According to IBIS World, There are approximately 49,008 hairdressing and beauty treatment businesses in the UK as of 2024.
The market size is projected to reach £5.8 billion in 2025, with industry growth expected to be 6.2% during 2024–25.
It’s safe to say there are a lot of salons, and if you’re planning on succeeding in the beauty business, you will have to understand how to market your hair or beauty salon to attract — and keep — clients.
To build a thriving salon, visibility is key. If potential clients don’t know you’re out there, it’s tough to grow. Here are 10 creative ideas to help your salon stand out and attract more attention:
Phone book listings are as outdated as the mullet in modern hairstyling — it’s time to upgrade. In today’s digital world, a strong online presence is essential for any local service business, and salons are no exception. Here are some key platforms to get you started.
Google My Business — Given that 3.5 billion Google searches are made every day, and the volume of Google searches grows by roughly 10% every year, it’s essential that you list your salon on Google. You can set your business apart by posting photos and offers to your profile, which gives customers even more reasons to choose you every time.
For best results, use Reserve with Google and let potential clients book their appointments right from Google Search or Maps.
Yelp — Yelp attracts over 178 million unique visitors each month, and nearly half of consumers check reviews there before choosing a business. Building a solid presence on the platform makes your salon easier to discover — even having just half a star more than a nearby competitor can make a big difference.
Make sure to enhance your profile with high-quality photos and engage with users through Yelp’s community Q&A to stand out even more.
Facebook — With over 2.38 billion monthly users — and 1.56 billion logging in daily — Facebook remains a powerful tool for visibility. Set up a dedicated business page for your salon, including up-to-date contact details, so local clients can easily find and connect with you.
To say that video marketing is the wave of the future would be putting it mildly. By 2022, online videos have made up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — that’s 15 times more than it was in 2017.
Overall, People view more than 1 billion hours of video each day on YouTube, and 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video.
Short, professionally produced videos on your website can help you make a strong first impression and build trust with potential clients before they even step inside your salon. Here are a few easy ideas to get started:
Looking for inspiration? Youssef Barber, owner of Diamond Cuts in Atlanta, frequently shares videos of his work on Instagram. One of his clips has already racked up over a million views — take a look and see why it’s making waves!
Instagram is the most visually focused social media platform — and what better way to showcase stunning hairstyles? With over 1 billion monthly users and more than 500 million active daily, around 80% of users follow at least one business. Plus, 75% take action—like visiting a website or booking an appointment—after seeing a brand’s post.
Capitalise on Instagram, by creating relevant, high-quality content such as:
For optimal results, add a “Book” button to your Instagram profile. This makes scheduling appointments easier for your customers, allowing them to book services directly without leaving the app.
Want to cut advertising costs? Team up with local businesses that can refer clients to your salon and help boost foot traffic. Partnering to offer exclusive promotions creates a win-win for everyone.
Salons have plenty of options—collaborate with tourist spots, clothing stores, makeup artists, hotels, wedding vendors, photographers, and more. Build a referral program to cross-promote each other’s services, attract more clients, and save money by sharing advertising efforts.
Everyone loves a good deal, so whenever you have an opportunity to promote an offer, take it! Not only will it attract new clients to your salon, but it will also encourage them to return. There are endless possibilities—consider first-time visit discounts, monthly specials featuring a discounted service, or last-minute deals where you advertise immediate openings on social media and offer a discount to the first customer who books.
Larry H. Oskin, President of Marketing Solutions, also suggests full-priced promotions that revolve around holidays and special events, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any other unofficial beauty-related awareness days you can think about!
Be sure to promote your offers on social media! Let everyone know your salon is going the extra mile—and that it’s an opportunity they won’t want to miss.
When it comes to hair or beauty salon marketing, word of mouth is as good as gold. Customers who are visiting you from a referral are more profitable and loyal than the average customer. According to the Wharton School of Business, their lifetime value is 16% higher than other customers and they’re 18% less likely to churn.
So how can you take advantage of this information in your marketing strategy? Implement a refer-a-friend program where you incentivize your current customers to recommend your salon to friends and family. Brandon Stephens, the owner of Bigger Better Hair Salon, suggests selecting “influencer” clients who might have local connections.
Simply send them a complimentary gift of hair care products along with your business cards. Each card should include the influencer’s name so they can track each redemption. When a card is redeemed, the influencer can then receive a reward such as a free blowout or £25 off your next service. This not only brings in new clients but also makes your existing clients feel valued—giving them even more reasons to share their great hair and promote your salon.
For any salon, it’s always a good idea to recognise great clients. One way to do that is with a loyalty program that rewards them for their business. It’s also a reward for you, as loyalty program members spend between 12-18% more per year than non-members.
You could start with something as simple as a punch card—after every 10 visits, clients earn a discount on their 11th. Consider creating a VIP program for your top-spending clients, offering exclusive deals, discounts on select retail products, special treatments, and more. Another effective approach is a points system, where clients accumulate digital points based on their actions, rewarding behaviours that benefit your business.
For example, one customer referral could earn your client 10 points, spending £50 on a product, 25 points, and each appointment made through your app could earn your client 40 points, etc. They could then redeem those points for discounts or products in the future.
Online reviews are so important that 93% of consumers look at Google or Yelp reviews before trying a new service provider.
That’s why leveraging online business reviews is essential for your marketing strategy. Make it simple for customers to leave reviews by providing multiple platforms to choose from, and be sure to reward them for taking the time to share their feedback. After they receive a service, email them a thank you note for their business and ask them to leave a review. According to BrightLocal, out of the 74% of customers who were asked to provide feedback, 68% were willing to do it.
When you receive positive reviews from your customers, make sure you share them online so that other customers can be inspired to book with you, too. On Google, Yelp, and many other reviews sites, business owners (and site visitors) can mark certain reviews as helpful. These “upvotes” move them higher up on the site, making them more accessible for people to read. So, periodically do this to positive reviews so you’re highlighting the best of the best.
And don’t forget to use your salon’s social media channels to share positive reviews. Reshare positive Facebook reviews in a post on your page, or format reviews as quotes for Instagram to post for your followers.
If you haven’t yet adopted scheduling software to automate your salon bookings, now is the perfect time to start.
Firstly, it allows your clients to book appointments online — and unsurprisingly, 75% of people prefer to manage bookings themselves.
Secondly, a salon scheduling software helps reduce no-shows by sending automated reminders for rebooking. This not only simplifies your workload but also keeps your chairs consistently filled.
Email marketing might not be the first marketing approach for a lot of salons, but the numbers might change your mind: For every £1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect a return of £38. Not only that, but more than 60% of customers want to receive emails from companies they love.
When done strategically, email campaigns are a great way for salons to directly communicate with some of their most valuable customers. Since they’ve agreed to receive emails from you, they're already open to more communication. Make sure to offer them exclusive deals. Let them know about new products or service updates. Or why not send them links to recent blog posts and announcements?
Emails are one of the easiest — and most effective — ways to communicate with your clients. Use them well.
When executed effectively, marketing will boost your brand’s visibility and attract new clients to your salon. A successful strategy includes a strong online presence, glowing reviews, creative promotions, and loyalty programs—all working together to grow your customer base. Consistently applying these hair and beauty salon marketing tactics will help you stand out and improve your profits.
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