Salon Marketing Tips for Slow Summer Months

by Trash Talk with Anna Craig on Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Hair has been Anna Craig’s passion since she was 12 years old; this has always been her path in life. In 2001, she went to school in Tempe, AZ, at the Carsten Aveda Institute. After doing hair for about 5 years, she realized that precision haircuts were her specialty, after years of thinking that color was her calling. After doing hair in Arizona for several years, she took the plunge and moved to Texas, and her career took off. She soon opened her own salon, Trashy Roots Salon & Spa. There she became a Certified Deva Stylist, specializing in Curly Girl haircuts. She is also an artistic educator, which gives her the opportunity to go out to different salons in the area and educate them on new products and techniques. She is very involved in her community—holding annual cut-a-thons, participating in benefit hair shows, and helping with local beauty schools.

In the summer, clients are vacationing and busy with their children, so you need to adapt your salon marketing strategies to their crazy lives. Make sure to book their appointments right when school gets out, before their vacations, and before they leave already have their back-to-school schedule.

1. Summer Special

Offer a special, like 10% off any color service or a free haircut with a chemical service. This could help entice clients to come see you when times are slow. This helps when clients are trying to cut back and save money for vacations. July is one of the slowest months in any salon, so do a “July Deal” and offer a special for your clients.

2. Punk Colors and Feathers for Children

This is a great way to add on services and to encourage your clients to bring their children into your salon. Punk colors add up to big tickets because it’s a double process, the hair has to be lightened and then colored. Adding a haircut to either service is always encouraged. You will be amazed at how many referrals you get for new clients just by doing some fun kids hair.

3. Retail Products for Summer Hair

Clients need to be educated on what products they should use on their hair in the summer. If you have a specialty sun line, display it or put it on special. Your clients want to protect their investment, so show them how. Offer a special: liter sale, buy two, get one half off, or 10% OFF certain products.

4. Referrals

This is by far the best salon marketing tip for building up your clientele. It has two benefits: it is free and you don’t lose any money. I offer a program where if a client refers three friends, she receives a free haircut. Talk to your clients about referring their friends and family to you. Even talk about it on Facebook or put it out in an email. You will be amazed how fast clients start pouring in to keep you busy.

5. Stylist Reviews

This gets your name out there and helps new clients to find you. Offer 10% OFF their next appointment for every review written or have a review contest (pick one client who wrote a review to win $50 with you each week). The more positive stylist or salon reviews you have online the more business you will have. Clients don’t use the phone book any more to search for salons—they use the internet. So make sure there is positive information out there about you.

6. Rebooking

If you rebook every client all year long you won’t have a slow summer season. If you wait around for clients to call, then you will not hear from your clients until summer is over and you will starve all summer. So keep yourself busy all year long and rebook EVERY single client who sits in your chair.