Texting Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present: 6 Tips to Help Your Beauty or Wellness Business Stay in the Know

Managing a salon, spa, or wellness business means you’re constantly changing and evolving–including how you’re communicating with clients. One thing never changes, though: your customers want to feel seen, heard, and appreciated. As much as you want to, the task of giving every client your undivided time and attention is nearly impossible (especially when you’re understaffed).

Luckily, texting is here to save the day. Whether you’re new to texting, considering taking this next step, or a texting pro, we have you covered on the six best texting strategies to fill in those communication gaps and maximize your success:

1. Information is power

Wouldn’t it be nice to identify a new client’s needs in advance? Texting allows you to do just that. Ahead of their first appointment, text clients to find out more about what they’re looking for and expecting out of their appointment. Questions like “what is your style and inspiration for this visit?” or “what are your goals for this appointment?” provide insights that ensure their visit is personalized and special––making it more likely they’ll return in the future.

2. Text clients after their first appointment

It may seem like a given, but first impressions really are everything. Your customers are more likely to remember you and come back when they feel genuinely cared for. Something as small as a quick text to ask a new client about their experience and for feedback is a small step that can set you apart from other businesses and make clients feel cared for. Follow-up texts nurture your relationships with clients and help to build your brand.

3. People need (and want) a push

You want your clients to keep coming back, maintaining their beauty and wellness routines. However, keeping your salon or spa top of mind can sometimes be a challenge. This is where you can use texting to give your customers that extra motivation and reminder that they need.  Sending a personalized message a few weeks after their first appointment asking them when they plan on returning.

4. A picture is worth a thousand words

Texting doesn’t have to be limited to just text. Use multimedia to maximize your efforts while increasing your impact and further engaging your customers. Promoting special events, new services and products, or care guides with images, PDFs, or documents can establish credibility and set you apart.

5. Be your authentic self

Texting creates the perfect opportunity to extend your company culture and show your customers what you’re all about. Use GIFs and emojis that match your brand voice (but make sure they’re still in style––emoji trends change all the time). Engaging with your customers in a helpful and thoughtful manner is a great way to make them feel seen and heard through your business and build that tight-knit client-to-staff relationship that people are looking to find at a salon, spa, or wellness business.

6. Promote your business number

This may seem obvious, but if you want to increase texting adoption at your business––this is an absolute must. If you want to encourage texting as the preferred method of communication, you must show that you want to make it easier for your customers to book and engage with your business. You can do this by putting your phone number everywhere and letting your customers know just how much your business likes to text. Put your phone number on your website, ads, in your emails, and banners as a simple way to encourage your customers to engage with texting your business. Don’t create any unintentional roadblocks for your clients.

Who would’ve thought texting and business would ever go together so perfectly? We’d like to thank rapidly evolving technology for that. If you’re looking for a sure-fire way to connect and engage with your client ––texting is the go-to method to adopt. Texting is no longer a “maybe;” it’s a necessity. Even better? There’s an AI receptionist that can do the bulk of the work for you. Mindbody’s Messenger[ai] simplifies your day by automating admin tasks, supporting your front desk staff, and communicating important info to your clients over text.