Your clients’ birthday comes around once a year like clockwork, but as a salon business, are you taking advantage of this organic marketing opportunity? Sure, you don’t want to come across overly pushy or salesy when it comes to your clients’ birthdays; instead you want to be sincere with your well wishes whilst offering them something in return that positions your salon business in a positive light.
Successful birthday marketing…
Treatments are the perfect way for your clients to relax and enjoy their special day, but as a salon owner, how do you go about making the most of the occasion that not only benefits your client, but also your business.
Birthday marketing doesn’t always have to be about offering discounts, you could use some traditional offline methods to acknowledge your clients’ birthdays – for example you could handwrite a card and post it out, just to show the client you’re thinking of them on their birthday. Your salon receptionist could be charged with ensuring the cards are written and posted and if you don’t have time to be filling out cards every day, do a batch signing in one go.
If you haven’t collected your clients’ birthday data, include a birthday section when you take their initial details – you don’t need to ask for the year, just the date and month. Always double check your client is happy to share this information, as it may be that they don’t celebrate their birthday and in these cases, don’t include them in your birthday database.
What are the best birthday treats your salon can offer clients?
Start by targeting your best clients, the loyal, regular customers, the clients who spend money at your salon. By going the extra mile for these valued customers, you are showing your salon cares about their custom. You could put together a treatment package for their birthday, or offer free retail products that compliment their treatment
We have previously discussed the best way to avoid losing profit when putting together treatment packages and the same method applies to birthday treatment packages, only include services that you can afford to put staff time into. After all, a birthday freebie shouldn’t need to add unnecessary time to your working day.
You could even start small by offering your clients a free glass of bubbly on their birthday, just to acknowledge the day without committing to too much for multiple client birthdays.
Here, we chat to salon owner, Bridget O’ Keefe of Blush & Blow to discover her best tips and advice on how to woo your clients on their birthday.
What is the best way to capture clients’ birthday data?
Run a monthly competition where people who are born in that month can enter a draw by giving their DOB. Pick a date of the winning birthday and treat all those who fall on that day to a voucher or percentage off!
Always make sure that you show continuity. There is nothing worse than waiting for your birthday to come around only to find out that a salon no longers runs the birthday promotion that your friends got to take advantage of a few months earlier!
What offers do you think are most suitable for clients whose birthday it is?
If you treat them and make them feel special on their birthdays they are more likely to talk to their friends about how great you are and spread the love organically! An upgrade to a luxury service from a standard one on birthdays is a good one because they still spend money with you but you are able to wow them for not very much cost to you.
Do you offer your clients birthday treats?
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