Salon marketing plan:
30 days.

Most salons start a marketing push with the fun part: a new Instagram look, a promo, maybe some ads. Then the ads send people to a Google profile with last year's Christmas hours and a booking link that goes to a page that no longer exists.

This plan runs the other way. Facts first, because every later step sends people to them. The till second, because rebooking and reviews cost nothing and compound. Content third. Counting last, so that by day 30 you know where your regulars come from before you spend on more.

Tick as you go. Front desk tasks build a short brief for whoever runs the till. Ticks are saved in this browser only.

Open your Google Business Profile and read it as a stranger. The name should be the one on the sign, with no suburbs or services added. Google's guidelines ask you to use the fewest categories that describe your core business, and say businesses that only operate by appointment shouldn't list business hours. Then load the next three months of public holidays and closures as special hours.

Next, the booking link. Put your own link on the Google profile, the Instagram bio and every service page. With Fresha, for example, bookings through your own link, Facebook and Instagram carry no fee, while brand new marketplace clients do. The same client can cost you nothing or a commission depending on which button they tap.

Then the menu. If your prices only exist as a photo of a printed list, type them into the page as ranges. And if you offer injectables, search your captions, hashtags and booking menu for product names, nicknames and prices: the TGA says ads can't refer to prescription-only injectables, directly or indirectly.

This is the front desk week. The next appointment gets offered at the till, every time, at the right gap for that service. A barber client on a four-week cycle and a colour client on eight both leave with a date.

Reviews get asked of everyone, the same way, with no discount attached. Google's policy bans incentives for reviews and selectively asking for positive ones. The ACCC adds that removing or hiding genuine negative reviews can mislead. Reply to the existing reviews this week, starting with the worst.

Then check the reminder texts in your booking system. A reminder with only the appointment details is service. One that adds an offer is marketing, and the ACMA says marketing messages need consent, your details and an unsubscribe honoured within 5 working days. Add a separate news and offers tick box at booking, so the consent is on record.

Pick the three services you most want more of, ideally the ones with empty time in the book. Each gets a page: what it is, who it suits, how long, a price range and what moves it, aftercare, and photos of your own work with the stylist named. The salon SEO page has a planner for which services earn a page.

Label twenty photos properly. 'Balayage on thick, dark, shoulder-length hair, by Priya' does a job that 'gorgeous blonde moment' can't, for clients and for search.

Check your gift vouchers while you're there. Most sold since 1 November 2019 must be redeemable for at least 3 years, with the expiry shown. Fix the template now, before the next voucher season, not during it.

Ask every new client where they heard about you and record it in the booking system, not on a sticky note. Then tag the booking link on your Google profile, so Google Analytics can tell those visits apart. Google says tagged links should always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign.

Pull the last quarter's new clients by source and how many have booked again. That's your baseline. The new clients and rebookings page has a calculator for the cost of each returning client by source.

Only now, if you want to test ads, pick one service and one campaign. Set the location to Presence, which reaches people in or regularly in your area rather than anyone curious about it, and schedule it for the hours you can take bookings.

Repeat week four monthly. Recheck hours before every public holiday. Add a service page a month for the next service you want more of. And keep the front desk brief by the till, because the habits there decide more of next year's revenue than any campaign.