7 simple ways to use email marketing to your advantage

Planning a successful email marketing campaign can be a challenge for any business owner, especially if you feel more comfortable communicating with your clients face to face. With Fresha’s free salon and spa appointment scheduling software, you don’t need to overthink your marketing strategy or wrap your head around any expensive or complex delivery systems. 

Fresha’s marketing tools include everything you need to send powerful marketing messages directly to your existing clients. Make the most of these tools with these 7 simple techniques to make email marketing work to your advantage.

1. Make a great first impression

Experts say that it takes just 3 seconds to form your opinion of someone, and subject lines are no different. When your email hits inboxes, subject lines will affect how likely your clients are to open or delete it.

A strong subject line should give your clients a good reason to open your email and read the contents. Our top tips? Keep it short, be specific, and use emojis and exclamation marks sparingly. Mailchimp's Subject Line Helper is a great free resource to try if you get stuck.

2. Marketing made simple

It might sound like a cute acronym, but in the world of marketing and advertising KISS stands for “Keep it simple, stupid”. Not the nicest message, right? At Fresha, we prefer the phrase “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. However you remember it, keep your marketing materials as simple as possible so that your message is crystal clear. Use straightforward language and don’t try to add too many elements, as it can distract and confuse your clients. Include a clear ‘Book Now’ or ‘Buy Now’ button so your campaign drives an action.

3. Keep track of your offers

Sales through your website or till speak for themselves – but it’s a good idea to keep track of how many clients an email offer has brought in so that you can make note of what works, and what doesn’t. Fresha’s blast campaigns let you add a special offer or promotional discount into your marketing email which is then applied individually to each applicable service booked through the Fresha website or app.

Alternatively, you could use a discount code or link your promotion to a specific page on your website. However, make sure to use a unique link so that you can accurately track the campaign's success. 

4. Reports for success

Speaking of tracking, you can easily check the success of a marketing campaign on Fresha. Head to the Reports section on your dashboard where you can check the performance of all your marketing campaigns. If your campaign doesn’t perform as well as expected, use that information to improve your marketing messages moving forward.

Reports are vital as they’ll help you focus on more successful campaigns and over time your marketing will just get more and more effective. Remember, marketing must be an ongoing part of your business, not a one-off or an occasional activity.  

5. Automate your emails for an easier life

Fresha’s smart delivery technology has been built to make the day-to-day running of your business much easier. Setting up an auto campaign can take just minutes, and once it’s done the message will be automatically sent to your clients – triggered by special events in your calendar.

You can set these triggers to send welcome emails, birthday offers, rewards or even entice non-returning customers back. Although the system is automated, you are still in total control. Personalise the messages to suit your business and start, stop or pause the campaigns at any time.

6. Recycling: good for the environment and your business

Sometimes the oldies are goldies, so there’s no need to come up with new and exciting offers all the time. If you’ve previously sent out a marketing email that had a great response, then don’t be scared of reusing it, as long as the content isn’t too topical or time-sensitive. Refresh the message if you need to with a new subject line, discount code and offer expiry date. Otherwise, it’s good to go.

7. Mix up your messages

The most effective thing you can do to keep your clients engaged through your email marketing campaigns is to send them a variety of messages. Keep your content fresh by sending clients a mix of your latest news, advice and promotional offers so they’re not seeing the same content again and again.

Do include professional tips and advice in your emails (i.e. skincare tips for summer or best deep conditioning treatments for dry hair) and share your latest news too. Have you introduced new treatments? Or perhaps a new retail range? Then it’s time to let everyone know about it.

Fresha’s appointment scheduling software is free for hair and beauty professionals at fresha.com/for-business