10 Spooktacular Marketing Ideas for Salon Owners

This season, make your studio a place for tricks and treats with simple marketing strategies that won’t break the bank.

Brew up a Bewitching Display

Infuse your retail shelves with elements of orange and black — miniature pumpkins, for example, and iron lanterns filled with low-maintenance, super-safe LED flameless candles that you’ll be able to reuse in December. Luminaries add a touch of class, while Halloween creatures – cats, crows, and spiders – show off your fun side. Accent the scene with patterned textiles: orange-on-black polka dots and chevron. Fake cobwebs can be visually interesting, too, but just make sure you don’t go overboard. A little bit of Halloween spirit goes a long way, and it may draw some extra attention to the awesome products for sale! 

Seek Out Seasonal Products

When you’re ready to add the finishing touches to your retail display, consider incorporating a few inexpensive seasonal products, too, such as sparkly black nail polish, a Vampire red lipstick, or skeleton-hand hairclips. And don’t forget to check in with your favorite suppliers, to see if the retail lines you already carry package any products in orange or black bottles.

Give Treats with Purchases

Want to see your products fly off the shelves faster than a witch on a broomstick? Consider bundling a few small items, and offering a Halloween goody bag to all clients who purchase retail from you this month. Bonus points if you remember to use a branded bag displaying your salon’s name or logo.

Don’t Forget the Pumpkins

For a traditional look, use orange pumpkins, and consider carving them. Jack-o-lanterns will work fine, but we think you can do a little better. You’re a shear artist, after all: Now’s the time to put those scissor skills to good use. Want something a little more unique? We’ve seen some gorgeous floral arrangements built into carved out pumpkins. Or, curate a nature-inspired, farm-to-table theme with heirloom pumpkin varietals in all sorts of sizes and colors.

Dress for the Occasion

Your windows are all dressed up — why shouldn’t you look festive, too? You don’t have to come to work in full costume. But you’re a stylist, right? Think up some fabulous hairdos to wear to work! This is your chance to wow clients with your skills and get some laughs. From flapper hair pin-up curls, you can have plenty of fun experimenting with styles through the decades. Or, imitate iconic character and celebrity coifs, including Marge Simpson, Princess Leia or Audrey Hepburn.

Stock Some Tasty Treats

Trick-or-treating is a holiday tradition, and we think you should give into it. Buy a plastic cauldron, and fill it with goodies. If your health-conscious clients won’t appreciate candy, get creative, offering bags of pretzels or granola bars with Halloween-themed packaging. If you keep drinks on-hand, try buying dry ice; many grocery stores carry it, and adding a cube will make any beverage seem chilling. Alternatively – for a little extra cash and effort – you could hand out trick-or-treat bags with your logo.

Run a Thrilling Promotion

If you’re experiencing downtime before the holiday hustle, Halloween-themed deals are a great way to get extra foot traffic through your salon doors. Try offering discounts on services that’ll help your guests get ready for Halloween — 10 percent off fashion colors, for example, or a deal on up-dos for Halloween parties. And if you carry any products that lend themselves to Halloween, bundle them, offering them at a discounted rate through October 31.

Host a Halloween Event

By the very nature of trick-or-treating, Halloween is all about bring people together. Hold a special event that’ll also promote your business, inviting clients to come into your salon for a watch-and-learn on, say, easy or impossibly cute Halloween hairstyles. If you’re operating a nail salon, try doing spooky nail art lessons; estheticians can educate clients on costume makeup.

Scare Up Business with a Contest

Many of your clients will be dressing up for the holiday. Take this opportunity to market your business by holding a virtual costume contest on social media, asking clients to participate by submitting photos of their best costumes. Don’t forget to include children and pets in the contest, and offer up a retail prize or service discount for the winner. Make sure to ask them to hashtag your salon to be entered to win!

Blast Out a Halloween Newsletter

Now that’s you’ve got your promos, contests, and events planned out, it’s time to let your guests know about all of the fun stuff you’re doing this month. Send out an email newsletter that shows off your Halloween spirit!