From flash deals to fun giveaways, here are a few summer promo ideas that’ll keep you chilling this summer while the cash flow kicks in.

Flash Deals

A flash deal is meant to have a short window of opportunity that creates a sense of urgency for consumers to act. This approach is great for slow summer weeks or when you need to fill in slots fast because of cancellations. You’ll want to cast a wide net and quickly reach your client database with these fast-moving deals, and you can easily set up an SMS or email campaign to reach your entire book of contacts directly. Be sure to include a call to action that takes clients right to your booking site so they can snatch up those free slots. 

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Flash Deal Idea inspiration:

Promote a limited-time sale with a generous discount that will only be available for 24-72 hours, or host a “Mystery Flash Deal” where clients who book in the next 24 hours will be surprised with anywhere from 10% to 30% off their service. ‍

Giveaways

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A good giveaway creates an opportunity to get new bookings, but also increases your reach and opens up the floodgates to new followers. This works by encouraging clients to tag friends on your page, follow you, or post about your business. Do your research on the best hashtags for your market and clientele, and start spreading the word. The key here is to promote, promote, promote! 

Giveaway Idea inspiration:

Put a free product or gift set up for grabs to a winner who will be selected from any one who follows your page and tags a friend under your giveaway post. You may even offer a discount off select services for anyone who enters to encourage even more entries and more immediate bookings. 

Gift Cards

Gift cards are a great business booster because they work double duty. It’s an opportunity to get some cash flow now and basically guarantee that you’ll have a client coming back to cash that card in – you’ll want to take advantage of the chance to upsell and build relationships to make them a regular client. 

Gift Card Idea inspiration:

There are a lot of ways to make gift cards promotions exciting and effective as a marketing tool. Stir up that sense of urgency again by offering extra value to a certain number of people who purchase first. For example, the first 10 clients to purchase a gift card get an added value of $10 to their gift card amount.

Seasonal Promotions

Seasonal offers are often tied to a specific holiday or event – they make for the perfect chance to promote certain services you want to boost or products that need to be moved during a given time of year. Outside of Memorial Day or Fourth of July, summer specials may be tied to the back-to-school crowd or a last-chance Labor Day Weekend promo.

Seasonal Promotion Idea inspiration:

Christmas in July? Why not! Create a promotion during the month or pick a day or week in July where clients get a free gift with any service booked within that time – anything from a free full-size product to a sweet gift set of travel-size products will bring cheer to your clients and help boost your revenue mid-year. 

Alternatively, try running seasonal salon specials for the length of the summer, where clients get a percentage off their next session if they book a certain service before Labor Day Weekend. Just remember to stay consistent about promoting your promotion through email or weekly social media posts.

Contests

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Have clients who love a good challenge? Contests can be fun for your more competitive clients and are easy to implement by giving a simple challenge prompt, adding a deadline, and then letting your clients do the rest. Have clients enter the contest by posting their response to the prompt on social media and get others to vote on the finalists – great for overall engagement.

Contest Idea inspiration:

Encourage your followers or clients to post their favorite summer beauty look, hairstyle, manicure, or whatever makes sense for your independent beauty business. Pick a few finalists who rocked the look best and then have followers weigh in on the winners – this will also get your finalists to share among their friends for more votes. Winners can receive a BOGO service that must be booked during the summer.

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Summer is a notoriously slow season for many industries. People are traveling, parents are tied up with kids out of school, and when it comes to beauty, clients may start opting for natural beach-friendly looks or longer-lasting protective styles. No matter the reason, slow periods are inevitable, so there’s no need to panic. Plenty of promotional strategies can be put into play to keep income flowing and even pull in new clients during these slow times.