Fresha’s top tips for preparing your business for the New Year

Successful beauty and wellness businesses don’t become profitable overnight. Having a passion to succeed and deliver amazing experiences for your clients goes a long way, and as 2021 comes to a close, that determination needs to be underpinned by a strategy that will help you hit the ground running in 2022.

Knowing what it is you are striving to achieve is the first step in leveling up your business, and although the New Year might be the last thing on your mind during the busy season, it’s worth planning ahead. Whether you’re prioritising your client retention and rebooking rate, improving how often you speak to your clients, or hoping to secure more business online, we’ve highlighted the most important steps you should be taking to level up your business in 2022.

Tidy up your service list

Consumer behavior has never shifted as drastically as it has in the past couple of years. What has emerged are some permanent changes to how we run our businesses and how clients book our services.

Enhanced cleaning practices, reduced capacity, and longer breaks between appointments mean it’s more important than ever to make every visit count. Knowing which services are your best sellers and which ones are less likely to be booked by your clients is a great starting point. If they weren’t booking one of your services in 2021, chances are they’re not going to be booking it in 2022.

Use our sales reporting tools to identify which services are most popular with your clients, and if there are any that aren’t making you any money, it’s probably time to replace them with something else. Finding out which beauty trends are set to be big in 2022 will help get the ball rolling. Once you’ve decided which services are going and which ones are staying, it’s essential to know the true cost of each of your services to make sure you are charging what you should. Your time is valuable, make sure you're charging the right amount for it.

And don't forget to start upselling your memberships and services at checkout to lock in even more revenue from clients looking to book their favourite services in bulk.

Go contactless

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way businesses process payments, with card and contactless payments being the preferred payment method for many. With regular payouts to your account and the ability to keep track of your finances all in one place, making the switch to cashless, contactless payments is a no-brainer for any business that is interested in investing in a payment system that keeps processing rates low and has no monthly rental charges.

We’ve created a truly seamless checkout experience that will keep your business running smoothly and your clients happy and safe.

Save costs and monthly rental charges with our fully integrated Fresha card terminals or use Pay by link to give your clients the opportunity to pay for their services in a few simple steps via a payment link - no cash required. 

Set up an online store

Taking your business online can be a daunting prospect for many small business owners, and knowing where to start is the first hurdle to overcome. Designing and developing an e-commerce store can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $500,000 depending on your business type, size, and the number of products you want to list. For a company with a big budget, this investment is likely to pay off, but for small business owners, the upfront cost of setting up a website is a cost many can’t afford.

With Fresha’s new store feature, you can create your very own, professionally designed store in just a few minutes for free! With fully-integrated payments, automatic notifications whenever you make a sale, and real-time updates to your stock levels, you can start tapping into an entirely new pool of potential clients who may never set foot in your business and generating even more revenue alongside the services you provide.

Get social

With over 3.5 billion users (45% of the population!) spending an average of 3 hours per day scrolling through their stories and feeds, social media has revolutionised the way we live our lives. From the way we get our news to the way we interact with the people and brands we love, the power of social media is undeniable.

New and returning customers are obsessing over brands like never before. With a wealth of options and a constant barrage of buying opportunities on and offline, our relationships with the brands we choose go as deep as those with our closest friends. Your brand sets your business apart and will be the reason your clients will be willing to spend more with you and keep coming back.

Social media is your friend when it comes to amplifying your message. Whether you’re still getting to grips with how to grow your sales and boost your online presence with social media or you are ready to start investing in a paid social strategy, if your brand is not in front of your existing and potential clients, you’re losing out on revenue.

Stay in touch with your clients

Your clients will receive a lot of different brand communications throughout the festive season, so you need to cut through the noise and make sure they’re noticing you. Making sure your communication is well thought out and perfectly timed is key to securing those all-important bookings.

Throughout December (and most of November), many people spend more time searching online for deals - and they need to be inspired on where to spend their money. Why not make the most of this behaviour and send a limited-time offer via email or text message that will incentivise clients to book ahead, so you can start filling up those columns for January.

Make sure your subject line is catchy and the email content is simple, concise, and has a clear call-to-action to book. If you don’t know where to start with email marketing, our auto-campaigns and blast campaigns do the heavy lifting for you. With personalisable email templates and automated invites to book, you can keep in touch with your clients in just a few clicks.

Use your clients to promote your business

Your clients are the most important weapon in your arsenal when it comes to promoting your business. In fact, about 95% of customers read reviews before making a purchase online (Spiegel). Delivering credible first-hand accounts of the services they have received, reviews are quickly replacing the traditional word-of-mouth for salons and spas.

This viral form of feedback can influence a potential client's opinion in an instant. Collecting positive reviews should be the centrepiece of any marketing strategy that aims to attract new online clients, and with the right reviews in place, you can start turning more browsers into bookers. Our guide to securing more reviews and boosting your credibility online has everything you need to know about how to use your clients to attract new business.