If you’re looking for the latest salon marketing & management tips, trends & best practices, you know that you can trust in the Phorest Blog. But with on average 3 new articles per week, chances are you missed out on some! If I was to do a quick recap, I’d say we had a reputation-heavy first quarter, only to then move into retail quite a lot. Oh, and staff management. That being said, the following is a collection of the top 25 most popular Phorest Blog articles published in 2017, based on how much traffic each post got over time.
The Most Popular Phorest Blog Articles Published In 2017
They stuck with many of you and likely will continue to, this year. Don’t worry, we don’t expect you to read all 25 articles in one go! Simply bookmark this blog and refer to it later, when needed. Let’s get started, shall we? 🙂
25. David Barnett’s Proven To Work 3-Step Retail Selling Technique
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: When we took it to Instagram to announce that we were going to have David Barnett from the High Performance Stylist as a guest on Phorest FM, the response was incredible. We knew we were on to something, but David blew it out of the water. Now, for those who don’t know David Barnett, he has spent a career working for some of the world’s leading salons in the UK, Ireland and the US with some of his work featured on New York Fashion Week, The Grammys, The MTV Awards, and even he had his California salon chosen to do a pop-up salon for the VIP’s at the Super Bowl 50. During the show, he graced us with some invaluable insights and takeaways on making his three-step retail selling technique part of a salon’s business culture.
Read more and download the visual reminder here.
24. Online Defamation Explained: How It Can Impact Your Salon Services
(By Michelle Bolger, Employment Law Consultant at ESA Consultants)
Excerpt: By its 2009 definition, a defamatory statement is “one which tends to injure a person’s reputation in the eyes of reasonable members of society.” There are 3 ingredients that have to be present for someone to sue for defamation: (1) It must be published; (2) It must refer to the complainant; (3) It must be false. But what does that all mean in an everyday context? How can online defamation impact your salon services?
23. Planning Ahead: Low-Budget And Simple June Salon Marketing Ideas
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: June, the sixth month of the year – already! Holiday preparation is starting, festivals are about to kick off, and by the end of the month… school’s out! And of course, you can’t forget to pencil in Father’s Day! To make the most out of this month, it’s crucial you prepare in advance. With this in mind, we’ve put together some low-budget and simple June salon marketing ideas to help you keep a steady flow of customers coming through your doors.
Read more or download the free toolkit here.
22. There Are No Shortcuts To Building A Successful Salon Or Spa
(By Richard McCabe, Coach at iSalon Coaching)
Excerpt: There are no quick fixes in this industry, no ‘fad diets’ and no ‘one size fits all’ to build a successful salon or spa. It’s a long-haul game, and those that realise this are the ones that stay true to their beliefs and their core values. As time goes on, these salon owners’ lives will get easier, and because their team will have been built on the right values, their business is going to be as strong as an ox.
21. 7 Daily Habits Of Happy And Successful Salon Owners
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: Significant events such as getting a promotion, a new job, going on a holiday – they all bring you moments of joy, but they’re also proven not to last. There is no perfect formula nor is there any magic potion to make happiness appear and stay. Hence, all you can do is look for habits to maintain, and trust me; there are loads listed out on many different business blogs. We invite you to try out our top 7, and see how close they get you to all the happy and successful salon owners of this world!
20. Spine-Chilling Halloween Salon Marketing Ideas: Sales Boosters
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: We’re less than 100 days away from Christmas (yes!), which means that we’re even closer to the one spooky holiday of the year and the second (okay, maybe third?) biggest holiday most people budget for. So, as usual, we’ve prepared some Halloween salon marketing ideas to help boost your sales.
Read more or download the free toolkit here.
19. The Ultimate Bundle Full Of Christmas Salon Marketing Ideas
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: It’s crazy to think that Christmas is only 38 days away from now. It seems like just yesterday we were still enjoying the warm weather! But it is, and we need to start planning for it. Over the years, we’ve come up with many blogs, promotions and graphics for you so to facilitate your search for inspiration, we’ve made this huge bundle of Christmas salon marketing ideas. Plus, we created a fresh new batch of graphics – it’s our early Christmas gift, enjoy!
Read more and download the graphics.
18. 5 Concrete Ways to ‘End It’ With Salon No-Shows
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: Perhaps under the impression it might cost them clients, many salon owners don’t define policies around no-shows. To these salon owners, I say it’s time to put your foot down. I mean, sometimes, SMS booking reminders just aren’t enough to get a client to show up. And while it is crazy to think it’s possible to completely eliminate salon no-shows, here are 5 concrete ways to well reduce their frequency.
