It will take more than love to make February a business success, but Valentine’s Day is an important – and can be a very profitable – holiday for your business.
Order special Valentine-styled gift certificates and add impulse buy items like pink and red lipsticks and nail lacquers, nail tips, nail files, candies and chocolates to your retail so that you can capture those ‘lovin’ feelings’ from your clients! There are even chocolatiers who have the ability to customize boxes and the chocolates themselves, branding them to your salon or spa. Branded gifts make a much more lasting and memorable impact than generic ones do; do you want Godiva to get the credit, or you?
In February, show clients and staff where your heart is by sponsoring a blood drive or inviting a health care provider to give blood pressure checks in-salon for clients and staff. Or gather a group of volunteers to participate in an event at your local blood bank followed by a recovery mixer; to create a larger-scale event and reach more prospective clients, cross market this event with a restaurant, bar or wine shop.
There are pages more Valentine events and 'Cheapskate Date' ideas in 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa. My last few posts have been all about Valentine's Day and how to build business in February with or without a Valentine. With February just days away, look for marketing ideas to focus on March, April and Spring in the coming weeks.
It's going to be a great year!
Elizabeth
26.1.11
Valentine's Day decorations for salon and spa (or any service-based business!)
It's all well and good to tell you to decorate for a holiday, but it can be tough to come up with themed decor that doesn't look cheap - and you definitely don't want your business interior to look cheap, chintzy, or cliche!
So I went out into the www and found some sites featuring great Valentine's Day decorating ideas (ideas, by the way, that you can also utilize when holding couples events, date night happy hours, bridal and wedding events, etc.)
MarthaStewart.com:
The queen of classic styling, there are scads of ideas at Martha Stewart Living online - [click here] - I love the 'crayon hearts' featured in tip number 4 and the candy and tulip bouquet in number 5.
Disney's Family Fun Site
Don't miss the gift ideas on Disney's 'family fun' web site [click here]. They could give you some great ideas when it comes to treating your clients or even ideas on items that you could add to your retail as impulse buy or regular year-round items that clients can purchase. I especially love the pet collar tags and the animal print bracelets. Why not turn your salon or spa into a true gift center?
Better Homes and GardensI love both the handcrafted décor and the flowers and centerpieces ideas [click here]. The flowers they feature are simple enough so that you could lather-rinse-and-repeat the display formulas for any holiday and any season throughout the year, treating yourself to fresh cuttings every week, very inexpensively. To build business, partner with a local florist for cross marketing, and ask them to give you a break for repeat buying (like a buy 3 get 1). Once each week, or once each month, award one “customer of the day” with the flowers to take home, stating that staff voted them the award.
If you are partnering with a florist, offer them an opportunity to feature an arrangement each week in the salon or spa along with their business cards and a special offer for your clients. Ask for a commission on items that they sell in your salon or spa, or ask to purchase a quantity of arrangements, gift cards or other items from them to resell to your clients. At a minimum, you should expect that if you are giving them an opportunity to sell to your customers, that you will have a chance to sell to their customers. Provide them with an acrylic sign display and copies of your business card, you menu of services, and a special offer to extend to their clients redeemable by a floral code word.
And last but not least, from Kaboose.com (no pun intended, really!!)
where I saw a heart wreath that gave me an idea [click here]. Create a heart wreath like this one using construction paper and write the Valentine’s love messages on the front. Create one for Valentine’s Day, or create one for each day of that week, or even one for every day you will be open in the 2 weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Ask your stylists and estheticians to give you a quote about what they love the most about their customers (in general) and on the back of each heart, write one of these stylist quotes. Then as clients are leaving your salon or spa, let them choose and take off one of the hearts on your wreath as a thank you note.
So I went out into the www and found some sites featuring great Valentine's Day decorating ideas (ideas, by the way, that you can also utilize when holding couples events, date night happy hours, bridal and wedding events, etc.)
MarthaStewart.com:
The queen of classic styling, there are scads of ideas at Martha Stewart Living online - [click here] - I love the 'crayon hearts' featured in tip number 4 and the candy and tulip bouquet in number 5.
