Proven Ideas for Building a Revolving Door of Loyal Clients

“Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” It’s a line from a beloved song about friendship popularized by the Girl Scouts, but try substituting the word "clients" for "friends," and it serves as sage advice for salon owners and managers. When it comes to building a strong beauty-based business, client retention is Queen. 

“New clients fuel your growth, but client retention is what actually fuels your profitability,” says Kati Whitledge, owner of  Be Inspired Salon in Madison, Wisconsin, and founder of Mya, a client recruitment software that converts web traffic into high-quality clients. Whitledge shares some illuminating statistics to prove her point.

“The average salon loses 30% of its clients naturally every year, so we constantly need to be recruiting new guests,” she says. “But it can cost 5-25 times more to acquire a new guest than to keep an old one.”

According to SALON TODAY 200 data, salons spend an average of 3% of their annual budget on marketing. So, if your salon brings in $1,000,000 in revenue, you’re spending about $30,000 a year in marketing. “If clients aren’t coming back after that first visit, you may be losing money on that marketing investment,” Whitledge says.

Average retention rates for new clients hover around 30%, and for existing guests, retention ranges from 60-70%, according to Whitledge. “When you can boost your salon’s client retention rate by an additional 5%, that can boost your profitability by 25-95%,” she points out. "Repeat guests spend an average of 67% more in your business than a first-time client because they have already bought into your brand." 

That's because your loyal guests are more likely to buy the products you recommend, sample an add-on service you suggest, and refer their friends to you. They bring a lifetime value to your salon, and their loyalty brings other benefits, such as consistent scheduling, which equals consistent revenue.

Getting your clients to book that second appointment is critical; it’s considered the loyalty tipping point. Once a guest comes in for a third visit, they’re considered a loyal client. 

(Read SALON TODAY blogs by Kati Whitledge.)

Now that we’ve established the importance of client retention, let’s look at four salon-proven ideas for building that revolving door:

The Art of Matchmaking

In 2014, Owner Kati Whitledge was strategizing how to get new stylists busy more quickly at Be Inspired Salon and to boost retention rates. “Our senior stylists were booked out, but new customers were leery of booking with a junior stylist,” she says. “I remember thinking if I could just get on the phone with every client and learn more about their personalities and needs, I could put them in the right stylists’ hands.” 

Whitledge knew that if a client was paired with a stylist she didn’t connect with, she was more likely to try a different salon rather than try a different stylist. She also knew that a client’s next step after learning about the salon through word of mouth, social media, or a Google search was to visit the salon’s website. 

She developed Meet Your Stylist as a sticky engagement tool that converts website traffic into high-quality clients. The software uses a match-making quiz based on personality profiling, the Five Love Languages, and a client’s lifestyle, values, and unique beauty needs. When a client takes the quiz and matches with a stylist on a salon’s website, it immediately builds consumer trust. Over the years, the technology evolved into a completely different tech stack, and Whitledge proved it could be used for barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, and nurse injectors as well, so it was rebranded as Mya. 

Today, many beauty and wellness businesses have embraced Mya, and Whitledge says it improves both new-client acquisition and repeat retention in several ways:

The Right Fit: The matchmaking technology pairs clients with the best provider based on a variety of critical preferences, boosting satisfaction from the first visit. A better match increases the likelihood of return visits by creating better experiences over time. 

Automated Re-Marketing for Repeat Visits: Mya sends tailored drip campaigns via text and email to leads with relevant offers and reminders, keeping the new salon top of mind. 

Built-In Client Data and Dashboard: Mya automatically captures client preferences, history, and responses, which empowers service providers to leverage targeted upsells and personalized communication. 

Helps Teams Build Loyalty: Stylists have the tools to track bookings, preferences, and satisfaction, enabling relationship-based growth, not just transactions. 

Mya Case Study

AnneMarie Krainich, who owns Ottalaus Salon in Lehi, Utah, says her stylists list only the services they are strong in on their Mya profiles, which has really helped match new clients with the best possible stylist. She also says that when a new client takes the matchmaking quiz, those results are automatically uploaded into the client’s guest profile in Zenoti, the salon management software Ottalaus uses. Stylists are encouraged to review the notes before the first appointment so they have an idea of the client's current struggles and the results they are looking for. That advanced information helps the stylist prepare a better, more customized consultation.

“It even asks the client if they want a stylist who is bubbly and chatty or quiet, which helps a stylist prepare mentally before the guest arrives,” she says. “And, if a client mentions that her hair is frizzy or dry, the stylist can be prepared to discuss a treatment offering or specific products. Sometimes, consultations in a salon get too rushed, this is an insurance policy against that.” 

Krainich says average service tickets for new guests who used Mya tend to be higher. More recently, Ottalaus started marketing Mya on their website. “If they’re on our site for more than 15 seconds, an invitation to take the quiz pops up.” she says. 

