A one-page hair salon marketing plan

Google’s, Instagram’s, the FTC’s and the FCC’s rules checked on their own pages on 5 October 2026. They change, so follow the links before you rely on them. This is not legal advice.

What you get here: a one-page plan you can copy and fill in, the math to set your new-client goal from your own numbers, a worked example, a 12-month plan with one focus a month, a 2-hour weekly rhythm and a 30-minute monthly scorecard.

What is a hair salon marketing plan?

The SBA’s business plan guide puts the job of a marketing section simply: describe how you’ll attract and retain customers, and it adds that there’s no single way to do it. For a salon, that means four answers on one page:

1. How many new clients a month you need, worked out from your own chair time.
2. Where they will come from: the four places new clients decide.
3. What you will spend, in money and in hours.
4. What you will do each week, and what you will check each month.

If you’re writing a salon business plan for a lender, its marketing section is the summary. This guide is the working plan behind it, the one you open every Monday.

Step 1: run the client leak audit first

Before you plan anything new, find out where people who already want to book are getting lost. Run the 30-minute client leak audit on your phone. It checks your Google profile, Instagram, booking path and what happens after the first visit, and gives you a fix order.

Write your top three fixes into section 1 of the plan below. A salon marketing plan that sends more people into a broken booking link just costs more.

Tip: Opening a new salon? Your plan starts before the doors open. See how we launch a salon 8 weeks before opening day. Building your own book as a stylist? The weekly habits are in how to build clientele as a hairstylist.

How many new clients a month do you need?

“More clients” is not a goal. A number is. Pull last month’s figures from your booking system and fill this in. Every line uses your own numbers, so there are no industry averages to guess at.

YOUR NEW-CLIENT GOAL (use your booking system's numbers)

A. Open chair hours last month (not booked) ...... ____
B. Average appointment length, in hours ......... ____
C. Open appointments a month: A / B ............. ____
D. Average ticket per visit ..................... $____
   Unsold time (full price, before costs): C x D . $____

E. New clients from 4 to 6 months ago ........... ____
F. Of those, came back at least once ............ ____
G. Return share: F / E .......................... ____
H. Extra visits a returner makes in 3 months .... ____
I. Visits one new client brings: 1 + (G x H) .... ____

J. New clients last month (same month as A) ..... ____
K. Extra new clients a month needed: C / I ...... ____
New-client goal a month: J + K .................. ____

Why it works this way: your open hours are what’s left after last month’s clients, including the new clients you already win. Keep winning those (J), and add enough extra clients (K) to fill the gap. E to G use clients from 4 to 6 months ago because recent new clients haven’t had time to come back yet. Each extra client fills one appointment straight away, and the ones who come back fill more. The better you rebook, the fewer extra clients you need to find. That’s why rebooking sits in the plan next to Google and Instagram.

Return visits arrive later. In the first month, the extra clients only fill their own first appointments. The gap closes over about three months as their return visits come in, if you keep adding the same number every month.

Treat the answer as a planning number, not a forecast. Regulars move away, seasons shift, and your open hours change. Re-run it every quarter.

Where will your new clients come from?

New clients decide in four places. Your plan gives each one a job for the quarter and a way to count it.

Where they decide	The job in your plan	How you count it
Google and Maps	Complete profile, steady reviews, a post every week	Calls, website clicks, directions and searches in your profile’s performance view
Instagram and TikTok	Show finished results, make booking one tap from the bio	New clients who say “Instagram” or “TikTok”
The booking path	Times visible without an account, a named new-client service, same-day replies	DMs and calls answered the same day
After the first visit	Rebook in the chair, ask every client for a review, make referrals easy	Rebooked at checkout, referrals, reviews received

Google and Maps. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence (how well known you are), and that complete, detailed business information helps relevance. You can’t move closer to people, so your plan works on the other two: services in clients’ words, real photos, and reviews every month. Google Business Profile posts can be scheduled and set to repeat weekly or monthly, so a standing “book online, new times every week” post can repeat on its own while you add this week’s actual times each Monday. Offer and event posts need dates, and posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set. Full setup: Google Business Profile for hair salons.

