How to Grow Your Beauty Customer Retention

Being in the beauty industry can be rewarding both personally and financially. However, you must work on customer retention strategies to maintain a healthy, committed client base. That way, you can enjoy a consistent stream of people who will keep coming back. 

If you haven’t thought about retaining the customers you bring in; you’ll be happy to know that a marketing degree isn't required to make customer retention a top focus. All you need to do is focus on a few key areas.

1. Offer unparalleled customer service.

What makes clientele rave about their massage therapists, cosmetologists, stylists, or nail technicians? The gold-star treatment they receive, of course. When you treat customers like they’re gems, they’ll return the favor by leaving reviews and repeatedly visiting your location.

What are some ways to improve your salon or beauty counter customer service experiences? First, greet everyone by name. Keep notes about all your customers, from the products they like best to the services they try.

Next, make sure to focus on the ambiance of your establishment. A salon-centric customer service secret is to pick a theme for your site and stick with it. Go for a luxurious, eclectic, or fun touch throughout. That way, all your customers’ visits will feel cohesive and branded. As a final suggestion, resolve to solve problems or concerns quickly and thoroughly. The faster you eliminate friction points, the better you’ll appear in the eyes of the people you serve.

2. Create rewards for repeat clients.

Everyone likes to feel like part of an exclusive crowd. Why not offer your repeat customers the chance to become part of a special community? You could invite them to join a club that’s been built just for long-time, loyal clientele.

If you make a membership club one of your primary customer retention strategies, consider how everything will work. For instance, what type of benefits will you offer customers? Coupons and discounts? Punch cards that lead to rewards? Access to members-only events showcasing your latest lineup of products or services? It’s up to you to create a community that seems worthwhile.

Feel free to get creative with this customer retention tactic — from branded swag to free trial samples of high-end products; the sky’s the limit when it comes to membership advantages.

3. Hire talented people who believe in upskilling.

The beauty industry evolves every year. It’s critical that everyone who’s on your team wants to keep up. Yes, it can take an investment to keep everyone on the leading edge of all beauty-related subjects, from hair coloring to makeup trends, but it’s worth it.

This is a great way to establish customer retention for small businesses, especially. Start the process right away by setting up a training calendar. Find out what your beauty staff already knows and what they still need to learn. You can fill in their knowledge gaps by sending them to trainings or bringing trainers to your site.

Be sure to play up your team’s impressive experience and expertise with every customer who comes in your door. Add information to your e-newsletter. Update your website as each one of your staff members gains a new credential. Send out emails to your customers to alert them of fresh offerings you’re making available. Your clientele will see that you’re serious about being on trend and trust you more and more.

Prioritize Your Customer Retention Strategies and Scale Your Beauty Business

You want your salon, spa, or other beauty company to have the most expansive reach. The only way to make that happen is to hold onto your customers through innovative customer retention strategies like exclusive clubs, exceptional salon-centric customer service, and a seriously impressive team that’s ready to make clients say, “Wow!”

Want to train or retrain some or all your team members? Check out our educational programs at Hollywood Institute.