Disney's Family Fun Site
Don't miss the gift ideas on Disney's 'family fun' web site [click here]. They could give you some great ideas when it comes to treating your clients or even ideas on items that you could add to your retail as impulse buy or regular year-round items that clients can purchase. I especially love the pet collar tags and the animal print bracelets. Why not turn your salon or spa into a true gift center?
Better Homes and GardensI love both the handcrafted décor and the flowers and centerpieces ideas [click here]. The flowers they feature are simple enough so that you could lather-rinse-and-repeat the display formulas for any holiday and any season throughout the year, treating yourself to fresh cuttings every week, very inexpensively. To build business, partner with a local florist for cross marketing, and ask them to give you a break for repeat buying (like a buy 3 get 1). Once each week, or once each month, award one “customer of the day” with the flowers to take home, stating that staff voted them the award.
If you are partnering with a florist, offer them an opportunity to feature an arrangement each week in the salon or spa along with their business cards and a special offer for your clients. Ask for a commission on items that they sell in your salon or spa, or ask to purchase a quantity of arrangements, gift cards or other items from them to resell to your clients. At a minimum, you should expect that if you are giving them an opportunity to sell to your customers, that you will have a chance to sell to their customers. Provide them with an acrylic sign display and copies of your business card, you menu of services, and a special offer to extend to their clients redeemable by a floral code word.
And last but not least, from Kaboose.com (no pun intended, really!!)
where I saw a heart wreath that gave me an idea [click here]. Create a heart wreath like this one using construction paper and write the Valentine’s love messages on the front. Create one for Valentine’s Day, or create one for each day of that week, or even one for every day you will be open in the 2 weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Ask your stylists and estheticians to give you a quote about what they love the most about their customers (in general) and on the back of each heart, write one of these stylist quotes. Then as clients are leaving your salon or spa, let them choose and take off one of the hearts on your wreath as a thank you note.
21.1.11
6 Ways to build business without a Valentine in February
With little more than 3 weeks until Valentine’s Day, it’s likely that you are “all heart” when it comes to promotions in the salon and spa (or any small business) right about now. But for those who feel that they will lose it if they have to cut one more construction paper heart and for those who just want to do something different, here are 6 themes that you can use to build business in February, with nary a Valentine in sight!
February 4 is Girls and Women in Sports Day
Create special offers for female members of local sports teams (schools, community parks and recreation leagues, amateur and minor league organizations, golf clubs, etc.) Create a special gift certificate for clients to give to their coaches (or their children’s coaches). Support local parks and recreation women’s sports. Sponsor or become a ‘booster’ of local school’s women’s sports teams. Advertise in their programs or publications and include a special offer for athletes and other team supporters.
February 6 is Bubblegum Day
Purchase salon or spa-branded gum to give away as a client thank you gift. Buy Bubblegum in bulk from your local grocery’s candy and bulk food bins and hold a contest where clients enter to win by guessing how many gum balls are in a container in your salon or spa. Allow people to enter online (post a photograph on your website, blog site, Facebook page, etc.). Don’t forget to use entries to add more contacts to your e-mail and direct mail marketing databases.
February 8 is Clean Out Your Desk Day
Partner with a local professional organizer to provide tips for clients or hold a seminar in-salon for clients on home and office organization. Create special offers to extend to their clients as well as your own. Put ‘de-cluttering’ tips on bag stuffers, shelf talkers, and in your Facebook posts.
February 17 is P.T.A. Founder’s Day
Local schools can be a great source of prospective clients. Extend special offers to leaders and parents of your local school’s PTA (parent-teacher association). Create a special offer for the families of your child’s school, local private schools, and other educational organizations.
February 24 is Tortilla Chip Day
Partner with a local south-of-the-border style restaurant (or local gourmet market) and give clients a tasty tortilla chip and dip sample at their appointments. Create offers for cross-marketing with these businesses.
February 28 is Tooth Fairy Day
Partner with a local dental and/or orthodontic practice to create cross-marketed offers to extend to all clients. Reward clients with a free add-on, sample or travel-sized product or salon-branded tchotchke (such as a tank top, lip balm, water bottle, mug, etc.) when they provide you with proof of a recent cavity-free visit to the dentist with which you cross market.