17. The Day We Walked In Your Shoes: A Salon Experience
(By Phorest Salon Software CEO Ronan Perceval and Head of Product Patrick Monaghan)
Excerpt: To get a taste of the real world for ourselves, and to get out from our usual working environment, we decided we’d go out to work at the reception desk of a beauty salon (for a day!). An hors–pair salon experience! So, early on in February and without quite exactly knowing what to expect, we headed over to the salon that kindly took part in the experience. To kick off the day, we first had a few updates to do on the computers in usage. We updated some of the installed software and also re-calibrated the computer’s touchscreen. By the way, if you’ve noticed your touchscreen isn’t showing the accuracy it should, a quick calibration through the display settings of your computer screen will set it up good as new!
16. Should You Throw A Salon Open House?
(By Chris Brennan, Content Manager)
Excerpt: Whether you’ve just opened your doors or you’ve been around for years, it’s always nice to drop your local community a little reminder that your business is right around the corner. One way that has been proven successful for salon/spa owners is to invite clients and locals to a fun and lively salon open house soirée.
15. The Ins And Outs Of Selling More Retail
(By Caroline Quinlan, Beauty Writer & Industry Expert)
Excerpt: Let’s talk about Lisa, an award-winning stylist in a hair salon in Birmingham. She is passionate about hair, but there’s an elephant in the room. She hates selling retail because she says: “I’m just not a salesperson. I love to make people look and feel like a million dollars. Selling more retail is not what I’m about.” While Lisa realises that being a great stylist requires creativity and passion, she doesn’t want to see the fact that being a guru requires you to know the science of hair and scalp. If she educated clients on how to get thicker, healthier hair, they’d feel better about themselves, which would ultimately take her reputation to the next level!
14. The Dark Truth Of Salon Marketplaces And Salon Directories
(By Connor Keppel, Head of Marketing)
Excerpt: New salon directories and marketplaces launch every week, and it’s easy to see why these sites are attractive to salons as partners. They come with the promise of getting more new clients through your front door – simple as that. Today, I’m going to deep dive into how these sites work and investigate what impact they have on your salon. I’ll also explain the client journey across all of these sites, the psychology behind them and finally, uncover the detrimental impact they are having on the industry.
13. 5 Sure-Fire Ways To Lose Salon Fans On Facebook
(By Chris Brennan, Content Manager)
Excerpt: So, you’ve spent the past couple of years slowly building a following of salon fans on Facebook. You’ve seen your “likes” grow steadily week by week. Sometimes, however, you notice that a few of your fans “unfollow” you. […] It’s good to keep your salon fans up-to-date with what is happening on the business-side of your brand. However, if you are looking to get rid of them, then definitely focus most of your social attention on straight old-school advertising.
12. 10 Tips To Perk Up Engagement On Your Salon Instagram Profile
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: As some of you may know, I host a monthly webinar on techniques to help you build a salon retailing culture. If you’ve tuned into one of the sessions, there’s a part near the end where I talk about Instagram. One of the most common questions I hear is: “how do I get better engagement?” Well, it’s something that takes time, effort and patience. But if you’re really dedicated to boosting the engagement you’re getting from your salon Instagram profile, I’ve put a list of – in my opinion and experience – the top 10 tips to do so.
11. Phorest’s Guide To Taking The Perfect Salon Photos
(By Chris Brennan, Content Manager)
Excerpt: Over the years, clients have always found new ways to discover your salon. The phonebook days are gone, and people are now using Google and Facebook to find new places to help them look beautiful. Today, salons that succeed make sure they stand out online. In fact, one of the most important ways to capture a client’s attention now is to ensure your website, app and Facebook page have beautiful, vibrant salon photos to greet your online visitors.
10. New Feature: Introducing The Phorest Online Reputation Manager
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: It’s no secret that more often than not, the beauty and hair industry spins on reputation and word of mouth. In fact, 89% of people Google your business when they are referred to you by friends, colleagues, and family. Introducing the industry’s smartest automation tool: the Phorest Online Reputation Manager. Discover why and how this salon software feature release will make a massive (and effortless) positive impact on your salon’s reputation!
