The second Sunday of May is a significant date on the calendar every year, and deservedly so. While moms deserve a big thank you and hug every day, Mother’s Day is the one day each year to really go the extra mile for them.
The statistics prove this as well. Although trailing far behind Christmas and the Back to School season, Mother’s Day is the third most important holiday/season in terms of spending at $21.2 billion. And it’s no small deal for the beauty industry; nearly 23% of those celebrating will gift a personal service such as a spa day.
This presents a wonderful opportunity for salons and spas to attract new clients and turn them into loyal customers.
Attracting New Clients
How can you get people through the door and into your business? And remember, it's just as essential to target the gift purchasers (children, teenagers, dads, etc.) as the moms themselves.
The Ideal Gift
While one mother may desire a break from the family to relax, another may prefer spending quality time with her daughter. Offer a few service packages at varying price points and with different areas of focus to ensure that there is something that appeals to each segment of your clientele. Alternatively, you can even let customers create their own bundle of services. For example, you can give 10% off when they select any two services, 15% off with three services, and so on.
For many people, they may prefer more practical, long-lasting gifts rather than something that can only be consumed once. This provides a great opportunity for you to sell products such as styling tools or nail polishes for use at home. Or better yet, promote your salon memberships as the ideal gift–after all, mothers deserve to appreciated and celebrated all the time, not just the one day each year.
And don't forget about gift cards! They offer flexibility for the recipients to choose their own services (or products) and pick the time that works best for them.
Reminders
Your salon and spa may have the most awesome gift available with the best deal, but do people know about it? Or do they even realize that Mother's Day is coming up? Through the signage in your salon, along with your media channels (website, e-newsletters, social networks, local advertisements), remind your audience that Mother's Day is closer than they think.
Lots of consumers may not have it on their minds until May comes around. By that time, they may be scrambling and will get the first thing that comes to mind. While it may be great for clients in your salon in May as they may make an impulsive purchase, it can also cause you to miss out on a lot of other potential sales.
Publicity
Sometimes the most impactful campaign doesn’t lead directly to sales. But you can't underestimate the importance of building brand awareness. Run a contest, whether for moms to enter themselves or for people to nominate their moms. Select the winner through a random draw, or choose the mom who deserves it most (get people to share why they think their mom–or a mom they know–deserves a spa day, for example).
Along the same lines as the contest, you can look to build some goodwill and gain positive publicity by donating your services. For example, you can visit a local homeless shelter and give free hair cuts and styling to the mothers there. Alternatively, you can work with nearby businesses to collect donations and build care packages that you can deliver to mothers in the community.
Creating Loyalty
After spending time, energy, and maybe even money on getting moms into your salon or spa for the first time, how can you convert them into loyal, long-term customers?
Experience
It gets mentioned often, but it can never be emphasized enough: the customer experience is the key to retention. In addition to your typical experience, are there ways to further upgrade the experience around Mother's Day? A rose for each mom? Some tasty snacks and a glass of wine? Existing clients will be delighted and, perhaps more importantly, first-time guests will be wowed.
Rebook
Don't let clients leave without at least asking them to rebook. For new clients who decline, send them off with a business card and a special offer (for example, 20% off your next visit). If they go ahead with rebooking, you can still give them an offer, like 20% off the future appointment if they bring a friend with them.
Even for those people who purchase products as the gift, include the promotional card in the bag. It will help to improve brand presence and may be enough to entice the recipient to give your salon a try.
Follow Up
Regardless of their decision to rebook, follow up with clients after the service via text message or email. Get their feedback and show that you value their business. Help reinforce the positive experience in their mind, or ask for a second chance if their experience was less than ideal.
Plan your promotional campaigns with this free marketing calendar:
Sources: National Retail Federation