Cross market on an on-going basis and exchange and display one another's business cards and service menus or brochures in waiting areas. Use bag stuffers and posts on your Facebook page to give clients tips about dental hygiene or the benefits of orthodontics, including a list of suggested services and time frame (such as, how often they should be receiving preventive care, when a child should first visit a dentist, etc.) Tie tips in to salon and spa recommendations for children in terms of gentle products they should be using to cleanse and condition, how often they should receive services, and styling and services that your business provides for younger clients (such as birthday party makeovers, sleepover nails and makeup, etc.)
Create a special "Tooth Fairy" offer for the children of clients.
These ideas were featured in the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar (along with more obscure as well as traditional Valentine-themed promotion ideas). This calendar will be removed from publication after January 31. Until January 31, save $2.50 off the cover price of the 2011 Calendar when you purchase it via my website using the code FQSFWH3Y at checkout.
February 4 is Girls and Women in Sports Day
Create special offers for female members of local sports teams (schools, community parks and recreation leagues, amateur and minor league organizations, golf clubs, etc.) Create a special gift certificate for clients to give to their coaches (or their children’s coaches). Support local parks and recreation women’s sports. Sponsor or become a ‘booster’ of local school’s women’s sports teams. Advertise in their programs or publications and include a special offer for athletes and other team supporters.
February 6 is Bubblegum Day
Purchase salon or spa-branded gum to give away as a client thank you gift. Buy Bubblegum in bulk from your local grocery’s candy and bulk food bins and hold a contest where clients enter to win by guessing how many gum balls are in a container in your salon or spa. Allow people to enter online (post a photograph on your website, blog site, Facebook page, etc.). Don’t forget to use entries to add more contacts to your e-mail and direct mail marketing databases.
February 8 is Clean Out Your Desk Day
Partner with a local professional organizer to provide tips for clients or hold a seminar in-salon for clients on home and office organization. Create special offers to extend to their clients as well as your own. Put ‘de-cluttering’ tips on bag stuffers, shelf talkers, and in your Facebook posts.
February 17 is P.T.A. Founder’s Day
Local schools can be a great source of prospective clients. Extend special offers to leaders and parents of your local school’s PTA (parent-teacher association). Create a special offer for the families of your child’s school, local private schools, and other educational organizations.
February 24 is Tortilla Chip Day
Partner with a local south-of-the-border style restaurant (or local gourmet market) and give clients a tasty tortilla chip and dip sample at their appointments. Create offers for cross-marketing with these businesses.
February 28 is Tooth Fairy Day
Partner with a local dental and/or orthodontic practice to create cross-marketed offers to extend to all clients. Reward clients with a free add-on, sample or travel-sized product or salon-branded tchotchke (such as a tank top, lip balm, water bottle, mug, etc.) when they provide you with proof of a recent cavity-free visit to the dentist with which you cross market.
Cross market on an on-going basis and exchange and display one another's business cards and service menus or brochures in waiting areas. Use bag stuffers and posts on your Facebook page to give clients tips about dental hygiene or the benefits of orthodontics, including a list of suggested services and time frame (such as, how often they should be receiving preventive care, when a child should first visit a dentist, etc.) Tie tips in to salon and spa recommendations for children in terms of gentle products they should be using to cleanse and condition, how often they should receive services, and styling and services that your business provides for younger clients (such as birthday party makeovers, sleepover nails and makeup, etc.)
Create a special "Tooth Fairy" offer for the children of clients.
These ideas were featured in the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar (along with more obscure as well as traditional Valentine-themed promotion ideas). This calendar will be removed from publication after January 31. Until January 31, save $2.50 off the cover price of the 2011 Calendar when you purchase it via my website using the code FQSFWH3Y at checkout.
17.1.11
Style, strategy and marketing savvy -
My latest newsletter is online now at www.12monthsofmarketing.net/2011jan2.html
IN THIS ISSUE
ORIGINAL CONTENT
:: February Salon and Spa Promotions from the Heart
:: Valentine's Day Promotions for the 'Uncoupled'
SUCCESS STRATEGIES
:: What's your excuse for not achieving your goals?
