The 10 best Valentine's Day marketing ideas for salons

With everyone wanting to look their best and give gifts to their loved ones, Valentine's Day can be one of the most profitable times of the year for salons, spas and barbershops. 

We break down 10 ways to make the most out of Valentine's Day with promotion ideas, marketing tips and how you can show clients some love.

1. Be discoverable online

Valentine's Day is a time when potential clients are shopping online for new services that help them look their best. People are also looking for gift ideas for their loved ones, so it's your opportunity to get new clients. Make sure you're listed online, and that your page has high-resolution images and a detailed service list so they know what to expect. 

2. Run a promotion and share the love

Create a discount code and share it with your clients in the run up to Valentine’s Day. The earlier the better, so clients have plenty of time to book and make sure they’re looking sharp on their Valentine’s dates. Once you’ve used your online booking platform to generate a code, share it on social media, text, and email for instant traction.

3. Offer limited-time discounts

For even better results, make it a limited-time discount. Seasonal discounts feel special, and shoppers will be urged to take advantage of your discount quickly if they know it won’t last. 

For example, you could offer 10% off any bookings in the first two weeks of February, right up to Valentine’s Day. Or you could send your most loyal clients a 25% discount on February 14th as a Valentine’s gift to them, and have it apply throughout the rest of the month.

4. Spread the love with gift cards 

Help your clients treat their loved ones to a beauty and wellness experience – you’ll have even better results if you combine your gift cards with a discount. Plus, if you offer couples treatments, this is the perfect time to promote them.

Best of all, if they love the treatments, you could win yourself some new regular clients. Be sure to display your gift cards in-store so people can see them, and sell them online to make buying them as easy as possible.

5. Let your clients know you’re thinking of them with text messages

Once you’ve set up your promotion, it’s time to get the word out with a text message to your clients. Text messages have a 98% open rate, so they’re your best way of reaching clients anytime, anywhere. Keep the message short and snappy, and be sure to send it early so clients have plenty of time to book. 

6. Promote your deals with an email marketing campaign 

After you’ve sent your text messages, double up with emails to guarantee clients don’t miss the promotion. Emails give you a bit more room to play with: you can add a picture (especially if you’re promoting an all-new service) so clients can visualise their treatment, and include links to your social media pages too.

7. Share your last-minute availability 

If you’ve still got empty slots in your calendar and Valentine’s Day is around the corner,  create a deal for last-minute gift shoppers and clients who haven’t had time to get pampered before their big dates, and share it with a text message and email. 

To make the discount even more powerful, offer an even better price and make it clear that this is a limited-time offer for even better results.

Simply create an automatic last-minute offer. You can create and customise as many offers as you want, and switch them off anytime. For instance, you could offer 30% off all bookings made an hour before a time slot, or 10% off next-day bookings. 

8. Create Valentine's Day treatment packages

Whether you're appealing to couples looking for a joint wellness moment or groups of friends celebrating Galentine's Day, packages are a great way to sell your services in bulk. Plus, you’re likely to be working with new clients during group treatments, which means it’s your chance to impress them and turn them into regulars.

9. Partner up with a local business

Teaming up with another business in your neighbourhood is an easy way to get more eyes on your brand. You could combine your services with another with another beauty or wellness business to offer a package deal, or partner up with someone outside of the industry: offer your clients treats from a local chocolatier, promote your services alongside a florist, or work with a jeweller to run a giveaway on social media.

10. Celebrate self-love with a social media campaign

It’s also the season of self-love, so ask your online community to share their photos and celebrate themselves. You can even take the opportunity to share your own promotions on social media – including your discount codes, gift card options, last-minute availability, and more.

Ready to master your Valentine's Day marketing?

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to show your clients some love. And if January was a quiet month for you, it’s a great opportunity to get clients back in the chair. If you’re already on Fresha, you’ve got a head start – log in and use our features to set up and run your promotions in minutes.  

Not signed up yet? Join 80,000 beauty and wellness businesses using Fresha to ace their Valentine’s marketing this year.