Marketing Suite: The Ultimate Holiday Campaign

The end-of-year holidays are fast approaching, which means your appointment book is about to fill up fast. Now’s the time to get ahead of the holiday hustle and maximize revenue opportunities without burning out your staff. Let’s walk through how to level up your automated and one-time blast campaigns to boost bookings, drive promotions, and keep your brand top of mind.

Get Ahead of the Holiday Rush

The holidays are great for business—but all your competitors know this, too. To stand out, your campaigns need to capture attention and make your business the destination for self-care this season.

Automated email campaigns are your secret weapon. They strengthen client relationships and generate consistent revenue with minimal upkeep. Boulevard’s built-in campaigns—Reminder to Book, Last-Minute Openings, and Fill Slow Days—keep your schedule packed and optimized with Precision Scheduling™, reducing downtime and maximizing your team’s efficiency.

The result? Fewer gaps, more revenue, and more time spent doing what you love: connecting with clients.

Add Holiday Magic to Automated Campaigns

This season, give your automated emails a festive edge with early booking promotions and limited-time holiday specials for services, retail, and gift cards.

Clients want to look and feel their best for the holidays, so encourage early bookings to help them secure their ideal appointment time and earn a special reward.

Example Promotion:
Offer a 10% discount or a bonus service for appointments booked before a set date (e.g., before November 1, before Thanksgiving, or before December 1).

Setup Tips:

• Choose a timeframe and deadline for your early booking deal.

• Apply the discount automatically at checkout or use a custom offer code.

• Create a “holiday special” package with early booking perks.

• Add festive graphics, a gift card button, and links to retail or memberships.

Write Holiday Emails People Want to Read

Before diving into email examples, let’s talk about the most important part—your subject line.

An attention-grabbing subject line is the difference between a click and a scroll-past. Think of it as your book cover or article headline. It needs to spark curiosity and urgency.

Tips for high-performing subject lines:

• Keep it short, clear, and relevant.

• Use urgency (“Limited Time,” “Ends Soon,” “Don’t Miss Out”).

• Personalize when possible.

Also, don’t overlook the preheader text. That small line of text next to your subject line in inbox previews can also help drive opens. Make sure it supports your subject line and drives readers to open your email.

Consider adding a call to action (CTA) in both the subject and preheader to guide clients toward your offer.

One-Time Blast Campaigns: Make an Impact

One-time blasts are your chance to shine in your clients’ inboxes with seasonal specials, bundles, and exclusive offers.

With over 300 million emails sent between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, it’s crucial your content stands out. Clients who receive marketing emails spend 138% more than those who don’t.

Here are five creative ideas for your next holiday blast:

1. Limited-time discounts
   Announce a time-sensitive promotion directly in your subject line to grab attention and drive immediate action.

2. Gift card promotions
   “Buy $100, get $20” deals are a holiday favorite. Highlight how easy and meaningful gifting experiences can be.

3. Stress-free shopping
   Position your business as the go-to gift destination. Remind clients that your gift cards or service bundles make perfect, hassle-free presents.

4. Countdown reminders
   As holidays approach, send friendly reminders that the gift-buying window is closing. Creating urgency keeps your brand top of mind.

5. “Treat yourself” campaigns
   Encourage clients to take a break from the chaos and indulge in a little self-care. Remind them it’s okay to recharge before (or after) the holidays.

Gift cards can unlock a serious revenue stream, but your clients might not realize you offer them. Regularly include gift card reminders in your campaigns—they work wonders for boosting sales.

Supercharge Your Holiday Marketing with AI

Now that you understand the foundation of a strong holiday campaign, it’s time to take it to the next level. AI can be a powerful creative partner to help you elevate your content, streamline your workflow, and keep your brand message consistent across every channel.

Using AI tools like ChatGPT can help get your generative AI journey started right—but the magic lies in how you use it. To get high-quality, on-brand content, you need to be strategic with the prompts you provide. Ask the right questions, include context about your campaign goals, and set the tone to match your brand’s personality—whether that’s polished and luxurious, warm and approachable, or clinical and professional.

Once you’ve mapped your seasonal goals (like promoting gift cards, memberships, or new treatments), you can use AI to bring those ideas to life. With the right prompts, you can quickly generate campaign copy, social captions, email content, and website updates that align perfectly with your tone and holiday message.

Rather than replacing your creativity, AI helps you move faster and stay consistent—so your team can spend less time writing and more time connecting with clients.

Protect Your Profits with Boulevard Offset

While you’re focused on maximizing sales, don’t forget your bottom line. With 81% of holiday shoppers using physical credit or debit cards, payment processing fees can quickly add up.

Boulevard’s Offset feature helps you keep more of your earnings by sharing these fees with clients. On average, salons save $9,600 annually, reducing their burden to just 1% of credit card transactions while clients pay 3%.

Just remember: transparency is key. Clearly state the 3% credit card charge on your website, in marketing materials, and at checkout.

Final Thoughts

Preparing for the holiday rush doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a strategic approach now, you can boost bookings, increase retail and gift card sales, and protect your profits—all while giving clients a festive, seamless experience.

Looking for more holiday marketing strategies? Check out our webinar Seasonal Marketing Strategies for Holiday Campaigns. Boulevard’s Marketing Suite makes it simple to plan, promote, and profit all season long. 🎁