No architect would think of constructing a building without a blueprint, yet many salon owners today are seeking new clients, introducing new services and planning acquisitions without a clear and defined marketing plan.
Your marketing plan should be comprised of small, interrelated steps that involve everything from the courtesy of your staff and your letterhead design to your company’s image as a storefront, online and in your community. All these items involve marketing and all must be planned, coordinated and evaluated in an overall action-oriented and cost-effective road map.
That road map is the marketing plan that outlines the path your salon will follow to long- term growth and success.
Basically, developing an initial marketing plan can be divided into four steps:
Define your current situation.
Situation analysis is usually the longest portion of the marketing plan. It is a statement of where your business is today and how it got there. It should include all relevant facts about the company’s history, growth, products and services services, sales volume, share of market, competitive status, markets served, past advertising programs, results of marketing research studies, company capabilities, strengths and weaknesses and any other pertinent information.
Marketing requires a clear understanding of what you have to offer, what you want to achieve through marketing and how you are going to communicate to your audiences.
Strategize and write the plan.
Exercise your creativity by setting meaningful goals. Vague directions result in wasted time. Ask yourself how changes will take place. Be specific so you can measure progress. Your plan must include a sensible time table, a realistic program budget and a back-up plan in case the market changes, the economic climate is altered or you find yourself facing new competition. Establish key dates and work backward from them.
A key factor in determining an overall marketing plan for your business is determining the image you want to project to your clients and non-clients. It is helpful to consider:
* What does the local community know about your salon?
* What image do you want to portray in your local community?
* How has your salon’s image changed in the last few years?
Additionally, you must know the position of your salon against the total market. The position is basically what makes your salon unique. Proper positioning can make a positive difference when it is consistent and consciously built in a way the practice is operated. Good positioning will also work well against your competition.
Implement your plan.
After you’ve written your plan, take some time each day to implement a part of it. Assign tasks to staff members and pursue the market with consistency. Implementation means follow through at all points. Here are some ideas on programs that can be put into place with a professionally designed marketing plan:
* Identify key referral sources and target each for new business.
* Publish a periodic newsletter or e-newsletter that includes incentives, discounts and rewards for your clients.
* Create a brochure outlining what your business does and the services offered.
* Establish a permanent public relations presence.
* Design and implement a program for client retention.
* Train new staff members to develop new business.
We all know someone who constantly talks about plans but nothing happens. If you find yourself making a habit of procrastinating, go back to step No. 1 and make sure you’ve written down the right goals. Then go forward and do not give up.
Evaluate your progress.
As your plan takes shape, you may notice that some of your objectives have changed. Do not lock yourself into a result you no longer want. Be open to adjusting your marketing plan to a changing market. A monitoring and evaluation step should be included to track results and make changes as needed.
Conduct monthly or weekly meetings with your staff to review projects, budgets and new business. At the end of each month or quarter, review milestones set in the original plan to be sure you are on track.
Some problems you may run into are lack of coordination, communication, personnel commitment in the business – and time. But remember, these things can be the difference between a workable effort that gets results and a meaningless, unsuccessful plan.
A complete marketing plan is one that is well thought out, uses all staff input and involves upper management and all employees working together to accomplish mutual goals. If all this is accomplished, the plan can be successful in making things happen for your salon.
