For salons and therapists, January is generally a quieter month after the hectic festive season. So, how can you work smarter this January?
UP YOUR SKILLS
Utilise the quiet January lull period by investing in training for you and your staff. Here you can use this time to perfect your skills and knowledge, so you can deliver a variety of treatments and services to your customers at the highest possible level. You can also hold staff training sessions in your salon to allow therapists to improve their techniques and further advance their skills. At Everlasting Atelier, we offer a range of courses including the Elleebana Lash Lift, Elleebana Brow Henna, Elleebana Pro Fusion Brow Lamination, Elleebana Pro Fusion Lash Lamination, Black Lashes Pro Volume Eyelash Extension and The Brow Specialised Eyebrow Grooming Course. For more information visit: https://everlastingatelier.com/collections/get-trained
STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
At the start of January, it is important that you plan ahead for the new year and have a clear structure in place for 2023. Create a 12 Month Marketing Plan and identify the key months in the year to undertake various promotions and seasonal offers. Ensure that you and your staff are up to date with your training, as well as any new health & safety regulations. Review your salon treatments and retail sales to ascertain what was successful in 2022 and what to focus on for 2023.
REVIEW CLIENT BOOKINGS
Access your client booking system to see who has recently visited the salon and who has not made a booking for several months. For clients who haven’t visited the salon for several months, look at their booking history and create an individual offer or promotion to entice that customer back to the salon e.g., 10% off a Brow Lamination with Promotion Code: Loyal10
NEW YEAR – NEW YOU SALON EVENT
At the beginning of the new year, a lot of people are ready to make a change in their lives, whether it is undertaking more exercise, eating healthily or practising self-care. Host a ‘New Year - New You’ Salon Event and encourage your clients to bring along a friend or family member. At the event, you could have live demonstrations to showcase your services and treatments, as well as introducing special 2 for 1 offers e.g., ‘Book an Elleebana Lash Lift & Tint for the price of an Elleebana Lash Lift this January’ to generate client bookings during this quiet period.
HAVE A SALON MAKEOVER
Does your salon need a refresh? January is the perfect time of year to make some changes to your salon whilst it is quiet, whether it is rearranging the furniture or equipment, undertaking a spot of decorating or updating the interior to give your salon a fresh new look.
NEW SALON PRICE LISTS
If you haven’t already, make sure that you update your salon price lists for 2023. With the significant increases in inflation, it is important that you have all your costs covered. It is a good idea to plan where you can cut costs; at Everlasting Atelier we offer bulk purchase discounts and occasional sale dates that are announced on our social media platforms and newsletters. The best reason to stay loyal is that we still haven't increased our prices along with inflation to support artists during costly winter season.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Stay active on your social media channels during January and create engaging content to capture your existing and potential customers attention, from video tutorials, striking imagery, before and after pictures, as well as client testimonials (if you are using client pictures or testimonials, please always gain permission from your client’s before posting them on social media). Here's a 2023 marketing expert tip: our content engagement grows considerably once we create a post and exit the Instagram app for a few hours. The instagram algorithm then is in need of your attention and will boost your posts so that you receive notification alerts and return to the app sooner!
You could also run a competition on social media where one lucky winner can win a ‘New Year – New You treatment’ to create some buzz and awareness about your salon treatments.
In addition, you could also review your social media pages. Do they need updating? Do you need new imagery? Is all the information up to date? Would you benefit from undertaking any additional social media training during this quiet period?
A bit of wisdom for 2023; "Ideas are great... But ideas without action and execution are worthless." Remember that whatever you do to achieve your 2023 goals is better than not doing anything about them!