By Andrew Finkelstein, CEO, The Beauty Resource www.thebeautyresource.com

While it’s true that retaining existing clients is a key to running a successful salon/day spa, most salon/day spa owners still struggle to attract more clients to their businesses.

Marketing is how you attract new clients. Even if marketing isn’t a challenge you face, you’ll want to learn the seven simple steps to gaining new business.

Marketing Ball—The Game of Marketing

Think of marketing as a baseball game. Your prospect is on home plate, a stranger to your business. Now it’s your job to bring that prospect around the bases, touching each one in turn before coming home, where she becomes a client!

Marketing Mindset—Shaping Your Marketing Results

Marketing starts with how we think about ourselves. Many salon/day spa owners have mindsets about marketing that are hindering, rather than helping, their marketing. Your marketing mindset includes your expectations, beliefs, and fears about marketing. Check out a few of these to see if they hold true for you.

• It probably won’t work anyway, so why bother.
• Marketing doesn’t work for our type of service.
• Marketing is hard and expensive.
• If I ask for referrals, it’ll sound like I’m begging.

Marketing Syntax—The Language of Marketing

Marketing has a language. This language’s purpose is to get attention, generate interest, arouse desire, and stimulate action. Marketing syntax puts your marketing communications in the right order. A correct order of your marketing ideas always gets better results than if the ideas or in the wrong order.
Core Marketing Message

More than a USP or Value Proposition, your marketing message answers four key questions:

• Is this service for me?
• Why do I need this service?
• What do I get from this service?
• Does this service really work?

Marketing Information—The Currency of Marketing

Marketing information is currency. People want more of it once you have their interest and attention. If you give your prospects the right information, at the right time, you buy their time, their trust, and their commitment.

Marketing Tactics—The How-To of Marketing

Which marketing tactics or activities will you use to market your services and products? What are your plans to implement those tactics? Examples of tactics are:

• Newsletters
• Referrals
• Events or presentations

Marketing Action Plan—The Structure of Marketing

Each marketing tactic needs to have a specific Marketing Action Plan that includes the following elements:

• Service offered
• Target Market
• Value and Pricing
• Purpose
• Intended Results
• Marketing Materials
• Basic Game Plan
• Resources
• Time Lines

Your Marketing Action Plan incorporates all seven steps. It’s your ultimate marketing blue-print.