:: 7 small business scams to watch out for
:: 5 steps to creating an exceptional content experience
:: 2011 small business tax change scorecard
:: 6 personality traits every business owner should have
:: The Cinderella Guide to transforming your business (or yourself)
:: 3 social media tactics to boost sales
It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
Plus - don't forget! The 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar will no longer be available for purchase after January 31. Now through the end of January, use code FQSFWH3Y at checkout and you can save $2.50 off the list price when you purchase the calendar via my website (the code doesn't work on amazon).
It's going to be a great year!
IN THIS ISSUE
ORIGINAL CONTENT
:: February Salon and Spa Promotions from the Heart
:: Valentine's Day Promotions for the 'Uncoupled'
SUCCESS STRATEGIES
:: What's your excuse for not achieving your goals?
:: 7 small business scams to watch out for
:: 5 steps to creating an exceptional content experience
:: 2011 small business tax change scorecard
:: 6 personality traits every business owner should have
:: The Cinderella Guide to transforming your business (or yourself)
:: 3 social media tactics to boost sales
It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
Plus - don't forget! The 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar will no longer be available for purchase after January 31. Now through the end of January, use code FQSFWH3Y at checkout and you can save $2.50 off the list price when you purchase the calendar via my website (the code doesn't work on amazon).
It's going to be a great year!
14.1.11
February Salon and Spa Promotions from the Heart
February is American Heart Month and a great opportunity for you to show customers that you care about more than their hair, makeup or massage. Here are a few ways to create a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients:
- Partner with a local physician's practice (or another qualified health professional) to set up a blood pressure or heart health education seminar for your clients.
- Purchase a home-use blood pressure cuff and take client's pressure before and after de-stressing services to demonstrate their value to the inside as well as the outside of the body; even before and after a scalp massage at the shampoo bowl.
- Working with a health care professional or expert, create a list of heart-healthy tips, foods and activities and post them throughout the month on your web site, in your newsletters, on signage and bag stuffers.
- Create a special offer to extend to patients of a local health care practice (general or family practice, dentist, orthodontist, cosmetic medical or dental, heart specialist, senior care center - the possibilities are endless!)
- Create a special offer to extend to the nurses, doctors and other employees of local hospitals, nursing homes, etc., (and to their family members). Create a special code word or coupon for them to use to receive free add-ons or special pricing for retail purchased at appointments.
- Contact your local blood bank and offer to host a blood drive for them either at your salon or spa, or by bringing staff and clients to them in a publicized effort. Follow up with a reception for donors and reward them with cookies and juice, and treat them to mini services such as hand or scalp massages, mini manicures, pedicures, or to free products and samples. Consider offering a bounce-back certificate entitling participants to free add-on highlights or half-price color, hair cut or other service. Collect contact information and send each a special offer in March, or plan to repeat your blood drive event every quarter. Follow up after your event with a press release to report results and send it to local newspaper, TV news and radio stations. Post results and pictures on your web site events page, in your newsletters and on Facebook.
- Encourage clients to give blood at the local blood bank, and enter anyone who does into a drawing to be held at the end of the month.
- Give gift cards, free product samples and/or a special bounce-back offer to the employees of your local blood bank.
- If the blood bank is willing to partner with you for cross marketing, create a special offer for their patrons and leave a large stack of postcards in their waiting area.
9.1.11
February Valentine's Day Promotions for the Uncoupled
Most of us have been there at one time or another - facing the prospect of getting through a holiday season or a Valentine's Day as a "single" rather than a couple. With Valentine's Day just over a month away, there is still time for you to do something special and fun for the un-couples among your clients and prospects.
Here are some promotions and events you can create for singles (adapted from Volume I of 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa):
LOVE YOURSELF
Why should couples have all the fun? Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day singly or as a couple, love yourself! Create special “Love Yourself” promotions around your most pampering services and retail products, or gift free, salon-branded chocolates or aromatherapy products with retail purchases to clients.
