Top 5 Reasons Why Your Salon Studios Aren’t Thriving and How to Fix Them

Are you a salon studio facility owner struggling to fill your salon studios? So, you’ve chosen the perfect location to build out your suites. Your studios are the most beautiful in the area, with top-notch amenities and move-in bonuses. Yet, you’re still wondering why your business isn’t flourishing as expected. Leverage Slick Marketers’ nearly a decade of experience to uncover the crucial marketing elements that your business might be missing. Discover our top 5 salon studio marketing tips that can transform your location’s success.

1. Bad Reputation

The hardest challenge that sometimes even marketing can’t overcome is a bad reputation. Word travels fast. It’s important to stay informed about what local beauty professionals are saying about your brand. Maybe there are a few “bad” tenants making your studios a hostile environment, not enough designated parking, or an unresponsive leasing/operations manager. Addressing problems and keeping your current professionals happy will go a long way to ensuring your salon studios’ success.

2. Lack of Brand Awareness

This is a challenge for both newer brands and non-franchised brands. Although the salon studio concept is widely known, there are still areas where people are not aware of the differences between franchised and non-franchised salon studios. Regardless of being franchised or not, what people are saying about you and your team matters a lot. If your operations team is extremely responsive in taking care of the studio owners, then this reputation will grow. Your existing tenants are going to be your best source of growing your reputation. Ask your most satisfied tenants to spread the work about your level of support and offer referral bonuses.  Building a strong local reputation takes time and effort, but is essential for attracting tenants.

3. Poor Online Presence

In today’s digital age, having a robust online presence is essential. If your website is outdated or hard to navigate, potential clients might turn elsewhere. Optimize your website for mobile use, ensure it loads quickly, and make it easy for clients to find information and book appointments. Additionally, maintain active social media profiles, Google Business Profiles and Yelp accounts to engage with both clients and prospective tenants. Again, ask your satisfied tenants to write reviews about your business on Google and Yelp and also tell them to tell their happy clients to write reviews on their services. It is a win-win for everyone and will grow your ranking on search engines. 

4. Ineffective Use of Social Media

Simply having social media profiles isn’t enough; you need to use them effectively. Post high-quality photos and videos of your space, share tenant stories and testimonials, and engage with your audience through comments and direct messages.  While you want to promote your salon studio business, you don’t want to use social media as your billboard, the secret is to keep your social media “social” all while adding value to your followers.  Use Instagram Stories and Reels to give a behind-the-scenes look at your salon studio location and the community. Regularly update your profiles to keep followers interested and to attract new ones.

5. Ignoring Local Marketing Opportunities

While online marketing is important, don’t overlook local marketing opportunities. Partner with nearby beauty supplier businesses for cross-promotions, participate in community events, host on-site beauty/wellness educational events and offer special discounts to attract new prospective tenants. Word-of-mouth and community involvement can significantly boost your salon studio’s visibility and reputation.

By addressing these common issues and implementing these salon studio marketing strategies, you’ll be well on your way to a thriving salon studio business. Remember, consistent effort and a focus on client satisfaction are key to long-term success. Some of the top salon studio brands in the industry that implement our marketing strategies include: Sola Salon Studios, Phenix Salon Suites, and Image Salon Studios. 
If you’re interested in leveraging Slick Marketers’ near decade of salon studio marketing expertise, you need to book a Strategy Session today to see key areas of improvements and how we can help you fill up your salon studio.