? Normal? Antisocial? The 21th Century?
I guess one of these words came straight to your mind while reading this sentence and you already have your own opinion about the subject.
Tuesday 15 May 2012
How far are you willing to go to look perfect?
Whilst skimming through the Metro newspaper, an article caught my eye which I thought was worth blogging about - “I’ll go under the knife before I’ll be your wife”. The article outlined that wives-to-be are splurging on pre-wedding cosmetic surgery so that they look “perfect” on their wedding day. This coincided with the world buzzing about Valeria Lukyanova (as seen on the left) - aka the Barbie Model. So I figured I would weigh in with my 2 cents on cosmetic surgery, alternatives to going under the knife and 21st century concept of Beauty!
Friday 11 May 2012
RIP Vidal Sassoon CBE 17.01.1928 - 09.05.2012
Tuesday 8 May 2012
Today we just want to say "Thank You"
Today is a very special day for us: we just hit 3000 visitors to the blog! Having started it only a month and a half ago, we find that pretty amazing and would like to thank you all for making this possible.
It is very nice to see people take time to read our articles and appreciate them. Seeing them highlighted on Facebook and Twitter everyday make us feel good about what we are doing and give us motivation to continue.
As the saying goes, what goes around comes around. So today we wanted to switch the roles and bring to light our most active readers by publishing some of the feedback they sent us.
Thank you guys, those comments really make our days!
Friday 4 May 2012
6 tips to make organising a launch party a piece of cake
Do you remember Claire from Seen On Screen? She was the main subject of our second blog post in which she shared her tips to make yourself known when you're newly established. Well, Claire just put into practice one of those tipped and yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the Seeen On Screen Beauty & Nails launch party!
If you are also planning to do one yourslef, better to warn you now: even if the term "launch party" sounds fun and exciting, organising one can be a daunting task. You will have to deal with the guests list, the food, the drinks, the photographers, the DJ.. and so much more, from the smallest particulars to the major details!
When chatting to Claire, she told me about some problems with one of her suppliers and that all the goodies to be offered to her guests during the party weren't even ordered. This was a few weeks before the deadline! And this is just one example of what can happen. No need to tell you then that you'll need nerves of steel and some bottles of Redbull to finish everything on time (yes, there are always "last minute" things to do!)
Still motivated? Great!
If you don't really know what to begin with, here are some useful tips to help you prepare and make the most of this special event without tearing your hair out.
Tuesday 1 May 2012
The importance of being earnest
I'm sat there comfy, I'm distanced from my thoughts, in the background is the familiar sound of the voice of my hair girl, we amble through conversations for near an hour.
When was the last time you sat down for an uninterrupted chat with any of your close friends for an hour? There were probably awkward gaps, distractions, phone calls, a screen of one kind or another to divert mutual attention. When we sit down in the chair in a salon, you have nothing but a set of blades and conversation and that's why being a good a hair professional is no easy feat. The real question though is what makes a great one?
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Do your members of staff get on well?
Just like in any team or social circle (sports, friends, societies), working together will usually achieve better results than working against each other. When is the last time you saw a job description that didn’t require “Applicants to be good team players”?
The difference between a working relationship and a social one is that the best person for the job is not always going to be the person you like the most personally or the person who is most similar to you. Similarly the person you work with will not be the person you enjoy spending most of your time with. It's a difficulty but if everyone would be the same how would new ideas come about?
Monday 23 April 2012
Beauty through the eyes of a man
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Thinking about it, I would consider myself an anomaly. Why? Because I ask questions, spark conversations, give feedback unprompted and take interest in minute details. I'm not claiming to be more diligent than anyone else, but I simply like hearing people's opinions and letting them know mine to constantly improve what already exists. I'm also not afraid to share my cosmetic, health and hair tips.
Saturday 21 April 2012
From Me to We
You have learned your trade and by god you are good at it! So you have opened a salon and business is booming! You are working your socks off and have already given up your weekends, Christmas holidays and Easter breaks...so it’s time to expand from a Me to a We... Simple right?! (maybe not)
I am writing this blog because my humble business has grown in size over the past couple of months and I have seen first hand the benefits and heartaches that are caused by relinquishing full control of your business and sharing it with someone.
Hopefully this will be the first recruit of many, but never the less, this first step, moving on from a 1 man band to a duet, is always going to be a big deal and a business milestone!
Thursday 19 April 2012
10 reasons why I won't follow you on Twitter
If you have your own Twitter account, you probably have noticed that there is a constant "race" between every member to get as many followers as possible. I'm not against the idea of having more followers, isn't that the point? But it's essential to follow and be followed by the right people. There's no point following somebody just because you know he's going to follow you back.
So you want more followers AND you want them to be relevant, simple? In theory. Easy? Well if it was there would be no need for specialist social media marketers!
When I started working for SalonHero, the first thing I've done was to "clean" the company's twitter account. I began this process by unfollowing every irrelevant account and then extended my search with other criteria. I've listed below the main reasons that resulted in me unfollowing people and hope it can help you with your Twitter account daily management.
Tuesday 17 April 2012
Why feedback is always a good thing
As a salon owner, your aim is to run the salon as smoothly as possible and maximise customer satisfaction. After all, that's the reason why you opened it! But how do you know if you're doing it right? The most common way is to look at some indicators such as your monthly turnover or the number of return clients. If the numbers are high then it probably means your customers are happy and your salon is doing well, happy days!
But what if these indicators show you that something is wrong? What if your turnover decreases and your customers book appointments less frequently? How do you identify the source of the problem so that you can fix it? Good managers make good decisions but great managers can objectively look at a decision they have made, critique it and learn how to improve on it next time. Even if it often takes a fresh pair of eyes to do this.