Instagram and TikTok. Instagram lets a public account schedule posts up to 30 days ahead and up to 25 a day, including reels, photos and carousels. Collab posts with a partner can’t be scheduled, so post those live. That makes a monthly batch realistic: shoot during the month, then schedule the next one in a single sitting. What to post week by week: Instagram for hair salons: a 30-day plan.

The booking path. It decides whether the other three turn into appointments. Times visible before an account, a clearly named first-visit service, and deposit and cancellation terms shown before payment. Wording you can copy: salon no-show policy templates.

After the first visit. Rebook every client before they stand up, follow up personally with people past their usual gap, and give regulars an easy way to refer a friend. Scripts for all three are in how to get more clients for your hair salon.

The one-page salon marketing plan (copy it)

Copy this into a note or print it. Fill in every blank. If a line has no answer yet, that’s your first job.

ONE-PAGE SALON MARKETING PLAN        Year: ______   Last updated: ______

1. GOAL
   Open appointments a month to fill .................. ____
   New clients now ____ + extra needed ____ = goal ____
   Clients we want more of (service and type): __________
   Return share now: ____   Return share I'm working toward: ____
   Leak audit done on: ______
   Top 3 fixes: 1. __________  2. __________  3. __________

2. WHERE NEW CLIENTS WILL COME FROM (this quarter's job for each)
   Google and Maps: ________________________________________
   Instagram / TikTok: _____________________________________
   Booking path: ___________________________________________
   After the first visit (rebooking, referrals, reviews): ____
   Local partners (optional): ______________________________

3. MONTHLY BUDGET
   Money: $______ a month    Time: ____ hours a week
   Who does each job: ______________________________________
   (Set the money line with our cost guide's budget worksheet.)

4. THIS MONTH'S FOCUS (from the 12-month plan): ______________
   Jobs to start now for next season: ________________________

5. WEEKLY RHYTHM (about 2 hours)
   Content: shoot, edit, schedule ................... 45 min
   Google: openings post, photos, hours ............. 20 min
   Client list: past-gap texts, rebook check ........ 20 min
   Reviews: reply to new ones ....................... 10 min
   Partners and community ........................... 15 min
   Friday plan check ................................ 10 min
   Every day: ask every client for a review; answer DMs same day

6. WHAT I TRACK (30 minutes, first week of each month)
   Google: calls, website clicks, directions, searches
   New clients by "How did you find us?"
   Rebooked at checkout
   DMs and calls answered the same day
   Reviews received, and did we ask every client? yes / no

7. RULES I FOLLOW
   Reviews: ask every client. No incentives, no staff quotas,
   no asking for a stylist's name, no pressure in the chair.
   Email: our postal address and a clear opt-out in every one;
   opt-outs honored within 10 business days.
   Texts: written consent before any promotional text.

For the money line, use the budget worksheet in our salon marketing cost guide, with K (the extra new clients) as its new-client number. It sets the number from what a new client leaves you after stylist pay and product, not from a percentage of revenue. That budget is for the added marketing; what already brings in J keeps its current cost.

Worked example (example, not a real salon)

These numbers are made up to show the math. Use your own.

EXAMPLE, NOT A REAL SALON: a 3-chair salon, October

A. Open chair hours last month ..................... 60
B. Average appointment length ..................... 2 hours
C. Open appointments a month: 60 / 2 ............... 30
D. Average ticket .................................. $110
   Unsold time (full price, before costs) .......... $3,300

E. New clients from 4 to 6 months ago .............. 30
F. Came back at least once ......................... 15
G. Return share: 15 / 30 ........................... 0.5
H. Extra visits a returning client makes in 3 months 1
I. Visits one new client brings: 1 + (0.5 x 1) ..... 1.5

J. New clients last month ......................... 12
K. Extra new clients a month: 30 / 1.5 ............. 20
New-client goal a month: 12 + 20 ................... 32

If rebooking in the chair lifts the return share to 0.7:
I = 1 + (0.7 x 1) = 1.7, K drops to about 18,
and the goal to about 30.

