Beauty and hair salons will see the National Living Wage (NLW) rise from 1st April 2024 from £10.42 to £11.44. Based on a 35-hour week this is a £1,856.36 increase in annual earnings from April 2024 (£11.44) compared to the 2022/23 NLW rate (£10.42). The National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates will also increase at the same time so remember to change all your salon or clinic payroll.   In this blog I run through: The increased rates from 1st April 2024. How much hair and beauty apprentices must be paid. How to avoid the traps which can lead to large fines and your salon business being pu ..read more

We splash out around $31 billion in the USA and £1.5 billion in the UK on gifts for Mother’s Day, which makes it a brilliant salon marketing opportunity for your hair or beauty business. Mother’s Day is Sunday 10 March 2024 in the UK and Sunday 12 May 2024 in the US, Australia, Canada, much of Europe and New Zealand. Chocolates and flowers were the traditional gifts for mum. But the trend has shifted towards self-care, natural beauty, relaxation and well-being, with a significant emphasis on giving ‘experiences’ rather than tangible items. Capitalise on this trend and position your salon ..read more

What salon marketing opportunity takes place in a few weeks’ time, last happened in 2020, and won’t occur again until 2028? Okay, it’s a bit obvious. Leap Year 29th February. The 29th falls on a Thursday this year, so it’s a cracking excuse to drive some extra business. Leap at this bonus salon marketing opportunity It’s an extra trading day. So you’ve nothing to lose. Except extra profit. Start after Valentine’s across all your marketing channels, especially social media. It’s a fun day so perfect for your salon social with leaping images of frogs, kangaroos, rabbits and people, plu ..read more

Are you sure you’re squeezing the most from St. Valentine’s Day for your hair and beauty business? It comes hard on the heels of the festive holidays which can leave you unprepared. But Valentine’s has the potential to be a lucrative salon marketing opportunity. My top nine Valentine salon marketing ideas to attract new clients to your business, show apprectiation to loyal ones and boost your average sales ticket: Valentine salon social media ideas Thank loyal clients on V-Day Attract new clients with a Valentine’s offer Retail marketing ideas for Valentine’s Day Get a Valentine’s (marketing ..read more

The clock is ticking, the old year is waning and the new year booking slowdown waits for no one. Let’s dive into four salon marketing ideas to get you fully booked and your till ringing in January/February, no matter the economic forecast. Rev up your new year salon marketing Don’t let the post-Christmas lull catch you off guard. It’s time to shift your marketing gears and keep the momentum going. Don’t forget… if you want to grow your salon, you need to actively market it. It doesn’t just happen. Hit the ground running. Here’s your action plan – the four hottest January mar ..read more

Love it or loathe it, Black Friday is a cracking salon marketing tool. But… only when used properly. And that’s the trick.   Black Friday salon boost I must confess I’m no fan of discounting. But a spot of savvy Black Friday marketing can spice up November’s numbers. £9.4 billion UK spend in 2021 over the Black Friday weekend *Source: Statista   Your salon clients are looking for bargains Sure, there’s a lot of competition around Black Friday but there are also tons of consumers keen to shop for hair and beauty bargains. Black Friday 24th November 2023 It’s easy to be sniffy about ..read more

How many salon gift cards will you sell this festive season? What if you could double or treble your sales? Well you can. It’s easy. And I’m going to show you how. First, a quick reminder on why gift vouchers are such profitable business: 5 reasons to get marketing your salon gift vouchers: Upfront payment is a salon cash flow winner. Solve clients’ gift dilemmas. Happy clients Introduce brand new clients to your salon business. Build local business relationships with gift cards. Nurture clients by adding value and saying thank you. So why do so many beauty, hair and aesthetic businesses r ..read more

Are your salon’s December retail sales a rip-roaring success? Or a bit of a washout? Successful Christmas retail sales start with strong visual merchandising. Here’s why… Stunning festive merchandising will: Increase your average retail invoice. Boost the average number of units per client. Grow your salon profits. Get your tills ringing this December with these 21 merchandising ideas, tips and tricks guaranteed to help you sell more hair and beauty retail products over the coming weeks. And remember: The easier you make it for your clients to shop at your salon, the more they will spend ..read more

Updated 2023 What’s your salon, clinic or spa doing for Breast Cancer Awareness this October? Umm… nothing? Don’t worry. There’s still time to paint the town pink, raise valuable funds and market your hair, beauty or aesthetics business. In this blog post you’ll find: 25 actionable tips to plan and promote your Pink October salon event to ensure it’s a brilliant success. Buckets of fun ideas for fundraising to get you thinking. Not fundraising this year? No matter. Try these mini-marketing ideas to help spread the Breast Cancer awareness message and engage with your clients. My Little Pink Bo ..read more

Is autumn looking gappy? Many salons have a lean time as the leaves change and the temperature drops. But bookings don’t have to be slow. Autumn is a season of transformation. It’s inherently nostalgic and emotional – capitalise on these feelings with your marketing. Imagine walking into a salon that’s a comforting haven of warmth with cosy settings, soft blankets and cinnamon scented candles. Sound good? Well, let’s look at nine ideas to give your autumn salon marketing a boost: Use autumn hooks for your marketing Offer autumn salon specials Fall headfirst into autumn social media Promote Oc ..read more