9. Hop Ahead Of Competitors With These April Salon Marketing Ideas
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: Often enough, winter causes for many to ‘hibernate.’ So how do you reconnect with these customers? Perhaps you’ve been trying to attract new customers in the past few months. That’s all good and well, but retaining a client costs 5x less than trying to get a new one. The following April salon marketing ideas focus on reaching out to those who haven’t shown face in a little while! After all, the weather is starting to look nicer; it’s the perfect time to refresh a look or to simply book some ‘me time.’
Read more or download the free toolkit here.
8. The 7 Wonders Of The Perfect Salon Phone Manner
(By Connor Keppel, Head of Marketing)
Excerpt: You know the feeling. Calls are coming in, you’re running around trying to organise everybody (and everything!) while remaining as calm, friendly and professional as humanly possible. It’s a big ask! In fact, sometimes, it feels impossible. But you have to persevere because one slip or one bad phone call could be enough to tarnish the salon’s reputation. With that in mind, we’ve listed 7 musts in terms of salon phone manner.
7. 3 Tips That Will Make Your Salon Employee Bios Stand Out
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: In the hair, beauty and spa industry, it’s no secret that therapists and stylists create and nurture trustworthy relationships with their clients – some of which last for years. Why not help build these relationships from day one, with a virtual handshake? Employee bios posted on your salon’s website – along with an ability to book online – are a great way to initiate that first contact. In fact, based on our data, we know that one of the most popular features our Salon Branded App is the Staff Profiles section. But what should you be writing in these bios apart from making them short and sweet?
6. Should You Be The One Paying For Salon Training Courses?
(By Michelle Bolger, Employment Law Consultant at ESA Consultants)
Excerpt: There is no getting around the fact that salon owners who invest in staff training reap a plethora of rewards. This includes better-skilled employees, increased staff retention rates, happier clients and increased profits. You have to invest in your team if you want to exceed. But should you be paying for all these salon training courses or are there situations in which the employee should cover the fees? As Henry Ford once said: “The only thing worse than training your employees & having them leave is not training them & having them stay.”
5. 15 Spa Quotes To Use In Your Salon Marketing And Displays
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: If you’re quite active on Instagram, you probably know just how common inspirational quotes are on the platform. The truth is, they work. They never cease to get engagement. But this doesn’t just happen on Instagram: people simply love relating to positive statements! That’s also why many salons and spas these days will have light boxes sitting at the front desk, displaying a fun or inspiring saying. So whether you’re looking for social media material, a bank of spa quotes to insert at the bottom of a marketing email or display on your lightbox, we’ve got you covered!
Read more here or download the graphics here.
4. Enough Is Enough: When It’s Okay To Fire A Bad Salon Customer
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: Have you ever had to fire a salon employee for their erratic behaviour or a foul attitude? Probably. But, what about a bad salon customer? Someone whose name is enough to make you cringe… Sure we’ve all heard the saying “the customer is always right”, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with everything and anything. Sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned in a business relationship and it’s okay to recognise it and let go.
3. March Salon Marketing Ideas To Please All Clients & Tastes
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: While you never need a holiday to put marketing campaigns together, why not take advantage of the ones that are known to be very commercial? It’s a perfect opportunity to get new or existing clients back in and spend an extra few bucks on retail products. Sometimes, simply getting attention is what your business needs to get out of a slump. Let’s have a look at what’s doable for two massive celebrations: Paddy’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Read more or download the free toolkit here.
2. Spread Love With These February Salon Marketing Ideas
(By Zoé Bélisle-Springer, Blog Content & Social Media Executive)
Excerpt: Every celebrated holiday brings new marketing opportunities. And because February is the season of love, we thought we’d put together a free toolkit full of February salon marketing ideas that say thank you to both your customers and employees. As Mother Teresa once said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
Read more or download the free toolkit here.
1. 3 Surefire Ways To Prevent Staff From Stealing Salon Client Details
(By Connor Keppel, Head of Marketing)
Excerpt: You spend years building a loyal client base, recruiting a talented team and then lose half of your customer base overnight. Your stylist or therapist leaves the salon, and without you knowing, they take the salon client details with them. It happens. A lot. The scary reality is that most salon owners don’t realise what’s going on until it’s too late. Leadership is trusting and having the courage to let your team exercise their personal values. There are, however, measures you can take to reduce the likelihood of your stylists or therapists taking clients with them while still making them feel appreciated and trusted.
Happy digging, and thanks for reading our Phorest Blog articles!
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