Millie’s Marketing Tips: Internal Marketing

Marketing Millie WebPromoting your salon is about both internal and external marketing strategies. Today’s success tip is about internal marketing, which takes place within your database with existing clients. Newsletters, postcards and salon flyers keep your clients connected to your products and services on a regular basis. Good examples are the promotions you have posted all over the salon. I even used to post them in the bathroom! We know marketing sets your salon or spa apart from the competition. Social marketing opens a whole new way to connect with clients.

Internal marketing efforts produce a fierce loyalty among your current clients and turn them into enthusiast fans for your word-of-mouth external marketing.  Your business follows the 80/20 principle: 80% of your business comes from 20 percent of your clients.  
Do you know your top 20%? Are you communicating or connecting with them?A recent Success magazine CD I listened to spoke about how many of us are communicating but not really connecting. 

Many of us have hundreds, maybe even thousands of “friends” or clients we think we are connecting with, but studies show we can truly only authentically connect with about a dozen or two dozen contacts. But we really don’t need a high quantity of people; we just need to connect with the right quality people—the right people for your network and your target market. To keep communication on a personal level, avoid bulk mailings and using terms like “you all” or “hi everyone.”  You need to remember you’re truly only speaking to one person at a time. Try and use first names and make sure you are leading with relationship first, not dollars first. Business is second.  

Offer quality content in your marketing efforts with your current clients. Be consistent with your brand like we talked about previously.  On Facebook, you really only need to post one to two posts a day to your target market. Mix it up with photos, videos and maybe some links to a manufacturers website. If you are engaging with your target market on Twitter, you should be posting once per hour. Remember the key is consistency and remember there are ways to pre-schedule posts. 

Make sure you show your passion for people, that you truly care. I like to quote Starbucks motto in my own terms. Starbucks likes to say it is in the people business serving coffee, so I take that and make it my own, that I am a people person who happens to be in the beauty business. We have such an advantage connecting with clients and our peers online because we can take a few minutes and read their profile and get to know them better. Building a strong connection within your current database can help expand your external marketing efforts. 

And last but not least, here’s a good old fashioned tip: Remember that 20% I spoke of earlier, the one that is bringing the 80% of your business? Your assignment this week is to figure out who they are, if you don’t already know, and send them each a handwritten note for the express purpose of thanking them for their business and their loyalty. Tell them that you understand they have a choice about where they spend their money, and you so appreciate that they spend their time and money with you. So, quit communicating and start connecting!

[Image credit: ©Thinkstockphotos.com]

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