Salon owners have one primary goal – to retain clients. It’s impossible to retain clients without communicating with them. As a salon owner, staying in touch isn’t a choice, it’s a priority. When you stay engaged and connected with them, your business grows tenfold. A simple yet effective way to grow your existing salon business is SMS marketing or text message marketing. Unlike social media posts, text messages aren’t overlooked. Despite the growth of WhatsApp marketing, text messages still hold good. It’s old school yet effective. The best part? The impressive engagement. It has 98% open rates and quick read times. 84% users subscribe to business texts and respond accordingly.
Are you a salon owner who is having a hard time creating these messages? Well, fret not! We have you covered with some of the most important salon text messages you can send your clients. And, you don’t have to do them manually. It can be extremely time-consuming. All you have to do is leverage the power of SMS automation present in most salon software. The built-in tool allows you to send text messages in seconds once they’re scheduled. It even does it for you.
How Does It Work?
Salon management software has an in-built calendar along with your client database. When a client schedules an appointment, reschedules it or cancels one, the software automatically sends a pre-set message to the client via a text message. The text can take any form – reminder, confirmation, marketing alert, etc. When it comes to text messages, you can get really creative. From sending tailored recommendations to sending birthday texts, every message can help you keep your clients happy and your chairs full. However, when you start an SMS marketing campaign, it’s important to note that spamming your clients is a big no-no. They might even end up blocking you. Timing is everything.
Benefits of Automating Text Messages
- Saves Time
First and foremost, manually sending text messages is pretty time-consuming. By automating messages, you can eliminate repetitive tasks and focus more on growing your business. Instead of sending messages to 20 or 25 clients daily, use software like Salon360App.
- Keeps your Chairs Full
By automating text messages, the chairs in your salon remain full at all times. It’s all about prompting clients to rebook, sending out alerts on last-minute slots and announcing special deals or offers.
- Enhances the Overall Client Experience
Every client appreciates clear and timely communication. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to stay engaged and connected with your clients. What better way than text message marketing. When communication is automated, they will receive timely appointment confirmations, alerts, aftercare instructions, invoices and feedback/review requests.
Even when you’re busy, smooth communication keeps your salon looking polished.
10 Text Messages to Integrate in your Beauty Salon Software
- Appointment Confirmation
Clients today schedule appointments on their own. To know that they have successfully done it, they need to receive an instant notification or text message. An appointment confirmation text keeps no-shows to bare minimum.
“Hey there <name>, Your appointment is confirmed. We look forward to seeing you on <date> at <time> for <service>. Reply YES to confirm or NO to reschedule”.
- Appointment Reminder
If appointment confirmations are important, reminders are even more important. This ensures fewer no-shows, no missed appointments and no lost revenue. So, SMS reminders have to be sent at different stages of the booking journey. One has to be upon confirmation, a day before the appointment and on the day of the appointment. This gives your client enough time to plan or make any changes to the appointment.
“Hey <client name>, Here is a gentle reminder from <salon name>. We hope to see you on <date and time>. If you need to reschedule, please let us know right away”.
- Birthday/Special Occasion Greeting
Your client’s birthday or anniversary is an important occasion for your salon business. This is the time when they want to look their best and may tend to indulge in services such as a manicure, pedicure, blow-dry, waxing etc. While you should capitalise on this, you should also make your clients feel valued on their big day. Birthday discounts are the best way to thank your clients for their continued patronage.
“Happy Birthday <name>. To make your special day even more special, we’d like to offer you a <%> discount during your birthday week. Schedule an appointment on our app and get 20% off on any service during checkout. Cheers, and we hope to serve you soon”.
- Promotional Text
Restrict promotional texts to once a month or at the max, twice. When you run a beauty business, you need to let your clients know about the kind of offers you’re running. Every salon runs some kind of promotion every month. To get clients through the door, you need to let them know.
“Hey <name>, It’s time for some me time. We at <salon name> are excited to share that we’re offering 20% off on hair, nails and skin services all month long. Schedule an appointment today. We hope to see you soon. TC – Offer Valid Mon-Thurs only”.
- Rebooking Text
As a salon, you don’t only need to concentrate on your existing or new clients but also your inactive clients. Did you know? Retaining clients is much easier and cost-effective than acquiring new ones. Thus, it’s important to encourage clients to book their next visit before they forget and for this, sending rebooking reminders is a must. You can also offer a discount coupon. However, it’s totally optional.
“Hi <name>, It’s been a few months since we saw you at <salon name>. Ready for a refresh or new look? Book an appointment today using our app <booking link> and get a 10% discount on services above Rs. 3,000”.
- Referral Text
Your beauty business literally thrives on referrals. When your existing clients refer their friends or family, it means more business for you. However, the referral has to be a win-win for you and your clients. Thus, it’s important to let them know how they will benefit when they refer someone. For this, sending referral texts is of utmost importance. You can even allocate referral codes to every client.
“Hi <name>, did you know? If you refer a friend, you get 20% off on your next service and they get 10% off on their first service. Learn more <link>”
- New Product Launch Text
Beauty retailers might send you samples to make your salon clients try them and get their feedback. When you launch a new product, it’s important to let your clients know what’s new. This also increases their excitement especially if you plan to give away free samples. Your message can go like:
“Exciting news! We at <salon name> have launched a new beauty product. Be the first one to try it and get free samples too. We have a lot of exciting offers for you. Reserve your spot today <link>”.
- Requesting Feedback Text
As a salon owner, you need to know what your clients think of you. Reviews and feedback also help you get found on search engines and are critical to your business. It also helps you improve your existing services. Thus, make it a practice to ask for client reviews.
“Hey <name>, you recently visited <salon name>, and enjoyed a service with <stylist name>. Please take a few minutes to leave a review and give us your feedback <review link>. Thank you and we hope to serve you again in the future”.
- Thank you Message
After clients visit you, it’s always important to thank them. It’s just an easy way of expressing your gratitude.
“Hi <name>, thank you for choosing <salon name>. We loved serving you and would love it if you could leave us a Google review. In case you take any pictures, tag us @<salon Instagram handle> using #MyNewLookWith<salon name>.”
- Salon Updates
It’s important to share updates with your clients to keep them informed. Every business goes through different phases. Whatever it is, it is important to keep your clients informed especially if the update is going to affect your daily salon operations. For instance:
“Hey <name>! We’ve updated our hours. Our new hours of operation <time>.”
“Hey <name>, Our salon <salon name> will be closed on <date and day> because of <reason>. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will resume usual operations from <date, day and time>. See you there!”
Final Words
SMS marketing or text messages is a powerful tool especially if your salon wants to foster strong client relationships. It helps keep the chairs in your salon full and your appointment system on track. However, it’s important to keep it short, concise and to the point. Include your contact info or booking link and make sure you use some kind of automation tool to send them out. Salon360App has a built-in SMS marketing tool and preset templates to help you stay in touch with your clients. Once you start automating client text messages, you will see a visible difference in no-shows, improved retention and revenue.
Ready to transform your salon communication with the best salon software in India?
