Salon offers you just have to start the year off with!

We know you’re tempted to share that buy-one-get-three-free promo, the -40% hair salon special offer and the classic gift bag for potential clients who simply walk by your storefront and make eye contact with you. But for the sake of your reputation, we implore you not to go this route, as such offers can end catastrophically for your hair or beauty business. Sure, you have your eyes set on gaining new clients, making some much-needed profit and of course stepping out of 2020’s shadow - but at what cost? To help you achieve your goals for this year, we’ve assembled the most effective hair and beauty business offers to date, and it all starts with proper planning.

Who, what and why?

Who do you plan on targeting with your offers? What do you plan on offering? Why are you even considering salon promo ideas? Most hair and beauty business owners focus most of their attention on the “why” aspect - “I want more clients”, “I need to fill appointment gaps” and “I need to make more money”. When it comes to the “what” aspect, specialists often choose a best selling product or treatment, and in some cases, items that don’t make it into your spotlight. Unfortunately, the “who” aspect is usually ignored. After all, hairstylists, barbers and hairdressers primarily target people with hair, nail techs target people with nails, etc. There’s nothing to it, right? Wrong - and here’s why!

Like snowflakes, no two are alike!

Clients can be categorized into groups based on age, interests, gender and needs - promoting an offer meant for one specific group of customers to everyone on your list is a poor way of grabbing your target audience’s attention. Chances are your male clients who book skin smoothing pedicures and nail clip and file treatments won’t enjoy being bombarded regularly by your unicorn pretty princess nail art offers. And we couldn’t leave out the classic beard and moustache trim offer meant for men, which somehow ends up with your female customers, who, upon receiving it, cautiously rub their face in search of stray hairs.

And what happens when a client you didn’t intend to target gets regular offers that don’t interest them? Your messages are now official residents of their spam box and they simply stop following you on social media. Sounds like your case? We can tell right off the bat that you’re not using Booksy, professional hair and beauty business software! If you were, you’d target a specific group of customers instead. The system lets you filter your list to reach those who purchased a specific service in a selected period of time. Then, all you do is pick a ready-made template or type a brand new message to spread the word about your offer, select message type (SMS, push notification or email) and send.

You’re offering what?!

Before you start coming up with salon discount ideas, ask yourself: “Am I devaluing myself?” You didn’t spend countless hours and money on hair and beauty courses in order to just give it all away! Handing out too much is a common mistake many hair and beauty professionals make. Sure, it attracts clients, but the wrong kind - remember our article on bargain hunters in hair and beauty? You want clients who will be loyal to your business, not your offers. Keep your offers lean and mean! Here are a few salon promotions that work:

• Discounts: if you issue discounts, make sure they’re roughly between 10% and 20%. Bear in mind that you should make a good amount of profit above your break-even point. It is also recommended that you give offers as a way to thank customers for doing something, like being loyal to your business, referring you to friends and family, etc.
• Vouchers: you read correctly. Sell discounted value or package vouchers. Although discounting them seems counterproductive, it’s actually highly beneficial for your business. In the Gift Cards & Bundled Services section in Booksy, you’ll notice that you can include an expiration date. Pro tip: give your voucher an expiration date at the end of your slow season in order to fill your appointment book up!
• Holiday and seasonal specials: holidays and seasons are ideal times for you to get creative! Treat clients to coffee with green whipped cream for St. Patrick’s day, do an Easter egg hunt contest in your social media posts, create summer-themed goodie bags for clients who spend at least £150 in your business - the list goes on. This is ideal for engaging your audience and giving them something fresh.

These are great New Year’s salon promotions that also work well as a part of your January and February marketing ideas. It’s during your slower seasons that you should focus on implementing them, however, you ought to plan beforehand. Sometimes, you’re just too busy to come up with a creative offer right off the bat. For some quick advice, do a poll on your social media pages, asking your devout followers what offers they’d like to see! Or, you can click through Booksy’s Reports section and see what’s selling well. Pro tip: discounts work best with popular menu items, whereas less popular items sell better in packages.

What’s your motivation?

More clients, more profit, fewer appointment gaps - did we get them all? These are the most common goals hair and beauty specialists set out to achieve. Sure, they’re attainable through various offer schemes, however, each goal requires different schools of thought. An offer that has brought you a significant increase in profit isn’t necessarily going to help attract clients, etc.

• More customers: first, get to know your local client demographic - who are the clients in your area? Create salon promo ideas (e.g. a 10% discount on a treatment often booked by this demographic) and share them on social media and localised ads. Additionally, get your loyal clients to promote this offer to their friends and family with a referral system.
• More profit: here you have a number of options - discount your most popular treatments and products for your loyal customers, but only for a limited time. This not only cements their loyalty, but also drives up sales. Additionally, you can include bonuses, such as a £15 voucher with the purchase of a full head of highlights, body waxing or a set of PMU brows.
• Fewer appointment gaps: slow season? Last-second cancellations? Fill these slots with the help of an added bonus. Customers who quickly do so will receive a complimentary gift (in the form of a branded item, a delicious coffee or homemade treat). If you use Booksy, you can quickly get the word out about your available slots. Also, encourage recurring visits - customers who book a series of appointments will definitely be in your salon quite often, so consider giving a 10% off discount on each visit.
• Better loyalty: we saved the best and most often overlooked for last! Loyal customers help bring new clients to your business, increase the amount of profit you make and fill up those empty slots! To improve the loyalty of your closest and dearest customers, focus on rewarding them for their good deeds. Booksy lets you assign your most loyal clients a regular discount, so that it adds automatically each time you check out their appointment.

To sum it up - offers and salon coupon ideas are great for your business, but only if you use them wisely! Giving away too much only attracts bargain hunters who are loyal only to discounts, which obviously hurts your business. Your offers ought to go both ways evenly, which means that your clients should be leaving your salon with a smile on their faces, while you continue to stay afloat, thanks to their support. With proper planning and a goal in mind, this will definitely be your year. And with Booksy, salon software, at your side, nothing will stand in your way! Your free account is just a click away - sign up today and start planning for tomorrow. No hidden fees, no credit card required - free support all the way.