It might still seem quite far away, but as time continues to pass at the speed of light, the festive season will be here before you know it! Therefore, it’s essential that you stay ahead of the game by planning your marketing strategy well in advance. 

Stand Out from the Crowd

When it comes to any type of marketing, planning ahead is so important. However, planning your marketing activities for the festive season takes just a little more effort. This is mostly down to two reasons:

• Competition will be rife – every other salon in the local area will be promoting their services in time for Christmas and New Year. Therefore, you must take the steps in ensuring that both existing and potential clients are aware of the great festive packages you offer. Don’t be afraid to shout what you’re offering from the rooftops as early as August/September. 
• You will be very busy – as you will fully be aware, the festive season is often the busiest time of year for many salons. Therefore, you’ll want to start taking bookings as far in advance as possible so that you can be prepared and organised. Consider rotas, staff cover, local advertising and opening times as far in advance as possible.  

Our key advice for this period (if you don’t already do it) is to take a booking fee. This is an extremely busy time of year and you can’t afford to lose money to no-shows especially when there are bound to be people wanting to get booked in. 

Know Your Clients 

You’ll have your regular clients who will come to you time and time again. But on the run up to Christmas and New Year, you’ll no doubt bring in new clients who want to look the part for the upcoming party season. 

More often than not, happy clients who use your services for the first time during the festive period are highly likely to become long-term clients if they’re satisfied with what their experience. Consider this when marketing; think about retention offers such as loyalty cards. 

Introduce Festive Packages 

While you may already have a good range of products and services on offer, it can be a good idea to introduce a range of festive packages for your clients. Put a festive spin on things and include three or four treatments and a glass of fizz or even packages for two people or groups of friends. This will help you stand out from your competitors and will increase your bookings too. 

Plan Ahead 

As a business owner, you will inevitably be good at what you do. But a good reputation doesn’t always come easy. Sometimes you’ve got to work hard at plugging your brand. 

Ensuring that people know about your services and what you’re about can be hard work, but entirely worth it. Look after the future of your business and plan for at least six months ahead – especially when it comes to Christmas and New Year.