There is no doubt that the Coronavirus outbreak has put everyone on edge especially independent beauty professionals. Drastic measures have been taken to increase social distancing resulting in salon closures and postponed appointments. This will no doubt have a negative impact on small businesses across the nation so it is important to ensure you are utilizing this time off to grow your business. Here are some ideas on how you can encourage your clients to support your business during this uncertain time:
Gift Certificates - Encourage your clients to purchase gift certificates to be used at a later time. As you are rescheduling appointments, ask your clients if they would like to purchase a gift certificate in the amount of the services they are planning to have. Most people understand that this is a hard time for your business so they may be willing to purchase their services ahead of time.
Reviews - Online reviews and referrals are a great way to drive new business. While most of your clients are staying home they should have plenty of free time to go online to your website or social media pages and leave a great review.
Increase Social Media Interaction - Make sure you are posting to social media as much as possible and encouraging your followers and clients to like, share and comment on your posts. This will help increase your online visibility and increase your number of followers. Focusing on your social media content and visibility is a great way to pass the time and the positive results will end up benefiting your business far past the time when this outbreak is over.
Book Future Appointments - Encourage your current and future clients to book their appointment for a later date. You will most likely have a full book in the months to come so planning ahead and making sure you have your appointments booked ahead of time will help keep you organized for that busy time.
Sell Products Online or Offer Porch Delivery - Selling products is a great way to keep income coming in while you are unable to service your clients. Now more than ever, your clients will need to take care of their hair from home. Encourage them to invest in products they can use from home such as conditioning treatments or to stock up on products to help your business during this time. Many beauty supply companies are offering independent beauty professionals the opportunity to purchase products online through their website and have them drop-shipped to your clients home. Make sure you are promoting this service through your social media pages and website.
Lastly, it is important to stay positive and realize that there is the opportunity for a great outcome after all of this. You should take this time to focus on doing all of the things you never had time to do before - update your website or booking page, spend more time increasing your social media following and take the time to watch online tutorials or videos to help build your skills. Once you return back to business as usual, you will have a great foundation to build on and plenty of appointments to fill your books.