If you want to participate in making this holiday season the most kick-ass and profitable you’ve had to date, then yes! It’s time to start preparing and planning for your holiday schedule and promotions NOW!

Do you think Target makes their holiday order and plan on October 31st and then BAM! Christmas decor is on their shelves by November 1? Nope, they plan well in advance to be able to maximize their profits and promotions so they hit all the gift givers.

There are those over-achiever types (my mother in law is one of them) who typically have their holiday shopping done by mid-November, and then there are those procrastinators who rush the stores on December 24th trying to find something they can wrap and put under the tree.

Now that you’re in the world of running an eyelash extension business, it’s time to flex your marketing skills and create a plan for the holidays NOW! Map out your marketing and promotional plan, get your gift cards and stocking stuffers ordered, even looking through your schedule for the next two months and put it in stone on what days you will take off and what hours you will work.

Start preparing and planning for your holiday schedule and promotions NOW!

Our society has come to expect great deals and promotions during this time of year and lash clients are no exception.

It’s a great time to create awareness for the services you offer, entice a new customer through your doors who may have been putting off the luxury of lashes for a special occasion, or to provide value for your current clientele to increase their dollars spent with you and to solve their gift-giving problems with special holiday packages and gift cards.

Early October through Mid-November: Preparation

Use October thru mid-November to start to build an audience of either followers, email subscribers or fans on social media who you can market holiday offers and promotions to.

• Create an ad on social media to start generating more likes to your page so you can re-target them when you’ve got a slamming holiday deal they just can’t pass up.
• Update your client’s e-mail addresses so you can send them your holiday promotions ahead of time so they can plan on sharing the lash love with their friends and family this season.
• Get your current clientele to pre-book their next few appointments to avoid disappointment during a highly busy and stressful season.
• Reach out to some of your beauty pro friends to see if you should collaborate to offer a combined package of services.
• Order Gift Cards or Sign up for an online gift card service such as www.thegiftcardcafe.com to be able to offer e-gift cards.
• Order or shop for your holiday decor to create a festive environment to get your clients in the holiday shopping mood.
• Plan your schedule out in advance as to when, and more importantly, when you will not be working. Holiday burn out is a struggle for lash artists who don’t allow for enough physical downtime during the busy season.
• Start to brainstorm 3-5 different promotions you’ll run through the holiday season. Have a wide variety of price ranges and don’t be afraid to offer high ticket packages that offer a lot of value and some big bucks into your pocket. Having a strategic holiday marketing plan in place that you roll out week by week will give you the most opportunity to maximize your holiday sales!

Mid-November through Mid-December: Implementation

This is where all of your planning starts to kick off and your step by step plan can start to unroll.

• Decorate your space and make your retail area look especially inviting. Always keep small stocking stuffer type items near your checkout for impulse purchases.
• Offer holiday candies and treats, play Christmas music (my favorite Pandora station for this time of year is Pentatonix Holiday Radio) and diffuse Christmas smelling oils to really create an environment of cheer and merriment.
• Talk to your clients 1-2 appointments in advance about any upcoming promotions or Black Friday deals you have coming up so they can be prepared to purchase when the deal goes live. You’ll increase the success of your promotion if you give them a little bit of a heads up instead of springing it on them last minute.
• If you’re still needing to stimulate more new clients this holiday season, you may think about increasing your referral bonus for current clients to refer their friends. New clients are less price sensitive about full sets when they have a lot of parties and events to attend and word of mouth referrals are your best marketing tool! Take advantage of those two factors and offer your current clientele a huge discount on their next touch up for any new full sets they refer during a specific timeframe you set.
• Retarget and create ads to the audience you started to build from last month. Entice them with your promos and offers and be sure your ads create a sense of urgency for them to act now so they don’t forget and just end up going somewhere else last minute.
• Post to social media more frequently to ensure you stay top of mind for the audience you built last month. Plan your posts out in advance so you’re not relying on your creative genius (or often…the lack thereof) that day to market to your current following.
• Take advantage of these 2018 special gift-giving days:

• • • Black Friday: November 23 – give your clients at least a week heads up that your lash business will be participating in Black Friday Weekend deals. You can include your deals in your communication or you can keep it secret until the day of and tell your clients to follow you on social media to know what specials are happening and when.
    • Special note about Black Friday Weekend: Competition is fierce to get the attention of shoppers as their focus is drawn in so many directions. Don’t put all your big holiday deals in one “Black Friday Basket.” Be sure to have an ongoing marketing strategy to catch shoppers throughout the holiday season in case they’re distracted by the big box stores and their deals over Black Friday Weekend.
    • Small Business Saturday: November 24 – same 1 week notice.
    • Cyber Monday: November 26 – if you have the ability to retail anything thru your website, this would be the day to go big on a deal.
    • Green Monday: December 10 – Biggest day for online sales in December.
    • Hanukkah: December 2-10
    • Free Shipping Day: December 14 – If you have any online retail, this would be the day to offer free shipping.
    • First Day of Winter: December 21

Mid-December through New Year’s: The Home Stretch

By now you are probably knee deep in work and just trying to stay afloat until Christmas Day to finally get a day off!

Don’t forget that this is your holiday season too!

Allowing yourself time to go to holiday festivities, hang out with friends and family and have a few days here and there will help you to avoid the dreaded holiday burnout.

Your focus during this final push should be to keep the holiday rush going thru the New Year and into January and February. Offering holiday packages that include at least 1-3 touch ups that would carry that client into the New Year is your best bet in retaining that new holiday client for the long haul. The longer they’ve worn their lashes, the more accustomed they will be to how they look with them.

If you are anxious and ready to have a kick-ass holiday season, download this free guide on Retail Ideas for Your Lash Biz to take finish the year off Lashpreneur style!

Have a Good One!

Tara Walsh

The Lashpreneur