Stand out in the Xmas season - Maria Dowling on maximising your marketing over the festive period

It’s pitched as the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ and for many industries, including the beauty and spa arena, it’s the busiest time of the year.

Every year we look at our December bookings in October and know we’re going to be fully booked for most of this month. Everyone wants to have fabulous looking colour for the dressing up season.

At mariadowling Salon we have a tried and tested festive campaign that our clients have come to know and love.

The Tree of Fortune allows us to give each of our clients a festive greetings card and also gives them the chance to instantly win some gorgeous hair and spa prizes.

Every client who visits the salon during December is invited to pick a card off the Tree of Fortune. These cards either contain a simple season’s greetings or select cards say “You’ve won”! Our clients get so excited about the promotion that they ask when it’s starting every year.

Not only is this a way of giving something back to our lovely loyal clients, but it also enbles us to create a bit of festive excitement within the salon.

While our objective isn’t to get more clients during December, as we’re usually fully booked already, it gives us a way of saying thank you for their support throughout the year.

So, if you’re a salon or spa in the region, it’s a great idea to think up a campaign that will help give you that competitive edge, gain better customer loyalty, and bring a bit of seasonal cheer into the salon or spa.

Here are my top ideas for standing out in “silly season”:

1 Offer stocking fillers A great marketing tip taken from supermarkets is to place a selection of inexpensive gifts on your reception desk to tempt last-minute purchases. Drop a heavy hint with a clear label, “ideal stocking-fillers”

2 Encourage online reviews It’s the best way to attract new clients and help to fill the “quieter” weeks come January. Print signage for each station, encouraging clients to review on
specific pages. Remember to include a call to action and suggest where the reviews should go to make it easier

3 Salon selfies This works very well, particularly if your client has had a colour revamp or a special style for a party. Encourage your clients to take salon selfies by creating a frame or festive wall they can stand in front of. Keep it tasteful and a little fun. This will give you great content for your social media channels too

4 Go the extra mile On till receipts put a ‘festive greetings message’ or highlight your special offers or opening hours throughout the season

5 Extra opening hours Think about opening on your day off just through December, to give clients even more of an opportunity to book. It’s only a few weeks and means that if you already have full pages and a waiting list of clients, you can accommodate them during the busy time

6 Transform your shop window Remember your windows are free advertising and if you get a lot of passing trade, it’s highly visible.

Maria Dowling is creative director at mariadowling salon and has been a colourist for more than 20 years. For more information call: +971 4 345 4225

It’s pitched as the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ and for many industries, including the beauty and spa arena, it’s the busiest time of the year.

Every year we look at our December bookings in October and know we’re going to be fully booked for most of this month. Everyone wants to have fabulous looking colour for the dressing up season.

At mariadowling Salon we have a tried and tested festive campaign that our clients have come to know and love.

The Tree of Fortune allows us to give each of our clients a festive greetings card and also gives them the chance to instantly win some gorgeous hair and spa prizes.

Every client who visits the salon during December is invited to pick a card off the Tree of Fortune. These cards either contain a simple season’s greetings or select cards say “You’ve won”! Our clients get so excited about the promotion that they ask when it’s starting every year.

Not only is this a way of giving something back to our lovely loyal clients, but it also enbles us to create a bit of festive excitement within the salon.

While our objective isn’t to get more clients during December, as we’re usually fully booked already, it gives us a way of saying thank you for their support throughout the year.

So, if you’re a salon or spa in the region, it’s a great idea to think up a campaign that will help give you that competitive edge, gain better customer loyalty, and bring a bit of seasonal cheer into the salon or spa.

Here are my top ideas for standing out in “silly season”:

1 Offer stocking fillers A great marketing tip taken from supermarkets is to place a selection of inexpensive gifts on your reception desk to tempt last-minute purchases. Drop a heavy hint with a clear label, “ideal stocking-fillers”

2 Encourage online reviews It’s the best way to attract new clients and help to fill the “quieter” weeks come January. Print signage for each station, encouraging clients to review on
specific pages. Remember to include a call to action and suggest where the reviews should go to make it easier

3 Salon selfies This works very well, particularly if your client has had a colour revamp or a special style for a party. Encourage your clients to take salon selfies by creating a frame or festive wall they can stand in front of. Keep it tasteful and a little fun. This will give you great content for your social media channels too

4 Go the extra mile On till receipts put a ‘festive greetings message’ or highlight your special offers or opening hours throughout the season

5 Extra opening hours Think about opening on your day off just through December, to give clients even more of an opportunity to book. It’s only a few weeks and means that if you already have full pages and a waiting list of clients, you can accommodate them during the busy time

6 Transform your shop window Remember your windows are free advertising and if you get a lot of passing trade, it’s highly visible.

Maria Dowling is creative director at mariadowling salon and has been a colourist for more than 20 years. For more information call: +971 4 345 4225