We know that early January can be a quiet time for many salons, so we thought we’d give you some pointers on how to get those post-New Year slots booked up! The struggle to make these bookings comes from everyone being so focused on Christmas and New Year during December. It’s really the only thing anyone wants to (or has the time to!) think about. So, booking a facial or beauty treatment is the furthest thing from your potential client’s minds – but it doesn’t have to be that way, and could mean they’re actually missing out on a well earned, relaxing treat, simply because they didn’t think of it!
Give your clients a reason to book
Your clients have been working hard in the run-up to Christmas and New Year; hectic workdays, buying gifts, decorating, helping out with school plays, organising parties, cooking, baking and keeping the peace! Surely that means they deserve a treat once the festive season is over? Even if they haven’t done everything on that list, if they see a post online or receive an email talking about how hard they’re working to make Christmas perfect, and how they definitely deserve to indulge in some pampering afterwards, they’ll be tempted to book!
Get the message right
You know your clients, and you know what marketing messages will get them motivated to book treatments in the new year. But here are a few ideas for things you might like to theme your marketing around:
- January health kick – a traditional marketing theme, but one that’s perfect for SkinBase treatments, which support the body and skin for a healthy, radiant complexion.
- A well-earned reward – after a hectic Christmas season SkinBase’s relaxing, effective treatments are just what you deserve.
- Putting yourself first – start the year off right and invest in your skin for confidence all year long.
Try to start communicating your new year marketing messages in the run-up to Christmas, so that people have time to absorb them. At what point in December do you think your clients are finally ready for Christmas? When do your Christmas gift sales start to lull? That’s the time to put out a bit of ‘new year’ content. If there’s a window before the 25th where you think you could put up a few posts or send out an email, go for it.
Offer course discounts for January and February courses
If these months tend to be very quiet for you, offer an incentive that your clients can’t refuse, by offering a saving when they book a treatment course that will start during January. Whether it’s a percentage or a cash saving is up to you, but remember that booking a client in for a course is the best way to make them into a loyal customer!
New year package deals with other treatments
To make your offer even more enticing, why not put together a ‘new year’s detox package’ featuring other treatments as well as your SkinBase treatments? You could offer a lymphatic drainage massage along with a Microdermabrasion course for example.
Post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s
The time between Christmas and New Year is always a bit strange – it’s a quiet time for a lot of people and they’ll likely be filling at least part of their days with browsing through social media – so get on their news feeds and get into their email inboxes with your fab offers on new year detox treatments! Whatever your most popular social platform is, make sure you’re on there, talking and interacting with your clients, and putting out content for them too.
Use your gift vouchers
Why not add an offer to your Christmas Gift Voucher sales? If the recipient of the gift voucher books their first treatment in January or February, could you offer a half price mani/pedi or discounted massage? Everyone is watching the pennies at the start of the new year, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to spend, it just means they’re looking for a good deal, and the right thing to spend it on!
