Guide
Salon marketing ideas: 6 that fit a fully booked week
Updated
These six salon marketing ideas take minutes, not a free afternoon. Two are videos, and four work without posting anything.
In short
- The best salon marketing ideas are short videos answering client questions and before-and-after videos where you explain the work.
- Two videos a week is enough, and you can film them together on your quietest morning.
- A Google profile full of your work, reviews asked for at the reveal and referral cards bring clients without posting.
- Ask clients for written permission at the consultation before you film their hair.
- Cutroom turns a video of you talking into a finished, captioned video. Your first video is free.
- Salon marketing ideas, none needing an ad budget
- 6
- Videos a week, filmed together
- 2
- Cutroom credits for a 30-second video
- 110
The 6 ideas at a glance
Pick one to start this week. None needs an ad budget.
Salon marketing ideas
| Idea | What you do | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Client question videos | Answer one question clients ask you, per video | Your clients already ask these questions |
| 2. Before-and-after with your voice | Say what you did, how long it took and the price | It shows how you work, not only the result |
| 3. A Google profile full of hair | Replace storefront photos with photos of your work | People searching for a salon nearby see your work first |
| 4. Reviews at the reveal | Hand over a QR card while they look in the mirror | Clients are happiest right then |
| 5. Referral cards | A named offer for a friend's first visit, with an end date | It gives clients a reason to recommend you |
| 6. A partner studio | Swap cards and tag each other with a nearby nail or lash studio | You share the same kind of clients |
Idea: 1. Client question videos
- What you do
- Answer one question clients ask you, per video
- Why it helps
- Your clients already ask these questions
Idea: 2. Before-and-after with your voice
- What you do
- Say what you did, how long it took and the price
- Why it helps
- It shows how you work, not only the result
Idea: 3. A Google profile full of hair
- What you do
- Replace storefront photos with photos of your work
- Why it helps
- People searching for a salon nearby see your work first
Idea: 4. Reviews at the reveal
- What you do
- Hand over a QR card while they look in the mirror
- Why it helps
- Clients are happiest right then
Idea: 5. Referral cards
- What you do
- A named offer for a friend's first visit, with an end date
- Why it helps
- It gives clients a reason to recommend you
Idea: 6. A partner studio
- What you do
- Swap cards and tag each other with a nearby nail or lash studio
- Why it helps
- You share the same kind of clients
Idea 1: videos that answer client questions
The questions clients ask you in the chair make the easiest videos, because you already answer them every day.
Start each video with the question, then answer it in plain words, in under a minute.
- How often should I get a trim?
- Why did my box dye turn orange?
- What does a toner do?
- Why does a colour correction take so long?
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Idea 2: before-and-after videos with your voice
Many salons post the transformation set to a trending song. Talking over it instead shows how you work.
- Say what the client came in with, what you did and how long it took.
- Say the price, or a starting price for corrections, because it is the first thing many viewers want to know.
- End with who it suits, like fine hair, grown-out balayage or box dye gone dark.
- Ask the client for written permission before you film, ideally at the consultation.
How often to post
Two videos a week is enough, and it is easier to keep up than posting every day.
- A salon with one chair can post two videos a week. A salon with several stylists can post more.
- Film two or three videos back to back on your quietest morning, in one spot by the window.
- Film vertical, so the same video works on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
- Keep each video under a minute.
Ideas 3 to 6: marketing that is not a post
These four keep working while you are with clients.
- Your Google Business Profile is where people searching for a hair salon nearby compare salons, so fill it with photos of your work, not the front door.
- Ask for a review at the reveal, while the client is looking in the mirror. A card with a QR code to your review page makes it quick.
- Never offer a discount or a free service for a review. Google's rules do not allow any reward for reviews.
- A referral card with a named offer for a friend's first visit and an end date gives clients a reason to pass it on.
- A nearby nail or lash studio has the same kind of clients. Swap cards and tag each other's posts.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom does the editing for the videos where you talk.
- You upload a video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long, in your browser.
- Cutroom cuts it, adds captions timed to your voice and puts clips over the things you mention.
- You can upload your before and after clips and put them on the words where you describe them.
- A finished vertical (9:16) video comes back in about a minute.
- A 30-second video costs 110 credits: 100 to edit and 20 per minute of export.
- Your first video is free (600 credits, for one video), with no card, within 7 days.
A client question to a posted video
Film one video
Up to 3 minutes, phone by the window
Upload in the browser
No app to install
The edit comes back
About a minute, captions added
Export
A vertical MP4, 110 credits for 30 seconds
Questions people ask
- What are some good salon marketing ideas?
- Short videos answering client questions, before-and-after videos where you explain the work, a Google profile full of your work, reviews asked for at the reveal, referral cards and a partner studio nearby.
- How often should a salon post?
- Two videos a week is enough. Film them together on your quietest morning, so a busy week does not stop you posting.
- Do I need client permission to post their hair?
- Yes, in writing. A message is enough. Ask at the consultation, and keep the reply.
- What if I feel awkward on camera?
- Start with client question videos, because you talk about hair, not about yourself. Record two or three times and keep the one that sounds most like you.
- Should prices go in salon videos?
- Yes for standard services, and a starting price for corrections. It answers a question many viewers have, and the consultation is still where you give the exact quote.
- Which platform should a salon start with?
- The one your clients already message you on, which for many salons is Instagram. Film vertical, so the same video also fits TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
Film answers to three client questions on your quietest morning this week. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it