5 Simple Ideas to Market Your Salon this Mother's Day
Today I am going to talk through some super easy to implement tips to market your salon this Mother’s Day.
Don’t worry if you have never done any marketing before or feel unsure about where to start. I am going to take you through these 5 easy ideas to get you started. First, let’s begin with the basics.
Why is Mother's Day an important date for your marketing calendar?
As with many ‘Hallmark holidays’ shops and businesses have jumped on the bandwagon with this one. And for good reason! Who doesn’t want to spoil their mum on a day dedicated solely to her?
As salons have a predominantly female client base it is the perfect platform to sell services for this event.
Additionally, the menu of salon services are the perfect gifts to give for busy mums who are in need of a well-deserved pampering session. And the timing is ideal – as it is sandwiched nicely between Valentine’s Day and Easter – a period that can typically be steady with plenty of gaps to fill.
With this in mind, let’s get going on the first tip…
#1 Gift Cards
Use this as an opportunity to sell, sell, sell those gift cards. These are perfect for ‘The mum who has everything’ and are suitable for all price points. This is ideal if kids want to use their pocket money to buy a £10 – voucher or for someone looking to pay for a whole treatment for their mum. Whichever it is, all you need to know is; it’s a great marketing tool for your salon which requires minimal effort on your part.
If your salon already has a gift card system in place it is easy to make a few tweaks to tailor them to mark Mothers Day. If not, then get on board as they are great for any occasion & cash flow which help to drive business forward and grow your salon. You could even offer incentives like: ‘Buy one gift card get one-half price’, as a way to encourage sales.
The clever thing about gift cards is they have an expiry date (unlike money). So if someone buys an extra gift card, even if they use it themselves, it will need to be used before the expiry date, which is under your jurisdiction. You could choose the expiry during a typically quiet time within the salon to help increase bookings around this slump.
Salon Saviour tip
Why not display these gift cards on your reception desk (if you don't already) and display some subtle posters alongside your mirrors promoting them, encouraging clients to ‘Ask your stylist for more details’. This not only subconsciously reminds clients about Mothers Day fast approaching - but it gives them an easy gift idea too. Why not train your staff to ask clients at the end of a treatment, if they are interested in any gift cards for the up coming occasion? This might give someone the gentle nudge they need to purchase.
#2 Put together popular product packs
Again this is a nice easy one to implement. And it does what it says on the tin. Pick out some of your ‘best sellers’ and package them up in a convenient, easily buyable, bundle.
I don’t know about you – but I feel it is much more convenient to buy a gift already wrapped up, ribbons and bows ‘n’ all, job DONE 🙂 Naturally we are drawn to things that are pleasing to the eye – even if it does mean you pay a premium for it.
So with this in mind, think about how you could implement this in your own salon to get more sales for Mother’s Day.
It is often the case that we don’t treat ourselves to things we deem extravagant (hair products included!) Especially mums – as they are so often caring for everyone else, they neglect their own needs.
These gift packs are the perfect solution for someone looking to treat their Mum and save time in the process. If your salon fills that need, it opens up the floodgates for new custom from the recipient and through word of mouth.
Salon Saviour tip
Don't forget to include your salon business card and list of treatments/price list in the packs. You could even offer a 10% discount for new clients to encourage new bookings if the recipient does not already come to your salon.
#3 Encourage clients to create their own bundle
In summary, this is much like my above point about creating a bundle of products to sell for Mothers Day. Only with customisation at the client’s discretion.
Think Build a Bear. They have bears already made (as referenced above) and they have bears unstuffed and ready to be filled 🙂
Who doesn’t love Build a Bear?!
So, taking this business model and using it in a salon scenario. Giving customers the choice of products they wish to include in the bundle enables them to choose their favourites and hand-pick their gift.
If you position this as a bespoke service you will gain more interest & sales because it’s only be offered in your salon with your products. Plus mums love nothing more than a handmade, thoughtful gift.
Offer salon expertise when building the bundle. You could advertise it like this: ‘Build your own bundle – let one of our stylists help you build a bespoke hamper to delight your Mum this Mother’s Day’.
This way, again, you are offering a personalised service that isn’t available if someone picked the products off the shelves themselves. You could offer recommendation according to hair type etc. Which gives another valid reason the recipient should visit your salon afterwards!
Salon Saviour tip
You could always promote these bundles by offering 3 for 2 on products or buy 1 get one-half price etc. Don't forget to combine the gift cards in these bundles too. They are a great little addition to these gift packs, especially for men buying for wives or mums if they are unsure what products they use/how many to include. For example, you could have offers such as: Buy 1 product + 1 product + gift card = (Discount on RRP as an incentive to buy) Again don't forget to slip your business cards and price lists in there 🙂
#4 Promote your offers on your website
Your website is your window to the world for your business. So don’t overlook this valuable marketing tool.
Any deals and new services you offer NEED to be put out there for the world to see – and Mother’s Day is no exception, my friends!
We see this increasingly on retail outlets home pages. It is adapted to the particular occasion i.e. Mothers Day, the page is then tailored to gift ideas and offers – so, take a leaf from their book and implement this on your own salon websites.
You could have images of aforementioned bundles and tailor your list of treatments available as a way to promote your services for Mother’s Day.
Read our post on ‘Social Media Tactics to Grow your Salon‘, and gain some insight on how this powerful tool can help boost your salon visibility.
Salon Saviour tip
Not sure how to add a page to your website? Or don't have the marketing budget to do so? No worries! Social media is a great way to shout about your offers for free! So get broadcasting and add these special Mother's Day deals to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Remember to tag your salon in the posts and put an appropriate image as an accompaniment. It is proven that posts with images get way more engagement than those that don't.
#5 Send a reminder email to your mailing list
Finally, a nice an easy one to finish off…send a reminder email to your mailing list. In this day in age, you should be collecting emails as a way of keeping in touch with clients, and special days like Mother’s Day are the perfect time to be sending out an email.
Let your clients know what special offers you have on, as well as giving them a helpful reminder about Mothers Day.
Salon Saviour
If you don't have salon software, or an email marketing system at this stage you can still implement this technique. By sending SMS messages to your clients to reach out and inform them of the same offers. Don't forget to put your salon's contact number preceding the message. This way clients can easily call to book or ring for more information.
When should you start advertising?
A couple of weeks before is sufficient – depending on what you plan to do to market for this occasion. You don’t want to start too early and ram it down people’s throats, but no marketing beforehand can cut out all the extra sales you could have during the run-up. It’s a fine balance.
It is notable to inform clients on the run-up – you can drum up more sales. Plus gift cards are great for the last minute jobbies, you have covered all areas this way.
To wrap up
I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Get your appointment book filled this March by trying out these easy to administer marketing tips to help your salon grow.
Celebrate our amazing Mums and treat them this Mother’s Day.
