Heat Up Your Summer Sales: How to Maximize Slow Times with Marketing Software

A few well-timed emails can make sure your beauty business stays buzzing through the hottest months

Maybe it's the rocketing temperatures. Maybe it's the soupy summer air. Maybe it's faraway beaches softly calling clients’ names. Whatever the reason, beauty businesses know that summer means a slowdown in sales. But the savviest among them also know this quiet period represents a chance to grow their business. How? Through clever and effective email marketing. By automating these five time-tested email marketing strategies, you can keep your beauty business purring through summer and have it roaring at a new sales peak when the heat breaks.

Birthday messages

For whatever reason (and there are many theories), more Americans have summer birthdays than any other season. And what could be a better birthday gift than a hello-here's-a-coupon message from your favorite beauty business? These emails give your clients a great reason to come in, and putting a time limit on the birthday discounts can help you fill out your schedule even in slow periods. Plus, they keep you top-of-mind among clients, building loyalty and shoring up retention.

Birthday messages also help your clients feel like you know and understand them on an individual level. Personalization has become the baseline expectation for clients, with 71% of consumers expecting it from businesses. Sending your clients a birthday wish not only scratches that personalization itch, but also shows them you care. That deeper connection only makes them more likely to stick with you over a competitor, regardless of the season.

Booking reminders

Client schedules rarely fill up as quickly as they do during summer. Suddenly, the world is bright and shining and full of exciting activities from music festivals to theme park visits. In all the chaos, it can be easy for clients to forget their usual beauty maintenance appointments. The next thing they know, they're scrolling through the pics from the weekend and seeing frizzy hair, messy nailbeds, and worse.

Luckily, email marketing gives you a chance to save them from themselves. A gentle nudge can remind them that, yes, it has been over a month since they had their brows threaded — wow, how time flies — and maybe they can find a window to come in and get a quick touchup. After all, it never hurt anyone to look just that much more glamorous on their Insta story. Executed right, this strategy can help you book up your schedules with clients that will thank you for the chance.

Rescuing lost clients

It's not just regulars who can benefit from TLC-mail. For some clients, a small amount of time away can turn into a break that extends over a year. There could be any number of reasons for the rift, but it's never too late to repair the relationship. Sending these lost clients a brief email can get them thinking about all the good times the two of you shared, whether it's the stylish haircut all their friends loved or the massage that freed them from a month's worth of stress. Wouldn't it be nice to feel that way again? And by the way, here's a button you can press to book that service. No pressure.

Last minute bookings

As useful as advance booking is, it's not without its faults. Clients will always find reasons to cancel their appointments, and even if those reasons are beyond their control, the result can leave beauty business owners in the lurch. Clients often assume the calendar will fill up in advance, and that makes them less likely to check for available appointments at the last minute. That may be a good thing sometimes — no one wants to disappoint a client desperate for an appointment — but it can also leave you with unfortunate holes in your day where services could be done if only a client were around to enjoy them.

Enter last-minute opening emails. Rather than hang your head and suffer through abrupt cancellations, this email marketing strategy has you reach out to any clients who might see another client's cancellation as their chance for a touch-up. Continually checking for last-minute cancellations and communicating them to a rotating group of clients (to avoid spamming the same ones) can help keep the business bustling, as a new client steps in to fill the void left by a cancellation.

Filling slow days

Picture this: You've just finished a long, fulfilling day at the salon. Your last client leaves the shop beaming, the bells above the door jingle sweetly, and you plop down in front of your laptop to look over your appointments for next week. There's just one problem: The schedule is full of holes! Well, with email marketing, there's no reason to resign yourself to a slow week. Instead, send out a quick email letting clients know there are appointments available in the coming week. If targeted correctly, these messages will reach the clients most likely to book, whether they're long-time regulars or new and frequent guests. Next week doesn’t have to be slow. With email automation, you can keep those books stacked and maximize your revenue week after week.

If your beauty business finds itself in the midst of a summer slump, worry not: Boulevard is here to help. Right out of the box, Boulevard’s plug-and-play Marketing Suite gives you the power to leverage each of these time-tested strategies (and more!) with your own unique flair. Our automated campaigns are carefully crafted to help you boost bookings and ramp up revenue with just a few clicks. Once enabled, they’ll handle the hard work so you can get back to running your business. Click here to learn more about the Boulevard platform’s game-changing marketing capabilities.