Did you know? 40% of salon appointments are booked after business hours. Back in the day, the phone call method would be the most common way to book appointments. However, gradually, the industries that were dependent on appointments shifted towards digital appointment scheduling.
Today, consumers want convenience in every aspect of their lives. Whether it’s buying groceries or shopping for apparel, everything is just a few taps away. For the beauty industry, online booking has proven to be a game-changer. Clients prefer the flexibility and ease of scheduling their appointments online via a salon appointment booking software. It’s not just convenient for your clients to schedule their appointments but the operations of your salon business can also be considerably streamlined. Salons and spas that have shifted to online booking have witnessed a massive sales growth.
Tips to Increase Online Bookings for your Beauty Salon Business
With salon scheduling software, clients can book their appointments from literally anywhere and at any time of the day or night. It gives them more control over their beauty routines. It eliminates the need for clients to wait for business hours to secure an appointment. Once you’ve moved to online booking, you need to let your existing as well as new clients know. Through this blog, we’ve listed a few easy ways by which you can attract more clients to your salon with online appointment booking:
Optimise your “Google My Business” Profile
For clients to book online, your salon needs to be visible on search engine result pages (SERPs). For this, it’s important to update your Google My Business (GMB) profile with the right information. It’s the easiest way clients can find and choose your salon. Ensure that your business hours, address, phone number and operational hours are accurate. Once you’ve done this, make sure you get the SEO basics right. When clients click on the “book now” button, they will be able to see the services you offer along with the price and availability. Integrating your online booking tool with GMB is crucial. You can also offer booking through website and social media pages. The more places a client can book from, the better.
Offer Discounts for Online Booking
The goal is to get as many clients as possible to book online. Thus, the best thing to do is to offer a special deal for those who book their appointments online. For example, a 10% off or a free cut, file and polish, or beard trim can encourage people to book online. You can even tap into the power of repeat guests to gain new business. Offer discounts for referral promotions.
Run Email Campaigns
As a salon business, you probably have a database of email addresses. Use this to your advantage and send them newsletters regularly. From exclusive offers to educational content, you can personalise the emails the way you want. Make sure you include a clear call-to-action linking to your online booking page.
Make your Salon Booking Page SEO-friendly
Your website is the digital face of your business. Thus, it has to be SEO-friendly. Optimise your website and booking page with local SEO keywords (“best hairdresser near me”). When people look for beauty services online, an optimised online booking page can help you appear high in search engine results. Also, make sure you include location-specific keywords too.
Benefits of Online Appointment Scheduling
- Convenience: Individuals with busy lives may not have the time to pick up the phone and schedule an appointment. Online booking brings convenience as appointments can be scheduled any time. With a seamless booking system in place, the likelihood of a client returning is also high.
- Real-time Availability: Calling a salon and waiting for the front-desk manager to check the register for all the available appointments is something of the past. With a spa online booking system, clients can see real-time availability thereby giving them the leeway to select a service at a time slot that is most convenient for them. Also, online booking reduces the likelihood of double bookings and no-shows. It also prevents booking errors too.
- Streamlined Staff Management: When the booking process is automated, every hair stylist or nail technician’s schedule can be organised accordingly without them being overworked.
- Enhances Client Experience: If you don’t use advanced technology in your business today, clients will perceive you as outdated. When your salon offers modern, user-friendly solutions, you will be able to retain client loyalty. Also, online booking allows clients to add special requests/notes which can further allow you to personalise their experience.
Conclusion
The landscape in today’s hair and beauty industry is fierce. If you want your salon or spa business to stand out, you need to be pretty darn good. For this, getting Salon360, salon appointment booking software is imperative. However, before you get an online booking tool for your business, make sure you work on the above-mentioned tips. When the convenience of online booking aligns with your marketing efforts, clients will be tempted to hit the “book now” button.
