The success of On Behalf Marketing

On-Behalf Marketing (OBM) is a powerful tool within SalonInteractive that helps salons market their favorite products to their clients with little to no effort on their part. It’s an easy process where distributors set up email marketing campaigns based on their current promotions. They deploy the communications on behalf of the salons to salon clients using the salon’s email address. This one-way, direct-to-consumer communication provides a broader reach for distributors and, in turn, increases retail sales for salons. OBM also provides the opportunity for distributors to help their salons with marketing efforts, which can be a heavy lift for any small business. Taking that burden from the salon allows them to stay competitive with big box retailers.

Permissions & Accessibility

Salons have the ability to turn marketing permissions on and off for distributors and the brands they offer online. With the salon permissions in place and salon clients added to the salon’s account, distributors send promotions, either in general to a wider audience or to a segmented list for a specific brand carried by the salon on their online store. The salon client data remains protected in all transactions, which are delivered through the salon’s email address - appearing as if it’s coming from the salon - and is tied back to its online store.So, why should distributors want to get involved OBM? The answer is simple: increased sales - for them and their salons.

How it Started

One SalonInteractive distributor was an early adopter of OBM. They stepped up to test the concept years back by hosting a free shipping promotion. During the time of the promotion, online sales for that distributor’s salons more than quadrupled their average weekend sales. After its 471% increase in sales for the one weekend, the distributor continued its OBM efforts, successfully increasing online sales year over year.After seeing positive results from the first free shipping OBM campaign, more distributor partners were encouraged to do the same, and the results were equally as remarkable. OBM efforts expanded into a variety of brand-specific promotions, gift-with-purchase offers, and dollar-amount or percentage-off deals for all brands. After a few months, the data from these efforts was analyzed, and OBM plans were adjusted accordingly for future efforts.

What We Found

With OBM, there is a direct correlation between sales and distributor efforts:

• Distributors that are consistent with OBM have continued growth.

• Distributors that are inconsistent with OBM experience spikes of growth around their efforts.

• Branded campaigns were not as successful as generic or all-brand and free shipping promotions, as a broader reach equates to more sales or sales potential.

Ever since the early tests, OBM efforts have been supported by a series of artwork made available to all SalonInteractive distributors. There are three suggested campaigns each month, including free shipping, percentage-off promotions and discounts, and dollar-amount deals based on the spend. Distributors can use this existing artwork or create their own to support campaigns as they see fit. Salons are still encouraged to promote their online stores, but the success of OBM far outweighs their email marketing efforts. A recent year-long study confirms that after accessing the salon's online store from an email link, of consumers that made purchases, 91% of them originated from OBM emails. As efforts for OBM continue, SalonInteractive remains optimistic about the program. After two years, we’re seeing increased sales for distributors and their salons through their online stores. But there’s more than just the immediate sale that can happen with OBM promotions - continued efforts help build up salons and increase awareness of the brands they offer. Long-term, OBM efforts translate to more sales both online and in-salon.

OBM Best Practices

Realize the Potential

Still not convinced that OBM is for your distributorship? Pull a report to see the number of salon clients you can reach today. Then look for your next SalonInteractive newsletter for the next round of promotions and download the artwork to help support your efforts. Our success team is also here to help walk you through your initial campaigns.Best Email Marketing Frequency for Salons

Get Your Sales Team On Board

Once you’ve decided to participate in OBM, let your sales consultants know about your monthly promotions so they can help support the efforts in the field.

Get Your Salons Involved

Reach out to your salons to make sure they know they can get your help with marketing for free. You just need to make sure that their marketing permissions are turned on, and their clients are uploaded so you can help support their online store through OBM efforts.Here’s an easy email communication you can send: Black Friday & Cyber Week are right around the corner. So we can help drive sales to your online store for the busiest online shopping week of the year, be sure you have:

• Your permissions turned on for On-Behalf Marketing: How do I set marketing permissions?

• Added your clients to your online store or updated your list recently: How do I upload clients?

What are the benefits of On-Behalf Marketing?

Keep Salons Informed

Whether you use SalonInteractive assets or create your own, be sure to notify your salons in advance about your plans. In addition to the OBM artwork, send a calendar that outlines that month’s promotions, what each deal entails, and any coupon codes needed. That way, your salons can see how much effort your distributorship is investing in them and their success.