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Make Pink October a salon marketing triumph

Updated 2023

What’s your salon, clinic or spa doing for Breast Cancer Awareness this October?

Umm… nothing?

Don’t worry. There’s still time to paint the town pink, raise valuable funds and market your hair, beauty or aesthetics business.

In this blog post you’ll find:

  • 25 actionable tips to plan and promote your Pink October salon event to ensure it’s a brilliant success.
  • Buckets of fun ideas for fundraising to get you thinking.
  • Not fundraising this year? No matter. Try these mini-marketing ideas to help spread the Breast Cancer awareness message and engage with your clients.
  • My Little Pink Book: an invaluable list of links and useful breast cancer charity resources.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide annual campaign involving thousands of organisations, to highlight the importance of breast awareness, education and research.

 

Planning and promoting your Pink October event

Fundraising during Pink October is a win-win activity. You raise your business profile locally, market your salon or clinic and a breast cancer charity receives a much-needed donation.

Like any salon marketing activity planning is the key to a successful event.

Here are the 6 simple planning steps you need:

 

#1. A good pink fit

Decide what type of event is best for you, your team and your hair or beauty business. It is pointless arranging a charity sky dive or joining a local run if your team aren’t the sporty sort.

Ideally choose something to spark your local media and community’s imagination.

What do I mean?

Simply, that if you’ve decided on the usual fun run or a quiz you’ll need to dream up a quirky fresh angle to grab local attention and stand out from the crowd.

 

#2. Motivate your salon team

Getting your team on-board and inspired about a fundraising event can seem hard work at times. You’re bubbling with pink excitement whilst your team view it as a yet another chore that eats into their free time.

Get them fired up: involve them from the start, listen to their ideas and include them in the decision making. At your first meeting settle on a team leader and agree who is responsible for which tasks.

 

#3. Timing is important when you’re in business

Think about timing. Are you having ongoing activity throughout Pink October or focusing all your energy and effort on one big charitable event?

Which day of the week is best for your business? While a Friday or Saturday event ensures there are plenty of clients in your salon to donate, it’s also your busiest period and might not be the best time to throw in a major marketing distraction.

 

#4. Link up with local Pink business partners

Decide now whether you want to partner with other local business for your fundraising and get in touch to sound them out.

Ideally link up with partners who target a similar audience to your salon or spa. I look at how to partner successfully in section 6 of this blog post.

 

#5. Pink October fundraising ideas for salons

The breast cancer charity websites are packed with ideas for fun Pink October events and fundraising.

You’ll also find templates, tips and useful marketing materials on these websites so take a look early on and make life easier for yourself. I list the links to the main sites below in my Little Pink Book below… so keep reading👇🏻.

 

#6. Planning ensures success

Put an afternoon aside to plan your salon marketing activities for Breast Cancer Awareness month (you can download my free e-guide here for step-by-step advice on creating an annual hair or beauty business marketing plan).

Think about:

Pink hashtag: Decide on a salon hashtag for your #pink event. Then use it everywhere to raise brand awareness. Also use the main hashtags used by the charities to help your salon social posts get found.

Salon selfies: Set up a selfie station or sofa in your salon. Don’t forget to pop a breast cancer collection tin near it (as a gentle nudge) and also ask clients to post their #pinksalonselfies on their own social channels too.

Media shout-out: Prepare a media list of all the local and regional publications, community websites, local radio and TV who may be interested in your event.

Promotional materials: Plan posters and leaflets for both your salon and for any partner businesses.

Your website: Write a news page or blog for your salon or spa website. You’ll be linking to this from your social media, press release and email marketing so ensure it’s eye-catching. (Try my post on “Why a salon blog boosts business and how to write one” for tips on writing a salon blog).

Pink press: Draft a pre-event press release. Want to learn how to write one? My blog post here tells you how in simple steps.

Fundraising prizes: Ask your hair and beauty suppliers to donate prizes if you’re running a raffle alongside the other fundraising activities. Are there any local companies or even clients you could approach too?