“Overall, our new client retention is up to 60% from where we were before we used Mya,” Krainich reports.

Ottalaus Salon was our 2022 Salon of the Year. Take a look.  

The Red Envelope Program

Since 2019, Thirty Hair in Columbia, Maryland, has instituted an annual Red Envelope Program around the holidays, which Owner Sarah McGee Mariman says helps her team create urgency and encourages clients to rebook in the typically slower months of January and February. 

Starting on Tuesday in the week before Thanksgiving, any client who makes a service or product purchase at Thirty Hair is handed a sealed red envelope. “They are given instructions to hold onto the sealed envelope and bring it back to the salon between January 1-31^st, at which point they can open it, and discover their prize,” says Mariman. “Every envelope contains a prize, ranging from a free travel-size product to a $500 gift card. All prizes (except the gift cards) must be redeemed by February 28^th, before our busy season kicks in.”

The Red Envelope promotion has driven prebooking, productivity, and retention since 2019. The mixture of prizes encourages clients to try new services, purchase products, and book appointments in January and February.

“The idea for the program came from Shauna Zarriungaham, who had suggested it when she was our Aveda sales representative. When circumstances led Shauna to leave Aveda, she came on board our team and launched the program,” says Mariman. “In the beginning, we stocked up on red envelopes from Office Max and designed the prizes ourselves, and over the years we’ve had different prizes such as a year’s worth of haircuts or a liter of product each quarter.” 

Since 2024, Mariman has enlisted the help of Imaginal Marketing, which now designs the envelopes and prizes, and helps Thirty Hair track which guests received a Red Envelope, and when they’ve been redeemed. “They do email and text message campaigns that remind the recipients to come back to the salon in January to redeem their prize,” she says. “When a client who is a recipient has an appointment scheduled in January, it is also flagged on their work ticket, so the stylist can get in on the excitement and encourage them to open the envelope.” 

Each year, the Red Envelope program starts after the salon’s annual holiday event, which typically sells more than $15,000 in retail sales in under three hours. “We build excitement around the event on social media, and we always promote the first day of the Red Envelope program,” Mariman says.  “They know we have a set number of envelopes each year, and when we’ve passed the last one out, we’re out. A number of clients get so excited that they come in that first day just to buy a product and claim one of the first envelopes.” 

Every year, Mariman determines how many envelopes will be distributed based on the previous year's redemption rates. This year, Thirty Hair gave out 653 prizes, handing out the last envelope on December 18^th. This year’s prizes included a $500 gift card, a $200 gift card, a $100 gift card,  50 prizes of $20 off a service, 100 prizes of $10 off a service, 50 Free Brow Waxes, 50 Free Botanical Repair Treatments, 100 Free Scalp Solutions Treatments, 50 prizes of $10 off a shampoo or conditioner, 50 prizes of $10 Jane Iredale cosmetics, and 200 free travel-size products.

“Before this program, we noted that 40% of our clients who have appointments in November and December would stretch their next appointment to early March,” she says. “Now we see a much higher retention of these clients with them coming back into the salon in January and February, helping us kick off each year from a position of strength.” 

A Coordinated Multi-Prong Campaign

“Strong client retention doesn’t happen by luck, it happens by design,” says Lucy Randall, chief operating officer at SparkPro Global, a company that matches busy salon owners with virtual assistants. “At that center of that design is a thoughtful, intentional content calendar.” 

Randall pioneered a successful client retention program in her role as marketing manager at Tantrum Hair Salon in Mesa, Arizona, and now she coaches the concept to SparkPro Global virtual assistants and their salon-owner clients.  The powerful loyalty program combines a well-planned content calendar with a monthly newsletter strategy, integrated social media posts, and in-salon communication to drive rebooking, boost product sales, and build long-term community connections. 

“A content calendar helps you share your message consistently across multiple platforms, capture attention, and build a genuine community,” she says. “When your guests repeatedly see and hear the same message online, in their inbox, in your salon, and from your team, they are encouraged to support your business through rebooking services, increasing their average ticket with add-on services, and purchasing retail.” 

To envision how an organized campaign works, Randall encourages you to think about the brands you’re most loyal to in your personal life. “Whether it’s your favorite coffee shop, skincare line, or streaming service, they’ve trained you on when to expect communication, what to look forward to, and how to engage,” she says. “Your salon should do the same.” 

“Once you have a complete calendar, your team can start planning promotions strategically, and they will align with your business goals,” Randall says. 

From the content calendar, everything connects:

• Monthly newsletter content reinforces the theme and promotion
• Email and text campaigns remind clients to act and book their appointments to take advantage of any special offer
• Weekly social media posts keep the message visible 
• In-salon signage supports client decision-making
• Confident communication from the staff and front desk team closes the sales and elevates the professionalism of the team. 