This is a great time for you to expand your retail offerings beyond haircare, skin and other professional products to make it a true gift center. Purchase aromatherapy products such as candles and room sprays. Purchase boutique-quality, unique gift and greeting cards and gift bags. Make it easy for your customers to envision your products and gift certificates as "gifts" by pre-packaging gift baskets and displaying them along with gift certificates or gift cards for your salon or spa.
Hold a contest in February and have a drawing to award one aromatherapy gift basket plus gift card to a winner. Utilize entries to help build your email marketing contact database, and extend a special offer in March to all participants.
Examples of contests you could hold would be a simple fishbowl-entry in the salon or spa, and/or solicit entries on your website and on your Facebook page.
Or ask clients to be creative and submit an acryonym based on the word "LOVE" (for example, an entry might be something like, "Lifelong Obsession with Valuing Everyone") or another word. Or ask clients to really get creative and submit a short poem as a contest entry (the poems can be cynical, for your 'Singles' sake!)
Or ask clients to nominate another person in the community who most deserves an aromatherapy relaxing treat!
INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS
An ‘Insignificant Other’ Event will take some work, marketing partners, and some creativity to execute.
Partner with a local restaurant, wine shop or bar to host an “insignificant other” or “best-guy-I-never-dated” mixer. Just what it sounds like, this is a chance for clients to bring a non-date but great guy or girl out to a mixer at a local destination so they can both meet other great singles in the area. Collect contact information from all attendees with an at-the-door entry form which will also serve as an entry form in a drawing for a prize package to be awarded at the end of the evening.
Before the mixer, collect entries from your clients and hold a drawing for one lucky guy and one lucky gal to receive a pre-mixer makeover (remember, it’s really all about the entries and gathering contact information for permission-based marketing).
Create promotional offers for pre-event makeover bookings and a bounce back offer. Take bookings at the event and make salon-branded items (like shot glasses, event t-shirts, tumblers or mugs, etc.) or professional products available for sale.
After the event, send a bounce back offer via mail or e-mail to all participants (you collected their contact information before the event for pre-mixer makeovers and at the event for all attendees, and hopefully you ensured that your marketing partners did the same.
YOUR REALLY INSIGNIFICANT OHER
February 8-14th is ‘Dump Your Significant Jerk Week’— the perfect week to hold your ‘Insignificant Other’ mixer. If this event proves popular with participants, plan to repeat this formula during June’s wedding season as a ‘best-person- I-never-married’ social event.
Want more?
With 2011 underway, the utility of the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar is now limited by time itself! This publication will be removed from publication by the end of January, 2011 so if you have been thinking about buying one, now is the time!
But there's good news, too: I'm in the stages of final editing for the next volume of 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa. Volume 2 of this series will take you on another 12 month journey, with instruction for completely making over your marketing, customer service, employee culture and the client experience as well as a host of new promotion ideas for each month.
And one more bit of good news, through the end of January, use code FQSFWH3Y at checkout and you can save $2.50 off the list price of the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar when you purchase this publication via my website (the code doesn't work on amazon).
It's going to be a great year!
Here are some promotions and events you can create for singles (adapted from Volume I of 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa):
LOVE YOURSELF
Why should couples have all the fun? Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day singly or as a couple, love yourself! Create special “Love Yourself” promotions around your most pampering services and retail products, or gift free, salon-branded chocolates or aromatherapy products with retail purchases to clients.
This is a great time for you to expand your retail offerings beyond haircare, skin and other professional products to make it a true gift center. Purchase aromatherapy products such as candles and room sprays. Purchase boutique-quality, unique gift and greeting cards and gift bags. Make it easy for your customers to envision your products and gift certificates as "gifts" by pre-packaging gift baskets and displaying them along with gift certificates or gift cards for your salon or spa.
Hold a contest in February and have a drawing to award one aromatherapy gift basket plus gift card to a winner. Utilize entries to help build your email marketing contact database, and extend a special offer in March to all participants.
Examples of contests you could hold would be a simple fishbowl-entry in the salon or spa, and/or solicit entries on your website and on your Facebook page.
Or ask clients to be creative and submit an acryonym based on the word "LOVE" (for example, an entry might be something like, "Lifelong Obsession with Valuing Everyone") or another word. Or ask clients to really get creative and submit a short poem as a contest entry (the poems can be cynical, for your 'Singles' sake!)
