November 16, 2017

8 Ways to Increase Seasonal Revenues with Holiday Party-Bound Clients

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THOUGHT PROCESS
November and December, typically thought of as the “holiday season” present unique opportunities for Salon Suite owners to increase revenues by catering to party-bound clients.
 
ACTION STEPS
Carve out appointment blocks and attractive offers for people who want to look their best when attending parties during the holiday season.
 

8 Salon Holiday Marketing Ideas for Attracting Party-Bound Clients

 
1 – Block It Out
 
Holiday party-prep appointments are unique. You may find that touch-up or makeup services can be completed fairly quickly, while elaborate preparations may take longer. Depending on the type of clients you have, you may want to block out specific time slots for holiday appointments, and then offer them to clients on a first-come, first-served basis “while they last!”
 
2 – Beef It Up
 
If you have a lot of clients asking about party-prep appointments, great! If not, you may need to go the extra mile with marketing and special offers to get the attention of clients, social followers and other prospects. Sponsored social media ads could be a great way to get offers for party-preparation appointments and retail products in front of the right people. If you’re already a MY SALON Suite member, you can access a step-by-step guide for using Facebook ads and sponsored posts on the blog in our member-only app.
 
3 – Target the Right Audience
 
A story in the Chicago Tribune notes that higher-income shoppers plan to increase holiday expenditures by 6 percent in 2017. From targeted mailers to specific neighborhoods to sponsoring social media posts, you have the ability to maximize your Salon Suite’s holiday marketing impact by reaching out to likely buyers.
 
4 – Add Social Proof
 
The Chicago Tribune further elaborates on its survey findings: “Consumers told us they would be far more likely to buy a product if an influencer they follow on social media links to a discount, shares a positive review or wears or uses a product.”
 
This means your special offers may be more impactful when paired with a positive client review, shared by someone influential on social media, and accompanied by imagery, such as party-ready looks or before-and-after party looks.
 
5 – Support Holiday Party-Goers with Seasonal Retail
 
Whether you set aside blocks of time for party-preparation appointments or not, you can still capitalize by appealing to holiday party-bound clients with retail products such as fragrances, lip gloss, nail lacquers, glitter sprays and powders, and so on. The great news is that many manufacturers have holiday-themed point-of-sale displays with these types of products available at a low-cost this time of year, giving you the opportunity to test the holiday retail product market without making a huge investment.
 
6 – Show Specific Holiday Hair, Makeup or Nail Looks 
 
As a beauty professional, you may be highly conceptual and creative; but remember, your clients may not be able to imagine the difference your services could make. Use celebrity and fashion photos to show off specific holiday looks to recreate at appointments, and as they relate to the holiday retail products you have for sale.
 
7 – Get People Personally Involved
 
Turn your audience from passive observers to active participants. Set up an album on your Facebook page with pictures showing holiday looks and invite social followers and clients to go into the album and “vote” for their favorite looks with likes, shares and comments. Hold a gift card drawing for all who participate and reward the winner with a free holiday party-prep appointment.
 
Invite clients to choose their favorite look from the album and book a holiday party-preparation appointment at a special price, or with a free party-related product add-on (such as a mini fragrance, lip gloss or glittery spray).
 
8 – Make Party Prep a Party In and Of Itself
 
In addition to offering services for holiday party prep, you can also offer your expertise. Hold an event where clients can learn how to style their hair or apply makeup to achieve holiday looks from home, and sell them the products they need to recreate the looks. Make your event a bring-a-friend affair and incentivize attendance with a door prize to be awarded at the event (must be present to win!) Take loads of photos and create short 1-2 minute technique videos to share on social media.
 
About 80 percent of companies will hold holiday parties this year. Add to that number even more parties held among families, friends, neighbors, schools and more, and it translates to an immense opportunity in terms of salon services needed to make holiday looks truly stunning. Reaching out to holiday party-bound clients with great services and products this year could help you attract new clients and boost seasonal revenues.
 
What about you? Does your salon offer holiday party-related services; if so, which are the most-requested? Leave your answer as a comment below. 
 
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