A leap year bonanza at your salon!

You have read correctly - leap years are the new New Year’s celebration! Well, maybe not that large in scale. But nevertheless, celebrating leap years is an out-of-this-world idea you should be promoting at your salon, and there are many excellent reasons for doing so! We are familiar with normal years, which last 365 days, however, leap years were created because normal years are not exactly 365 days. In order not to throw us off our calendars, every four years or so, there is a February 29th, which is a leap day.

Leap year marketing ideas

Just think about it - how many businesses do you know that celebrate leap years? Very few, if any at all, which gives you the opportunity to try something totally original! Unlike other festivities, leap years happen ever so often, so you have time to prepare! Here are a few unique ideas to make certain your salon truly stands out from the crowd:

Leap year themed events - do you and your clients miss the liveliness of New Year’s Eve parties? Dread going back to work? Well, you do not have to! Host a New Leap Year party!
Unique treatments - have you considered introducing new treatments to your salon? Why not showcase them on the 29th?
Gift bags - what would go well with your leap year event? A nice goodie bag, filled with your great cosmetics!
New decor - it may be difficult to find leap year decor for your salon, but if you have been holding back on remodelling your salon, now would be an excellent time to get started!

How to get started

Simply hosting an event or offering a number of leap year discounts will not get you far, because you should first assess your situation. Without doing so, your marketing activities can be all for nought! With the help of your Booksy salon program, start by checking your statistics - look into individual treatment or product sales and see where you can improve. Additionally, check your revenue reports and start planning if you notice below-satisfactory numbers.

Leap year discounts for increased sales!

Do you have a tub of conditioner you keep eyeing every time you walk into your storage area? It’s been sitting there for ages - you may have considered tossing it out, as it has only a few weeks left before its expiration. Instead of tossing out products you and your team work hard for, now is the perfect opportunity to get it off your shelf and make a profit off of it!

One mistake salon owners tend to make is discounting popular treatments and products, while excluding less-popular ones. For starters, popular products and services sell with or without a discount, while less-popular ones do not, so promoting them would be a wiser choice! Create a leap year discount bonanza and put your products and treatments in the spotlight! Offer your less-popular items at 50% off, or be bold and create a buy one, get two free offer to really get things flying off your shelves! Mention that these offers are exclusive only for February 29th in order to truly see clients rush to your salon - these leap year sale ideas will work wonders if executed correctly!

Leap day event? Yes, please!

Think about it - every salon on the block hosts New Year’s parties, birthdays, St. Patrick’s Day and a bunch of other events. But what about leap year get-togethers? Now is your chance to shine! After you have looked over your salon data, focus on what you would like to improve with the help of your leap day event. Wanting to attract new clients, sell more, bring in more revenue or simply get your name out? Then, this is the perfect idea for you! Start by:

Planning - how many guests do you plan on inviting, will you serve any food and beverages, have you spoken to staff on the matter? These are some of the things you should be thinking of when considering hosting such an event.
Decor - your salon has to look the part as well. Purchase party supplies, gift bags and outdoor signs to guide potential clients into your business.
Food and beverages - by providing free food and drinks, you will easily draw in a crowd!
Entry fees - if you plan on providing freebies, you may want to consider implementing an entry fee, to avoid having just freebie-hunting people attend.
Offers - let attendees glam up during the event. Offer attractive discounts on products and treatments for them, which will make for a great addition to your party and will make clients look and feel amazing!

Getting the word out

Before you share your event on Facebook or Instagram, consider the following: a simple post usually reaches 20% of your intended audience, which is not too good! Here are a few alternative suggestions that are far more effective:

Social media ads - these ads are created to target a specific audience, who are grouped together because they share common criteria, such as age, interests, gender, etc. These ads will then appear on your audience’s social media feeds, encouraging them to pay your salon a visit. And with an original leap year event or discount idea, who wouldn’t be interested?
Message blasts - with your Booksy system, use SMS, push and email messages to send your marketing campaign directly to your clients. Include everything related to your offers and your upcoming event!

The next day…

So your event or great offers brought in many new customers, more sales and increased revenue - terrific! But what now? You have thanked everyone for attending and they go about their day, however, the show must go on! Find the clients who made use of your leap year offers and came for your event and send them a warm thank you message through Booksy. They will not only love that you remember them, but will also create a lasting bond.

Next time you are considering doing something fun and interactive with your existing and potential clients, host a leap day event and provide offers they will love. And let Booksy help you with marketing activities! See the system in action - start your free trial now!