Or ask clients to nominate another person in the community who most deserves an aromatherapy relaxing treat!
INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS
An ‘Insignificant Other’ Event will take some work, marketing partners, and some creativity to execute.
Partner with a local restaurant, wine shop or bar to host an “insignificant other” or “best-guy-I-never-dated” mixer. Just what it sounds like, this is a chance for clients to bring a non-date but great guy or girl out to a mixer at a local destination so they can both meet other great singles in the area. Collect contact information from all attendees with an at-the-door entry form which will also serve as an entry form in a drawing for a prize package to be awarded at the end of the evening.
Before the mixer, collect entries from your clients and hold a drawing for one lucky guy and one lucky gal to receive a pre-mixer makeover (remember, it’s really all about the entries and gathering contact information for permission-based marketing).
Create promotional offers for pre-event makeover bookings and a bounce back offer. Take bookings at the event and make salon-branded items (like shot glasses, event t-shirts, tumblers or mugs, etc.) or professional products available for sale.
After the event, send a bounce back offer via mail or e-mail to all participants (you collected their contact information before the event for pre-mixer makeovers and at the event for all attendees, and hopefully you ensured that your marketing partners did the same.
YOUR REALLY INSIGNIFICANT OHER
February 8-14th is ‘Dump Your Significant Jerk Week’— the perfect week to hold your ‘Insignificant Other’ mixer. If this event proves popular with participants, plan to repeat this formula during June’s wedding season as a ‘best-person- I-never-married’ social event.
Want more?
With 2011 underway, the utility of the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar is now limited by time itself! This publication will be removed from publication by the end of January, 2011 so if you have been thinking about buying one, now is the time!
But there's good news, too: I'm in the stages of final editing for the next volume of 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa. Volume 2 of this series will take you on another 12 month journey, with instruction for completely making over your marketing, customer service, employee culture and the client experience as well as a host of new promotion ideas for each month.
And one more bit of good news, through the end of January, use code FQSFWH3Y at checkout and you can save $2.50 off the list price of the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar when you purchase this publication via my website (the code doesn't work on amazon).
It's going to be a great year!
5.1.11
January 2011 Style, Strategy and Marketing Savvy Newsletter - now online!
The January 2011 Style, Strategy and Marketing Savvy newsletter is now online! This edition speaks to 2011 trends and tactics that can take your business to the next level - no matter the size of your business or resources available - it's going to be a great year! Read online at www.12monthsofmarketing.net/2011jan.html - enjoy!
IN THIS ISSUE
Original Content:
:: 12 Hair Color Client Events (and the case for in-salon haircolor and makeup)
:: 8 Ways to start Marketing into the New Year
Success Strategies
:: Making 2011 the year of Great Relationships
:: Transform your Employee Culture in 2011 with these 14 Do's and Don'ts
:: 6 Leadership Blind Spots that can leave you in the ditch
:: Start 2011 by making 'Thank You' part of your Brand
:: Identifying and communicating the real benefits of your products and services to clients
:: 125 Tips for building an Iirresistable Brand
:: 3 Keys to creating a Client Experience worth paying for
"The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live to purpose." Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592, one of the most influential authors of the French Renaissance, often regarded as the father of Modern Skepticism)
It's going to be a great year!
IN THIS ISSUE
Original Content:
:: 12 Hair Color Client Events (and the case for in-salon haircolor and makeup)
:: 8 Ways to start Marketing into the New Year
Success Strategies
:: Making 2011 the year of Great Relationships
:: Transform your Employee Culture in 2011 with these 14 Do's and Don'ts
:: 6 Leadership Blind Spots that can leave you in the ditch
:: Start 2011 by making 'Thank You' part of your Brand
:: Identifying and communicating the real benefits of your products and services to clients
:: 125 Tips for building an Iirresistable Brand
:: 3 Keys to creating a Client Experience worth paying for
"The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live to purpose." Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592, one of the most influential authors of the French Renaissance, often regarded as the father of Modern Skepticism)
It's going to be a great year!
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