The lead-up to Xmas is undoubtedly the busiest time of the year for most retailers – in fact many generate more than 50 percent of their annual profit during this period.
And although many beauty salons don’t even consider themselves ‘retailers’, they are, and there is no reason why they can’t adopt similar strategies to other beauty retailers like David Jones, Myer, Target, Mecca, Sephora and MAC to maximise their Xmas profits.
Indeed it would be a pity not to, given that beauty salons are one of very few businesses where almost every item stocked can be quickly and easily transformed into a special gift with just a piece of ribbon – and every treatment on offer can be transformed into a ‘gift voucher’ even more quickly and easily.
This means that unlike some retailers, salon owners do not have to convince consumers that beauty ‘products’ are highly desirable gifts – they simply have to convince them to buy from their salon rather than the “retailer” down the road, round the corner or the other side of the shopping centre.
Therefore, all most beauty salons have to do to enjoy a very Merry Xmas is simply ensure that all their clients, locals and passers-by know what they have to offer.
But how? There are numerous strategies that salon owners can adopt to attract extra customers into their salons to generate those extra sales dollars but it is up to individual owners to decide what strategy(ies) are best for them.
Here are seven marketing strategies worth considering:
Advertising: There are many ways to advertise your products to your target audience including websites, newspapers, radio, billboards, magazines and social media sites. The key to success is simply to run your advertisements in the medium that your customers are most likely to see or hear.
Window displays: These can be a very effective and a relatively inexpensive way to attract the attention of existing clients as well as passers-by – particularly if your salon is located in a high foot-traffic area. The goal is simply to make your windows ‘stand out’ from all the other Xmas windows in your street or shopping centre.
E-newsletters/mailouts: A direct mail campaign to existing clients outlining some of your salon’s products and services is an extremely reliable means of increasing sales as clients already ‘know and trust’ you, and are therefore highly likely to respond warmly to your ‘gift suggestions’.
Brochures/flyers: A ‘letterbox drop’ is an excellent way to reach potential clients in your catchment area by ‘advertising’ all the products/treatments you have to offer as Xmas gifts.
Customer competitions: Any competition that offers beauty products or treatments as a prize is bound to attract the attention of a lot of potential customers. To maximise publicity, run such competitions in conjunction with the local newspaper or radio station (ensure that entrants have to drop any competition ‘coupons’ into your salon) or run them on your salon’s social media pages.
VIP customer events: Social events can be highly effective in putting people in a ‘buying mood’ as many people adopt a ‘pack mentality’ in a crowd so when one person buys they buy too. An added benefit of social events is that they attract a lot of customers who are unable to visit your salon (and are therefore unable to buy your products) during normal opening hours due to work and other commitments.
Social media promotions: Social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram are an excellent (and inexpensive) method of reaching a wide range of potential clients with all your Xmas promotions. Post information or photos that your target audience will find appealing but most importantly maximise their audience reach by running online competitions or offering exclusive deals – particularly to those who ‘share’ your posts.
Now it’s over to you…
You might choose to adopt the ‘scattergun approach’ and apply a wide variety of such strategies to maximise your sales in the Xmas lead-up or just focus on one or two elements. You might even choose to largely ignore Xmas and just continue with ‘business as usual’… It doesn’t really matter, it’s up to you – fortunately, or unfortunately, there really isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ marketing strategy for retailing success.
Whatever your choice, we wish you and your salon team and clients a happy and prosperous Xmas.
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