Salon Top Tips

Phil Burroughes, Managing Director, Imagesound

Pop, soul, string, jazz or folk, the act of providing a musical accompaniment to a business setting is not a new one, but only in recent years has music become recognised as a valuable business tool which helps construct a positive atmosphere for customers, influence behaviours and used as a commercial driver.

Phil Burroughes, Managing Director at Imagesound, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of background music to hairdressing brands such as TONI&GUY;, provides some tips on how to use music effectively in a salon environment.

At Imagesound, we believe that we are at the stage where people expect great music wherever they go and that music has become a vital component of the customer experience. We feel this is especially true of the salon sector. Creating optimum experiences for both staff and customers is a real art form, and something that deserves time and dedication to ensure you get it right. Consider music a tool on equal footing with salon furniture, products and service in regards to creating the ideal experience you want your customers to have. What your customers hear is just as important as what they see.

Here are some tips on how to use music effectively in your salon:

1. Create shifts in music tempos throughout the working day.
In a salon environment, you usually have two core audiences – your staff and your customers. A really good way to cater for both is to create shifts in music tempos throughout the working day, as well as allowing for any personalised staff orientated playlists during pre-opening and closing hours, amongst other things, to help enhance job satisfaction and motivation.

2. Understanding how music and lyrics can help reflect a range of emotions.
The key for a salon is in understanding how combination music and lyrics can help to reflect a range of emotions. You need to impress upon customers walking through the door that they have come to the right place, and ensure their visit generates positive word of mouth, thus driving footfall. In our view, people are less willing to accept an average experience, and this is especially true of salons.

3. Create an environment your customers want to talk about on social media.
Customers want to be proud of their choices, they want to tweet about their salon experience as it’s happening, posting ‘selfies’ on Facebook and Instagram, of the transformation in progress. In short, they want to be fans of the salon brand they choose, so this works in your salon’s favour. They are entering with a positive outlook, you simply need to make sure their hopes are converted into satisfaction. That’s where music can provide a real point of emotional differentiation.

4. Play music that reflects your true brand identity.
A word of warning, get it wrong and it can drive customers away. One of the key reasons our clients use us is that we can help create the right environment and manage the whole process for them. It’s imperative to play music that reflects your true salon brand identity. It may take longer to research and build these compilations but it’s worth it to get it right.

5. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
When you consider your own experiences as a customer, think what you would want to hear when you’re getting your hair done. This is about the overall customer experience, and music can be a huge player in reflecting the right environment.

We work closely with clients such as TONI&GUY; and Next on a national level, as well as many individual sites from hotels to hairdressers, to make sure the music they play reflects their brand and mood of their business.

PPL is a not for profit company which licenses recorded music for broadcast, online and public performance use on behalf of record companies and performers, ensuring that all those who invest their time and talent in making recorded music are paid fairly for their work. To find out how music can benefit your business and to apply for a PPL music licence visit: www.ppluk.com / @PPLUK

9/17/2015