“To stand out from other spas, we often use humor in our advertising. We also have a jingle we use in our radio advertising that I actually overhear people singing—it was a great investment. I also do research and try to emulate ads that attract me.”

Rosemarie Haines, Dazzles Salon and Day Spa, Fishkill, NY

“We read that the television program “Ambush Makeover” was coming to North Carolina and sent them our press kit. They came to our area and used our colorist, stylist and make-up artist. It created an atmosphere of high energy, and got the salon a lot of attention. We received blanket coverage in our area from local media, in addition to the actual “Ambush Makeover” show that will air in September. The key to getting the publicity was having our press kit ready to go when the opportunity presented itself.”

Sheila Paquette, Chakras Spa, Greensboro, NC

“We’re having great success with our in-house referral program, now in its third month. If a client refers a new client, the new client gets a $5 or 10-percent discount, depending on the service. The referring client gets a discount, too. We advertise and explain the program with fliers at the stations, front desk and in the bathrooms.”

SandroJohnston, ABQ Hair Studio, Albuquerque, NM

“We rarely run advertising in the newspaper, but when we do, we place it in the sports section. The newspaper tried to talk us out of it, but I reasoned that the moms look at the kids’ sporting events, and men read that section. And I received a better response from that placement. We advertised a one-time, three-hour sale on gift certificates. The response was easy to track—they were lined up outside the door. In those three hours, we sold $4,700.”

Irene Schreiber, Blues Hair Studio, Marshfield and Madison, WI

“Since last fall, we have been purchasing a banner ad on our local newspaper’s website that links to our site. Now we’re getting 90 to 125 hits a week—great for a town of 45,000 people. The newspaper also ran an online contest to win our half-day spa package, and the paper received 15,000 entries in a month. We’ve also seen an increase in sales of gift certificates from the banner ad. For Mother’s Day this year, our sales tripled from last year.”

Cyndy Meyer, CL Meyer Salon & Day Spa, Enid, OK

“We’ve had a Charter Membership program for six years. For $2,500, the Charter Membership gives the client a 25-percent discount on products and services for life and then names are engraved in the walls of the salon. We have a Charter Membership program at each of our locations, and each program closes when a new salon opens. Members love this program and actually come in and take photos in front of their names. It also makes the clients loyal to the salon, not just to their stylist.”

DarlaDiGrandi, Hi-Lites Salon & Day Spa, Cathedral City, CA

“I keep abreast of what other salons are doing, and we do something else. I especially pay attention when choosing our retail product lines. We offer unique and distinctive products clients can’t get anywhere else. In turn, our clients associate our salon with these great brands. We are so known for our unique lines and products that we have retail clients in addition to our service clients.”

Christina Zona, Andrew Zona Studio, Hingham Square, MA

“Valuable marketing includes building relationships with your current and first-time clients. After a client experiences our salon and spa services, word-of-mouth marketing becomes more important than our advertising, marketing and PR programs. That’s why we feel our marketing efforts start with our commitment to give each client the best service available with our attention to detail.”

Randy Currie, Currie Hair • Skin • Nails, Glen Mills, PA

“We are in the process of doing an insert in the Washington Post to 30,000 homes in the geographic areas surrounding our three salons. The insert is our menu, and on the backside is our newsletter, with news about our salon, our machines and the new services we’re offering. Our current clients already receive the newsletter, so this is a way to reach new clients in our area.”

DianeFisher, Eclips Salon & Day Spa, McLean and Ashburn, VA

“We keep ourselves in the forefront of contemporary hair color marketing by creating our own color collections, designing on our own models, doing photo shoots and using the photos in advertising. We advertise in local magazines and newspaper ads, and also send our models out to local promotions. We are the trend leader for what’s happening in color in our area.”

Thomas Monticello, Visions Hair Studio, Wellington, FL

“We host a charity event, Beauty for the Cure, to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We offer a haircut, chair massage and a manicure for $45, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the foundation. It’s a one-day event, and we invite other stylists, nail techs and massage therapists to come and donate their time. It’s a great way to bring not only our salon but also our industry together for a good cause. Also, it’s the best form of publicity. The local radio station does a remote broadcast, and the local television and newspaper cover it. We can attribute new clients to the event as well.”

Terry Barragan, Barragan’s Salon and Spa, El Paso, TX

“I have an advertising agency that works with me on every single project we do. We advertise in one high-end magazine and do a direct-mail piece three times a year, surrounding major holidays in February, May and December. We see an increase of 35 to 40 percent in gift certificates after those direct-mail pieces. That’s all the marketing we do, but it’s very specific to our needs and works great for us.”

Stefanie Palko, Copperfalls Spa, Castle Rock, CO