The Holiday Hustle

Marketing Tips to Maximize the Most Wonderful Time of Year

The holiday season’s practically here, and as a small business owner, it's your chance to capitalize on the merriment. The cash register’s cha-ching sounds jolly good, true, but don’t lose sight of what really matters: your clients, of course. ‘Tis the season for pampering your customers, and for spreading cheer that will keep them coming back to your chair well into the New Year. Read on to learn how amped up marketing efforts can provide your guests with the experience they're craving this holiday season while simultaneously boosting year-end revenue, too.   

Plan for the Big Days Now

Don’t wait to hash out your holiday marketing promotions, or you might miss out on some of the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday! Consider offering incentives or running special promotions for those who enjoy the post-Thanksgiving hooplah. When November winds down, it’s time to focus your efforts on the 25-day countdown to Christmas, along with other holidays your guests celebrate, including Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. And don’t forget to start marketing early for the New Year, too!

There are so many things you can do to add more value to your guests experience over the holidays. It’s up to you to determine if you want to discount retail, provide free add-on services, send your guests home with a gift, and the list goes on. So many of these added value gifts can also be seen as a way of introducing your clients to new retail items or services that they won’t be able to live without.

photo props @armidahair

photo props @rebekahnummer

Encourage Pre-Booking

Send off an email to your clients now, reminding them that your books fill up fast during the holidays. Consider offering a promotional retail item to clients who book an appointment by the end of the week. Also, consider how many clients stretch their first service of the New Year to March or later. It’s never too early to launch a New Year’s promotion: If guests pre-book a January or February 2017 appointment by December 1, give them 10 percent off retail at the time of their service. Or any other

photo props @brenducks23

Deck Your Halls

Now’s the chance to show off your festive side! Not only will the décor help to spread the holiday cheer, but it might get your guests in the mood for holiday spending! Spruce up your studio with holiday-themed décor, and develop a special playlist featuring time-honored classics or – if you’re feeling funky – modern renditions of traditional tunes from the likes of Katy Perry, Sam Smith and Lady Gaga. Serve up a holiday treat, too! Warm cider and decorated gingerbread cookies: total crowd pleasers; for health-conscious clients, bake apple spice muffins or offer pumpkin pie spiced popcorn made with coconut oil, sea salt, and, of course, pumpkin pie spice.

Click here for 10 Ways to Make Your Salon More Merry.

photo props @megarooskitooski

Build a Gift Display

Infuse shelves with joyful decorations to make existing products stand out, and bring in a few new products, too, such as a holiday-hued KLASS lip gloss or a wintery scent you can’t live without. Keep in mind that, in December, clients are perpetually on the prowl for last-minute presents. Using a high-low price scheme, put together pre-made gift sets ranging from small stocking stuffers to oversized baskets stocked with must-haves: full-size and travel-size products, on-the-go manicure sets, nail polish, lip gloss, candles and aromatherapy sprays. Don’t forget to exhibit unwrapped versions of the gifts, so guests know what they’re getting.

photo props Lauren Proescher

Gift with Purchase

When it comes to retail, give customers an added incentive to buy: Purchase individual facial mask treatments, for example – those won’t cost more than a few bucks a pop – and give them away with the purchase of any two regularly priced retail items. Or consider throwing in a lip-gloss or nail polish when a guest reaches a retail minimum purchase.

photo props @studiomileni

Sell Gift Certificates

Your wonderful clients already refer you to their friends and family, right? Make it even easier for them to make a referral by selling gift certificates for your services. To reward guests for buying gift cards, offer them a $20 gift card for every $100 in gift cards purchased.

photo props @shantihealing

Be Charitable

Vow to spread a little love and light this year, and you might be surprised by how much your clients love participating in the joy of giving! Host a clothing, gift or canned food drive, and invite your clients to contribute an item when they come in for their next appointment. Bonus: Reward clients for their donation with 10% off one retail item, which they might use toward trying a new product they've had their eye on.

photo props Sola Salon Studios Reading

Enter to Win

Want to drum up a little excitement and have a little fun with your guests? Run a holiday raffle! Every time a customer purchases a given amount of services or pre-established amount of retail, enter them into a drawing for a grand prize of free services (your choice of value) in the New Year. If a client is one service short of entering, encourage them to get that much needed deep conditioning treatment! Or if their retail minimum is just under, we are willing to bet they’ll purchase that extra product they’ve always wanted.

photo made with Font Candy

Holiday Plus Ups

For many of us the holidays are an overwhelming time for entertaining crazy Aunt Bessie and rushing hurriedly through a never-ending string of stores. Your clients are likely struggling to maintain their normal routines during this hectic time, and that might be creating stress. Think about what you can do to make your clients’ lives easier. Have you been thinking about brushing up on eyebrow waxing, or providing polish changes? Now’s the time to launch add-ons. You’ll generate additional income and make life a little easier for your guests.

Click here if you're in need of Holiday Stress Busters!

photo props @luxeskinlounge

Share Your Promotions

Now that you have a marketing plan in place, it’s time to blast out multiple emails, text messages and holiday cards announcing your sales. Send a handwritten card from your salon; guests will love getting snail mail, and they might even hang the card on the fridge for all to see! Inside your studio use signage and gift displays to showcase your promotions, and consider hanging a gift certificate in your mirror, too, for added enticement. Encourage seasonal referrals by crafting festive referral cards. And, of course, post about your salon happenings on social media, where you can wow guests with pictures, details about gift packages and special pricing and more. You might even consider running a holiday contest or sweepstakes. Remember: Repetition sells, so market often. Here’s to a season of love, light and profit!

photo props @brendabhair