Where the extra 20 should come from (owner's guess, to test):
   Google and Maps ................................. 8
   Instagram ....................................... 5
   Referrals from regulars ......................... 5
   Bridal shop partner ............................. 2

This quarter's jobs:
   Google: every service with starting prices,
           weekly openings post
   Instagram: 3 result-first reels a week,
           booking link first in bio
   Booking path: add "New client: color consultation" service
   After the visit: offer two set rebook times
           at every checkout

In this example, better rebooking is worth about two extra clients a month that never have to be found. The split is the owner’s guess. The monthly scorecard below shows whether it holds.

The 12-month salon marketing plan

One focus a month keeps the plan small enough to do. The table starts in October, so you plan the holidays and next year in one sitting. It covers what to do on each channel and which jobs to start before the season arrives. For the offer to run each month, with the 2026 to 2027 dates, use the US holiday promotion calendar in our promotion guide.

The wedding rows follow The Knot’s finding that the most popular wedding date is usually a Saturday in October, September or June, so bridal work starts months before each peak. Prom and back-to-school dates vary, so check your district.

Month	Focus	Start now for later
October	Holiday booking	Next June’s bridal: line up a bridal shop or photographer
November	Gift card season	A January list of clients past their usual gap
December	Full book, new faces	Next quarter’s page of the plan
January	Slow season	Bridal menu and trial service for spring and summer
February	Bridal and prom groundwork	Prom group booking with deposits (check your district)
March	Prom and spring refresh	Mother’s Day and graduation plans
April	Wedding pipeline	Summer hours and staff time off
May	Prom peak, early weddings	Fall bridal trials for September and October
June	Wedding peak	Back-to-school timing (check your district)
July	Keep the book steady	Fall color content shot in advance
August	Back to school, fall bridal	Holiday hours and holiday booking plan
September	Fall weddings, plan the year	Next year’s one-page plan and 12-month table

What each channel does, quarter by quarter:

October to December

• Google: holiday hours through New Year; an offer or event post with dates for gift cards.
• Instagram and TikTok: fall wedding results, gift card and party-hair reels; schedule each next month by the 25th.
• Clients and partners: rebook every client into November and December; email opted-in clients about gift cards; ask every new client “How did you find us?”

January to March

• Google: refresh photos and services; add bridal and updo services with starting prices; an event post for group prom days.
• Instagram and TikTok: open times in stories every Monday; bridal trial and updo reels; pin a bridal post.
• Clients and partners: personal texts to opted-in clients past their gap; meet one partner (bridal shop, photographer, boutique); a referral push to your best regulars.

April to June

• Google: new bridal photos (with the client’s OK); set summer hours ahead.
• Instagram and TikTok: bridal carousels, prom results and behind-the-scenes.
• Clients and partners: rebook every prom and bridal party client; keep asking every client for a review, prom groups included; in June, re-run the goal math.

July to September

• Google: check services and prices match what you actually sell; Labor Day hours; a year-end look at searches and calls.
• Instagram and TikTok: treatment, gloss and fall color reels; wedding results.
• Clients and partners: past-gap texts; refresh the referral text; email opted-in clients about fall openings; tell clients holiday booking opens in October.

Tip: Don’t change everything each month. The weekly rhythm stays the same all year. Only the focus, the content theme and the “start now” job change.

What does a 2-hour marketing week look like?

Two hours a week is enough for one owner or one team member to keep the plan moving. Here’s how it breaks down.

When	Job	Time
Monday	Post this week’s open times as an Instagram story and a Google update with your booking link	10 min
During the week	Shoot finished results in good light (ask first), 2 or 3 clips a day	Inside appointments
Tuesday	Edit and schedule the week’s posts	45 min
Wednesday	Google: new photos, check services and hours, reply to questions	10 min
Thursday	Client list: personal texts to opted-in clients past their usual gap; count last week’s rebooks	20 min
Thursday	Reply to every new review in a sentence or two	10 min
Friday	Partners and community: one message, one drop-off, one follow-up	15 min
Friday	Plan check: is this month’s focus on track?	10 min
Every day	Ask every client for a review; answer DMs and calls the same day	Part of the working day

That adds up to 2 hours of desk time. If you can only find one hour, keep Monday’s openings post, the client list and review replies. They are closest to a booking.

Replies are not in the 2 hours on purpose. Same-day answers are front-desk work: set two fixed times a day to clear DMs, texts and voicemails.

