Everyone loves Client Referrals, we at BeautyMark believe they are one of the best tools to attract new clients to your hair or beauty salon. In fact, 74% of women felt recommendation was the most important factor when choosing a hair salon. Moreover, clients who come via referral tend to be more loyal than those attracted by discounts or other promotions. 

So how can salons and spas harness this powerful word of mouth marketing among friends and family? How do you increase salon recommendations? 

1. Make Clients Feel Good
What makes a loyal client willing to recommend your salon to their inner circle sanctum? Make them feel good. Clients might forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Ask yourself, how do your clients feel when they leave your salon? Do they look and feel fabulous? The desired outcome of every woman visiting a salon is to feel beautiful. Focus on the guest experience and watch your referral rates soar.

2. Great Experience Creates Trust
Trust is key to getting salon recommendations. Make sure your clients feel confident that if they recommend your salon their friends will have that same great amazing experience. 

3. Card Referral System
A simple card referral system works excellent, it gives your clients something tangible to “pass on” to their friends and return to your salon.

4. Give Generous Rewards
Be generous with friend referral marketing incentives. Tempt and reward current clients to spread the word of your fabulous services to their friends and family. Calculate the dollar value a new salon guest is worth to your salon over the period of a year and mark your incentives accordingly.

5. Digital Promotion
Make sure you promote your salon friend referral system through your salon website somewhere prominent and via regular salon email campaigns.

6. Spread Your Friend Referral Via Social Media
Regularly advertise your salon friend referral to all of your followers via social media channels. 

7. Referral Rate
Measure results by tracking the number of new salon clients who come via recommendation to calculate your referral rate.

THE 5 BEST TOOLS TO INCREASE SALON RECOMMENDATIONS
So how can salons and spas harness this powerful word of mouth marketing among friends and family? 

1. Ask them. Many salons overlook this. A simple card referral system works excellent so that your client has something to pass on to their friends. 

2. Be generous with your marketing incentives. 10% off is hardly going to tempt someone to spread the word about how great your salon is. Calculate the  dollar value a new salon guest is worth to your salon over the period of a year and mark your incentives accordingly.

3. Regularly promote and advertise your salon friend referral system through your Salon Website, Salon Email, and on your Salon Social Media Channels. A polished friend referral campaign can reap huge rewards when they are posted in the right place at the right time. The perfect formula for share ability will maximize exposure, increase overall engagement and attract new clients to your salon.

4. Measure the number of new salon clients who come via your Friend Referral System. A tangible card is the perfect way to track client referral incentives.

5. People LOVE contests and the chance of winning. Referral offers are great word-of-mouth and sharable posts.

6. People LOVE being social with friends
By creating a prize package (or gift) for two your salon can benefit with double new guest and engagement. More shares equal more exposure.

7. People LOVE 15 minutes of fame
Recognizing and thanking clients who refer friends or family to your salon by featuring them as the client of the month in social media status updates makes clients feel like a star and is easily shared.