What is the perfect salon or spa website?
Did you know 50% of people leave websites in just 6 to 8 seconds?
Imagine if 1000 people found you online it means 500 of them will leave in just seconds unless the design is right.
But many businesses are making mistakes in how they present their websites and that's costing potential revenue.
Watch instead of read...
I'm Caroline Turner founder of the Salon Money Maker and in this newsletter I'm going to cover key mistakes made with salon and spa websites based on neurological marketing (the brain and marketing).
A subject I have studied for a number of years and recently finished a university lead course in Neurological Marketing and Consumer Neurological Science for business leaders and marketeers.
You can also sign up to get a video link that shows you a website that I designed for a hair and beauty salon to see in action a revenue focused design.
Sign Up Below
[et_bloom_inline optin_id="optin_12"]
Let me explain first were the problem is with many websites and marketing in general.
The Brain
To much marketing and vast numbers of websites are focused on the conscious brain and the problem is... the power is in the Subconscious.
If we don't please the subconscious we have NO CHANCE of keeping the person on the website!
A website, in fact all marketing needs to be designed to work with people, and that means the subconscious brain.
And that's were a lot of marketing and even staff training goes wrong.
Many scientists put the figure as high as 95% of all decisions are made SUBCONSCIOUSLY.
Scientists like Dr Susan Weinschenk write that the brain is subconsciously dealing with 40 million sensory inputs per seconds.
And the conscious brain is only aware of 40 of them.
If the marketing doesn't make it into that top 40 the person won't stay on a website or spend in general, whether services or retail.
That 40 million inputs is what we see, smell, feel on our skin, hear, taste and the running all body functions.
So, here's the IMPORTANT POINT
Our subconscious filters what we are allowed to see consciously.
If we don't please the subconscious then the business / website is INVISIBLE
Invisibility is something I cover in The Salon's Biggest Marketing Tool.
From the website, price list, shop window, all promotions to work we must please the subconscious, that's the buying brain.
The conscious brain takes action, calls, books and buys.
BUT only if we hold the attention and please the subconscious.
If the subconscious doesn't like something research has shown, PROVED the decision to click away is made in JUST 4-8 seconds!
SO with the average time on a website before leaving being JUST 6-8 seconds, it's clear to me.
Many websites DON'T APPEAL to the subconscious and that's costing businesses money!
[et_bloom_locked optin_id="optin_13"]
The Brain in Simple Terms
*The Cave Dweller (primal survival) - Subconscious
Going back to early humans and survival
Links with sensory input from 5 senses
Its focus - Can I eat it? Can I have sex with it? Will it kill me?
*The Child (emotions) - Subconscious
Links with Faces, pictures and stories
Its focus - the emotional arousal that leads to physical feelings such as excitement or disgust or no response because its boring or dull to the subconscious.
Its about positive or negative arousal.
*You or me - Conscious thinking and reasoning
Awareness of the present moment. Something on the outside environment (around us), as well as some specific mental and physical functions happening on the inside (hunger, cold, itchy nose).
Links with action
*Please note - I always aim to put the brain into the simplest terms possible. In the team revenue training we use characters such as the child to develop teams understanding of clients and sometimes their own behavior. The brain and human behavior is complex so I try and keep it simple but useful.
Design the website to
Engage the Cave Dweller
Persuade and arouse the child's emotions
Cause Action by the consumer
[et_bloom_inline optin_id="optin_12"]
What does the subconscious see in a website?
These images are results of experiments I conducted on the website I designed
Were do many websites go wrong?
Mistake #1 - The Top of the Page
Using large pictures, graphics. This is even worse if scrolling or rotating pictures or graphics are at the top of the page.
Worst still is having rotating pictures, graphics with stationary writing over the top.
What to use - Attention grabbing headline or video but ideally BOTH
Mistake #2 - Complex design
With only seconds to grab and then HOLD attention the design must be simple and direct the potential client to what they want quickly.
What to use - White space is very powerful as it allows the brain to stay focused on what matters, the message.
Keep text information on the right, images to the left and keep the design clean. Use high contrast, high saturated reds, blues and or greens to allow key messages to stand out.
Mistake #3 - Lack of Video
Websites with no video are out of date and the facts speak for themselves, sales and enquirers increase by 20 - 200% when a GOOD video is added to the landing page.
It is important to beware BAD video (poorly shot, edited or scripted) can be WORSE than NO video.
What to use - Investigate your local production companies but the cost of a professional may start at approximately £/$2,000 and can run into millions.
I am currently designing an online course called The Salon Film School, which will cover everything from start to finish for salons or spa's to make their own video.
Dates will be released to members of the Revenue Newsletter.
However you choice to go, Do It Yourself or a professional film company, getting a GOOD online video is ESSENTIAL.
[et_bloom_inline optin_id="optin_12"]
Mistake #4 - Waffle and to much writing
If you've read my book on sales mistakes you'll know what I mean when I write waffle costs sales.
Keep service information to the point and avoid long winded descriptions, professional jargon and general waffle.
Waffle is to write at length in a vague or trivial manner, for more information download the 7 Killer Sales Mistakes in Salons and Spas.
What to use - If you down load the free book there is an example and sign up to view the video tour of the website I designed.
Keep everything as short and simple as possible, focus service information on the benefits and list services by what it does for the client.
For example Anti-aging facials are listed together, not listed by suppliers IF the business has multiple services.
Making it EASY for clients BRAINS to find what it wants quickly and simply is key.
Mistake #5 - Out of Date
If the website has held the attention so the potential client is looking around the site make sure the pages are clean and up to date.
Remove out of date offers, promotions, or services no longer arrival.
What to use - Either pay someone to manage the site and they keep it up to date or learn how to manage the site yourself, it really isn't very hard.
Mistake #6 - Call to action
From a pure marketing focus building a mailing list is a powerful tool in the marketing kit bag.
If the site has held the brain give them something irresistible to sign up for.
A gift they can collect in salon for signing up or a voucher to use on their first visit.
EVERY SALON OR SPA MUST HAVE A CALL TO ACTION AND BUILD A MAILING LIST.
A mailing list is far more powerful then focusing on social media, whilst social media has its place and benefits the business doesn't own or control how many people see posts and as time goes on social media will be at a cost.
What to use - Have a simple sign up form embedded into pages at key points.
The sign up form is then linked to a mailing list such as mail-chimp, aweber or the salon computer (depending on what the system offers).
The salon can set up automatic emails giving the new client instructions of what to do next and the voucher to use in the business.
As the mailing list builds a salon can send out bounce back promotions, last minute deals and set seasonal offers.
Want to see a website designed to hold attention?
[et_bloom_inline optin_id="optin_12"]
In the image below I've used a number of key sciencfic experiments to see how the website I designed worked with the subconscious.
The image is using eye tracking technology and years of university data to understand...
does this website hold and please the subconscious.
Please the subconscious to get to the conscious, then you get action. The action to sign up, call, book or buy.
To view the video where I explain how to improve a salon or spa's website simply sign up and I'll send you the exclusive link.
Plus a BONUS video on how to increase package sales
[et_bloom_inline optin_id="optin_12"]