One of the most impactful ways that salon owners and solopreneurs can increase their cash flow is to extend special offers on products or services. That is, if the promo hits that sweet spot of boosting sales without cutting into profits.
Here are 5 tried-and-true strategies to create salon promotions that get the job done — just in time for the holidays.
1. Make it exclusive.
Discounts offered consistently throughout the year take the “special” out of special offer, and overall cheapen your brand.
Extend hot deals on goods or services infrequently and strategically — and when you do, emphasize how rare this opportunity is to score a great deal.
2. Give an incentive to spend more than average.
Determine how much clients usually spend on gift items like retail bundles, service series, or gift cards. Then, give them an incentive to nudge that bottom line up.
For instance: Your average gift card sale is $80. So, you create a promo that offers $125 gift cards for $100.
The goal is not only to raise the average spend on promoted items, but to get buyers and recipients accustomed to the higher price point for future purchases.
(If you're offering a special deal on gift cards, follow these marketing tips!)
3. Get them hooked on new products or services they’ll buy again.
When choosing the products or services to promote, think about their potential for repeat sales or bookings. Ideally, you don’t want to put a one-and-done item on sale, but be selective about what will inspire clients to come back for more.
A couple solid options are extensions, color services, or texture treatments that require in-salon maintenance, or high-ticket products they won’t want to live without in the future.
4. Test-drive different offers.
All client bases are different, and this is true even for salons with multiple locations. Some incentives will go over like gangbusters with a salon clientele, while others don’t move the needle at all.
Consider creating 2 or 3 different offers at strategic times for salons: Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, summer, back-to-school, and the holiday season.
Testing your client base and seeing what works and what doesn’t will make each subsequent promotion more successful.
5. Don’t skimp on marketing!
Your salon promo can have all the hallmarks to make it a cash-flow engine, but if nobody knows about it, it’ll flop.
Blast out your promo anywhere you reach your clients: your website, social media, SMS texting, emails, and in the salon via eye-catching signage or mirror clings.
And one more tip for after the promo is over:
Gather that data!
Take the time to determine the promotion's ROI.
Break down the success of your promo, the demographics of those who responded to it, and follow-up info — like whether the buyer or recipient were return customers for related appointments or product purchases.
These insights will help you know whether to repeat a promo in the future, ditch it altogether, or tweak future promos for better impact.
Besides creating promos that work, here are some more tips for boosting sales over the holiday season!
Salon owners — what's your tried-and-true holiday special offer? Share it with us on Instagram.