What if your clients are not exclusively the millennials who grew up in a check-me in virtual reality world?
What if a large segment of your client base still belongs to a generation where Internet did not exist in their
time? Or at least what if you also wish to target clients who are not digitally savvy?
After all, there is no reason why you should not make a real point to grab this lucrative market and frankly, often silver headed have more cash to spend as opposed to Generation YouTubers.
Good news for you as a salon owner, as putting boots on the ground and grabbing new clients through traditional marketing is easier and a hundred years time-tested too.
Here are 7 quick tips for when you are focussing on targetting older demographics
1. Imagine life without the Internet, social media and online ads
2. Think boots on the ground first – people like to read real letters, newspapers, and magazines. A personal
direct mail letter and a handcrafted invitation letter from the salon boss, you, will do more to grab the attention than the flood of online ads.
3. Word of mouth referrals are stronger than ever – it’s a brick and mortar shop, not a virtual reality.
People love recommending good service, but you have to make sure your staff is trained to handle the referrals properly.
4. Exaggerate the quality – not that you should cut the corners with any generation, but even more so with the
generation who has seen the good, the bad and the ugly. You can’t get away with an average anything.
In other words, building a rapport is really important.
5. Exclusivity, no not a seniors club, rather think of a gentleman only hours, or ladies only Wednesdays.
Perhaps inviting people in to come and check out the hair service.
6. Some people are still not comfortable to pull out the credit card and reserve the booking through the salon App, it’s important to think of the little details like that.
7. Don’t forget to remain cool and current, older does not mean boring.
Happy client attraction
Tamara Machavariani Forrest-Smith