Is autumn looking gappy? Many salons have a lean time as the leaves change and the temperature drops. But bookings don’t have to be slow.
Autumn is a season of transformation. It’s inherently nostalgic and emotional – capitalise on these feelings with your marketing. Imagine walking into a salon that’s a comforting haven of warmth with cosy settings, soft blankets and cinnamon scented candles.
Sound good?
Well, let’s look at nine ideas to give your autumn salon marketing a boost:
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Use autumn hooks for your marketing
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Offer autumn salon specials
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Fall headfirst into autumn social media
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Promote October/November in salon
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Find new clients this autumn
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Put your salon team to work this fall
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Partner locally for seasonal promotions
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Blog your way to a busy fall
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Autumn salon business boosters
#1. Use autumn hooks for your marketing
Pink October, Movember, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Black Friday are all useful hooks for your autumn salon marketing. They give a reason for your promotions, add seasonality, and inject some fun. Make the most of them.
#2. Offer autumn salon specials
It’s tempting to squeeze in a flash sale when your phone – and till – stop ringing.
But don’t be tempted to slash your prices. Always add value rather than discount if you can. Your loyal, regular clients already love what you do, so why throw your profit away by reducing your prices? It doesn’t make any business sense. It just hurts your bottom line.
To coax regular clients to book in these quieter fall months create a VIP offer. Add a free hair or beauty service which doesn’t cost you much money to do, but persuades regular clients to bring their appointment forward. Or even better, book an extra visit in November.
Try adding:
- A complimentary file and polish for hands to every pedicure.
- An upgrade to an Olaplex (or similar) treatment to hair colour services.
- A complimentary mini microdermabrasion to facials.
Squeeze maximum profit out of autumn offers with clever terms and conditions:
- Restrict to selected hair stylists/beauty therapists.
- Only available on the quiet days and times of the week.
- State the promotion end date to create a sense of urgency.
#3. Fall headfirst into autumn social media
Turn over a new leaf on your salon social:
1. Seasonal Reels, TikToks and YouTube Shorts
These currently get strong engagement and reach. If you’re adding a complimentary mini microdermabrasion to facials as your autumn offer (#2 above) why not create a Reel setting out the benefits in a fun, but still professional way. Or shoot a video of a microdermabrasion treatment and add your offer at the end.
Remember to always add a call-to-action to book.
2. Marketing essentials
Basic but easily overlooked, pin any offer posts to the top of your social platforms.
3. Advertise autumn specials on your salon social
Invest in some Meta advertising for both your Instagram and Facebook to promote your seasonal offer as only a fraction of your followers will get your organic (non-paid for) post in their feed.
Free hands-on advertising course
Salon Social Club members take my free advertising course to attract new clients this autumn.
I walk you through my ‘painting by numbers’ blueprint to run your own new client ad campaign. The offer. The advert. And exactly which buttons to click in Facebook Ads. Everything.
Even if you’ve never advertised before, by the end of the course, you’ll have your very own ready-to-roll advert. You’ll press publish on your own advertising campaign. Go live. And start attracting new clients to grow your hair or beauty biz 🚀. I’ve made it that easy for you.
4. Connect not sell
Avoid selling all the time on social media. Instead build new relationships and position yourself as an expert with advice posts, Q&A sessions and step-by-step video tutorials around the changing season.
#4. Promote October/November in salon
1. Promote salon retail
If you’ve premises make the most of your ‘free’ advertising space:
Give windows an eye-catching autumn makeover with seasonal products and props.
Encourage clients to switch up their selfcare routines with fall-themed retail displays with this season’s must-have products and colours. Find 10 merchandising and retail display tips here.
And if you have digital signage then remember to update that too.
2. Autumn calling
Add your seasonal promotions and specials to your voicemail and message services.
Pop a reminder on any automatically generated emails or texts from your salon software. Many EPOS salon systems let you place a message on your till receipts too. Remind your team to draw clients’ attention to it as they hand over the receipt.
#5. Find new clients this autumn
Reach out to local influencers to boost your visibility and put your salon or clinic in front of a new local audience. As well as asking them to review a particular service or treatment why not host a giveaway for their audience.
#6. Put your salon team to work this fall
Encourage your team to spread the word over the coming months:
1. Get them onboard
Explain:
- why you’re running an autumn offer and
- the benefits of adding value rather than just discounting.
2. Reward management
If it’s quiet your team can start to feel a bit flat and restless. Re-engage and re-energise them with a mini competition to reward those therapists, stylists and receptionists who get the most clients booked in for the promotion appointments. Or sell the most autumnal retail.
Prompt your team to chat to clients about your offer by popping graphics around your salon to kick-start conversations. I like strut cards or mirror talkers.
Cross sell opportunities…
Having tempted clients to book in October/November, while they are with you:
- tempt them with Christmas retail (more festive retail tips here)
- talk about your gift cards (tips on selling more Christmas gift cards here)
#7. Partner locally for seasonal promotions
Coordinate your marketing message, share resources, and slash your marketing budget by buddying up with a local biz partner.
Avoid the pitfalls with my practical tips here.
#8. Blog your way to a busy fall
Blogging is still an invaluable way to build trust and stand out from the local competition. Learn why a salon blog is still a marketing-must and how to write one here.
Or if you’d like a ready-to-roll monthly blog head over to my Salon Social Club. Membership includes a professionally written ready-to-go blog template every month as part of your Club Content.
#9. Autumn salon business boosters
Three ideas for using your gift cards to boost autumn spending:
1. A big thank you
Thank high spending clients this autumn with a surprise complimentary gift card. It doesn’t have to be for much, it’s the thank you that counts. It helps keep them loyal and spending – 65% of gift card holders spend an extra 38% beyond the value of the card. (source)
2. Winning salon ways
Offer a generous gift card as the prize for an autumn social giveaway contest.
Just make sure it can only be redeemed for services, not retail. This way you attract local people and can turn the winner’s visit into a marketing opportunity.
For ideas on selling more gift cards head to my blog here.
3. One day only…
To encourage gift card sales hold a one day only upgrade sale. Try:
- Buy a £50 gift card and we’ll upgrade it to £60.
- Buy a £X gift card and get a free [XXXX]. This could be a low-cost (to you) hair or beauty treatment, a retail gift or discount on a future service. The options are endless. Just don’t give too much profit away.
Get marketing…
If your biz is looking quiet over the autumn weeks block out a couple of hours now. Get planning. Then swing into marketing action.