Mother’s Day marketing ideas for salons & clinics

In 2022 we splashed out over $31 billion in the USA and £1.34 billion in the UK on gifts for Mother’s Day, which makes it a brilliant salon marketing opportunity for your hair or beauty business.

Mother’s Day is Sunday 19 March 2023 in the UK and Sunday 14 May 2023 in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Chocolates and flowers may be traditional gifts for mum but the last few years have seen self-care, natural beauty, relaxation and well-being take centre stage, along with a big focus on experiences.

Here are my top ten ways to market your beauty or hair salon for Mother’s Day, with ideas for specific promotions:

1. Use a wide range of imagery

2. Avoid being too salesy

3. Hair & beauty giveaways for mum

4. Salon social marketing contests

5. Partner marketing for Mother’s Day

6. Easy Mother’s Day salon promotions

7. Market hard on your salon website

8. A quick offer idea for Mother’s Day

9. Marketing to dads around Mother’s Day

10. What worked?

Let’s start with your salon social media marketing:

#1. Choose Mother’s Day imagery carefully

Mums cover a huge age range so reflect this when choosing imagery and show a broad range of ages.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

#2. Avoid being too salesy

Do you know the most common mistake I see salon owners making on social media?

Too much hard sell.

How about:

• Share photos of retro hair-dos you love on your salon social.
• Give skin or haircare tips for different age demographics.
• Start a conversation about classic film/TV mums with #ThrowbackThursday.
• Ask followers for their first memories of their mum, or why she inspires them.
• Ask a fun question like OPI do in this IG post…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

#3. Hair & beauty giveaways for mum

Get your suppliers on-board and offer some pampering giveaway Mother’s Day hair or beauty goodies to increase social media engagement. I’d pop a gift card in each bag too but for services only (not retail) to encourage them to book in and try you.

Just make sure the winners collect their goody bag from your salon or spa so they can see what you have to offer, you can capture their email address and you may even be able to squeeze in a quick freebie consultation.

#4. Salon social marketing contests for Mother’s Day

How about:

Mums’ make-over contest:

Being a mum is incredibly hard-work and some ultra-spoiling is the least she deserves. Run a ‘Mum and Daughter’ make-over contest on social media and your website in return for capturing email addresses.

Are you a beauty business owner? Why not team up with the best hairdressers in town? Not only will the combined prize be more enticing, but you may gain some new clients.

Mother’s Day salon selfie contest:

Pressed for time? Fancy some quick and easy marketing?

How about a mum and daughter selfie competition? Perfect for Mother’s Day.

#5. Partner marketing for Mother’s Day

53% of shoppers agreed that Mother’s Day products presented in-store are boring and lack inspiration. As every hair and beauty business in town will be jumping on the Mother’s Day promotional band-wagon, make sure you offer something more bespoke, unusual and personal.

The sort of gift that oozes thoughtfulness – rather than hints at a last minute dash for garage forecourt flowers 😊

Here’s a quick and easy way to up your gift game. And your salon marketing:

Mother’s Day is the perfect partner opportunity. Team up with like-minded local businesses to create bespoke gift packages, marketing promotions and offers that shout, “You’re the best Mum in the world.”

Just to be clear: these extras are not freebie giveaways. They are fully charged for. It just makes for a much more special gift for mum.

How about:

• A £xx salon or clinic gift card delivered with a bouquet of spring flowers to your mum for just £x.
• A facial treatment voucher slipped in with a box of hand-made chocolates for a yummy mummy.
• A mother and daughter pampering day at your salon followed by a decadent afternoon tea at a swanky local hotel.
• A dozen red roses plus a salon gift card for £x plus an extra 25% free. To learn more about the power of ‘extra free’ take a peek at this blog post.
• A bundle gift for both mum and dad (Father’s Day is just around the corner).

#6. Easy Mother’s Day salon promotions

And of course it works the other way round.

Beautifully.

Your new best buddy, the florist, can offer a ‘roses and luxury facial package’ to her customers.

Just think about all those people ordering flowers from your partner florist who have never heard of your salon or clinic. Until today.

You’ve heard me say it before, but just make sure it’s win-win for both businesses. Agree beforehand ‘how, where and to whom’ each business is going to market the promotional packages.

You could agree to both:

• Talk about it on your salon social media.
• Use the same #MothersDay hashtag.
• Promote it in your e-newsletter.
• Pop it on your websites.
• Market it in your salon/shop.

#7. Promote Mother’s Day on your salon website

Did you know… around 37% of shoppers want inspiration for Mother’s Day presents.

So inspire them!

Create a website page to showcase your ideas for mum and promote your salon gift cards. You never know it might encourage some indulgent self-gifting too.

John Lewis’s website has a stylish theme based on mum’s interests:

Selfridges’ website adopts a different approach (and I’m sorely tempted to self-gift).

The salon marketing trick:

Don’t be shy. Clients won’t spend with you if they don’t know what you’re offering. They’ll give their money to another business. So link back to these website pages at every opportunity – from your e-newsletter, advertising and social media. Drive that traffic to it.

#8. A quick salon offer idea for Mother’s Day

I know I rattle on about it BUT always try to offer added value not discounts.

This Mother’s Day offer idea works by letting daughters share the pampering with their mum, whilst both getting a treatment upgrade.

Salon marketing tip:

BUT this offer loses marketing points by not being clear about the offer’s terms and conditions. Is it only available on Mothering Sunday itself? If not, when? I can see someone being disappointed here when they call to book. So, if you fancy using this as a base for an offer, be clear about the Ts and Cs.

Here’s another good use of added value:

Enjoy a mother and daughter break at Champneys, it’s the perfect place to hideaway and recharge alongside the person that knows you best! Enjoy a Thalassotherapy pool session for two, with mum also getting an additional 55-minute manicure or pedicure and an Elemis gift.

The extra treats for mum give it that nice touch. Fancy using this idea? I’d think about making it a “complimentary manicure or pedicure for mum”.

#9. Marketing to dads around Mother’s Day

Dads will be shopping with their family. And there’s a fair chance it’ll be last minute too. So look for ways to inspire them and make it easy for them to buy.

Try these beauty and hair marketing ideas:

• Drop a hint: Post a mouth-watering list of your Mother’s Day gift ideas and offers on your website, e-newsletter, around your salon and on your social media. Anywhere dads will see it. It makes it easy for mum to drop a heavy hint too.
• Mums-to-be: Specialised pregnancy massages, facials and reflexology are highly personal gifts which are hard to beat for dads-to-be.
• Child-friendly gifts: Gift cards and hair or beauty packages seem a boring present to give your special mummy if you’re only six years old. Make them more appealing to little ones by adding a tangible gift that can be wrapped and given with the gift card.
• Free gift-wrapping: Always a popular option for hassled dads with kids. Keep some Mother’s Day gift tags in your salon too, so they walk out with the job done and dusted.
• Salon event: Hosting a fun event for dads and kids works well, but I appreciate isn’t everyone’s idea of easy marketing. Perhaps team with a local photographer and have them take family snaps at your event. Sounds like the perfect thoughtful gift for mummy, especially when combined with a voucher for a pampering salon package.
• Don’t forget men: Men tend to spend more on Mother’s Day gifts than women. Partner with a local business with a strong male client base to open your promotions to a fresh target audience. You can always return the favour come Father’s Day.

#10. Was Mother’s Day profitable for your salon biz?

As always, monitor and measure what worked for Mother’s Day.

And what didn’t.

Happy Mother’s Day to all those mums who run a salon…

And finally, if you’re reading this blog and you’re both a mum and a salon owner, I hope you get to put your feet up on Mother’s Day and enjoy some ultra-spoiling 😀