Say you’ve just graduated from cosmetology school and landed a job at a salon in a new city. Congrats, that’s a great achievement! But, now that you’re starting a brand new profession in an unfamiliar place without a built-in community, how do you find loyal clients?
Whether you’re starting from scratch or building on your existing business, cultivating a loyal customer base takes time and strategy. Creating a robust clientele is equal parts new customer acquisition and existing client retention. Read on for effective strategies and tips to help your beauty business thrive.
How long does it take to build clientele as a hairstylist?
Many professional hairstylists say building a full client list can take one to two years, with repeat clients coming in anywhere from every four weeks to a few times a year. There’s no magic bullet or guaranteed timeline for building a robust client list, but strong marketing, community building, and customer service can help you stay on track.
To figure out how many clients you need to have a full roster, you’ll need to do some calculations. How long do your haircuts and treatments take? For example, if you’re known for balayage, a typical appointment may last up to three hours, whereas if your specialty is razor-cut choppy bobs, you may be able to turn around a client in 30 minutes. Then, try and find out what percentage of your salon clientele return (the average retention rate) and how often. These figures can help you understand how many clients you should aim to have.
How to build clientele as a hairstylist
- Use a referral program
- Get started on social media
- Identify your talent and niche
- Stay active in your community
- Ask for reviews
- Build a booking website
- Be flexible with appointments
- Schedule follow-up appointments
With patience and persistence, you can create a thriving client roster. Here are some ways to get started.
Use a referral program
Word-of-mouth referrals are a tried and true way to get more customers, and a highly visible service, like hairdressing, lends itself particularly well to this kind of marketing. Friends and family ask each other about new haircuts and styles, and a great haircut on one person can bring many others through the door.
Build a referral program to boost word-of-mouth efforts. A successful referral program will benefit your business, loyal customers, and prospective clients alike. For example, you could offer incentives to current clients who recommend your services to their friends and family, let’s say by giving them 10% of their next service for a successful referral. You then offer the same incentive to the new client, giving them an additional reason to come in.
You can also create a loyalty program that generates points per referral, redeemable for a free service. Ensure clients receive their incentive by handing out business cards with a trackable referral code or asking new salon clients to provide the name of the person who referred them when they book a service.
Get started on social media
Like many services in the beauty industry, hair styling is a visual experience. Sharing hairstyling examples on social media platforms is one of the easiest and fastest ways to promote your services.
Social media posts are incredibly valuable for showcasing your skills, helping you attract new clients and build brand authority. Create videos and pictures that explain your techniques, show a behind-the-scenes look at your salon, or spotlight before-and-after hair transformations to help your potential client base understand what to expect if they book with you. Include descriptions of your services, personal contact details, and hair salon information in your captions and bios.
Cross-post content across channels and tag clients, salons, and products in posts so they can share it with their followers, creating more exposure and possibly leading to co-marketing opportunities and brand deals. Ensure you get permission from your clients before posting their images or details on social media.
Organic traffic can take a while to build up, so as you get started, consider bolstering your posts through paid ads and experimenting with sponsored or promoted posts to get them in front of more locals. You could also consider a micro-influencer marketing strategy, asking a few clients with active followers to share videos about their service.
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Identify your talents and niche
Cultivate a unique selling point (USP) that sets you apart from competitors. For example, you could use only sustainable products, specialize in pixie cuts, or target bridesmaids looking for wedding updos. Shout your talent or niche loud and proud on your social media accounts, website, and marketing materials to establish yourself as the go-to person for specific services.
Stay active in your community
Community building, both in-person and online, is a catalyst for meeting new customers and forging potential business connections. Attend local events equipped with business cards (and maybe even a portfolio) or create a buzz-worthy pop-up. For example, you could attract attention by paying for a booth at a local farmer’s market or summer fair, doing quick haircuts, trims, or scalp massages for interested attendees.
For online community building, engage with your existing customers and join groups where your potential customers could be. For example, if you specialize in kids’ haircuts, you could join and post on parent groups or neighborhood-specific groups on Facebook and even WhatsApp, highlighting what makes your business unique.
