5 last-minute Hallowe'en promotional ideas for salons

With Hallowe’en a cat’s whisker away, have you taken this as an opportunity to encourage increased footfall in salon? Events and holidays are great to focus marketing strategies around for increased revenue and salon visits. Hallowe’en is no different. With this in mind, for those  who may be stuck in a promotional rut or unsure of themed ideas to encourage clients to visit more regularly, check out these five last-minute suggestions of different promotional ideas for salons:

1. Trick or treat lucky dip

Looking to increase revenue before the end of the month? Why not provide a trick-or-treat lucky dip for any clients who purchase a course, a bottle of lotion, or service before Halloween? Promote as an added-value opportunity for any clients who visit your salon and purchase, with the possibility of winning prizes worth over £X. This also adds a justification for visiting more promptly. All prizes should be non-refundable. What's more,  if they win a further promotion, it should clearly note the time period within which this prize can be redeemed.

Ideas of things that can be added to your lucky dip include:

1. A free X-minute sunbed session
2. A different sachet of tanning lotion to what they usually use, to try something different
3. A £X gift card to redeem in the salon on a different service
4. X% off the next course purchased if bought within 1 month of the prize redemption
5. A grand prize of a bottle of Hemp Nation

Tip: Write the names of all the prizes onto pieces of paper, or put them into envelopes. This will ensure clients have no idea what they will redeem and ensures prizes are given out fairly.

2. Giveaway

Encourage a fun, easy-going reason to visit in salon, and also nuture your client relationships with a giveaway. Establish that 'best Halloween costume worn in salon', or 'best Hallowe'en joke told to staff in salon' will win a prize.

This can also be a great opportunity to create some social media content, by uploading imagery* of your entrants for your followers to view. You could even make it so the ‘most liked’ photo wins the prize. This would encourage entrants to involve friends and family. This may therefore increase online engagement. What's more, it could boost your social media’s visibility, whilst also building a fun element to your relationship with clients.

*Please note that written consent must be given by all clients before uploading imagery of entrants to your social media or website

3. Secret code

Looking to reward customer loyalty? Use a different form of marketing, such as text, email, or direct messages on social media, to contact your existing customer base with an exclusive secret code. Explain on their next visit, if they tell your salon staff the secret code before a certain date, they:

1. Will be entered into a prize draw
2. Redeem a promotion off of their purchase
3. Can redeem a free sachet of lotion for their tanning session
4. Will have their purchase matched (for example, if they purchase a 12 minute tanning session, they will have one added to their account that they can redeem within 4 weeks)

This rewards your existing clients for their loyalty, by providing them with exclusive offers and promotions. Overall, this could make them feel more valued if the promotion is pitched as a 'thank you' for supporting your business. What's more, the time limit on this also adds a sense of urgency, to encourage increased footfall to redeem the promotion.

4. Introduce a new spooky-themed lotion

Thinking of bringing in a new lotion to freshen up your collection? This may be the perfect opportunity! Introducing a relevantly-themed product in a limited quantity will allow you to gauge your clients’ reaction to the product as to whether it will be a good fit for repurchase or not, whilst also being a great themed opportunity to promote your salon. By introducing a new lotion in a limited quantity, you could market by:

1. Using a bottle in a social media giveaway
2. Adding it to a value-added promotion or bundle, to increase the size of purchases clients make
3. Providing free samples to increase its visibility to your existing customer base
4. Minusing the cost of a sachet purchased to try from the overall bottle cost, if they purchase a bottle after trying the sachet for a ‘try before you buy’ scheme

Unsure what lotions would work for a themed introduction? Check out some of our suggestions:

5. Mystery buys

The final of our promotional ideas for salons is similar to the above lucky dip idea. However, this would be hosted on a larger scale. Rather than using the lucky dip as a value-added promotion to all purchases made before a certain date, make the lucky dip the whole promotion. The concept being, the client purchases a lucky dip entry for £X, where they will win something that is the same price or of a higher value to what they have spent.

Create a limited number of prizes with a ‘once they’re gone, they’re gone’ promotion to add urgency and excitement to the promotion, with an added deadline of a couple of days after Halloween to accommodate those who may wait until payday to play.

Like these promotional ideas for salons? Check out these other blogs which may be of interest to you...