Resources
Salon marketing ideas
that fill the chair.
A practical list for Australian hair salons and barbershops. Pick two or three you can keep up with between clients, rather than trying all of them at once.
Idea 01
Start with the website everything points at
Every other idea on this page sends someone somewhere. If that somewhere is slow, out of date or hard to read on a phone, the rest of your effort leaks away.
- Put your phone number as tap-to-call on every page, not only the contact page.
- Show your prices, or at least a starting price for your main services. People who cannot find a price often keep scrolling.
- Say where you are in plain words, including your suburb, so someone new knows you are close.
- Keep your opening hours correct, especially over public holidays and the Christmas break.
- Show real photos of your own work and your own space rather than stock images of a salon that is not yours.
Idea 02
Be findable on Google
Most salon searches happen on a phone, close to home, with intent to book that week. Two things decide whether you appear.
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Add your services, hours, photos and a link straight to your booking page.
- Ask happy clients for a Google review at the counter while they are still admiring the result. A short prompt works better than a follow-up text days later.
- Reply to every review, including the ones you would rather ignore. Future clients read the replies as much as the reviews.
- Name your suburb and your services on your website in normal sentences, so the search terms people actually type appear on the page.
Idea 03
Turn up when people ask an AI
More people now ask an AI assistant for a good salon nearby instead of scrolling a results page. AI tools recommend businesses whose pages they can read.
- Make sure your site serves real text, not a blank shell that only fills in once a browser runs it.
- Write a clear page for each main service so there is something specific to quote back.
- Answer the questions clients ask, such as how long a colour takes or what a correction costs, in writing on your site.
- Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere they appear online.
Idea 04
Make social media do a job
Posting is not the goal. Turning a viewer into a booking is. Choose a small number of things you can keep up with between clients.
- Post before and after shots with the client’s permission, and say what was done and roughly how long it took.
- Show the people, not only the hair. Clients choose a stylist as much as a service.
- Put a booking link in your bio and in your profile buttons, and keep it pointed at a page that actually loads.
- Reply to comments and direct messages quickly. A same-day reply often becomes a booking.
- Repurpose one good shoot across a week rather than chasing new content daily.
Idea 05
Run a referral program your clients understand
Word of mouth already brings you clients. A simple structure makes it happen more often without feeling like a sales pitch.
- Keep the offer to one sentence, such as a set amount off for the client who refers and the friend who comes in.
- Give the client something physical or digital to pass on, so they do not have to explain the offer themselves.
- Ask at the right moment, which is usually right after a result the client loves.
- Track it simply, even if that is a note in your booking system, so you know whether it is worth continuing.
Idea 06
Keep the clients you already have
Rebooking an existing client costs far less than winning a new one, and it fills the quiet weeks first.
- Rebook at the chair before the client leaves, with a suggested date based on their service.
- Send a reminder the day before to cut no-shows.
- Use a short email or text to fill last-minute gaps, offered first to clients who live or work nearby.
- Keep notes on formulas and preferences so returning feels easier than starting somewhere new.
- Follow up with clients you have not seen in a few months with a genuine message rather than a discount blast.
Idea 07
Use email and messages without being a nuisance
A small list of past clients is worth more than a large list of strangers. Write to them the way you talk to them in the chair.
- Collect email addresses at booking and explain what you will send.
- Send something useful, such as how to keep a colour looking fresh through summer, not only offers.
- Keep it short and make the next step obvious with one clear booking link.
- Send less often than you think you should, and stop the moment someone asks you to.
Idea 08
Work with your neighbours
Local partnerships cost nothing but time and put you in front of people who are already nearby.
- Swap offers or recommendations with a nearby cafe, gym, florist or bridal shop.
- Offer a chair or a styling session for a local event, school fundraiser or market day.
- Ask a local photographer to shoot your work in exchange for images they can use too.
- Support a cause your team actually cares about, and let clients see it in the salon rather than only online.
Want a hand with the hard part?
We build the website these ideas point at, and set it up so Google and AI tools can read it. Tell us about your salon and we will show you a free preview.