Salon Marketing can be a bottomless pit. Below I have outlined the 8 most important things to consider when doing an in-salon promotion that will save you money and ensure that the promotion is not only successful but that it has long term positive effects on your bottom line. I’ve kept it short and sweet because really…who has time to read this stuff!

Target areas that need growth

When deciding what to do for a salon promotion the best place to start is your salon’s business reports. Have a look at areas that could do with a boost. Do your team need a retail kick in the pants? Are your add-on services lacking? Look for areas that will increase your bottom line. The idea with a promotion is to train your customers into behaviours you would like them to adopt. It attracts client’s attention to areas they previously may have not purchased in or have not looked at for a long time. So in short, don’t hold random promotions, target them to meet your business needs.

Value add

Once you have decided what promotional area you are going to tackle you need to establish exactly what you are going to offer. And remember, a discount is not necessarily a promotion. You need to look for ways to add value to your services or products that has a high perceived value but low actual cost.

Make it quick and concise

Promotions need to be set for a short definitive period of time, and you need to stick to that period of time. Make sure all of your expiry dates and conditions are clearly printed on your promotional materials and that your team are clued into the requirements. If you are targeting first time clients, make sure you state that. The last thing you want is to forget the expiry and conditions and be begrudgingly giving out promo stuff for the rest of your life.

Get product companies on board

Your product companies do more than just supply you with gorgeous goo. They often run their own promotions but will always be willing to throw in some extras to help with your own. All you usually need to do to benefit from these extras is put their logo on the promotional material. You can often also score professional images from the product companies to help make your promos look top quality.

Brand and theme

Always ensure that the material you produce to hang in your salon, publish in magazines or put on the internet is consistently branded with your salon logo and that of the product company. Ensure that the marketing is well targeted to the most likely of your clients to respond. Just because a promo is a temporary thing doesn’t mean it should be shoddily put together. Make allowances in your promo budget to ensure you have professionally printed, well designed promos that will help you sell more!

Put it into your customer service system

The major key to a successful promotion is training your team to effectively recommend it as a part of their everyday customer service system. Whether it’s over the phone to booking clients or at the basin while they are mid service, it is imperative that every client is informed of the promotion and how it will benefit them.

Deliver on the promises.

Make sure you can deliver on the promotion. I clearly remember being a mystery shopper at a beauty salon. I had booked in for a service that came with a bonus product pack. After I had finished my service I paid and asked about my bonus pack. (I shouldn’t have even had to ask!) I was told the packs hadn’t arrived yet. I had been sold the service over the phone after seeing it on the internet. I was not happy! Don’t let this happen to you. Ensure you have the bonus products ready to go and have enough to cover you. You can always use the extra ones for something else down the track. If it is extra services make sure you can fit them in and structure your booking sheet accordingly. Be ready to go from the day the promotion starts. Very Important!

Plan, Plan, Plan…

Promotions should be planned over the year within your marketing budget. We recommend running only one at a time. It is okay have a promotion running at all times but plan them out, taking note of special days such as Mother’s day and Christmas and make sure you are aware of your product companies promotion schedule so that you can ride on their coat tails when they are doing something you like.