Klaxon! There's a new(ish), lucrative customer in town and you're not on his radar. The rise and rise of the metrosexual is pretty well documented and isn't slowing down anytime soon. The major cosmetic brands are onto it with new launches aimed specifically at the male market, but what have you been actively doing to entice this new customer with buckets of disposable income into your salon? Thought so. Here are five ways to get the modern man interested in your business (and booking a treatment, pronto).
Hey, they might be metrosexual, but they still want to feel manly, right? So, opting for a 'pedicure' or other treatments that have traditionally female connotations is going to be a pretty hard sell. It doesn't take long to create a short, to the point and completely bespoke menu of services for your male clientele on your website, and it will go a long way to making them feel welcoming and comfortable in your salon.
On your treatment info page, steer away from typical names for treatments that could be off-putting, and think along the lines of grooming instead of beauty treatments, sports massages rather than pampering, and nail tailoring in place of manicures. Once you have your new messaging in place, shout about it as much as you can, in-salon and especially online. You want your salon to come up first when he Googles 'male treatments, mytownsville', so populate your salon website with male-centric content to show you know your stuff.
It's no surprise to learn that sport turns up time and time again in the top areas of interest for men. Injecting an element of sporting discussion to your offering for men is going to make it instantly more appealing, whether your potential client is out on the pitch every week or is more of an observer.
Consider using sports terminology in your treatment list, offer physio-strength massage or keep up to date with the latest developments in what styles the key players of major teams are wearing so you can connect with your male clientele. It will also help you know what a customer is on about if they come in looking for ‘an Adam Lallana’, for example. Drive your social media followers to your website where you can show off your sporting knowledge with potential customers via content that appeals directly to them.
Think of the environment your male clients are walking into and ask yourself objectively if it's predominantly female-focused (chances are, the answer is yes). If so, a simple way to up your male game is to make sure you have a solid retail offering for the male customer.
This doesn't just make you instantly appear more male-focused, but is a great draw in the door for the man who isn't ready to make a booking but is using product at home. Do your research and find out what products really work for male-specific concerns, or invest in a male range and put it out front and centre (and that includes on your website) - it won't put off your female customers, but it will attract in the metrosexual male in his droves.
Don't put him off with floral, sweet smells that only remind him of his mother or his girlfriend. Smell is one of the most powerful senses and the only one that's connected to our limbic system. In short, that means it can provoke an actual emotional reaction in a way that what we see can't.
Feminine scents or strong smells of tan or acrylic nails could make your male customer turn on his heel and run a mile (and some of your female ones too!). Choose a non-gender specific aromatherapy oil and scent your salon to appeal to both genders.
Put simply, marketing to men is a different language (no surprise there). Make sure your marketing plans and all communications, from your website to how your staff make small talk, takes into account the male customer.
If you have a female-focused team and a pink website, you're never going to attract the male who is embarking on his first salon visit. Neutral colours, a diverse staff base and male reading materials in your waiting area are all subtle ways of letting him know he's welcome. Of course, you could also go the not-so-subtle route of having a big 'Men Welcome' sign outside your door and on the homepage of your website - that works too.
‘What’s all this talk of my website?’ you might ask. Don’t worry – if you don’t have an online presence (apart from social media), it doesn’t take that much time, or money, to build a website that will appeal to your growing customer base.
At Digital Salon Group we can build it for you, get you instantly found online by consumers, and maintain it easily with regular updates to your salon info, treatments and special offers, so you can concentrate on providing a great service to all your customers, whether they are male or female.
Contact us today to have your web presence audited.