We know what a long and quiet month January can be for salons, so now’s the time to get a promotion running and make sure you’re top of the priority list on payday!
1. Run a special offer on the 1st pay day of the year – remember offer doesn’t mean discount, you don’t have to offer money off if you feel that cheapens your brand. Look at what added value you can offer, such as a voucher to spend on the next service, or a free treatment with every colour, or a complimentary blow dry. If you can cross promote services even better – a mini beauty service with every hair service booked for example – might tempt someone who was just having a haircut to book a manicure or facial.
2. Make sure that your website is SEO optimized and properly maintained so that more customers will find your salon easily.
3. Use social media to spread the word about your payday offer by creating attractive images and running campaigns to increase reach. You don’t need to spend much – it’s all about clever targeting at your dream client so focus on who and where they are.
4. Remember video is much more effective than words and text, and done is better than perfect, so grab your phone, check the lens is clean and tell the world about your amazing services! People are buying into you, so show personality as well as your space.
5. Use email marketing to reach out to new and existing customers. If writing isn’t your thing, get someone to help you with this and check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Regular newsletters are essential for encouraging bookings.
6. Consider different rewards for your loyal clients for this event – extra loyalty points if you do that, or an extra free product. Speak to your product companies and suppliers to see if they could sponsor this by gifting you sample size products to gift to clients, and this would make a nice little video to share on your social channels as well – make sure to tag the brand!
7. Create an attractive scrolling banner at the top of your website displaying the pay day offer with a call to action that all visitors to your site will see.
8. Network with other local businesses and collaborate to offer joint-promotions for pay day – maybe a blow dry at your salon and a buy one get one free cocktail offer at a local bar?
9. Giveaway free samples or mini-makeovers, or little extras that really pamper the clients but that your juniors could easily deliver, for example, a hand massage with a gorgeously fragranced cream, or a longer than usual head massage at the backwash with a treatment.
10. Run a competition or a quiz and engage with entrants – this could be on social, and a great way to drive engagement is with carousel posts on Instagram asking them a question, so post 5 examples of work and ask them which they like the best. You could ask what they most like about pay day, or what salon treatment they couldn’t live without. Offer spot prizes on specific days when you would usually be quieter to bring more people in, or ask them to win by posting reviews of your salon after their visit.
11. If budget allows, consider a promotional banner in a high traffic local area.
12. Offer attractive free events for clients to attend that will simultaneously benefit them and encourage them to book with you. For example, show them hair styling or blow dry tips, or talk about nutrition, or menopause – again you can partner with other local businesses to cross promote across your client lists and offer something a bit different.
13. Approach local businesses and schools to see if you can promote your offer to their staff – with schools you might be able to offer a nice prize like a cut and colour to support their PTA in return for them including your offer in an e-blast to parents.
14. Have a client referral program up and running for your promotion and encourage your team to talk about this to all clients, these sorts of word of mouth reward scheme really work.
15. Make sure your salon is looking its best – fresh flowers (or even better, beautiful plants which are better for the environment and more economical…), beautiful retail displays and a good window display. Are you going the extra mile with your refreshments – herbal teas and non-dairy milk for example? Is your toilet stocked with paper and smelling fresh? Are your skirting boards clean? Have you got some nice candles or room diffusers? Is the music right? Ensure your salon is the sanctuary that clients will always want to visit, even in tough financial times, because your service and vibe are a non-negotiable part of their self-care!
Sally Learmouth is MD of Gloss Communications and our resident Salon Gold Superstar for all things PR. Contact Sally with any questions on Instagram @glosscommspr
Why spend money on a business coach in a national recession? 
Do these 8 things now for business success in 2024! 
Hair and beauty gifts we want under our tree... 