There are two groups of people that are interacting with your salon all the time, who you can ask for feedback from: your staff and your customers.
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Recommendations are the key to get more customers
I don't think you'd be surprised if I told you that regular clients are those who generate the most revenue for your salon. There are two simple explanations for that. First, they bring you stability and ensure you a constant turnover every month which is essential if you want your salon to survive and sleep well at night. But even more important, they are also the best way for you to extend your network and grow your business. These customers are indeed obviously satisfied with the treatment they receive and are therefore more inclined to recommend you.
Some salons only count on promotions and marketing to attract new clients. But by acting this way, they don't make the most of their regular customers and miss a great opportunity to promote themselves for free! Recommendations are essential because they can bring you potential customers who are as likely to turn into regular ones than those you attract using discounts. Moreover, getting recommendations have a big impact on the image of your salon and its reputation. It is therefore vital to ask your customers to spread the word after any treatment received.
Thursday 5 April 2012
Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice...or Not?
For those of you who know a bit about Manchester, I was walking down Market Street this morning when a young girl (probably aged twelve) caught my attention. Apart from the fact that it is freezing outside and she was wearing the shortest shorts I have seen in a while, I have to say her general look shocked me. Along with her shorts she was also wearing high heels, false eyelashes, red lipstick, and a huge quantity of foundation cream.
I guess her objective was to look very pretty, just like those models on TV, but the truth is that she just looked vulgar. It couldn't be less natural and was frankly disturbing.
So I asked myself why did she do that? What can lead you to believe that, at age twelve, you need all those tricks to feel and look beautiful? I personally started using make-up when I was fourteen and don't think that you really need it before. You are naturally beautiful and (still) have nothing to hide! I perfectly understand that you want to change from time to time or look at your best for a particular event, that's normal. But for me make-up should just be used to make yourself more attractive, not to turn yourself into something you're not.
Talking about this with my male colleagues, we think that three main reasons can explain this behaviour.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
SalonHero visits ProHairLive 2012
As you may know, Professional Hairdresser Live took place in Manchester this weekend. It was the second edition of the show and, although we did not exhibit we were invited along anyway to check out the show.
Saturday 31 March 2012
Nail bars don't suffer from crisis
Everywhere we go, all we hear is "recession", "crisis" and "lower purchasing power". Depressing, isn't it? But don't be fooled by what all the media hoo ha, it’s not all doom and gloom! Some businesses are showing good resistance to this monster of a recession, one of which are nail salons.
Thursday 29 March 2012
Unconventional marketing ideas for salons and spas
Online promotions have become the norm as it's a cheap and fast way to advertise at large-scale. However, as everybody uses the same online tools (Twitter, Facebook, newsletters, emails), promotions aren't really different from one salon to another and don't really catch people attention. They all miss that "little something" that would make people remember it for months.
So I've been imagining what I would do if I had my own business and wanted to promote it, let's say, "in a different way". Here are some of the ideas that came to my mind, all of them feasible offline. Try them if you are dynamic, have devoted staff members and want to offer something more.
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Salons, stay in the running!
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What does an ordinary business day look like?
When I ask this question to beauty and hair salon owners, a high majority of them answer me that even if their clients are different, their job is the same everyday. A lot of them even use the term "routine", which obviously has a negative connotation, but such a thing is normal because it helps you avoid wasting time in your daily tasks.
Does this mean that part of a salon strategy is to ensure all employees have a routine?
Strategy is something that should be flexible and therefore easy to modify and improve to keep up with the dynamic environment.
So what does this mean in concrete terms?
Thursday 22 March 2012
Newly established? 5 marketing ideas to get your salon known
Any entrepreneur will tell you "starting your business is the most exciting part", followed immediately by..."and it's the hardest part too"!
No matter how long you've been working in this industry, setting up a business is never easy. You first have to deal with the legal requirements, then choose where you want to establish yourself with a limited budget, pay a three-month advance, move all the equipment you need there, and bring that paper you forgot to Companies House while you work from 9am to 6pm (yes there is always a paper missing).
And guess what, that's not the hardest part!
Once that open sign goes up, what do you have to do? Well, if you are really lucky or already a celebrity in your field, sit back and let the magic happen. People will come to your salon themselves and you won't even need to advertise yourself. Even better than that people will advertise for you because of your fantastic rep! Pleasant idea isn't it?
But here is the hard hitting truth. How many therapists or hairdressers have such a high reputation that they can completely rely on it to attract new customers? Few, very few.
To make your brand new salon known, you will have to go through some marketing. But it's not always easy to decide what is the best way to promote your business and yourself.
I recently interviewed Claire Louise who owns Seen On Screen, a beauty salon in Manchester city centre. Claire established her salon a month ago and is working hard on promoting it since then. I've compiled in this article the top 5 ideas she's currently using and has accepted to share to help you make a name for your salon.
Monday 19 March 2012
Beauty and Hair professionals, this blog is for you!
But I can tell you it’s not.
Here at SalonHero we think that sharing is the key to success. Just like your clients spread the word about the treatment they received in your salon, we like to share ideas and thoughts to help you run your business.
And, as it's essential to know your environment and keep you posted about what's new in the industry, we will keep you updated with the latest trends of the sector and of the company.
So, now that I've outlined what this blog is aimed for, it's time to answer the big question:
Who are we?
Here at SalonHero we think that sharing is the key to success. Just like your clients spread the word about the treatment they received in your salon, we like to share ideas and thoughts to help you run your business.
And, as it's essential to know your environment and keep you posted about what's new in the industry, we will keep you updated with the latest trends of the sector and of the company.
So, now that I've outlined what this blog is aimed for, it's time to answer the big question:
Who are we?
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