How to Create a Salon Promotion That Actually Works

Client promotions are a great way to capture new business, encourage existing clients to spend more on each visit, and convince lapsed clients to give your services another shot. For many stylists, launching a new promotion from scratch can be daunting. How do you design a deal that will both delight your clients and earn you money? We’ve got you covered — learn how to launch a promotion that brings more business to your salon.

Set Your Goals

First, nail down the specifics. Decide what you want your promotion to achieve. Do you want to attract new clients? Encourage your existing clients to visit more often? Revive past client relationships? Identifying how you want to grow your business will help you put a plan in place and allow you to measure your progress.

Choose Your Incentive

When it comes to creating your promotion deal, you need to provide something valuable enough to excite your clients while staying profitable. Start with your goal and think about what would motivate your clients to help you get there. If your goal is to attract new clients, evaluate your popular services, and offer a 5 to 15 percent discount to first-time clients. If you want your existing clients to spend more when they visit, offer a discount on a service bundle. When a client books a full cut, offer a discount when bundled along with a gloss or color treatment. If you want existing clients to book more often, offer a buy-one-get-one deal on a set of services. You want to design a promotion that is attractive enough to entice your clients and strategic enough to earn your business money in the long run.

Alternatively, you can design your promotion to provide added value, rather than a discount. Offering free salon products is a great way to add value without reducing your prices.

Advertise Your Promotion

Getting your promotion in front of clients comes down to how you advertise. First, create a sense of urgency by making your promotion a limited time offer or a seasonal deal to encourage clients to take advantage of your fleeting promotion.

Next, help land your offer by giving your promotion a name that describes what it is, why it’s valuable, and why you’re running it. If you’re running a seasonal deal, don’t be afraid to play up the holiday spirit. For example:

Fall in Love with 15% Off all Mani-Pedi Bundles!
Give the Gift of Beauty! Take 10% off your next appointment when you refer a friend!
End of Summer Special! Restore your sun-bleached locks with 15% off all add-on gloss treatments.

Next, choose the right channels to promote your salon offer. Think about the audience you want to reach and where they are. If you’re targeting existing clients, build an email campaign, or create business cards to distribute at your salon. If you’re targeting new clients, opt for a social media campaign to reach a larger audience.

Use the Right Tools

Designing your promotion by hand will take a bit of artistry. Luckily tools like Canva, offer pre-made templates to help you easily design your promotion graphics. StyleSeat promotions allow you to easily create offers that delight your clients at the touch of a button — here’s how: