What Small Hair Salons Can Learn From Drybar's Blowout Success

TLDR

As the owner of a small, local hair salon, you may look at the runaway success of blowout franchise Drybar with a mix of admiration and anxiety. With hundreds of locations across the country, a widely recognized brand identity, and over half a million Instagram followers, Drybar dominates the blowout space. However, by examining their winning formula - monthly memberships, seamless online booking, and social media strategy - you can employ similar strategies on a local level. Offering your own version of their signature blowout bar membership, smooth appointment scheduling through an app, and social media promotion highlighting your salon's personality and talent can help you compete in your own community. Drybar found the recipe for blowout success; learn from their ingredients, and craft your own locally sourced version.

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How Drybar Used Social Media to Grow Their Blowout Business

Engaging a Community of Advocates

Drybar implemented a 360-marketing strategy focused on social media to reach its target audience. By sharing customer stories and experiences on platforms like Instagram, Drybar built an authentic connection with a community of women advocates. Drybar’s social media channels, especially Instagram where founder Alli Webb has over 535K followers, highlight the feminine and beauty aspects of the brand.

Curating Shareable Content

Drybar curates content on social media that is highly shareable, like before-and-after blowout photos, style inspiration, and step-by-step tutorials. By posting content that spotlights their customers and educates followers, Drybar built brand awareness and credibility. The content is also optimized for engagement, with calls-to-action to book an appointment or give feedback.

Location-Based Marketing

In addition to an active social media presence, Drybar deployed location-based marketing to drive traffic to individual salon locations. Using geotargeting, Drybar delivered ads for each salon to users within a certain radius. Location pages on Drybar’s website and dedicated location profiles on platforms like Instagram allow potential customers to discover their neighborhood Drybar, view photos, and book directly.

Small salons can achieve similar success by developing a cohesive social media and content strategy focused on community, education, and location-based marketing. An easy-to-use mobile booking app, like Per Diem Square, makes it simple for customers to discover and book with their local salon. By following Drybar’s model, salons can build an authentic connection with clients and boost blowout bookings.

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The Secrets Behind Drybar's Seamless Booking Experience

The brand's swift website and mobile booking process and expert pre-blowout consultations are two of the keys to its success.

Streamlined Appointment Scheduling

Drybar’s user-friendly website and mobile app allow customers to easily book appointments at their convenience. Their online booking portal offers real-time availability at each location so customers can find openings that fit their schedules.

Personalized Consultations

Upon arrival for an appointment, each customer receives a complimentary consultation to determine their hair needs and desired style. Drybar stylists ask targeted questions to gain an understanding of a customer’s hair type, problem areas, and style preferences. Armed with this information, stylists can provide tailored blowout recommendations to achieve the perfect look.

Efficiency Maximized

Drybar tracks telephone hold times to maximize efficiency. They aim for all calls to be answered within 20 seconds so customers can promptly book appointments and have questions answered. Their website and mobile app also allow most customers to bypass the phone queue altogether.

Other salons can achieve similar success by implementing an easy-to-use mobile booking system, providing pre-service consultations, and closely monitoring telephone hold times. An affordable option for small salons is a white-label mobile booking app that can be customized with their branding. By focusing on a seamless customer experience from start to finish through accessible booking, personalized service, and efficiency, salons can build a loyal client base and gain a competitive advantage.

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How Other Salons Can Offer Drybar-Style Bookings With Per Diem App

Utilizing an Appointment Booking App

Other salons can take notes from Drybar’s success and implement a dedicated mobile appointment booking app. Per Diem Square's app allows salons to provide a quick and efficient booking experience for clients seeking blowout or other styling services. An app gives salons the means to offer easy appointment scheduling, membership management, exclusive promotions, and style inspiration to keep clients engaged.

Offering Blowout Memberships

Some salons provide unlimited monthly blowout memberships to make frequent styling affordable and convenient for clients. Memberships ensure repeat business and a steady revenue stream for the salon. Per Diem’s app allows salons to manage membership subscriptions, schedules, and payments. Membership options, especially when combined with an efficient booking system, make blowout bars an appealing business model for salons to emulate.

Focusing on Efficient Booking Systems

Drybar’s success highlights the importance of a streamlined booking process. Some locations book appointments weeks in advance, showing the demand for their efficient systems. Salons can implement a similar model to provide a personalized booking experience. Per Diem allows salons to send appointment reminders, manage schedules, and enable easy rescheduling or cancellations. An efficient booking system, especially one optimized for mobile, is key to operating a successful blowout bar.

While Drybar locations require substantial capital and time to launch, salons can test the waters by starting with a few stylists dedicated to quick blowout services. Focusing on an efficient white-label booking app, membership options, and social media marketing, salons can build up their blowout business over time.

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Final Thoughts

So what can small hair salons take away from Drybar's wild success? Focus on providing exceptional service, make booking easy through a dedicated mobile app, and offer memberships and promotions to encourage customer loyalty. While most salons can't provide Drybar's level of branding and scale, they can still learn from their digital-first approach and seamless experience. Using tools like Per Diem Square's appointment app, local salons could provide a similar level of convenience at a fraction of the cost. At the end of the day, it's about identifying your strengths as a small business and leaning into them. Drybar found its niche with blowouts; you can find yours too.

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