Scale messaging and automate booking without sacrificing your soul

Sustainable growth is crucial for long-term success in the self-care industry, and automation is the key to unlocking it. At Boulevard, we’ve found that the customers who rely on our automated marketing and booking tools see 25% more clients and 39% more completed appointments per service provider per month than those who don’t. The results speak for themselves.

Automation can help you with your business, but you shouldn’t leave the human element by the wayside. The beauty industry is a service industry, and your clients expect a one-of-a-kind approach that meets them where they are, even as you scale your approach to marketing, booking, and scheduling.

Smart deployment of automation tools doesn’t replace the human element — it augments it. Here’s how you can use these tools to grow your business while keeping that personal touch intact.

Personalize communication at scale

Focusing on making each visit special and uniquely tailored is what keeps clients coming back time and time again.

This level of personalization shouldn’t stop at your salon or spa’s doors. You should find ways to make each marketing message and interaction feel custom-made. It’s just good business sense — according to Deloitte, nearly half of organizations exceed their revenue targets and 71% report improved client loyalty thanks to their personalization efforts. 

Of course, handwriting texts and emails for every single client is unrealistic (not to mention wildly inefficient). Luckily, the right marketing platform can help you make every message feel unique, even at scale. 

Start by setting your campaign goals: Do you want more bookings? Are you clearing your shelves of retail products? Are you wooing back lapsed clients?  Then, use built-in templates or create a text and email campaign from scratch to match those goals. You can use your client data to target specific audiences and maximize impact. For example, clients who recently stopped by for a gorgeous new set of highlights would likely be receptive to a bundle deal on color-treated shampoo and conditioner. Once it’s ready to send out, your marketing suite will automatically add your client’s name for that extra-special touch.

Effective marketing takes more than a single email, though. You need to generate a consistent drip feed of communication to keep your business top of mind. 

Marketing automation can ensure you’re building a steady rhythm of messaging for your regular clients, nurturing them with a stream of information and event promotion so they choose your business when they’re ready to book. Meanwhile, automated systems flag lapsed clients and put them on a different messaging track, pushing gentle reminders and other incentives to get them to return. Other automated emails can go out on holidays and special events (like birthdays) to let clients know they are valued even when you’re not encouraging them to book.

Auto-responses fill the gaps

Long gone are the days of calling and leaving messages — clients expect to be able to text with your staff. It’s a great way to offer that human touch instantly and conveniently. 

But unless you’re available 24/7, you won’t always be able to respond to these messages quickly. And on the internet, it’s easy for potential clients to perceive a few minutes of silence as being brushed off.

Automated messaging can help fill those gaps, ensuring you won’t miss a message even when you’re away. For example, if your front desk staff steps away to help another client, you can set a customized “be right back” away message with a few clicks so anyone getting in touch knows their request has been received and will be responded to shortly. You can also set up after-hours messaging to let potential clients know your business is closed for the day without leaving them in the lurch.

Self-booking gives power back to your clients

Your clients want to book on their own terms. They want to search for a new salon near them on Google, and follow that result to book online. They want to see an ad for your business on Instagram and schedule an appointment directly through the platform. They want to book on mobile, at any time of day.

Here’s an example where implementing automation is the human answer to a real problem. Implementing sleek self-booking that recognizes each client and personalizes their experience shows that you’re responsive to your clients’ needs 24/7, even when no one is on site. It’ll also take pressure off your front-of-house staff, giving them more time to attend to the clients in front of them, smooth out check-in and check-out processes, or help stylists out when needed. Plus, nearly 80% of clients who booked their first appointment online will go on to book a second appointment, so you’re already taking steps to boost retention rates with minimal lift.

And the best part? AI can superpower your self-booking. Artificial intelligence can learn from your business’ normal rhythms to anticipate when you’ll be busiest, matching clients with the optimal time for their exact service and service provider. Your automated booking processes can feed that data directly into your scheduling system. Optimize your work day, reduce downtime, and maximize tips for your staff and revenue for your business — no extra work needed.

If your front desk staff fields a lot of booking requests via DMs, consider integrating your self-booking with your profile page. This approach will allow new and current clients to quickly find and book appointments inspired by your social posts whenever and wherever they are.

That’s the beauty of automation: It allows you to reduce client pain points and eliminate friction in your own processes, even as your business continues to grow. By focusing on solving real problems and keeping your clients in mind, you can use automation in a way that serves them, making everyone feel like a VIP.