The holiday season is here, and if you’re like many beauty business owners, you’re probably wanting to meet your goals before the end of the year. You might be wondering, how can I improve my marketing and make this the biggest holiday season ever for my business? Claire is a business owner from Houston, Texas who set a goal to earn $50,000/year. By implementing a few simple strategies on her business, Claire quickly achieved her highest monthly earnings of $13,000. You too can make the most of this December by avoiding common marketing mistakes and implementing these 10 essential strategies. In this article, we will explore these strategies and how they can benefit your beauty business during the final month of the year.
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The holiday season is here, and if you’re like many beauty business owners, you’re probably wanting to meet your goals before the end of the year. You might be wondering, how can I improve my marketing and make this the biggest holiday season ever for my business? Claire is a business owner from Houston, Texas who set a goal to earn $50,000/year. By implementing a few simple strategies on her business, Claire quickly achieved her highest monthly earnings of $13,000. You too can make the most of this December by avoiding common marketing mistakes and implementing these 10 essential strategies. In this article, we will explore these strategies and how they can benefit your beauty business during the final month of the year.
1. Speak Directly to Your Audience
In the world of marketing, one-size-fits-all approaches rarely yield the best results. When crafting your marketing messages, avoid using generic terms like "you guys" or "you." Instead, speak with confidence about your salon, addressing your audience directly.
Remember, only one person is watching your Instagram stories - talk directly to them!
2. Give Your Ads Time to Shine
One of the common mistakes small business owners make is pausing their advertising campaigns too soon. Platforms like Google and Meta thrive on advertisers' success, and they want to see your ads performing well. To make the most of your marketing budget, you need to give the algorithms time to learn about your audience, your ads and what's working best.
Holiday Marketing Tip: Plan your ad campaigns well in advance, ensuring they run consistently throughout the month. This extended exposure can lead to increased bookings and revenue during the festive period, and give you plenty of invaluable data to optimize with.
Anne, a professional in Canada, provides a valuable example. After four to five months of consistent advertising, she earned $10,000 from a single click on her Google Ads. This success would have been impossible if she had prematurely paused her ads.
3. Diversify Your Marketing Efforts
Limiting your marketing efforts to one platform or strategy can be a costly mistake. Your potential customers are scattered across various platforms and channels, so it's crucial to diversify your marketing efforts to reach them effectively.
Create a multi-channel marketing plan that includes social media advertising, email marketing and even influencer collaborations. Now is the best time to expand your reach and engage with a broader audience.
4. Sell the Experience, Not Just Appointments
Your salon doesn't just offer appointments; it provides a unique experience that leaves customers feeling renewed, recharged and relaxed. In your marketing materials, focus on selling this experience rather than merely promoting booking slots.
Holiday Marketing Tip: Craft marketing messages that highlight the joy and self-assuredness your services bring during holiday gatherings and special occasions. Instead of saying "Book an appointment 24/7," say "Get ready to feel renewed this holiday season." This will resonate far better with potential clients than selling appointments.
5. Overcome Overwhelm: Take Action
Overwhelm can be a significant hurdle in marketing your beauty business, especially during the holiday rush. However, not taking any action is a surefire way to hinder your growth. Starting somewhere, even with small steps, is more important than staying idle.
Holiday Marketing Tip: Prioritize and simplify your holiday marketing efforts by focusing on five easy-to-implement strategies. These strategies can help you make the most of these next several weeks without feeling overwhelmed.
Now, let's delve deeper into these five essential strategies for marketing success.
6. Your Website is Your Storefront
Your website serves as the digital storefront of your salon. Potential clients will visit your website to learn more about your services and gauge your credibility. If your website is clean, intuitive and professional, it instills confidence in visitors and encourages them to choose your salon over competitors.
Neglecting your website can result in missed opportunities, as visitors may assume that if your website is subpar, your services are too. Invest in a user-friendly and visually appealing website to showcase your salon's expertise effectively.
7. Create Tailored Marketing Campaigns
Just as you wouldn't ask someone you just met to marry you, you shouldn't expect potential clients who are unfamiliar with your salon to book an appointment immediately. Effective marketing requires a strategic approach that acknowledges the stages of a customer's journey: Awareness, Consideration and Conversion.
Build a marketing funnel that guides potential customers through these stages. Start with awareness campaigns that introduce your salon and your offerings. Then, transition to consideration campaigns that provide more information and highlight the unique experience you offer. Finally, use conversion campaigns to encourage bookings. Have any seasonal specials? This is the best place to advertise those as well!
8. Implement Conversion Tracking
Conversion tracking is the key to understanding the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Without it, you're left in the dark, unable to determine which ads are driving valuable actions, such as appointment requests. Google and Meta rely on conversion tracking data to optimize your campaigns for success.
Ensure that conversion tracking is properly set up for your campaigns. This allows you to identify which marketing channels and messages are driving bookings and which ones need adjustments. The holiday season is too crucial to rely on guesswork; use data-driven insights to refine your strategies.
9. Embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In today's fast-paced digital landscape, AI can be a game-changer for your beauty business. AI-powered tools can streamline various aspects of your operations, saving you time and increasing revenue. Whether it's automating appointment scheduling, personalized marketing or customer support, AI can help you provide a seamless and efficient customer experience.
Explore AI solutions that can enhance your holiday marketing efforts. Chatbots, email automation and personalized product recommendations are just a few examples of how AI can improve customer interactions and boost sales during the holiday season.
10. Utilize Free Tools for Website Improvement
A slow or poorly optimized website can turn potential clients away, especially during the holiday season when shoppers expect seamless online experiences. Fortunately, there are free tools available that can help you assess and enhance your website's performance.
Prioritize website optimization using free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console. These tools can identify areas for improvement, such as page load times and mobile responsiveness, ensuring that your website delivers a smooth and enjoyable experience.
You can do this!
The holiday season presents a golden opportunity to grow your business. By implementing these essential marketing strategies, you can make the most of the holiday rush and attract new clients seeking to look and feel their best for festive gatherings and special occasions.
Remember to speak directly to your audience, give your ads time to shine, diversify your marketing efforts, sell the experience and take action to overcome overwhelm. Additionally, prioritize your website as your digital storefront, create tailored marketing campaigns, implement conversion tracking, embrace AI solutions and utilize free tools to enhance your website's performance.
With these strategies in place, you'll be well on your way to achieving your holiday marketing goals and ensuring a joyful and prosperous season for your beauty business. Don't miss out on the opportunity to shine during the holidays – start implementing these strategies today and watch your salon thrive.
Meet the Author:
Ashley Brock is a digital marketing expert who has worked with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies transforming their marketing strategies. She’s partnered with small business CEOs to VPs of marketing, with ad budgets ranging from $10/day to $100k/day. Helping small businesses grow is her true passion, and you can find her teaching small business owners marketing with her #MarketingMatters program or LIVE, in-person at the Marketing Matters Summit for Female Entrepreneurs. Carla, a licensed cosmetologist for 25+ years and expert in beauty school administration and accreditation will be teaching you how to save 10+ hours per week using Artificial Intelligence.
