Even those owners who have been in business for several years, who have read dozens of thematic books and completed more than one business training course, feel anxiety when they need to draw up a marketing plan. It’s not because they don’t understand how to do it, but because the task seems to be so large-scale and fundamental that it’s not always clear where a person should start.
The presence of a full-time marketer, and even a marketing department is a rare phenomenon for beauty salons. In salon chains, large beauty centers, and spas, the situation is different. As a rule, they have their marketers. In any case, there is no reason to refuse to draw up a marketing plan - the owner and a director can do the bulk of the work.
If the owner plans to delve into the issues of the beauty business, and not completely entrust the management to an employee or a managing partner, then, of course, it’s optimal to draw up a marketing plan together with the director, or at least review the plan at the final stage of work and approve solutions based on it.
You can involve external consultants, specialists in the sphere of salon business, and marketing in drawing up a business plan for a beauty salon. However, it’s not recommended to completely outsource this task, because the marketing plan touches upon key business issues that you should understand yourself. It’s especially important to "delve deeply" into the marketing plan at the initial stage when it comes to starting a new enterprise.
This is the foundation on which any further decisions and choices are built. We won’t dwell in too much detail on this point, just outline the key points. Here you need to answer the questions:
- What does our company exist for?
- Who is our client?
- Which of our features are the advantages in the eyes of the client?
- What value do we offer to the client?
- What will we never do?
You have to understand if your clients are businesswomen who would like to get a fast keratin hair treatment during lunch or housewives who have more free time and flexibility. Maybe you’re aimed at teenagers who often need to repair damaged hair and dead hair ends!