You can also create content that’s likely to engage your target audience, posting before and after photos and videos answering common questions. And you don’t have to be an influencer with thousands of followers to have an impact. Liah Yoo, founder of KraveBeauty, tells the Shopify Masters podcast that focusing on your unique value to the audience—particularly when it comes to solving difficult hair or beauty problems—can help your content thrive and lead to better connections.
“Community gets built really easily around a shared problem,” Liah says. The more informative and engaging you are, whether that’s about specific services you offer or hair care maintenance, the more likely it is that followers will become clients.
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Ask for reviews
Online reviews have an enormous impact on a fledgling hair stylist business: Up to 94% of US online customers say positive reviews make them more likely to use a local business.
Amassing positive reviews creates social proof, a marketing strategy based on the psychological phenomenon that humans tend to rely on the opinions of others when selecting products or services. The more positive posts you collect from clients, the more social proof you have handy to share and repost on your own social media accounts and website.
Accrue and manage a wide range of reviews across multiple websites to cast the widest net and reach more prospective consumers. Some helpful review sites for hair stylists include Google My Business, Yelp, and Trustpilot, which let users publish feedback with images and videos—vital for prospective customers. You can also bolster your reviews by providing discounts or sending follow-up emails that include a simple survey in the body. Ensure all incentives follow the review site’s guidelines.
Don’t get too discouraged if you get a bad review. Negative reviews happen, and there are methods to counterbalance them. For example, you can publicly thank the person for their feedback and address complaints, offer a free service for mistakes, or ask loyal customers to post positive feedback to help outweigh the bad reviews.
Build a booking website
A seamless booking experience makes it more likely for clients to work with you. According to a 2023 survey, businesses that added online booking systems gained an average 27% increase in revenue—and some local businesses increased their revenue up to 120%.
If you don’t work in a salon that has a booking website, consider creating one using a platform like Shopify, using apps like Meety, Cowlendar, or Apntly to set up a bookings page. You can also sell hair products, like shampoos and styling tools, both online and in-person, using Shopify’s POS system.
Ensure your website has all the essentials: your full name, salon address, phone number, email address, services offered, and available hours. Create an easily accessible Book Now CTA button that links to an up-to-date calendar. Round it off with photo galleries, links to social media, online reviews, and testimonials.
Set up a free Google Business Profile with links to your website and booking page that show up when people search on search engines for salons in your area. Use a website audit to ensure your site works well, ranks in search results, and markets your business effectively.
Be flexible with appointments
Flexibility when scheduling appointments shows customers you’re empathetic and amenable—traits important in establishing regulars. As your schedule allows, extend this flexibility to welcome walk-in appointments. As you get your salon business off the ground, consider rearranging your schedule to have walk-in times or accommodate more time slots by occasionally working outside standard business hours.
The more you show up for your clients—by being open to last-minute changes and focusing on always providing exceptional service—the more likely they’ll show up for you. Happy clients make all the difference and lead to more money in your wallet.
Schedule follow-up appointments
Retain existing clients by encouraging them to schedule their next appointment before they leave the salon. Offer your clients a standing appointment, particularly if they’re coming to you for services that require routine maintenance, like hair coloring, perming, and relaxing. Depending on the service, most hair stylists encourage clients to get a trim or touch-up every six to 12 weeks.
Send clients reminder emails and alerts to suggest they schedule an appointment or inform them of an upcoming appointment. Keep emails light and friendly, with clear dates and CTAs. Avoid sending more than one or two emails to ensure they don’t feel spammed or pressured.
How to build clientele as a hairstylist FAQ
How do I get more clients as a hairstylist?
To build your clientele as a hairstylist, consider creating a referral program that benefits both existing and new clients, offering discounts and loyalty cards to those who send new customers your way. Build a strong social media presence, answering customer questions and posting before-and-after photos and videos. It also helps to have a specialty you’re known for, online and in-person. Finally, be flexible. Be open to walk-ins and accommodate changes if you’re able.
How can I build my hair clientele fast?
There’s no one-size-fits-all to building a clientele quickly, and the truth is that building a robust customer list takes time and patience. However, you can expedite the process by investing in savvy social media and marketing strategies that involve organic and paid posts and establishing an enticing referral program.
How long does it take to build clientele as a hairdresser?
Many professional hairstylists say building a full client list can take one to two years. There’s no easy way or guaranteed timeline for building a robust client list, but strong marketing, community building, and customer service can help you stay on track.
