Before we know it, holiday music will hit the airways, holiday decorations will hit the shelves, airline ticket prices will go up, and Black Friday sales will hit the various marketing channels. Yep, it’s the most stressful time of the year…. Welcome to the Holiday Season! If you are in the beauty industry, you probably know more than most that this time of year is wrought with time constraints, increased obligations, traditions, and various promotions. But before you start getting anxious, let’s chat about how you can make the holiday season even more manageable and profitable. Because we genuinely believe that with enough advanced planning and the right strategy, you can prepare your salon for the holidays.

Tips to get your salon holiday ready!

Let’s talk strategy and advanced planning because we all know that December is not for the weak of heart in this industry. So here we will break down the importance of planning early, encourage your clients to prebook and go over some creative ideas for retail and promotional offers. But first, let’s all take a collective breath, grab a favorite caffeinated beverage, and start planning the holidays now. Remember, the earlier you get ahead of the holiday madness, the better prepared you will be, which means you can create an even better experience for your clients.

Start Planning Now

If you are waiting for the week before Thanksgiving to think about the Holidays, you are MISSING THE BOAT. According to Phorest Salon Software, Americans start thinking about their holiday beauty appointments by October 17th. To compound matters, by the 1st week of November, salons see their bookings double, and by the end of November, appointments have more than tripled. With this kind of influx in appointment booking, you don’t have time for all of the other things you need to manage. We recommend taking the first couple of weeks of October to do the following things.

Encourage Your Clients to Pre-Book Now

We all love new business, and salons sure do see an influx of brand-new clients around the holiday season, but part of that is because these new clients didn’t pre-book with their usual salons. Don’t lose your regulars because you can’t fit them in! Now is the perfect time to reach out to your existing client base and encourage them to pre-book their holiday appointments. You can accomplish this in several ways.
Start encouraging pre-booking on your social media platforms
Taking advantage of your Email List
Use any gap in your current schedule book to call or text your regulars!

Pre-Plan Your Marketing & Communications

Now is the perfect time to get a head start on your marketing and communication strategy. First things first, what are your promotions going to be? What messaging do your clients need to hear? Once you have itemized what promotions and types of messaging you will be running, you can schedule your social media posts, email marketing, etc. We all know the last thing anyone wants to do after 10 hours on their feet is to sit down and post or respond to messages. Today you can schedule posts out. You can set up automatic replies on your Google Business Listing and Facebook. You can even set up a Question-and-Answer section. By taking advantage of these capabilities, you can cut down on time it takes to get back to everyone.

To help with your marketing and messaging, be sure to take advantage of Premier’s Digital Resources. Here you will find pre-designed marketing materials for you to use. We even have a holiday section already prepared for you to use. All you have to do is log in to the Premier website, click on the Digital Resources tab, and select holidays. There you will find beauty, pre-designed social media posts, and print materials for your favorite brands. Here are just a couple of examples of what you have available to use!

Pre-Plan Your Retail

Don’t underestimate the power of retail during the holiday season. If anything, take advantage of it. Your clients are just as likely as anyone to be behind on their shopping, help them out! Be sure to push your gift cards and any pre-booking promotions you have, but this year, go a step further and create holiday gift packages! Take advantage of your favorite brand’s travel or mini-size product offerings. Create the perfect trios for stocking stuffers, or work with your Premier AEs to order the perfect Holiday Deals and intros to save time and money. Want to be even more ambitious? We recommend taking this time to update your retail displays! The holiday season always brings new clients, be sure they can see all you have to offer!

Reward Your Loyal Clients

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. This holiday season, show your loyal clients just how much you appreciate them. There is no shortage of ways to do this. Here are some ways that you can show you appreciate your loyal clients:

1. Pre-written holiday greeting cards
2. Pre-scheduled thank you emails.
3. Gift back – Spend $100 on gift cards receive a $20 gift card back.
4. For those truly incredible and supportive regulars, maybe try giving them a small complimentary add-on service voucher.
5. Roll out a new Loyalty reward program

Photo from @hairdimensionwest on Instagram

Create a Holiday-Themed Selfie Station

This holiday season, create a fun and interactive space for your clients to take selfies of their new looks. Not only is this fun for your clients, but it also subtly encourages them to do some marketing for you with tags and check-ins on social media. We recommend having your social media handles visible in this space.

Photo from @gooeygumpdesigns on Instagram

Did we miss anything? We would love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to us on social media with your holiday preparation tips or success stories!