When you’re spending most days mixing custom color treatments for clients, applying a fresh set of lashes or wax, or preparing staff schedules, salon marketing understandably slides down the list of priorities. However, it’s a vital part of running your business and helping it grow.
As of 2025, the beauty salon market sits at a $264.93 billion valuation. That number is set to increase, hovering around $447.76 billion by 2032. The potential for growth is clear, and so is the imperative to have a solid marketing plan to stand out from the competition.
Salon marketing best practices
- Research your target audience
- Share your value
- Educate your audience
- Offer upsells and add-ons
- Nurture ongoing customer relationships
- Know the market’s ebbs and flows
- Have the right website tools in place
Salon marketing presents unique challenges, but navigating them becomes easier when you understand the following fundamental business marketing elements—all of which help attract ideal clients, boost sales, and drive business success:
Research your target audience
While the idea of catering to everyone may sound appealing, it’s better to narrow down your target audience. This allows you to become an expert in understanding exactly what they’re after. Research through the lens of your niche. What does your salon excel in that your potential customers will want to know about? Does your salon accommodate a specific hair type? Or is it a place for monthly gel refills? Understand what they’re searching for and what sways them to choose your service over others.
Share your value
Use all your marketing channels to emphasize your unique selling proposition (USP). Highlighting what sets your salon apart from the competition captivates the right audience. Conduct market research and competitive analyses to identify your differentiating features. When you conduct competitor research, it’s also possible to pinpoint gaps and unfulfilled needs in your local area.
Educate your audience
Part of marketing is teaching potential customers exactly what you offer and informing them of services they may need or want but never considered.
Make it fun and engaging, whether you show before-and-after photos on your website, share transformation videos, or create quick tips and advice for them through a segmented email newsletter. This kind of content holds serious value for your social channels, too. One survey reveals that nine out of 10 salon professionals find that social media influences clients’ salon choices, while 86% say that high-quality photos attract customers willing to pay for premium services.
Offer upsells and add-ons
Once a customer has decided to make a purchase, you still have an opportunity to offer them additional value—this is called upselling. It doesn’t have to feel pushy or insincere—as long as you pay attention to your customers’ needs and wants, upsells can be beneficial to both of you.
Consider implementing add-ons to bookings or when your customer is in the chair. For hair appointments, you could recommend products that are formulated for your customer’s hair type or offer a beard grooming service on top of a haircut. Estheticians and nail technicians can offer everything from trendy nail art to customized skin care products for an extra cost.
Nurture ongoing customer relationships
Nurturing ongoing customer relationships is important for any business, but even more so for salon owners, who often have very close relationships with their clients. Building strong, lasting customer relationships involves making clients feel valued, respected, and genuinely cared for. Salons are often places of rest and relaxation—you can keep your customers coming back if your salon serves as a sanctuary.
You can push this narrative with top-tier customer service skills and by enacting the right marketing strategies. That could include separate email segments for potential, new, and returning clients or keeping track of repeat purchases and services so you can better meet their needs. This way, you’ll not only appeal to new clients but hopefully encourage past customers to return.
Know the market’s ebbs and flows
Depending on the type of salon you run, you’re likely aware that some months are slower than others for various reasons. That makes this salon marketing idea especially pertinent for this type of business, where seasonality and special events (like weddings and vacations) are important. Bookings often drop off right after the winter holidays when money is usually tighter, and around summer when people spend more time outside.
Have the right website tools in place
When your marketing efforts pay off, you don’t want to greet future and returning customers with a bad user experience on your website. Make sure your website is easy to navigate with straightforward menus, navigation bars, and buttons. You’ll also need an appointment booking app that’s ready for interested onlookers—apps like Appointment Booking Cowlendar and Apntly are practical options.
13 salon marketing ideas
- Sharpen your search engine optimization skills
- Prioritize your social media channels
- Try local search ads and make your salon easy to locate
- Post before and after content
- Encourage reviews
- Partner with influencers
- Offer your products online
- Start a blog
- Host and promote in-person events
- Share promotions and conduct giveaways
- Finesse your email newsletter
- Launch a referral program
- Offer product samples
The following salon and spa marketing ideas are for business owners seeking tangible results:
1. Sharpen your search engine optimization skills
One of the most important ways to drive potential clients to your website (and in turn, your salon) is through search. This is where local SEO comes in handy since it helps you appear in the results for terms like “hair salons near me” or “nail salons near me.”
You can also use keyword research to identify niche long-tail keywords aligned with your particular expertise. This could be “blonde expert,” “curly hair salon,” or “BIAB nail salon.”
Using the right SEO terms naturally within the copy on your website—whether that’s homepage wording, blog posts, product descriptions, or meta titles—can help funnel the right crowd your way.
2. Prioritize your social media channels
Hair artistry is very visual, which makes salon social media marketing a must. Social platforms are great places to share your work with potential clients. Additionally, clients can also save social media posts for inspiration, which often makes their salon experience more enjoyable, as they’ll have a reference photo or video to share with their stylist or beautician.
Consider Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, as these are all highly visual channels. To make the most of your social media efforts, study the posts that perform. Most platforms have built-in analytics dashboards so you can see what posts and ads are doing best. You can also compile data through Shopify’s analytics dashboards. Among the key metrics, you’ll find information on which channels and sources are the most lucrative and which are driving the most people to your website.
3. Try local search ads and make your salon easy to locate
You’ll want to make it as easy as possible for people to find where your salon is physically located. Marketing platforms like Google Ads, TikTok Ads Manager, and Meta Ads all have geolocation capabilities to ensure that the right people are looking at your salon and spa.
Larger companies like Davines and Unite are examples of hair-care brands that sell products online but have features such as salon locators and blogs that encourage customers to visit physical locations that sell or use their products.
4. Post before and after content
Nothing grabs the attention of clients quite like photos and videos of transformations. With your customers’ consent, record the process of manicures, lash extensions, brow waxing and shaping, hair coloring, or haircuts. This draws viewers in and serves as a talent portfolio for your salon. They may even bring these images to their own appointment for a point of reference. A few places you can share this content include email newsletters, social media profiles, social media ads, and blog posts on your salon’s website.
5. Encourage reviews
Nudging your clients to leave reviews is a great way to collect social proof on your website—a key way to capture new customers. Shopify has a slew of in-platform review apps that make it easy for clients to share their experience post-appointment.
One study found that 91% of customers were interested in writing a review after receiving a free product—so if you have the means, it’s worth your time. This could be something small, like a free product sample, or a larger discount on their next appointment. You could also enter them into a drawing for a free haircut or color.
6. Partner with influencers
Working with influencers usually involves giving a complimentary service to a content creator who creates social media assets about the experience. This is one way to boost credibility and get the word out about what your business does.
Another way of doing this is by allowing your staff members to shine as in-house influencers. They’re creating work each day that can serve as great content for social media channels, newsletters, and marketing materials.
7. Offer your products online
Salons are the perfect examples of businesses with omnichannel potential. This means your company is well-suited to in-person and online engagement with customers. You can offer both walk-in appointments and online booking; you can sell beauty products in-store and online.
With Shopify’s point-of-sale system, you can track all purchases in one place, whether you’re keeping on top of several salon locations, juggling a stream of online sales, primarily selling in one brick-and-mortar store—or all of the above. No matter where your sales happen, the data all funnels into one place.
8. Start a blog
This falls under your digital marketing strategy and gives clients a reason to visit your website between appointments. Blogs are places for advice, education, and product recommendations. Plus, it’s another spot where you can share events happening in your salon and subtly direct website viewers to book appointments for in-person services. You can also share more about your team members and their expertise or tips through blog posts, giving readers a chance to get to know them digitally.
9. Host and promote in-person events
By hosting classes or workshops in your salon, you can provide fun and education—and build brand awareness. You might offer a masterclass on bridesmaid or wedding guest hairstyles, or a seasonally themed nail art session. This is particularly useful during slower months that may not see as much foot traffic.
10. Share promotions and conduct giveaways
Don’t shy away from sharing promotions. Set a cadence you’re comfortable with and ensure these opportunities for customers are visible on your website and also align with the branding and voice of your business. Tricoci Salon & Spa, for example, has an entire page dedicated to current promotions. Packages, buy one, get one deals, and discounts on group bookings all incentivize clients to purchase.
Giveaways are another way to increase engagement on your website and social channels. You can ask clients to subscribe to your newsletter, follow your Instagram or TikTok accounts, tag friends, or post photos in exchange for the chance of winning a free service.
11. Finesse your email newsletter
Don’t underestimate the power of a great email strategy and a strong subscriber list: 44% of marketing professionals say this is their single most effective marketing channel.
Shopify has several integrations that make email marketing campaigns simpler for salon and spa owners: Apps like Klaviyo and Mailchimp work seamlessly with Shopify’s back end, allowing you to set up automated email campaigns.
Spend a little time nailing your email copy, too, as higher open rates lead to more click-throughs and purchases or bookings.
12. Launch a referral program
A referral program is a marketing strategy where existing clients recommend your business to others, like family, friends, and followers in their network. If their connections book and attend a service, they receive something in exchange, like a discount or free service.
13. Offer product samples
If you have an in-house line of hair care, beauty, or grooming products or sell other brands in-store, sharing samples of your collection is another salon marketing idea to try and a great way to boost sales. Samples give clients a way to try before they buy and increase the overall value of their appointment. Giving your clients a customized set of samples also leaves them feeling like you understand their hair, skin, and wellness needs, proving your expertise.
Salon marketing FAQ
What is the marketing strategy for a hair salon?
Marketing strategies for salons are multifaceted and typically involve tailoring ads to a local target audience. Use local SEO, email marketing, social media, influencer marketing, and referral programs to build brand awareness and ultimately drive sales.
What are the four Ps of marketing for a salon?
The 4 Ps of marketing are product, price, place, and promotion. For a salon, consider what products and services you offer and how their pricing compares to competitors. Then, think about place and promotion, which involves finding where your target audience is and reaching them through SEO blog posts, online advertisements, social channels, or newsletters.
How do I attract people to my salon?
There are a variety of methods for bringing people to your salon. Start by evaluating the offerings you provide, then find where your target audience (people looking for these services) exists. They may be on social media platforms searching for inspirational photos of nail art, or perhaps they’re scanning their inboxes for deals on haircuts. Researching this aspect and finding potential customers allows you to then target them with content, ads, and promotions that will bring them into your salon.
How do I market my hair salon business?
Market your salon with a multichannel approach. Create a website and social channels that appeal to your intended audience, get your pricing right, show how your services stand out from competitors in your area, and find ways that you can provide added value to customers.
What are ideas for salon marketing?
A few great salon marketing ideas include sharing transformation videos on social media channels, creating segmented email newsletters based on your specific audiences, and optimizing your website to attract the right crowd. You may also want to consider hiring a salon marketing agency to support you with materials, as they’ll know the beauty industry thoroughly and how to best market your brand.
