Good marketing is critical to the success of your business. Marketing has many dimensions, including market research, customer service, advertising, targeting, packaging, pricing, e-marketing, and others. Investing in a good marketing plan will generate excellent returns. (From US Small Business Administration. Read more...)

How many of you wear Blinged out nails or toes? Your own nails are your best advertisment. OK I get it... some either can't wear them, can't function with them.. thats OK. In that case (and even if you have your own Blinged nails) do you have a display near your station, near enough and stragicially placed well enough that your client is staring at it for the 30 or 60 minutes she is sitting there? Maybe have a second display in your waiting area? Hair dressers should also always have their hair done.

Have you taken a real good look at your business cards lately?? Are the phone numbers up to date? Is your cell number on there? Your website or Facebook Page? Does your card's design reflect you, your skills and your general businees? Maybe it is time to update your cards. Checkout Vista Print for some real bargains, just pay attention buring the checkout as they want to sell you everything including the kitchen sink (great marketing by the way but can be costly if you do not pay attention).

First Impressions, make a difference

One other place I want you to stop and look at is your salon, from the clients perspective today. Go outside and walk past the shop and look inside with prospective customer in your head. What will they see? Is it inticing? Is it clean, neat? Do they see samples of your work? Now open the door and walk back inside, again looking around - not with your head so deep into who's on your book today that you see nothing, but look aroound as the new customer might see it. Again, is it neat, pesentable, displays (you do have retail displays right??) neat, lined up, not dusty??? Now, go sit at your station.. not in your chair but the customers chair. Look around, if you have mirrors, look and see what is in the mirror. See what your client will see for the time she is there.. while you are "talking to the hand" what do you think your client is doing?? counting the heairs on the top of your head?? Haha no.. she is looking around.. lets make sure she see's what you want her to see.. retail, a sample design display - not dust and disorder.

I will leave some more marketing ideas for next time.. till then, happy shopping!