No matter where your salon or spa may be located, a lull in business is inevitable. The “off-season” can take a toll on cash flow and employee morale, so it’s important to plan ahead in order to offset factors out of your control such as summer vacations or winter hibernation.
There are several things you can do to increase revenue, FOV, and client retention during your slower times, such as taking advantage of social media or hosting an event at your business.
Take Advantage of Social Media to Fill Your Books
With little-to-no cost involved, social media is an efficient way to engage with current clients and attract future ones. While social media is a mass communication tool, be conscious of what platforms your clients are using most, and plan your social media engagement accordingly.
Here are three things you can do on social media to increase business during slow times:
Post offers for first-time clients. Giving first-time clients a small discount is a great way to get new business through your doors. Facebook is a great platform to share coupons and provides the best opportunity to reach potential clients. When the new clients come through your doors, take advantage of the slower time to truly give them a personalized experience.
Offer a discount to clients who post pictures while at your salon or spa. Before and after pictures, or even the beloved selfie are great ways to showcase your team’s work. The more pictures the better! The pictures will help current customers commemorate the time they spent at your salon or spa, and will also help to attract first-time clients who are connected with your current clients on social media. Make sure they mention your business, tag the location, and use any branded hashtags you have.
Hold a Contest. Social media contests are a great way to spark engagement and attract new clients to your business. Here are 10 ideas:
- Date night out. Partner with a local restaurant and flower shop. Makeover a client for a wonderful date night.
- Vote on which product/service to put on sale. Take a poll and let clients decide what product or service should be discounted. Pick a winner for a free service from the voters and then host a flash sale for the product/service that wins to entice participants to buy..
- Tell a story about an experience at your business. Crowdsource some positive reviews for your business and choose one contributor to win a free service.
- Name a new service. Get help naming a new service. Pick the best idea and give the winner a prize.
- Caption this photo. Choose a silly picture for social media followers to caption and choose the best one to win a free or discounted product/service.
- Tag a friend raffle. Raffle off a product or service. Followers must tag a friend and comment.
- Like to win. Attract new followers and choose one of your new fans to win a prize.
- Fan of the week. Have clients post a selfie after their service and tag your business for a chance to win a discounted service each week.
- Trivia Tuesdays. Post a (somewhat difficult) trivia question that’s relevant to your business and give a prize to the first follower who gets it right.
- Win a makeover. Ask followers to submit a picture and story of someone they feel should receive a free makeover.
Host an Event
Food, drink, and free stuff have a great way of inciting people – some who may not have otherwise visited your salon or spa. While it may be your slow season, other businesses may be busy. Use the opportunity to partner with nearby local businesses, mine their customer base, and hand out goody bags full of freebies to attract a variety of potential customers.
This type of gathering is also a great time to offer discounts for scheduling an appointment at the event and promote free add-ons such as blow-outs or paraffin treatments. This will help to attract new clients and schedule existing ones, ultimately increasing your revenue and FOV.
For more on hosting events, download our free guide.
Dive Into Industry Education
Downtime gives you the chance to spend a little extra time on learning. Research some of the top beauty and wellness educational events coming up and choose a few to attend within your budget limits. Constantly improving your skillset not only improves the customer experience, but also your bottom line.
Looking for an event that covers it all? Named one of the must-attend educational events of the year, The Millennium Experience is three-days of education, inspiration, and connections with the industry’s hottest educators and influencers. Spend the weekend with Sam Villa, Antony Whitaker, Jenny Strebe, Mark Bustos, Matt Beck, the Millennium team and so many more and discover how to become the best version of yourself.
The Millennium Experience will be held September 30 – October 2, 2018, in Scottsdale, AZ at the Camelback Inn Resort & Spa. Grab your tickets now at www.speaktme.com.
