Salon Marketing for the Jan-Feb Slump
January and February are often the most difficult months for beauty salons, with clients going back into savings hibernation (we call it light wallet syndrome), after spending probably too much over the Christmas period. Bringing clients back into salon after they have had all their Christmas and New Years treatments, as well as retail spend done and dusted can be near impossible.
While pre-Christmas spending continues to rise, January and February are notoriously quiet months for beauty, hair and aesthetic salons
Time to crank out those awe-inspiring marketing ideas to reel new and old clients back into your doors. Here’s what we found works:
Play on the ‘New Years resolution’ mania
We have all done it, but the obsession with resolutions each year continues to grow with UK gym memberships increasing 44% in 2015 (source: Guardian). From gym memberships to loving yourself more, health clubs and organic food stores captialise on this demand, and so should salons. Treatments in your salon can satisfy the desire to look younger, feel better and take care of yourself. Talk about finding the “new you”, and a “fresh start” on social media, in emails and on your website when marketing to clients to see a better return in the New Year.
Example: Add healthy smoothies, or internal supplements to your treatments. Bestow Beauty is the perfect way to encourage your clients that they will feel healthier and slimmer from the inside out, from their skin to their well-beingImplement clearance sales – Need to get rid of those last remaining gift packs, or retail stock? Entice clients back in with can’t-stay-away discounts and deals, or even make your treatment packages more attractive by adding value such as a complimentary follow-up treatment rather than straight discounting. January sales can clear your stock ready for the New Year, keeps the team motivated to sell and keeps cash flow going.
Example: Offer great discounts and sales on the days that are slow, like Mondays and Tuesdays, and start marketing these sales NOW. Pre-Christmas the hustle and bustle is there, waiting for an opportunity for you to mention your New Year sale. Take advantage of your audience looking for cheap answers post-Christmas, with a Christmas card saying thank you, and promoting your offersRun a salon event – It doesn’t have to cost much at all, a fantastic idea to encourage clients coming back is to run a salon open day with small goodie bags, demonstrations and mini-treatments as a thank you for their loyalty. This will ensure some of your retail stock and samples will move as your best clients will be in attendance.
Example: Utilise gift packs to introduce higher spending clients to new products and services you offer. They may even buy there on the spot, but don’t expect this, they are all watching their walletsGift cards – This is a major one! Gift cards are often undervalued in marketing, but ask yourself how many people receive gift cards for Christmas, and how many people you gave gift cards for Christmas this year. It comes to a lot overall, so this is definitely something to push in order to get people coming to your store in January and February. Studies have shown that 61% of gift cards holders spend more than the total value of the gift card.
Example: As a one day only promotion, run a ‘buy two, get one free’ on your salon gift cards, pushing it hard on Facebook and e-newsletters to create interest and in-store volume. We recommend making them valid from 1st January to 28th February to ensure more clients within this time period.
Promote a salon open day through e-newsletters and social media posts leading up to, and following, Christmas.
Start thinking NOW about your Jan-Feb promotions. While it might seem a bit too far away to be thinking about now, especially during the Christmas frenzy, it is ideal to be ready and prepared when your profits start to slow down. Boost your offers now while people are still in that ‘buyer’ mindset, and this will stick with them into the New Year.