90-Day Salon and Spa Holiday Prep Checklist: Week-by-Week to Success

The holidays are a fantastic opportunity to grow your revenue and build your client list, but it’s also a season that demands a lot of preparation. With a weekly guide to holiday planning, your spa or salon can get marketing, inventory, and client management sorted out before December rolls around.

September: Set the Stage for Salon & Spa Holiday Success

Start your salon and spa holiday prep early for smooth sailing when things really pick up. Here’s your holiday hack cheat sheet for September.

Week 1

September might feel far from the holiday season, but it’s a great time to get a head start on your planning. Start brainstorming about your goals for this marketing season in the first week of the month. What are your core objectives? Do you just want to increase foot traffic? Grow your email list? Push a specific service? Drumming up these ideas will make it easier to build a marketing strategy.

Week 2

After your brainstorming, you can create your core messaging for the season. For example, if you’re trying to increase styling services for December, your core messaging might be, “Blow your guests away this holiday season. Blowouts are 20% off all December.”

You’ll also want to determine concrete targets for your goals. If you’re focusing on revenue, how much do you want to make in December? If the season’s about expanding your email list, how many more clients would you like to add? Having targets makes it easy to determine if your campaign is successful.

Week 3

With your goals and messaging in place, you’ll be ready to define your offerings (and their timing) for the holiday season. You might offer 20% off blowouts all December, then offer discounted hair color for the end of the month to prepare people for the new year. Think about what types of services people will be looking for based on the time of year to build your holiday specials.

Week 4

The end of September is about managing inventory. With the influx of holiday product orders, it’s best to get ahead and start ordering early. Holiday inventory management at your spa or salon will be essential as you prepare for the high volume of clients in December. When you’re building your product list, remember to order extra products related to your holiday promotions.

October: Spa & Salon Holiday Prep in Progress

From building budgets and designing promotions to scheduling campaigns in Meevo, October is your time to plan, test, and launch early. Lean into the channels that matter most to your clients, and don’t forget to nurture loyalty with offers that keep regulars booking through the busy season.

Week 5

October is dedicated to the holiday marketing plan for your salon. At the start of the month, decide on your marketing budget and determine how you’d like to split it up for the different channels.

It’s important to know your audience here. For instance, will you get more attention through print or social marketing? Does your clientele check Instagram or Facebook more? Try to meet your customers where they are.

Brainstorm December marketing ideas for your spa with your team. Design any promotional materials, from mailers to online graphics, to prepare for sending and posting.

Week 6

If you use salon software, you can use week six to incorporate your marketing plan into your platform functions. Set up email campaigns, test different images and calls to action, and prepare for your social posting with Meevo.

Our salon and spa software has marketing features that can be a huge help for staying on top of your marketing timeline for your salon or spa, and it can offer campaign performance metrics when everything launches.

Week 7

In mid-end of October, you can start sharing your promotions through social media and other channels. Posting promotion content early is helpful to get clients and leads thinking about your services. Focus efforts on the channels that you think will offer the most value to your business. You can also use this time to work on local SEO to draw in more results through online search.

Week 8

In the last week of October, focus on your email list and your loyal clients. Your existing clients are the people who are most likely to book your services. To encourage those holiday appointments, you can offer loyalty promotions or free gifts with appointments to build more rapport.

As you’re preparing for bookings, make sure your scheduling methods are easy to use. Phone calls are always a great avenue for filling your appointment book, but you can also use the online booking platform from Meevo. If you make changes to your cancellation policy for the holidays, make sure to update that messaging in all relevant places.

November: Salon & Spa Holiday Marketing Campaigns in Motion

It’s November and your campaigns are in motion, so focus on driving engagement, tracking results, and continuing to fill your books. Monitor campaign performance, streamline online booking, and reinforce loyalty to ensure every promotion translates into real holiday revenue.

Week 9

Ring in November with staff training. While you’ve been planning your marketing strategies and larger goals, it’s been business as usual for your stylists. Keep them in the loop with a holiday planning meeting. During this time, you can let them know what services you’re promoting and special offers to be aware of. This meeting is also a great time to get schedules to ensure your salon is covered throughout December.

Week 10

If you have any marketing materials that need to be printed, week 10 is a good time to order those and prepare to send them out. Printed marketing materials might include coupon/promotion pages, postcards, and flyers.

It’s also a great time to officially launch any campaigns you’ve developed. While you started lightly advertising promotions the month before, you can officially get your campaigns started in November.

Week 11

Get into the holiday spirit and decorate your salon or spa in late November. Ideas include putting up a Christmas tree if you have the space, hanging lights, and adding garland to create a festive environment for your clients. If you plan on throwing a holiday party for your employees, your decor can help make your salon or spa a perfect event space.

Week 12

By the end of November, you’ll likely have a lot of appointments in the books already. Make sure to communicate with clients and confirm upcoming appointments to keep an accurate schedule.

Prep for the weeks ahead by establishing a cleaning schedule to keep your space tidy during your busiest hours.

December: Turn Holiday Momentum into Year-End Wins at Your Salon or Spa

After following through with your holiday preparation checklist, it’s time to tackle December. Rule #1: Remember, you’ve got this!

Some other things to keep in mind for the month:

• Remain flexible in the event of last-minute cancellations
• Brief employees at the beginning of every shift to prepare them for the day ahead (their custom employee Smart Centers are great for this)
• Monitor marketing campaign performance throughout the month
• Focus on client experience to build loyalty and grow your email list
• Send thank you messages to clients to keep up the holiday spirit
• Show love to your employees with gifts, parties, and letters of appreciation

Prepare Your Beauty Business for the Holiday Rush this Fall

Being prepared for the holiday rush makes your busy season feel a lot more manageable. Start planning in the fall and give yourself a boost of confidence for December. With the right marketing ideas and plans, your spa or salon is primed for revenue growth and a longer client list going into the new year.