Hair Salon Promotions: 6 Ideas for your Business

Hair salon owners are always busy. If they aren’t occupied with cutting hair themselves, they’re busy making sure staff are doing the job properly. There’s also online reviews that need replies, and social media that needs to be kept updated. On top of that, there’s a myriad of other business management tasks that need attention. It’s hard to find time to think of new hair salon promotions to run at the same time.

That’s why we’ve done the work for you. Read on to discover 5 hair salon promotions that are sure to keep your calendar full.

1. Bring a friend

The ‘bring a friend’ deal is one of the most classic hair salon promotions and has been used to fill up salons for some time now. It’s a win-win for everyone involved because the salon is gaining an extra customer from the deal while the client that brought in the friend can receive a discount or other reward.

The trick with these sorts of deals is to make sure your offer is sustainable. You don’t want half your work for the day to be done at no charge. It’s important to find a balance between attractiveness of the deal, and value to your salon.

If you’re not sure what you should be charging for services, read our blog on salon prices and getting them right.

To ensure your customers are aware of your hair salon promotions, use bulk SMS or email to send out messages, keeping them in the loop. Social media can be used to reach those you don’t already have contact details for.

2. Back to school

No matter where you’re located, chances are that there are plenty of families nearby that would love the opportunity to receive a haircut for their child that’s going back to school.

Parents often have to worry about new clothes, school supplies, etc. so offering something to entice them to bring in their kids is a good idea. Again, if you decide to offer a discount, make sure it’s not going to impact your bottom line negatively.

The upside to offering special cuts for kids, is that the mother or father will often choose to also get her hair done at the same time. Parents love an opportunity to save time and energy!

The ‘back to school’ discount can also apply to those attending university. Market the offer in such a way that students are encouraged to get their hair done before classes start up again for the new semester.

3. Reviews for discounts

People often make the mistake of forgetting about their existing customers when they research hair salon promotions. In reality, selling to your existing customers is one of the cheapest ways of making a sale!

Try offering an incentive like $10 off their next visit if they leave a review for your salon. This keeps clients engaged with your hair salon and more likely to return, or refer their friends. These could be Google reviews, Yelp, or social media. Check what review sites are most trusted in your area, and encourage customers to post there.

4. Comarketing with other businesses

The thought of working with another business may seem crazy to you. Of course, you’re busy focussing on your own business as a busy entrepreneur. The truth is, your clients are visiting plenty of places aside from your salon and it pays to understand where your customers are spending their time.

Try setting up your hair salon promotions with nearby nail salons, makeup artists, spas, hotels, wedding planners, jewelry shops, etc. to entice their customers to give you a visit. Other businesses near your salon for example, might be keen to refer your services if their guests ask about a good hair salon nearby. The other business does it’s job by helping their customers find what they need, and you can benefit from a new client. Successful co-marketing campaigns generate “win-win-win” situations that offer value not only to the partnering businesses, but also to your clients.

As an added bonus, it’s always nice to be able to connect and build relationships with other entrepreneurs in your area. You might even get some treats for yourself at the same time!

5. Loyalty reward system

Getting new customers to come to your salon for the first time is only half the battle. You’re also going to have to work to get them to come back and become a regular.

This is where the loyalty reward system comes into play, each time they visit they get points and that brings them one step closer to receiving a reward. Ultimately it’s up to you to figure out how many visits it’ll take before they start to get incentives and rewards for their loyalty.

These incentives and rewards could be anything from $20 off a service, to 20% off their next visit. Just ensure that your rewards are not only good for the client, but for your salon as well. Also make sure to put extra effort into making sure that your cards are nicely designed! You don’t want people throwing them in the bin as soon as they head out the door.

6. Birthday discounts

Sending a client an email or SMS for a coupon regarding their birthday is sure to put a smile on their faces as well as strengthening their relationship with your salon!

Timely has ‘customer birthday reports’ designed to give you a full list of clients having birthdays in a given month. Use it to schedule a birthday email for these clients with your special hair salon promotions!

Now that you’re aware of what goes in to successful hair salon promotions, it might pay to go over the strategies with your team to get a sense of what they think of each. Not all hair salon promotions will suit your business, or your clients. A luxury salon probably doesn’t want to market ‘cheap’ discounts, as it won’t fit their sophisticated image. Find out what hair salon promotions work best for you.

The most important part of running hair salon promotions however, is finding out exactly how effective these strategies were for your business. Make sure to look at your business reports to provide an in-depth analysis of how much money you’ve made using each promotion.