6 Promotional Ideas for Your Hair Salon

Everyone has their ideas; these are just some of our favourites!

  1. Introduce a friend
  2. Ready for school
  3. Rewarding reviews
  4. Joint promotions with other businesses
  5. Implementing a loyalty system
  6. Special birthday offers

Managing a hair salon might seem relaxed on the surface, but it entails serious business operations beneath the casual façade. One critical aspect of salon management is client attraction, and strategic salon promotions can prove incredibly effective in this regard.

Salon owners are usually preoccupied with numerous responsibilities. Whether they're performing the haircuts themselves, ensuring the staff are working efficiently, responding to online reviews, or updating social media, their plate is full. Amidst these tasks, carving out time for designing fresh promotional strategies can become challenging.

To assist you, we've curated 6 innovative promotional techniques for your hair salon, guaranteed to keep your schedule bustling.


1. Introduce a Friend

The 'introduce a friend' strategy is an evergreen salon promotion that has consistently shown positive results. It's a mutually beneficial deal where your salon acquires an additional client, and the existing patron who introduces their friend gets rewarded with a discount or another form of incentive.

The key to these arrangements is to ensure they are sustainable and profitable for your salon. Striking the right balance between an appealing deal and its value to your salon is essential.

Make use of bulk SMS, email marketing, or social media to keep your customers updated about such promotional offers.


2. Ready for School

Regardless of your salon's location, the chances are high that there are plenty of families nearby. Parents are always on the lookout for an opportunity to get a haircut for their child, especially around the time school is about to begin.

Offering promotions that cater to this need can attract families to your salon. However, if you're planning on offering a discount, ensure it won't negatively affect your bottom line.

This promotion can also be extended to university students, encouraging them to spruce up their hairstyle before the commencement of a new semester.


3. Rewarding Reviews

In the pursuit of new clients, existing customers can often be overlooked when considering promotional strategies. However retaining existing clients and encouraging them to make more purchases is a cost-effective way to increase sales!

A possible incentive could be to offer a $10 discount on their next visit if they leave a review for your salon. This not only encourages customer engagement but also promotes repeat business and referrals. The reviews could be placed on various platforms such as Google, Yelp, or social media.


4. Joint Promotions with Other Businesses

Collaborating with another business might seem intimidating initially, but it could result in a profitable partnership. Your clients are likely to visit other businesses, and understanding their preferences can give you valuable insights.

Try aligning your promotional efforts with neighboring businesses like nail salons, spas, hotels, wedding planners, or jewelry shops. A successful co-marketing campaign can generate a "win-win-win" scenario that benefits both businesses as well as the client.


5. Implementing a Loyalty System

Attracting a new client to your salon is an achievement, but the challenge lies in converting them into regulars.

Introducing a loyalty reward system can prove effective in this regard. With each visit, clients earn points that eventually qualify them for a reward. The incentives could range from a set discount on a service to a percentage off their next visit. Make sure your loyalty cards are attractively designed to ensure they are retained by the clients.


6. Special Birthday Offers

Sending out a special birthday offer to clients can boost their relationship with your salon. You'reOnTime provides a 'customer birthday report' feature, allowing you to get a list of clients celebrating birthdays in a particular month, and you can schedule a special birthday offer email for these clients.

Different salons cater to different client bases, and hence, not all promotions will be suitable for every salon. Discuss these promotional ideas with your team to find out which ones best align with your business model and customer preferences.

The key to running successful promotions is to track their effectiveness. Regularly check your business reports to gain insights into the success of each promotional strategy. Understanding the revenue each promotion generates can help you make more informed decisions about future marketing strategies.