The monthly 30-minute review

Once a month, in the first week, fill in the scorecard. Every number comes from something you can open yourself.

Your Google Business Profile’s performance view is only available for verified profiles. It shows calls, website clicks, direction requests, views and the search terms people used to find you. Search terms update at the start of each month and can take up to 5 days, so do this review in the first week, not on the 1st. The data includes interactions from Google Ads if you run them, and only the metrics that apply to your business appear.

MONTHLY SCORECARD              Month: ________   Done by: ________

                                           Last month   This month
GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE (performance)
  Calls ...................................   ____        ____
  Website clicks ..........................   ____        ____
  Direction requests ......................   ____        ____
  Searches (note the top 3 terms) .........   ____        ____

NEW CLIENTS ("How did you find us?")
  Google and Maps .........................   ____        ____
  Instagram or TikTok .....................   ____        ____
  Referral from a client ..................   ____        ____
  Partner .................................   ____        ____
  Other or not asked ......................   ____        ____
  Total vs goal (____) ....................   ____        ____

KEEPING THEM
  Clients who rebooked at checkout ........ ____ of ____  ____ of ____

BOOKING PATH
  DMs and calls answered the same day ..... ____ of ____  ____ of ____

REVIEWS
  Reviews received ........................   ____        ____
  Did we ask every client? ................  yes / no    yes / no

ONE DECISION FOR NEXT MONTH
  Keep: ____________________________________________________
  Fix: _____________________________________________________
  Stop: ____________________________________________________

How to read it:

• Google numbers up, new clients flat: look at the booking path and reply speed before posting more.
• “Other or not asked” is big: the problem is the question, not the marketing. Ask every new client at their first visit and write it down.
• Rebooked at checkout is falling: go back to the rebook script with two set times. It lowers your new-client goal.
• One source is doing most of the work: keep it, and check whether the others are getting their weekly time at all.

Compare each number with your own last month. Calls, clicks and direction requests are taps, not finished bookings, so read them as interest, not proof.

How do reviews fit into the plan?

Reviews belong in every month, not one big push. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 74% said they only care about or look for reviews written in the last three months. A steady trickle keeps your newest review recent.

The way you set the review goal matters as much as the goal itself. Google’s review policy says merchants should not pressure people to leave reviews while on the premises, or request specific content. It names two practices directly: asking staff to solicit a certain number of reviews, and asking for reviews with content that identifies a staff member. It also prohibits incentives such as discounts or free services for any review, and asking only the clients you expect to be happy.

So the review line in your plan is a habit, not a number:

• Ask every client, the same way, with no pressure in the chair. Text the link afterward so they can do it at home.
• No staff quotas. Track “did we ask every client?”, not reviews per stylist.
• Never ask clients to mention a stylist’s name or what to write.
• No incentives. Reward referrals, never reviews.
• No picking. Don’t ask only the clients who seem thrilled.

Scripts for the chair, text and email: how to get more Google reviews for your salon. Our free Google review QR code tool makes a print-ready sticker for the mirror and front desk.

What rules apply to salon emails and texts?

Email. The FTC’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide applies to all commercial email, not just bulk sends. The basics for a salon newsletter or offer email:

• Accurate “from” details and a subject line that isn’t misleading.
• Make clear the message is an ad.
• Include your valid physical postal address.
• Give a clear way to opt out, honor opt-outs within 10 business days, and keep the opt-out working for at least 30 days after you send.

The FTC lists penalties of up to $53,088 for each email that breaks the rules. Most booking and email tools add the address and unsubscribe link for you; check that yours does.

Texts. Get written consent before any promotional text. The FCC’s rule requires prior express written consent for advertising calls made with an autodialer (47 CFR 64.1200), and the FCC says commercial texts require written consent. Sample opt-in wording and the full checklist are in our promotion guide’s rules section.

Check your profile before you plan

A plan is only as good as the starting point it’s built on. Run the free Salon Profile Check on your phone, the way a new client would: 18 checks on your Google profile, Instagram and booking path. Put what fails into section 1 of your plan. If you’d rather we looked, Winflow’s free diagnostic covers your Google profile, Instagram and booking path, written up by people, not software, in your inbox within 48 hours.