In this article
Day 1: the link, before anything else
Set up your services with real prices, your hours, and get the booking link. That link is the whole marketing plan for a month: it goes in every message, every post, every conversation. A logo can wait; nobody has ever failed to book because the logo was a placeholder.
Days 1–3: the twenty people who already know you
Former clients, friends who have asked “can you do my hair?”, colleagues, the neighbour. One personal message each — never a group broadcast, which reads as spam and gets ignored. Half will book within a week. Those ten are your first reviews and your first referrals; treat them like the VIPs they are.
Week 1: the Google listing
Claim it, fill every field, add your own photos and the booking link. It takes an afternoon and becomes the second-largest source of new clients within three months. Ask every one of those first ten clients for a review the day after their visit — a new listing with ten fresh reviews outranks an old one with none.
Weeks 2–4: one Instagram post that books
Not a launch announcement — a result. Before/after, the service, the price, “free this week: Thu 14:00, Fri 10:00 — book via the link in bio”. Real slots and a real price convert; “we’re open!” gets likes. Repeat weekly with a new result and the current free slots.
What not to do: the launch discount
“30% off in September” fills the first month with people who came for 30% off and leave when it ends, and it anchors your price low with exactly the people you most need to pay full price later. If you want a launch gesture, offer three free appointments in exchange for honest feedback and a review — you get the same buzz and the right clients.
Who this is for
Anyone opening solo for the first time or moving from a salon to their own chair: hairdressers, nail and lash techs, massage therapists, tutors, trainers, groomers, coaches. If you are switching from an employer, add one step: tell the clients who followed you where the link is.
What this won’t fix
This gets you the first twenty; it doesn’t build a brand or a waiting list. Those come from the same routine repeated for a year — reviews, photos, rebooking — plus being genuinely good. TapBook gives you the link, the QR and the confirmations on day one; the messages and the chair time are yours.