The clock is ticking, the old year is waning and the new year booking slowdown waits for no one.
Let’s dive into four salon marketing ideas to get you fully booked and your till ringing in January/February, no matter the economic forecast.
Rev up your new year salon marketing
Don’t let the post-Christmas lull catch you off guard. It’s time to shift your marketing gears and keep the momentum going.
Don’t forget… if you want to grow your salon, you need to actively market it. It doesn’t just happen.
Hit the ground running.
Here’s your action plan – the four hottest January marketing tactics that’ll keep your salon business buzzing when the ball drops.
Ready, set, sell 🚀
Explore this guide...
Run a January salon sale
‘Should we dish out January deals?’ It’s the hot topic buzzing at the moment.
Yes, is the short answer. A January sale clears out the deadwood, keeps your team motivated and boosts your cash flow.
But as you know, I’m not a fan of discounting your hair and beauty services. Instead. I’d always opt for added value offers on services and treatments.
Make it work by choosing the right terms and conditions:
- Pick your days – create an exclusive feel with deals on selected days only (your quiet ones).
- Select your stars – spotlight featured (quiet) stylists or therapists for these offers.
- Highlight your hits – give added value upgrades to certain services or create ‘bundle’ offers to encourage higher spend.
My Salon Social Club members:
Get your plug-and-play January offer templates complete with full Ts and Cs, social post caption + email templates, ready-to-go graphics and Reels plus my hands-on marketing advice in the Club’s New Year Campaign-in-a-Box
Everything you need to get your biz booked and busy come January
Not a member? Learn more about Salon Social Club here.
Gift card offers to fill your salon in January
Looking for a hair and beauty offer that helps cash flow and drums up bookings in the New Year too?
Try this. One of my favourite New Year promotional ideas:
Offer a gift card glow-up. Run an upgrade offer. You know the sort of thing, ‘buy a £xxx gift card and we’ll upgrade it to £xxx’.
Now shout it from the marketing rooftops – your salon social, website and e-newsletter. Make it irresistible. Make it pop. Make it so hot they can’t ignore it.
The clever marketing bit is in the terms…
Here’s where you get savvy – it’s all in the small print. Your gift cards are VIP tickets to style and pampering from January 1st to February 28th 2024 ONLY.
Make sure you include both these two crucial Ts and Cs:
- These gift cards can only be used from 1st January until 28th February 2023 ONLY and
- Here’s the kicker – these cards are for services only. Not retail. Why? Because you don’t have the margin for retail.
Gift cards are an undervalued salon marketing tool. Did you know? A staggering 61% of gift card recipients end up splurging beyond the card’s value. That’s more cha-ching in your till..
Learn & Grow
Need some new beauty or hair clients for next year? I share the top 8 ways to find new salon clients in this marketing blog.
Say thank you with a January salon event
Long cold days, Christmas credit card bills and broken New Year resolutions conspire to make even the chirpiest of us gloomy in January.
Why not buck the trend and run a January event?
And no, I’m not talking about a budget-busting salon party. More an open day with mini-treatments, treat bags and demonstrations. Make it clear that to attend clients must pre-book as places are limited.
Hesitating? Your team have time on their hands. You’re paying them whether they are sitting in the staff-room texting or busy giving your best clients a pampering treat. So what are you waiting for?
Make your event market hard for you…
- Important: Keep it low key and only invite your best clients in for some January TLC.
- Call in favours: Ask suppliers for freebie products and make their team available to help out with mini-treatments/consultations.
- Easy to attend: No-one is tempted out on an icy January evening so throw open your doors during the business day.
Don’t expect to sell loads of retail. Clients are watching the pennies at this time of year.
Instead, use your marketing event is to introduce your best (high spending) clients to new services and products, give them ideas for later in the year and say thank you for being such loyal clients.
And that’s all. But believe me, it will repay dividends later provided you target your ‘ideal clients’. This is not a January pamper for everyone.
Boost New Year salon profits with e-Christmas cards
Don’t stop at handing your January offers to clients, posting on your salon social and advertising them in-salon.
Effective salon marketing depends on using all your promotional tools and channels and many businesses miss out on email marketing.
Email marketing is still ranked the number one marketing channel for creating a return on investment for businesses. Ignore it and you’re missing out on one of the best ways to drive clients to your hair or beauty business.
Why email marketing converts lookers to bookers…
Think about it. When you send an email, you reach your audience in one of the most personalized ways possible. Our email inboxes are literally in the palms of our hands. We’re glued to email at work, after work, first thing in the morning, and right before bed.
It’s an understatement to say that email is a powerful marketing channel.
– Neil Patel, marketing expert
Capitalise on this formidable (and extremely cost effective) salon marketing tool by sending an e-news out just before Christmas promoting your January/February offers.
This last-minute timing ensures:
- You know exactly how the booking is looking for January and tailor your offers according.
- Clients still have time to book and take advantage of your offers, before you close the doors on Christmas Eve.
- If you have online booking they can carry on booking whilst you’re enjoying the festive holiday.
Wrap up: new year salon marketing
In a nutshell:
- Consider a New Year sale.
- Use tempting gift card offers.
- Run a January salon event.
- Use all your marketing channels.
Promote new year salon offers before Christmas
Remember what I said earlier. Get ahead of the local competition by promoting your hair or beauty ‘sale’ during December. Your salon or clinic will be heaving with clients pre-Christmas so exploit this marketing opportunity.
One of my favourite promotional tools is a bespoke salon Christmas card to:
- say a seasonal thank you to loyal hair and beauty clients and
- promote your January offers.
Yes, of course you could do it by email or a text. But I feel a card, branded to your business, with a personally written message to the client from their therapist or stylist packs more marketing oomph. Especially when eveything is online. Stand out from the crowd and make clients feel valued.
Hand these cards out to clients throughout November and December to drum up business for the start of the new year. Each morning ask your team to write a card for each of their clients that day. This personal touch only takes minutes yet shouts, ‘We care, and we love your business. Thank you.’
Don’t undervalue the marketing power of those two little words. Thank you.
Post about your offers on your salon social too. You never know which lapsed or potential client will see your post and decide to book.
A couple of professional marketing tips…
- I like to include at least two salon offers, and preferably three, on the card. This gives your clients a choice and broadens the promotion’s appeal. People love to have options.
- Think about your terms and conditions carefully. Always include them (discreetly) in your Christmas card to avoid disgruntled clients come January. Just adding the phrase ‘terms and conditions apply’ is not enough. Believe me.