Pink salon social: Get ahead of the game and schedule social media posts for the weeks leading up to your Pink October. Don’t just talk about your event; instead share useful information and stats on breast cancer, Tag the charity social pages and link to their websites.

My Little Pink Book below has links to all the main charity sites and other useful information for sharing on your salon social.

Eye-catching pics: If you’re really going to town with your Pink event then you may want to invest in a professional photographer or a videographer. Book them in now.

 

So you’ve done the planning let’s look at the lead up to your Pink October salon event…

 

#7. Promote your breast cancer event locally

Ask any local business partners to promote your event on their website, social media, and email marketing. Check they will display your posters and leaflets displayed in their premises too.

 

#8. A big pink salon splash

  • Are you making a big pink splash in your salon? Remind the team to talk to their clients about what you’re doing.
  • Ask hair and beauty clients to share, retweet and post to help spread the breast cancer message and your fundraising. You can do this in-salon at their appointment, on social and in your e-news. Most clients are delighted to help spread the word about beating breast cancer.
  • Encourage your team to share your salon social posts on their personal social pages.

 

#9. An easy pink salon marketing tip

Change your answer phone message to promote your event.

 

#10. And another…

Use your salon software to add a promotional message to your till receipts. Remember to include your #pink hashtag.

 

#11. Keep the press in the loop

Send out your pre-event press release now.

 

#12. Salon Social goes #pink

Your Pink October marketing and fundraising is just made for your salon social:

  • Post behind-the-scenes photos and videos of your team’s preparations, raffle prizes and any salon activity across all your salon social platforms.
  • Include your salon event #hashtag and also use the main hashtags used by the charities to help your posts get found.
  • And don’t forget those #pinksalonselfies I mentioned earlier.
  • The links in my Little Pink Book (at the end of this blog 👇🏻) give you tons of material you can download or share – tag in the charities to give them a shout out.

 

#13. Salon Facebook advertising boosts fundraising

Advertise on Facebook and Instagram to a target audience of your local community and I’d probably target women over men on this occasion.

This advertising is more to raise local awareness of your hair or beauty brand rather than to attract people to the event.

 

#14. Promote your salon campaign with a contest

Run an online competition in the weeks around your breast cancer fundraising event to drum up interest, raise your brand profile and collect email addresses.

UK businesses stay GDPR compliant by making it clear what you’re going to use the email address for and providing a tick box. Remember under the GDPR regulations that box can’t be pre-ticked.

Your email database is one of the most valuable salon marketing assets you have. Keep building it and you’ll grow your salon.

 

#15. Share stories online

  • Publish a news story on your website about why your salon is getting involved in Breast Cancer Awareness month. Then link to it on social.
  • Ask team members to comment on social as to why they are so passionate about spreading the message.
  • Do you have any clients who are recovering from breast cancer who would be happy to share their story and help others?

 

#16. A special pink e-newsletter

Broadcast a special Pink October salon e-newsletter.

Give readers plenty of ‘what’s in it for me’ WIIFM and include useful information – this brilliant infographic from Breast Cancer Care shows how to detect breast cancer early.

Want to use it on your salon social? You can download it here and use it on your online marketing.

 

#17. Event countdown on salon social

Do a 5 day countdown on your social media. Get your team involved and post a different photo for each day of the countdown – with a pink theme of course.

 

The big day has arrived…

 

#18. Snaps for salon social

Ensure you don’t miss ‘that photo’ by asking two of your team to get snapping and capturing the fun. This way you should cover all those special moments.

 

#19. Event coverage on salon social

Post throughout your pink event on your salon social media.

And make a big effort to actively engage with your clients, partners and local community on the day – replying to comments and tagging is essential.

Why not share important facts and stats with your social followers:

  • Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, one person is diagnosed every 10 minutes.
  • 1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
  • 85% of people survive breast cancer beyond 5 years.
  • Nearly 11,500 people die from breast cancer in the UK every year.
  • Around 370 men are diagnosed each year with breast cancer.
  • Over 80% of breast cancers occur in women aged over 50.
  • Around 2,200 women in the UK are diagnosed aged 39 or under, or just 4% of all cases.

