How to Get More Salon Clients: Proven Strategies That Actually Work

Let's be honest: finding new salon clients in 2025 is challenging. Competition has increased, attention spans have decreased, and the way people discover local businesses has completely changed.

The good news? Most salons do client acquisition poorly. They rely on word-of-mouth alone, have incomplete Google profiles, and ignore online reviews. By implementing even basic strategies, you can outperform 80% of local competition.

This guide covers everything: from foundational strategies that cost nothing to advanced AI-powered discovery. Whether you're a new salon building from scratch or an established business looking to grow, you'll find actionable tactics here.

When someone searches "hair salon near me" or "best salon in [city]", Google Maps results appear first. This is where the majority of new salon clients come from — and where you need to dominate.

How to Rank Higher in Google Maps

1. Complete your Google Business Profile — Every field filled, every section optimized. Google rewards completeness.
2. Get consistent reviews — Not just quantity, but recency. A steady flow of recent reviews signals active, quality business.
3. Add photos weekly — Fresh photos show Google your business is active. Interior, exterior, work samples, team.
4. Respond to every review — Engagement signals quality. Thank positive reviewers, professionally address negative ones.
5. Use Google Posts — Share updates, offers, and news directly on your profile. Most salons ignore this free feature.

Local SEO is everything you do to appear when people search for salons in your area. It's the foundation of sustainable client acquisition — once you rank well, clients find you automatically, every day.

The Three Pillars of Local SEO

Local SEO Checklist

• Claim and verify Google Business Profile
• Ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across all directories
• List in relevant local directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, local chambers)
• Build citations on salon-specific directories
• Optimize website for local keywords ("salon in [neighborhood]")
• Create location-specific pages if you serve multiple areas
• Get backlinks from local businesses and organizations

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first thing potential clients see. It's free, powerful, and drastically underutilized by most salons.

GBP Optimization Checklist

Pro tip: Most salons complete about 40% of their profile. Completing 90%+ puts you ahead of nearly all local competitors.

Reviews are the digital equivalent of word-of-mouth — and they're more powerful than ever. 93% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a local business.

How to Get More Reviews

1. Ask at the right moment — Right after service when they're happy, not days later via email
2. Make it easy — Send a direct link to your Google review page via text
3. Ask everyone — Don't cherry-pick. Volume matters for ranking
4. Respond to all reviews — Shows you care and encourages others to review
5. Never fake reviews — Google penalizes this severely, and clients can tell

The compound effect: More reviews → higher ranking → more visibility → more clients → more reviews. Once this flywheel starts, it accelerates automatically.

Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. It should do one thing exceptionally well: turn visitors into booked appointments.

Website Must-Haves

• Mobile-first design — 70%+ of salon searches happen on phones
• Clear booking button — Above the fold, on every page
• Fast load time — Under 3 seconds or you lose visitors
• Service menu with prices — Clients want to know before they call
• Photos of your work — Gallery showcasing your best transformations
• About your team — People book with stylists, not businesses
• Location and hours — Immediately visible
• Reviews/testimonials — Social proof embedded on site

Strategic offers remove risk for new clients and give them a reason to try you over competitors. The key word is strategic — not desperate discounting.

Offers That Work

The goal isn't just to get them in the door — it's to get them in at a price point that allows you to deliver exceptional service, so they return at full price.

Walk-ins are opportunities walking through your door. The question is: how many become repeat clients?

The Walk-In Conversion System

1. Capture their information — Name, phone, email. No exceptions. This is your lifeline for follow-up.
2. Deliver exceptional first experience — Over-deliver on service. This is your audition.
3. Book next appointment before they leave — "Let's get you on the calendar" before checkout.
4. Send thank-you message within 24 hours — Personal, not automated-feeling.
5. Follow up if no next booking — Reach out at appropriate rebooking time.

A growing number of people use AI assistants — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Siri, Alexa — to find local businesses. This is the next wave of discovery, and most salons aren't prepared.

AI discovery isn't replacing Google — it's adding another channel. Salons that optimize for both traditional search AND AI-powered discovery will capture more market share.

Lila, DINGG's discovery AI agent, automatically optimizes your presence for both traditional and AI-powered search, ensuring you're found wherever potential clients are looking.

Referred clients are the best clients — they arrive pre-sold, have higher lifetime value, and are more likely to refer others. A good referral program systematizes word-of-mouth.

Referral Program Essentials

• Reward both parties — Referrer AND new client should benefit
• Make it easy to share — One-click sharing, memorable codes
• Promote consistently — Remind clients the program exists
• Track and thank — Acknowledge referrers personally

Social media is powerful for salons — your work is visual, transformations are shareable, and local targeting is precise. But it requires strategy, not just posting.

Platform Priority

1. Instagram — #1 for salons. Visual, local discovery, DM bookings
2. Facebook — Good for local community, ads, and older demographics
3. TikTok — High potential for viral reach, younger audience
4. Pinterest — Inspiration searches, long-term traffic

Content That Attracts Clients

• Before/after transformations (your best content type)
• Behind-the-scenes of your process
• Client testimonials and reactions
• Educational content (styling tips, care advice)
• Team personality and culture

Consistency beats perfection. Posting 3x per week with decent content outperforms posting once a month with perfect content.