Randall says that salons that follow this plan experience fewer gaps in their schedule, stronger client retention, increased retail sales and clients who feel connected, not sold to. 

Randall's Three Steps for Building A Coordinated Campaign

Step 1: Map the Year

Sit down and outline your holidays, annual themes, seasonal moments, and promotions. Contact your product partners and schedule any upcoming product launches. Factor in any major educational moments your team will experience and how they will lead to new techniques your salon can offer or new service menu items.  Decide what you want to highlight each month and what actions you want clients to take.

Once you have the year mapped out, you can batch-create content, design campaigns in advance and communicate with your team early. This eliminates last-minute stress and creates a professional, polished experience for your clients.

Step 2: Align Loyalty + Messaging

Build loyalty rewards that support your monthly goals and reward rebooking, retail purchases, add-ons and referrals. Tie each promotion directly to a reward and clearly communicate it in newsletters, emails, texts, and in-salon communication. 

“If your March goal is to increase retail sales, your loyalty program could offer double points on product purchases that month,” Randall says. “Your newsletter could explain the promotion with compelling visuals and clear instructions. Your social posts, email communications, and text reminders should create urgency without being pushy.”

In this example, the loyalty program becomes the incentive, and the messaging becomes the guide, together training clients to take action. 

Step 3: Activate Everywhere

Distribute the same message across all touchpoints: social media, newsletters, texts, in-salon signage, retail focus tables, and scripts for stylists and front test team. When Randall posts one of these offers on social media, she also tags the team, so they can share the message on their own individual channels. 

“Your clients want to support you, and your team wants to thrive. Your business deserves to grow, and it all starts with a plan, a message, and the discipline to show up consistently,” concludes Randall. “If you train your clients well and reward them generously, you’ll see how retention becomes your salon’s superpower.” 

Coordinated Campaign Case Study

One of the product lines Baddhare Salon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, carries is Innersense Organic Beauty, and Innersense runs an ongoing promotion on its own website that gives first-time purchasers 15%.  Baddhare Owners Abigail Brown and Rhysa Anderson wanted to encourage their clients to purchase in their salon instead of online, and Innersense suggested they run the same offer in the salon. 

Working with SparkPro Global, the salon announced the campaign to its clientele through an eblast. While stylists talked about the promotion with guests in their chairs, social media posts, like the one below, reinforced the message.  

In addition, text message sent to clients read: “Hi Mary, discover Innnersense at Baddhare Salon! Clean, organic haircare that hydrates, shines & repairs. First-time buyers get 15% OFF in-salon only—limited time!

The campaign was launched at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and by the end of 2023, 55 clients took advantage of the Innersense discount, resulting in an additional $3,000 in product sales. That represents about 10% of the salon’s total product sales in Q4. 

A Loyalty Program that Rewards Behavior

Established in 2006 in Columbus, Ohio, Nūrtūr Salon + Spa takes pride in 20 years’ worth of successful operations. Owner Patrick Thompson says with experience comes the understanding that he and his team must never grow too comfortable or complacent but rather remain focused on attracting and retaining new guests. “In 2024, we serviced 2,993 new guests, averaging 57.6 new guests per week,” he says. “Keeping these guests ensures our financial sustainability.”

Thompson is proud of the salon company’s client retention rate of 81% and says its Nūrtūr Rewards Program, established in 2014, is the foundation for building guest loyalty and gaining referrals. “Our points-based program rewards client behavior that supports the goals we set for stylists in client count, client retention, rebooking, selling retail, upselling services, and requesting referrals,” he says. “The program incentivizes guests with points for behaviors that support these goals, and once a guest accumulates 2,000 points, they can redeem them for $25 toward a service. 

This breaks down the points rewarded for encouraged behavior:

When a guest checks out at the salon, they’ll see how many points they earned that visit at the bottom of their receipt, as well as their current total point balance. Guest Care team members will remind them when they’ve reached 2,000 points. 

The program is the foundation on which the salon layers additional incentives to drive sales, says Jennifer Delong, senior director of consumer business operations. “During the holiday season, guests can gain 'Nūrtūr U Status,’ an opportunity to get double points for the next calendar year. To qualify, guests must have a retail purchase of at least $250 in one transaction. We also have double or triple points opportunities during strategic times, such as Mother’s Day.”

Another program loved by Nūrtūr guests is its Spend & Earn, a tiered program that combines retail with service to drive sales and guest retention. Guests can earn vouchers up to $125 based on their retail spending. “Our guests appreciate receiving something extra for their purchases, especially with inflation and rising costs,” Delong says. “Spend and Earn is our way of saying Thank You for their continued loyalty while allowing us to build retention.”