Five Questions To Help Create Your Salon Brand Promise

Trust is built on promises kept


From Module 1 of Creating Your Awesome Brand, A Complete Course for Beauty Professionals

What is a brand promise?
• How you solve the problems of the clients you serve
• The experience you deliver
• The expectations you set
• How you want your clients to feel

Different Audiences, Different Promises

When crafting your salon brand story, you likely have more than one audience unless you are a solo independent.

• Employment-based salons
Clients and team members

• Lease based salons
Clients and tenants

Example Brand promise for clients
Your clients may value relaxing experiences because previous salons they’ve been at feel chaotic.

Brand promise for teams
Your team may value working in an environment that is grounded and relaxing because their previous salon was toxic and chaotic.

Same. But different.


Five Questions To Help Create Your Salon Brand Promise
1. What does your salon brand experience look and feel like?
2. How does your salon brand solve the problems of your people?
3. What is the expectation you are setting for the experience of your salon brand?
4. How do you want your people to feel?
5. What do you want your people to say about your salon experience?

Having clarity of your salon brand story, which includes your salon brand promise, helps you simplify your decision-making process, make more aligned decisions for your salon business, set clear expectations, and connect with the people you wish to serve, whether it be salon clients, salon teams or salon tenants.

With that clarity, you will save a ton of time you waste not making decisions, or making ones that are not aligned with your visions and goals, have more confidence, and courage, and feel so much more joy. 



This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your salon brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.

Much love, in service to you-

Nina

Your Salon Social Media Content Is Your Marketing

In this episode, Nina dives into the connection between your salon brand story and your salon’s social media content and shares some simple processes to stay focused on creating content that connects you to the salon clients you wish to serve. If you are looking to streamline your social media content process, build relationships with new clients, get out of comparison, and reduce overwhelm this episode is for you. You can find more information on the Creating Your Awesome Brand Course here and on the socials here and here. Thank you so much for listening! 

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Your experience matters. We would be so grateful if you shared your experience with our podcast by leaving a review wherever you enjoy your podcasts. It matters to us, and so do you. Thank you- Nina

Salon Client Cancellations And Your Salon Brand Promise

Trust is built on promises kept

Tis the damn season for being exhausted and also frustrated by clients canceling their salon appointments, however, this lesson is evergreen, as it has to do with your salon brand promises, clear and simple Salon Business Agreements (salon policies), healthy boundaries (not walls!) and lifetime client value.

First, let’s talk about your brand promise. Your salon brand promise is the experience you create, the expectations you set, and how you want your clients to feel, all moving towards building trust with your clients through consistency in delivering on your promise which leads to building a healthy salon brand.

Next, let’s talk about Salon Business Agreements. The truth is, many of the Agreements I’ve seen over that last decade, have either not been clear, simple, or easy to find, or aligned with the salon brand promise. This is why we created an Awesome Salon Client Agreements template several years back for our clients which can also be found in the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. And it’s important to note, the reason we use the word Salon Agreement and not Salon Policies, is that Agreement indicates shared responsibility, and policy is almost always one-sided.

Now let’s talk healthy boundaries. This is a big part of the overcorrection I’ve seen in the last few years in the salon industry, and it is not anything I would ever recommend to our clients. The confusion seems to be understanding what healthy boundaries are and aren’t. Healthy boundaries are not walls, they are flexible and permeable, they create clarity, and connection, where walls drive disconnection.

The reason this is important is because you are dealing with human beings, who are imperfect, and there will inevitably be a time when someone messes up. If this salon client has been coming to you for years and has a high lifetime client value meaning how much revenue, referrals, and joy they bring you over the lifetime of your relationship with them, then you may think twice before charging them for a missed appointment when they had a sudden medical emergency. This doesn’t mean to don’t hold up your Agreements, it means you understand that there will be cases when you will make decisions that are most aligned with your salon brand long term.

Here are some things to consider when you are making decisions about ‘enforcing’ your Salon Agreements (salon policies)
1. Consider lifetime client value meaning how many referrals this client has sent you, how much joy they bring you, how much revenue they’ve brought to your salon, and the outcome you are seeking such as retaining the client or letting them go

2. Consider clients cannot predict when they get sick or have an emergency

3. Consider your clients may be tight on money atm and feel embarrassment and shame and don’t want you to know

4. Maybe your system for clients reading and opting into your Agreements needs improvement

5. Maybe there was a glitch in your confirmation and reminder system

6. Appointment based businesses are always going to have cancellations, including salons. A few are to be expected, a little more if it’s sick season, and if you are getting more than the norm, it’s almost always a system failure, not a people failure.


