Turn up the heat in your salon! 4 steps to boosting revenue this summer

Turn up the heat in your salon! 4 steps to boosting revenue this summer

Summertime is a very specific period for hair & beauty salons. On one hand, many loyal patrons leave the city for their vacay trips - on the other, there is a sudden influx of tourists happy to spoil themselves with a little pampering session. Some clients spontaneously make a decision to leave the next day and are in desperate need of a touch-up session right now, others spend three months completely ignoring their regrowth, finally, you also have an entire group suddenly willing to try something new for the first time…

June, July and August have their unique characteristics. Because of that, it can be a slow season for many business owners - but it can also be an excellent opportunity for boosting revenue if you play your cards right. Booksy is here to help you develop your winning strategy for the summer season - it’s time to turn up the heat, maximize your occupancy and ensure you are getting the most out of your sales!

1. Getting more visibility: heating up the marketing

Many salons put marketing activities on hold for the summer months, as they feel like there is nothing seasonal going on that you can capitalise on. After all, autumn is all about these Halloween vibes, winter rocks the beauty world with the holiday season as well as New Year’s Eve, and spring brings us Easter, May Day and Mother’s Day, just to name a few. But summer? After Father’s Day in June, it seems like there are not many special days to use to your advantage. But is this really a valid reason to give up on your online marketing? Absolutely not!

Try to think the way your potential customers do. If they see inactive social media channels, they assume that there is nothing interesting going on in your salon or even that you may be on a holiday break. Which is a shame, because the atmosphere of summer chill-out makes many people more willing to splurge on themselves. Instead of posting repetitive, generic content (or worse - going full-on radio silence) you should try to heat things up.

How? For example, by introducing your followers to a more pricey and niche service that you offer, enticing them to try it out. Make sure to add some before and after photos and use language that speaks to the inquisitive and impatient side of the human psyche (“Make it the best summer of your life and try something you have never done before!”).

Finally, it’s absolutely crucial to not let the excitement go to waste and ensure that your followers quickly book their visit. Fortunately, if you are using Booksy, you can add a “Book now” button to both your Facebook and Instagram accounts, which leads directly to your Booksy profile. This allows you to take advantage of that sudden spark of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) - the less time people need to schedule their appointment, the less likely they are to change their minds.
 

2. Maximizing occupancy: summer-specific offers

There are quite a few treatments that should not be performed during the hot and sunny months, such as most lasers, chemical peels or IPLs. What’s interesting is that many people are somewhat aware of that fact and as a result, tend to avoid visiting beauty salons in the summertime altogether. This is why it’s so important to keep being active on your social media accounts and keep delivering knowledge and inspiration. Misconceptions hurt your summer sales and if you notice a sudden drop in your occupancy rates during warmer months, they may be the culprit.

How can you ensure this doesn’t happen to you? The smartest and most effective method is to keep promoting the treatments that can be performed in summer.

You can do so in a few different ways - firstly, as mentioned before, by sharing your expertise on social media. This is a fantastic opportunity to enrich your Facebook and Instagram with valuable content, strengthen your position as a specialist and get more bookings at the same time. Explain to your followers why summer is the perfect time to try microneedling, customised facials, low-lights, hot towel shaves or advanced, multi-step pedicures. Remember to speak with the language of value - instead of informing of dry facts, show the benefits in the most appealing way possible (“Our pedicure ritual gets rid of dead skin, especially on heels, promote circulation and help with swelling, which can be such a nightmare during hot days, and keep your feet moisturised, relaxed and beach-ready!”).

Although social media can be very helpful, you cannot rely on them alone. The second step is to prepare special summer-specific offers and reach your customers with email and SMS marketing. Now it’s the perfect time to use Booksy’s Message Blast - one of the most popular and powerful features you get within our software! Thanks to it, you can send a message to all of your clients at once with just a few clicks.

