Time to Hit the Books! 10 Salon Back to School Marketing Ideas

It’s time to put your salon back-to-school marketing plan into action and fill the books as summer month’s wane.  Here are 10 salon marketing ideas that can help you attract new clients, sell more retail and set the stage for profitability all school-year long.

It’s time to hit the salon appointment books – And fill them up! Here are 10 more salon back to school marketing ideas.

Think Micro-Marketing to Attract Back to School Salon Appointment Bookings

Big chains that spend big money on back to school marketing cast a big shadow in their macro-marketing efforts; meaning, they cast a wide net and bank on brand awareness and name recognition.  Your salon doesn’t have to spend a lot of money and you can get far more bang for your buck if you think micro-marketing, instead.

1. Instead of casting a wide back to school marketing net, focus your marketing efforts on engaging influencers of local PTAs, school board, district offices, day cares, churches, YMCAs, Young Life, Boy and Girl Scouts and other youth-centric organizations.
2. Extend special offers to students and parents of the schools nearest your salon and spread the word using digital graphics and coupons that can be easily shared on social networks, forwarded to friends via email, or distributed on flyers delivered to school district and PTA offices, local churches, family restaurants, community centers and other similar organizations.
3. Consider offering a back to school family special or a school-year-round salon retail product discount that students and their parents can take advantage of.

Become a Name Dropper if you Want to Turn Back to School Shoppers as New Salon Clients

While it’s true that big chains have big dollars to spend on back to school marketing campaigns, you can beat them at their own game and it might not cost a thing, because you have one thing they don’t have, and that is the gift of name-dropping.

4. Your salon’s web pages should not only contain many mentions of your city (so that people searching for salons in your city or neighborhood will be able to find your business online) but you can also add a web page featuring any special offers, before and after photos, back to school hairstyle and makeup tips that would be perfect for students at the schools in your area (by name).
5. Employ name-dropping as part of your social media strategy as well. Hold a drawing to give away retail products, a free service or school supplies to students of a local school or to one student from each of the many local schools in your area – by name.  Optimized social posts are not only viral, they show up in organic internet search results as well!
6. Drop the names of celebrities and create email campaigns, social media infographics and other shareable content featuring celebrity looks that students can get at your salon before going back to school. In addition to promoting your salon’s services, you should also point out the retail salon hair and makeup products sold in your salon that can help them achieve the look.  Below are a couple of examples to help inspire you to create your own celebrity look sell-sheets (click on image to open larger size).

Rihanna 2013 Grammy Makeup Look
http://en.paperblog.com/rihanna-s-2013-grammy-makeup-look-432628/

Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez and Emmy Rossum Get the Look
http://hudabeauty.com/2013/05/20/lash-galore-beauty-at-the-billboard-awards/

Put Community Goodwill to Work to Help Fill Your Salon Appointment Book

Among the four small business back to school marketing ideas I shared on my employer’s blog was the idea of benefitting a local charity with a portion of back to school sales.  Here are four ways you can attract back to school shoppers at the same time you benefit the students right in your own community – including some who might be children of your current clients.

7. Create your own back-to-school kit with pencils, erasers and notebooks (or other school supplies) and give a kit to each school-aged child who comes to your salon during August and September.
8. Give to an organization that provides for needy children in your community. For instance, each year for the past two years, Open Life Church in Bonney Lake, WA has provided 100% of the school supplies needed for a whole elementary school in their community.  It’s a give-back that comes out of the church’s mission of being present in community in real and practical ways.  Organizations can donate money directly and get a great tax write-off while also supporting kids who need help.  People and businesses can also choose to donate actual school supply items.
9. Set your salon up as a donation center for supplies to be donated to a local school and use your social networks and email marketing to get the word out. Encourage clients to share your status updates out on their own social networks or forward your email to a friend.
10. As a charitable give back during the back-to-school season (or even all year long!) you can attract students (and their parents) from a particular area school or the entire district by giving back a portion of back to school service or retail sales to help provide school supplies, subsidize a meal program or support after-school activities.

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Elizabeth Kraus is the author of the newly released 2015 Salon Marketing Calendar  called “Making the Cut.”

Written just for Independent Beauty Professionals, Making the Cut has hundreds of low-cost and no-cost marketing ideas which can help booth renters, salon suite owners, salon owners and salon managers engage, motivate and retain more clients in 2015!