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The arrival of spring is marked by blooming flowers and chirping birds. It also means the sound of your phone constantly ringing with clients. They want to book appointments for fresh highlights, haircuts, and manicures. Spring and summer are especially busy times for salons. Events like weddings and proms contribute to a seasonal rush, so it’s important to focus on your marketing, staffing, and technical efforts so that you’re ready for this boom in your business.
Promote your special-event services
If your salon offers services like updos and makeup application for events like prom and weddings, start advertising that. Make sure students and bridal parties know your salon is an option. Consider creating packages that bundle services, like an updo and a mani-pedi, to make your salon especially attractive as a one-stop destination. Also, if you offer the option of sending a glam squad of stylists and manicurists to complete group services on site, make sure customers are aware of that package, too.
Reach out to new and returning clients
The spring and summer months are a great time to build your customer base and welcome back previous guests. Consider special promotions for first-time customers. Think about offering reduced-price blowouts or a free add-on treatment when they get a cut or color services. Also, reward your loyal customers. Try referral rewards or special discounts. Or offer a free treatment when they book a new appointment (especially if they haven’t visited in a while).
Boost your staff
The seasonal influx of customers might be great for your business, but it can be a strain on your employees. You also might miss out on some lucrative opportunities if you don’t have sufficient staff. Take a look at your spring and summer schedules from the last few years to get a sense of your busiest days and times, especially if you tend to book a lot of special-event services. Once you do that, you can make a more informed decision about staffing. Do you need to ask employees to take on additional hours? Do you need to hire more staff?
Expand your hours
If you’re fully staffed but still can’t accommodate all your potential clients, think about updating your hours. For example, if you close at 7 p.m. on weekdays, try adding at least one night a week when you close at 9 p.m. so you can accommodate people who want to come after work. You could also open earlier on busy days like Saturday to handle big groups like bridal parties. Check your booking history to determine the best days for extended hours.
Reevaluate your appointment scheduling system
If it seems like your front-desk staff is fielding calls all day, every day, you’re missing out on potential business. How is this possible? Well, if the phones are always ringing, there are likely people who aren’t getting through. There may be people who don’t want to wait on hold while your staff assists another caller. And, if customers can only book appointments by phone during your business hours, then you’re excluding all the people who can’t call during those times. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to consider an online scheduling system like Square Appointments. It allows customers to book services from anywhere, at any time. Not only do systems like this sync with your calendar, but they also enable you to send reminders. It even allows you to accept payments, creating a more streamlined experience for your customer (and your front-desk staff).