However, let’s not stop there - thanks to the advanced filtering option that comes with Message Blast, you can personalise the offers and target the right groups with the right offer. For example, the filter “Most Loyal Client” selects customers that visited you at least three times within the last three months. This group will probably be the most likely to be interested in your more pricey, niche treatments. On the other hand, for “Slipping Away Clients” you may want to consider offering a nice discount on a service that is especially popular in the summer months.

3. Boosting revenue: upselling and cross-selling

You might have heard about upselling and cross-selling before. They are both tried-and-true sales techniques that are supposed to help you boost your revenue. However, not everyone knows how to use them and even fewer people know how to use them correctly.

Cross-selling is offering an additional (usually complimentary) product or service to an existing sale. For example, let’s imagine that a client booked a balayage with you. You do your magic and then casually mention that after bleaching, the client’s hair will probably need a little more love. Then you tell them about that fantastic conditioner that helps to moisturise, strengthen and restore the condition of hair that has been lightened. You stress the importance of after-treatment maintenance and during the check-out, the receptionist asks the customer whether they would like to purchase the miraculous conditioner that the stylist (you) hand-picked for them. The entire process seems very natural and the client happily agrees, feeling like they are making a sensible purchase.

Cross-selling is the bread and butter of health & beauty businesses. Many treatments require some additional products to maintain the effects at home which gives you a wonderful opportunity to promote your retail. The beauty of cross-selling is that you get more revenue, while simultaneously fortifying your position as a specialist - if customers like your product recommendations, their loyalty grows.

Upselling is encouraging the client to purchase a more luxurious (and hence more expensive) version of the product/service they were intending to buy. For example, let’s say that a client booked a classic manicure session with you. During the initial consultation, they remark that they are leaving for their holiday break and would love their nails to last longer and also maybe try something more vibrant this time. So you ask the client if they have ever tried gel nails and describe all their perks. After a quick chat, you get the client to upgrade from a classic mani to a gel set with nail art.

Upselling works great whenever you deal with a client for whom the experience is more important than the price itself. It usually involves making the client feel special - for example by stressing that their taste or needs are more refined and therefore require the best you can offer. You are gently stroking their ago, providing additional value and strengthening your relationship.

4. Securing loyalty: E-gift cards, Packages and Memberships

Finally, let’s talk about these three little helpers that not only help you drive more revenue, but also ensure that clients will come back to you after the initial visit.

e-Gift cards

Have you ever had a situation where your client was so pleased with received service they commented how they would like to share the experience with someone dear to them? It’s very common - a daughter remarking that her mother would benefit from such a relaxing massage, a friend wanting to give her bestie to have a full-on hair transformation for her birthday… whenever something like that happens, make sure to mention that your salon offers gift cards. What’s more - they can purchase them from their home thanks to Booksy’s e-Gift cards feature. Selling vouchers, besides being lucrative financially, strengthen the relationship with existing clients and gives you an opportunity to get new ones!

Memberships

If you want to provide your loyal customers with that little something extra, you should really consider planning a membership program. Summertime is a perfect moment to do that, as it will give you a brilliant opportunity to run a marketing campaign encouraging your clients to take advantage of it! Booksy’s Membership feature gives you the freedom to define the rules and allows you to accept membership as payment.

Packages

Booksy’s Packages are actually a great example of implementing the upselling technique - not only that, but they also allow you to promote certain niche services by pairing them with your bestsellers. You can easily create summer-specific packages, including services that are supposed to make your clients beach-ready (for example a pedicure ritual + spray tan + waxing). This way you make your sales bigger instantly, tie customers to your salon for longer and have an opportunity to shine a spotlight on a certain treatment.

If you want to learn more about how Booksy’s e-Gift Cards, Memberships and Packages work in practice and how to implement them into your sales strategy, check this article out!

As you can see, although summer may seem like a difficult time for hair and beauty salons, you can absolutely own it - if you have a good strategy and a clever little digital helper that is Booksy. Open your free trial account now and see for yourself how easier it is to get more revenue with our cutting-edge features dedicated to all specialists in the industry!