SalonTarget Software, a North Easton, MA-based company, recently launched SMS Connect, a text messaging marketing feature that enables salons and spas to reach their customers in the one place they’re always checking – their phones.

“As a salon management and online booking company, we are always developing new tools and features to help our users communicate with – and market to – their customers,” says Anthony Masciarelli, co-founder of SalonTarget. “Especially in these times of COVID, when landscapes can change suddenly and bottom-line revenue is more important than ever.”

With SMS Connect, the salon owner or manager can send out targeted text messages to customers who have opted in – anything from schedule openings and promotions to weather closings or updated guidelines. Marketing data shows that SMS is the best way to reach a customer, with open rates and response rates far eclipsing email and other more traditional forms of marketing.

SalonTarget’s early beta testing of SMS Connect in a handful of salons met with overwhelming success. “One single SMS blast paid for my whole monthly subscription,” says Sade Doucette, Manager for La Novita Salon and Spa in Randolph, Massachusetts. “We had a master stylist whose week of bookings fell apart from cancellations. We sent out an SMS to every customer who had seen her in the last three months, and within 20 minutes all five of her free spots booked up.”

Doucette also highlights the ability to attach campaign-specific promotion codes to SMS blasts, allowing her to track the conversion success of SMS Connect. “We’ll tag on something like ‘use promotion code SMS20 to save 20%’ and then monitor uses of that promotion code to evaluate the effectiveness of the feature,” she says.

In addition to filling chairs and sending promotions, Masciarelli also highlights the ability to notify customers in the event of a weather closing or ensure that they have reviewed COVID-related materials before coming in for an appointment.

“As a manager, SMS Connect gives me more control,” says Doucette. “And I feel like I can run the business without having to be there 24/7.”

Learn more about SalonTarget’s new SMS Connect feature at salontarget.com/sms-connect.