Payday Power

In our last blog we spoke about low-cost marketing ideas for your salon.  This week we want to talk about the power of payday!  In these challenging times everyone is looking to save money where they can, and luxuries can fall by the wayside.  However, on pay day people are more likely to see their healthy bank balance and allow themselves a little treat or pamper session and we have put together some ideas to help you get the most out of clients looking for a payday treat.

Firstly, make sure your website is SEO optimized and well maintained so more clients can easily find your salon.  We talked about how to do this in our last blog that you can read here.

Make a special offer ready for payday - remember that an offer does not have to mean a discount. You can offer a coupon for their next treatment or a free treatment like a free blow dry with any cut and colour, or free nail art with every manicure and polish.  You can make use of cross-promotional services for example a mini beauty treatment when booking any hair appointment.  This could entice someone who just got a haircut to book a manicure or facial.

Use social media to spread the word about your payday offers by creating attractive images and running campaigns to increase your reach.  There is no need to spend a lot of money. The key is to target your dream customers so, focus on who they are and where they are.

Create an attractive scrolling banner at the top of your website to display payday offers along with a call to action that all website visitors can see.

Reach new and existing customers with some email marketing. A regular newsletter is a great idea to drive bookings.  

You could set up contests and quizzes on your social media pages and interact with participants. A good way to drive engagement is to create a carousel post on Instagram to ask questions.  Post 5 examples of something and ask which one they like best. You might ask what their favourite thing about payday is, or what their must-have salon treatment is.  This could be valuable marketing information you can use for future promotions.

You could offer spot prices on certain days, usually when it's quiet.  An idea could be “Wildcard Wednesday” where everyone who books in for a treatment that day picks a card and the person who draws the wildcard gets their treatment discounted, an additional treatment or free gift.    You could also offer entry into a prize draw for everyone who posts a review of your salon or beauty business after they visit.

Think about what rewards or prizes you can offer – one big prize is great but may not be financially viable to offer regularly.  Think about offering smaller rewards for loyal customers.  Perhaps offering loyalty points for engaging or some free sample size products.  Speak to your supplier or brands you use in the salon to see if they’d be able to offer some products for you to give away to customers.  You can make a video for your social media pages to talk about the prizes you are giving away to thank them and hype up the giveaway, be sure to tag the brands for optimum reach.

You could network with other local businesses and work together to offer joint payday promotions. Perhaps if they buy a treatment at your salon they can get a cocktail deal at a local bar, or a free appetiser at a local restaurant.

Offer free events that benefit your customers and encourage bookings at the same time. For example, you could have a hair styling or blow-drying workshop to give tips, or even talk about basic skincare,  diet or menopause. 

You can also work with other local businesses to cross-promote your customer list and offer something different.  You could contact local hotels and gyms to advertise in their premises (assuming they don’t already have a salon in their premises).  

Contact local schools to see if they can advertise your offers.   Schools and local sports clubs are always looking for raffle donations for their fund raising events and you could offer a prize for a mention in their newsletters that goes out to parents.  You could even ask local businesses if they would allow you to display posters or business cards in their shops if you return the favour.  

Have you considered a VIP Club for regulars?  Clients pay a set amount per month on payday to be a member.  This could be enough to cover their regular treatments, so they are already paid up to date when they come to the salon.  You can offer rewards for being a member – a free glass of prosecco at every appointment, early access to events, the chance to be models to try out new treatments you are thinking of launching, a little makeover or maybe a free neck and shoulder or a hand massage with gorgeously scented creams, give your customers a little perk that really makes them happy, but that's easy to offer.  

Set up an advertising referral program and encourage your team to discuss it with all customers. This kind of word-of-mouth rewards program is very effective.

Giveaways aside, your service and atmosphere are part of your customer's self-care and are non-negotiable, so make sure your salon is a sanctuary that your customers will always want to go to, even when things are tough financially.   

21/07/2023