Here are some examples of Conversation Frameworks that can help you navigate the inevitable salon client late cancellation or missed appointment and make the best decision in alignment with your salon brand.




When you begin to move away from black-and-white thinking and adjust your expectations of how you wished it was to what it actually is, you’ll save a ton of time, energy, and resentment around inevitable salon client cancellations.

This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your salon brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.

Much love, in service to you-

Nina

Your Salon Social Media Content Is Your Marketing

Your content is your marketing

Every photo, video, caption, like, comment, and share is connecting you to your salon clients or disconnecting you from them. When you have clarity of your salon brand story, you also simplify your salon content creation.

Aligning your social media marketing with this narrative is the key to resonating with your target audience or what we call ‘brand people’. This alignment goes beyond aesthetics or your brand identity; it’s a strategic choice that extends to how you price your services and products. By understanding this intricate web, you’ll gain clarity, allowing you to make informed and aligned decisions and navigate building and growing your salon brand with purpose.

Let’s look at an example of content, context, and aligning that with your salon brand. The image below is my sweet baby Courage. This picture could have several different meanings, thus, it’s important to provide “context” which in this example would be a caption.


I decided for this example to make this a message about our Salon Animal Agreement, or what some would call a policy. I prefer the word Agreement as it indicates shared responsibility, versus being a one-sided rule, which we all know how most folks feel about rules, lol. Ok, back to the lesson. So the context here is the caption, which is written in alignment with our salon brand story, and uses our Content Framework below;

Content Framework
1. Who is this content for?
2. What problem is this content solving?
3. How does this content add value for the clients, teams, or tenants I serve or want to serve?
4. What feeling do I want to inspire?
5. Is this content aligned with my brand story?
6. What result or action am I seeking?

Now, if I was feeling resentful, in a rush, and didn’t have clarity of my brand story, I may instead post something like the example on the right below.
How did the message on the left feel versus the message on the right? It matters because your current and potential future salon clients are listening.

This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your salon brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.

Much love, in service to you-

Nina

Going To A Salon Isn’t A Luxury, Going To A Luxury Salon Is A Luxury

Your experience is your brand

In the awesome landscape of the beauty industry, you don’t just provide a service; you create an experience.

Understanding your brand story, and market position, helps you create experiences that are aligned with your brand, business model, objectives, and desired outcomes. Your brand story is the foundation from which you make all of your decisions for your salon, and clarity is the first step to simplifying your decision-making so you have more time for joy!

There are many different brand positions – from bougie luxury to the accessibility of value brands. Understanding where your salon fits into this spectrum is essential to help you create your brand story. Understanding your salon’s story, business model, and market position isn’t merely a strategic exercise; it’s the essence of creating an authentic connection with your clients, teams, and tenants (renters).

Your brand story isn’t just about the services you offer; it’s about the problems you solve and the emotions, values, and experiences you evoke. It’s the thread that weaves through every cut, every color, and every client interaction. Aligning your marketing with this narrative is the key to resonating with your target audience or what we call ‘brand people’. This alignment goes beyond aesthetics or your brand identity; it’s a strategic choice that extends to how you price your services and products. By understanding this intricate web, you’ll gain clarity, allowing you to make informed and aligned decisions and navigate building and growing your salon brand with purpose.

It’s super important to dispel the misconception that all salons are synonymous with luxury. The beauty industry caters to a diverse clientele with varied preferences and budgets which is awesome. Whether you’re a luxury salon offering high-value pampering or a value brand creating accessibility, each has its place and purpose. Your salon brand is a reflection of your values and the experiences you deliver, creating a space where individuals, regardless of budget constraints, can indulge in feeling and looking more beautiful.

This is just one of many tools and strategies inside the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals. Because when you have clarity around your brand, you have a strong foundation to make more aligned decisions, save a ton of time, money, and energy, and feel more confidence, courage, and joy. Click here to learn more.

Much love, in service to you-

Nina