For care, support and information, call Breast Cancer Care for free on 0808 800 600.

 

#20. Press photos

Take good quality photos for your post-event press release.

The quick snaps and #pinkselfies you take for social media are unlikely to be suitable for the press. So it’s worth taking extra care to take some posed shots. If you’re hosting a big event then I’d get a professional photographer in for some key shots.

 

And after your Pink October salon event…

 

#21. Be quick off the mark with your press release

Send out your post-event press release as soon as possible. That evening if possible, but certainly the next day. The press aren’t interested in stale news.

Write it pre-event. Add images and figures post-event. Then just press ‘SEND’.

You’ll find my tips and tricks on ‘How to write a hair & beauty press release’ here.

 

#22. Marketing mileage for your hair & beauty business

Squeeze more marketing mileage out of your October fundraising by drip feeding updates out on money raised, winners of competitions and more of the #pinksalon selfies across all your salon marketing channels in the coming week or two.

 

#23. Give November a boost

November is often a quiet month before the festive frenzy starts. Use your Pink event as the basis for a client e-newsletter. But don’t just include fundraising news, add in November promotions to drum up business this month and advertise any New Year marketing offers to encourage clients to get booking now for January.

 

#24. There’s always next October

Keep copies of everything as you may want to rinse and repeat your Pink October salon marketing next year.

 

#25. Measure your successes

Success isn’t just about how much you raised for breast cancer charities – although that is hugely important.

There was also a business element to your fundraising, so measure how successful your marketing campaign was. You’ll find some practical ideas on evaluating and monitoring your business growth and marketing success in this blog post.

And finally…

Remember to thank your clients, team and partners and send off your pink donation.

 

More quick and easy salon marketing ideas

Don’t have the time to run a Breast Cancer event?

No matter.

How about these quick, simple and easy-on-the-pocket marketing ideas, perfect for any for hair or beauty business to run throughout October:

PINK DRINKS: Give your salon drinks menu a pink theme with fruit teas, red berry smoothies and mouth-watering mocktails.

PINK BAKE OFF: Serve pink themed cupcakes and pretty iced biscuits with clients’ coffee. Hold a bake off with your team to encourage healthy competition, then ask clients to choose best cake. Most clients are delighted to make a donation to breast cancer charities.

PINK BRA: Play ‘pin the pink bra’ in your salon or clinic. Let your team get involved and have fun decorating bras and then ask clients for a small donation to play pin the bra (like pin the tail on the donkey). Why not ask them to vote for their favourite bra too.

THINK PINK: Paint the salon pink with festive decorations in your windows, treatment rooms and styling stations. Get your team dressing the part too.

BE GREEN FOR PINK: Set up a recycling box in salon for old bras/clothes and ask clients to donate. Many breast cancer charities offer ‘anytime clothing collections’ for free so you can arrange a collection when is best for you.

PINK WIN: Call your hair and beauty suppliers and local businesses for prizes for a salon charity raffle. Add in a gift card for your services (not retail) and then you’ll get a photo and marketing opportunity when the winner takes their prize.

PINK RIBBON: Pop a basket of breast cancer wristbands and pink ribbon badges on reception for your clients to purchase. You can buy them from many of the breast cancer charities listed in my Little Pink Book below. Donate the proceeds to the cancer charity you purchased them from.

 

Little Pink Book: useful breast cancer charity resources.

Visit these websites to learn how the money you raise helps beat breast cancer and supports those affected by it. You also find loads of fun fundraising ideas for your salon or aesthetic clinic.

Breast Cancer Care

Wear It Pink

Breast Cancer Now

Breast Cancer Research UK

Against Breast Cancer

Buy wristbands and pink ribbon badges here

Founded by Trevor Sorbie mynewhair provides help, advice and support to anyone living with the effects of medical hair loss with a network of associated hair salons around the UK.

 

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