The Facts about what Defines your Salon or Spa Brand
Most Salon & Spa owners believe they determine their Brand. The perception is that you determine your Brand by choosing a color scheme, a logo design, paint colors and interior design, the visual stuff. The reality is there are many variables that affect the Brand of your business, but Customers affect it the most!
Customers have the greatest impact on your Brand
It is not new news that customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction has a dramatic impact on the success of your business, but what many owners misunderstand is that Customers also have the greatest impact on the Brand identity of your business based on their experiences and interactions with your business. One example is a Salon owner who portrays a very upscale trendy image with their logo, signage, and marketing materials but fails to require dress standards, enforce station cleanliness and appearance, or lacks systems that create a high end client experience. The customer will not talk about the upscale/trendy logo or marketing materials, but they will talk about the condition of the salon and their experience.
Competitors Affect on Branding
Doing the research to understand how your competitors are representing their businesses can be very valuable in helping you determine the best Brand approach for your business. Let’s say you are located in a region where most of the competitor Salon or Spa owners are taking a mom and pop approach, then you may choose to make your salon Brand more exclusive. Or if other Salons are very quick service, low price oriented you could decide to take a high service, pampered service approach.
Consistent Delivery of your Branding message
Brand success is impossible if it is not delivered consistently across all marketing efforts as well as within the salon environment and client experience. Think of your Brand as your personality. Personalities are reflected in how a person dresses, what car they choose to drive, who they spend time with and how they interact with others, even where they choose to vacation. The Brand of a business is also built on it’s personality and interactions with the clientele. Stay focused on a consistent message in your overall operations and marketing to provide a Consistent Brand.
Remember… Customers have the Greatest Impact on your Brand
Your clientele are your walking, talking billboard. If they have a positive experience they will tell others which is the most effective Brand support you have. You can further encourage them with client referral programs that offer incentives for recommending new customers; asking them to provide you with written testimonials that you can use in your marketing materials and programs; or simply providing them with a few business cards and asking them to refer their family, friends, and business associates to you.
Brand management is not ever done. It is not something you can complete and check off of your To Do list. It is an ongoing process that needs to be reviewed and consistently applied.
Have more questions about ways to Brand your Salon or Spa? Our coaches have extensive knowledge about the successful growth of Salon and Spa businesses. Call us today at (760) 536-9012 to discuss the future of your business. The first Consultation is Complimentary!