6 Ways to build business without a Valentine in February

With little more than 3 weeks until Valentine’s Day, it’s likely that you are “all heart” when it comes to promotions in the salon and spa (or any small business) right about now. But for those who feel that they will lose it if they have to cut one more construction paper heart and for those who just want to do something different, here are 6 themes that you can use to build business in February, with nary a Valentine in sight!

February 4 is Girls and Women in Sports Day
Create special offers for female members of local sports teams (schools, community parks and recreation leagues, amateur and minor league organizations, golf clubs, etc.) Create a special gift certificate for clients to give to their coaches (or their children’s coaches). Support local parks and recreation women’s sports. Sponsor or become a ‘booster’ of local school’s women’s sports teams. Advertise in their programs or publications and include a special offer for athletes and other team supporters.

February 6 is Bubblegum Day
Purchase salon or spa-branded gum to give away as a client thank you gift. Buy Bubblegum in bulk from your local grocery’s candy and bulk food bins and hold a contest where clients enter to win by guessing how many gum balls are in a container in your salon or spa. Allow people to enter online (post a photograph on your website, blog site, Facebook page, etc.). Don’t forget to use entries to add more contacts to your e-mail and direct mail marketing databases.

February 8 is Clean Out Your Desk Day
Partner with a local professional organizer to provide tips for clients or hold a seminar in-salon for clients on home and office organization. Create special offers to extend to their clients as well as your own. Put ‘de-cluttering’ tips on bag stuffers, shelf talkers, and in your Facebook posts.

February 17 is P.T.A. Founder’s Day
Local schools can be a great source of prospective clients. Extend special offers to leaders and parents of your local school’s PTA (parent-teacher association). Create a special offer for the families of your child’s school, local private schools, and other educational organizations.

February 24 is Tortilla Chip Day
Partner with a local south-of-the-border style restaurant (or local gourmet market) and give clients a tasty tortilla chip and dip sample at their appointments. Create offers for cross-marketing with these businesses.

February 28 is Tooth Fairy Day
Partner with a local dental and/or orthodontic practice to create cross-marketed offers to extend to all clients. Reward clients with a free add-on, sample or travel-sized product or salon-branded tchotchke (such as a tank top, lip balm, water bottle, mug, etc.) when they provide you with proof of a recent cavity-free visit to the dentist with which you cross market.

Cross market on an on-going basis and exchange and display one another’s business cards and service menus or brochures in waiting areas. Use bag stuffers and posts on your Facebook page to give clients tips about dental hygiene or the benefits of orthodontics, including a list of suggested services and time frame (such as, how often they should be receiving preventive care, when a child should first visit a dentist, etc.) Tie tips in to salon and spa recommendations for children in terms of gentle products they should be using to cleanse and condition, how often they should receive services, and styling and services that your business provides for younger clients (such as birthday party makeovers, sleepover nails and makeup, etc.)

Create a special “Tooth Fairy” offer for the children of clients.

These ideas were featured in the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar (along with more obscure as well as traditional Valentine-themed promotion ideas). This calendar will be removed from publication after January 31.  Until January 31, save $2.50 off the cover price of the 2011 Calendar when you purchase it via my website using the code FQSFWH3Y at checkout.