They don’t call it the summer blues for nothing.

More no shows, less appointments. This time of year can be frustrating at salons. However, with the right promotions and plans in place, you could make this season your most productive, yet!

1.   Change your service menu by adding summer solutions.

Just like a restaurant changes their menu according to season, salons should, too.

Think about the beauty woes of summer and how you – the professional – can offer a solution to unruly frizz and increased dryness and damage caused by over exposure to environmental aggressors, such as UV rays, heat, pool minerals, etc.

Take a look at some of the most common summer hair stresses below (plus, some holistic-minded remedies)!

Problem: Frizz & Dryness

Solution: Non-Toxic Keratin Smoothing Treatment

Problem: Color Fading & UV Damage

Solution: Oway Sunway – A Professional Collection of Sun Protective Products

2.   Attend a class.

Summer marks the calm before the holiday storm — now’s the time to attend classes and brush up on any skills before the busiest time of year.

Pro Tip: If traveling for education, take a few extra days to explore the area and use the entire trip as a tax write-off! Check out some upcoming Education classes we have going on around the country below:

*Indicates 2-day class pass available (SAVE 50%)!

3.   Improve your business skills.

We’re over half way through 2018, are you meeting all of the salon business goals you set for yourself? If not, that’s okay – summer is a great time to re-visti some of your goals.

Take this extra time to do a full audit of your salon’s operations. Is your salon website up to date? Are you keeping up with your social media? How long has it been since you’ve raised your prices?

We have tons of free salon business education waiting for you!

Salon Summer School Curriculum:

1. Salon Website 101: The Do’s & Don’ts of a Successful Salon Website
2. How to Master Google & Your Salon’s Online Reputation & Reviews
3. 5 Untold Secrets of Social Media for Salons
4. 5 Easy Ways to Manifest Lifelong Clients & Turn Them into Raving Fans
5. Doing It Right: Salon Retail Design & Visual Merchandising Strategies
6. How to Hire, Train & Retain Your Salon’s Dream Team
7. Salon Suite Week: What Every Suite Owner Should Know!

4.   Follow up early.

With many clients going on holiday this season, many of them would forget to show up for an appointment. The best way to prevent no-shows and habitual tardiness is to remind them days in advance.

A cancellation window is great, but anything can happen in 48 or 24 hours. Send them text alerts one to two weeks early and the day before to allow you and your client to make appropriate changes to the schedule, or let you know they can’t make it. For a more personal touch, ask your receptionist to follow up on appointments days ahead by phone to get a verbal confirmation from the client. This way, you would also know straightaway if the client is planning to cancel or not.

Pro Tip: Having a cancellation fee in place is an effective way to reduce no-shows. Emphasize this detail during your conversation and watch them think twice about not showing up 😊

5.   Join or organize a Green Event.

What better way to beat the summer slump than dedicating your time to a good cause? Organize green events like the newest fitness craze “plogging” with your fellow holistic hair stylists and salons within your local community. Plogging is an environmental workout event that began in Sweden wherein people would go out for a run with a trash bag and plastic gloves, picking up litter along the way.

Doing this event will not only help you and your colleagues stay fit, but it will also help reduce garbage in your area. Plus, you and your salon might also get extra brownie points for being an eco-friendly business. It’s win-win situation for you, your business and the planet.

6.   Run a FREE Summer Haircut Contest.

Are your social media pages facing a slump in engagement as well? Doing an online campaign will not only increase your social media engagement but will also help increase awareness of your brand and business.

Giveaways and contests like FREE haircuts or treatments as prizes always draw a crowd. For example, you can ask your audience to like and share the contest on Facebook or Instagram, and choose a winner at the end of the promo period.

Everyone loves getting a new look during the summer, so you’ll never know how many of your contest participants will become a lifelong client. 🙂