Black Friday – we all know it as the best time to get some great deals, but it’s also the perfect opportunity for salon owners to put their businesses in the spotlight. Customers are often extra receptive to promotions and offers, so will pay more attention to marketing around this period. So, it’s important that you and your salon are well-prepared. In this article, we’ve gathered our top 5 Black Friday marketing tips, which you can use to attract and retain more customers to your salon.
What is Black Friday, and why is it an important marketing opportunity for your salon?
Black Friday originated in the US. Marking the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday was originally intended to signify the start of the Christmas season. Many shops decided to offer discounts or other promotions to encourage customers who were making a start on their Christmas shopping. Today, Black Friday is known worldwide and is seen as the biggest shopping day of the year.
So, why should your salon participate in Black Friday?
During the Black Friday period, many consumers are actively interested in booking treatments, or taking the opportunity to buy their beauty products. According to a survey conducted in 2018 by PWC, a world leader in innovation and sustainability:
- More than 50% of those surveyed were interested in buying products or services on Black Friday.
Of this +50%:
- Over 70% of 17-25 year olds were interested in buying (a common target audience for many salons).
- More than 65% of men and women in the 25-34 age group were also interested in buying.
- Only 1 in 10 interviewees stated that they were not interested in shopping during the Black Friday period.
All of this means that it’s highly likely that you already have a receptive and engaged audience at this time. So, it’s important to make the most of this with your marketing activities.
5 tips for successful Black Friday marketing in your salon
Black Friday is a great time to put your salon in the spotlight. There is plenty of competition during this period, so it’s important that you are well-prepared. Here are our tips:
1. Use Black Friday as an opportunity to sell your salon’s products
From best-selling items to those products gathering dust in your stockroom – Black Friday is the perfect time to boost your product sales. According to PWC’s survey – beauty products are the top of consumers’ wish lists, so it makes sense to push these to your clients with some great discounts and offers.
Identify the products you want to sell, then decide what kind of promotion you’d like to offer on each one – e.g. ‘30% off’ or buy one get one free. Treatwell Pro‘s stock management tools allow your to easily identify your most (and least) popular items with detailed analytics, so you can prepare which items will sell best, and which ones you may need to add some bigger discounts to when it comes to your Black Friday deals. With Treatwell Pro, you can also easily and clearly view your inventory, and order from your suppliers straight from the software. So, you can stock up without fuss in preparation for the big day.
A couple of ideas on how to best promote your Black Friday product offers:
- Attach a product discount to a specific treatment: for example, if a client books in for highlights, offer them specific products – such as toning shampoo or conditioning masks – which
- Make sure to showcase both the original price and the discounted price – In general, people are more motivated to buy if they see just how good of a deal they’re getting.
To boost sales, make sure you let your clients know about these deals in advance. You can do this through email marketing, social media, and word of mouth.
2. Use Black Friday to promote gift card sales for your salon
Did you know that 63% of purchases on Black Friday are bought as Christmas presents? What’s more – the most common gift bought for Christmas is a gift card. So, it makes sense to get in on the action.
To promote your salon’s gift card, you could employ one of the following methods:
- “Buy a gift card worth £40 and receive a 15% discount on your next treatment.”
- “Purchase a £75 gift card for only £65.”
- “Buy a £75 gift card and get a £15 gift card for free”
All of these are great for convincing those customers who may not have previously bought a gift card that they should make the most of this Black Friday special. Don’t forget, gift cards are often given to friends and family – many of which may not have visited your salon before – so it’s also a great way to reach new clients.
Bear in mind that the better the deal that you’re offering, the more likely it is that customers will be tempted to purchase (this goes for all Black Friday deals – not just gift cards).
Another idea to help you use gift cards and Black Friday to your advantage is adding a time restraint on the redemption of your gift cards. By creating a special ‘Black Friday gift card’, which can only be redeemed in the January and February, for example, (notoriously slow months for salons) – you can push gift card sales and combat the slow periods at the same time. If you do want to implement this idea, you might want to consider increasing the discount or value of the deal. This is because clients may need a little more tempting if the time frame is restricted.
3. Advertise your Black Friday deals with a social media campaign
A great way to reach out to your clients (and potential clients) about your Black Friday offers is to share information on your social media accounts.
Our advice? Promote your offers on Facebook and Instagram organically, (without paid sponsorships). Use posts and stories containing everything your clients need to know. And, if you want help building a strong social media following, read our blog post for some tips.
4. Take care of your loyal clients on Black Friday
Black Friday isn’t just about boosting sales and profit – it’s also about building and rewarding client loyalty. So, why not consider treating your clients to a small freebie or reward for booking in with you on Black Friday. You could, for example, give anyone who has an appointment on Black Friday a small gift or add-on service. Think: product miniatures, a hand massage along with their usual mani, or conditioning treatment with their hair service. It’s the perfect opportunity to thank customers for their commitment to you. It will also increase their loyalty, and encourage them to become ambassadors of your salon. It may even entice them to spend a little extra and indulge in one of your other Black Friday deals. Win-win.
5. Create flash promotions to create a sense of urgency
Flash discounts are great for encouraging bookings, as their limited availability creates a sense that they need to be taken advantage of while they last. The best way to make this technique work in your barbershop or beauty salon is to either:
- Choose a limited time period where the flash discounts are available (such as 24 or 36 hours). E.g. “30% off nail treatments if you book within the next 24 hours”.
- Choose a limited number of customers who can take advantage of your flash promotion. E.g. “30% off hair oil for the first 5 customers”.
Either of these are great for encouraging quick bookings and sales. Let your clients know through social media and email communications, and make sure to add an attention-grabbing headline.
Create effective marketing campaigns with Treatwell Pro
When it comes to creating great marketing campaigns, a salon software such as Treatwell Pro can be the perfect partner. Create customised and personalised email marketing campaigns with access to pre-made templates and smart targeting; view detailed analytics so you know exactly when and what to promote; and much, much more. To find out just how Treatwell Pro can transform the way you run your salon, book a free demo with one of our experts today.