7 Salon Marketing Ideas to Attract Millennial Clients

Are you looking for ways to attract more millennials to your salon? Are your old salon marketing ideas just not doing the trick?

Well, you’re just in time. Millennials are about to reach their peak years when it comes to purchasing power. In fact, millions are expected to spend over $200 billion dollars annually starting in 2017.

And considering that they make up 25 percent of the population- a larger percentage than baby boomers- this isn’t a demographic you want to be ignoring.

However, there’s no doubt that marketing to this demographic can be extremely tricky.

So what are the best ways to market towards millennials?

Read on to find out the top 7 salon marketing ideas to attract millennial customers.

Who are Millennials, Really?

Millennials (those born between the early 80s and early 2000s) are a unique breed. Perhaps no other generation before has been scrutinized and studied as much as millennials. And it makes sense- millennials grew up during a technological boom. Technology has been, and will always be, a part of their lives.

Because of their obsession with technology, millennials often times get a lot of undeserved flak. Older generations view millennials as self-centered, overly-sensitive, and lay.

However, many people, millennials included, know they have a lot going for them as well. As a whole, they tend to be more progressive, technologically savvy, entrepreneurial, civic-oriented, civic-minded, and educated than generations before.

Due to this unique set of traits, a unique approach needs to take place when it comes to salon marketing ideas.

Salon Marketing Ideas to Help You Attract More Millennials

1. Get Reviews

Almost all millennials do research on products and services before making a decision to buy.

This means they’re going to be checking out your site, looking at Google reviews and Yelp reviews, checking around on social media, and of course, asking their peer group for recommendations.

In fact, 89 percent of millennials trust recommendations from friends and family members more than they trust a business’s claim. And 93 percent will make a purchase decision because of it. They’re even more trusting in strangers than in you: 84 percent say they’ll take anonymous user’s rating over a business’ claim.

Make sure you are on all the online review sites and monitor them closely. If you ever come across a complaint, respond to it directly and deal with the situation before it gets out of control, aka goes viral.

2. Be Direct

There is no sense in beating around the bush with millennials.

This is because time is a very precious commodity to millennials. If you waste their time, they’re going to get offended and not to do business with you.

Millennials hate the idea of being gimmicked or taken for a ride. They’re not interested at all in your sales pitch, or your obscure features and benefits.

When communicating with millennials, drop the long-winded propositions. Instead, focus on the main points. If your main points are enticing, they’ll sell themselves.

Keep all of your offers simple and straightforward. If anything requires decoding, they’ll just give up on you and move on to the next salon. Because they know it only takes a matter of seconds to find another one on Google!

When you’re developing salon marketing ideas for millennials, keep this mantra in your head: “Tell, don’t sell.”

3. Offer Convenience

Millennials are more about convenience than any other generation.

Perhaps it’s because of the whole having technology at their fingertips 24/7 thing. Ease of checkout, ease of use, ease of anything is highly important to millennials.

One big way you earn huge points with millennials is to make sure you offer everything digitally. For example, if you have a rewards program, don’t give them punch cards. Because who wants to fumble through their purse searching for that? Offer a digital loyalty program instead.

Online payments are huge, and so is online booking. Having to call a salon and talk to an actual human to schedule my appointment? No thanks.

4. Be Socially Responsible

Ok, just because millennials don’t want to talk to humans on the phone doesn’t mean they don’t care about them.

Millennials are huge fans of companies who share their same values when it comes to social responsibility.

And actually, according to the Guardian, when it comes to millennials, “Sex doesn’t sell anymore, activism does. ”

For example, millennials loved it when the CEO of Starbucks wrote a letter pledging to hire 10,000 refugees.

Millennials will spend more on brands they care about. And there are lots of ways to show you care. Donate part of your profits to a local charity, start a give-back program, or stock your salon with environmentally friendly products.

5. Let Them Customize Everything

Millennials love the fact that they are considered a unique and completely unprecedented generation.

They take pride in their uniqueness and they love expressing their individuality. This is why so many millennials go crazy over customizing and create-your-own options (build your own burrito bowl, anyone?). They love the idea of being able to cater to their own individual tastes and preferences.

How does this carry over to salon marketing ideas?

Since you sell a service, you could offer different menus with mix-and-match services, or different packages with different services included.

6. Have a Strong Social Media Presence

You need to be killing it on all of your social media platforms in order to attract more millennials.

Posting a picture once a week on Facebook is not going to cut it. You need to be engaging with your followers. Make sure you are responding to all of their questions and comments in a timely manner.

Instagram is probably going to be your biggest social media platform. You can use it to post all kinds of engaging material: before and after pics of happy clients, hairstyling video tutorials, special offers, and discounts, or information about a new product. The more they see you on social media, the more you will earn their trust as an industry expert.

7. Make it a Memorable Experience

Millennials love memorable experiences much more than they love fancy and stylish products.

Consider adding in extras to make help ensure their trip to the salon is more than just a haircut. For example, you could set up a juice menu or coffee bar, comfy couches for a nice chill space, or a manicure station. Check out what this salon in New York did for inspiration.

Salon Marketing Ideas – Wrap Up

We hope these salon marketing ideas have you excited about reaching out to millennials!

Of course, millennial marketing strategies are only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to running a successful salon.

Be sure to check out how our award-winning software can help take your salon to the next level.