4 Easy Steps for Marketing Your Mother's Day Promotions

What better way to show appreciation for mom's hard work than with a little TLC? 

Mother’s Day is the third most popular retail holiday behind Christmas and Valentine’s Day, with incredible revenue potential for salons and spas that know how to market their services to consumers looking for a more unique gift for mom. (Good news: Two-thirds of Mother’s Day shoppers prefer buying local for this very reason.)

Here are a few tips to help you effectively market your services as the best way to celebrate mom.

1. Create your promotions

Sephora's Mother's Day offer incentivizes gift card sales by rewarding the purchaser with a free $20 gift card.

There are many in-store promotions that you can run in the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day that stand out in a sea of greeting cards. Create gift baskets that bundle popular products, or give customers the ability to build their own basket from a selection of products for a more customized feel. 

Nearly half of consumers choose gift cards as a quick, easy gift, so ramp up gift card or certificate sales with exclusive Mother’s Day offers, like BOGO services or reward cards with the purchase of a gift card for mom (like the "Buy a $100 eGift Card, get a $20 bonus card free!" deal offered by Sephora).

Offer certificates for service packages whose total value is greater than the exclusive Mother’s Day price you’re offering it for (i.e. a haircut and blowout bundle for $50, when those services would cost $75 if sold separately).

If you’re going to be open on Mother’s Day (or if you’re closed, plan to celebrate on the Saturday before), celebrate by offering exclusive in-store promotions. It's the gift of quality time and R&R for mom, and great savings for your buyer!

Offer two-for-one specials or packaged discounts that allow moms and their gift-givers to enjoy your services together (BOGO blowouts, mani-pedis, etc.). For added fun, offer small bites and champagne to attendees, hold an in-store raffle for products and services, and setup a photo booth with a custom hashtag to get the word out about your business to the local community.

Create a gift guide on your website to blast out to your followers and email to subscribers, recommending your favorite in-store products with a blurb about why each option is the perfect gift, focusing on how it provides a simple solution in mom's hectic routine. Don’t forget to add any available promotions or product bundles to the list.

2. Create your audience

Knowing your target market for any holiday is the next step in creating an effective marketing campaign. The top shoppers on Mother’s Day are 25-34 year olds shopping for mom, followed by 18-24 year olds and 35-44 year olds. 

Create your targeted ad audience based on the promotions you plan to offer.

If you decide to create ads to promote your specials, narrow down your targeted audience based on who you want to reach for the promotions you're offering. Want to promote eGift cards to husbands shopping for their wives? Try targeting men ages 35-44 in your area whose relationship status is Married. Offering BOGO blowouts? Consider marketing to women ages 25-34 in your area whose interests include hair care and blowouts. 

The variables are endless, but try to be as specific as possible when assigning your audience in order to target interested individuals and convert the most sales. 

3. Create your marketing strategy

If you use an email marketing service (like the one offered in Inspire), don’t hesitate to let everyone know about the specials you’re offering for Mother’s Day. Include a call-to-action button in the body of your email to lead interested parties directly to the gift guide on your website or to the gift card sales page.

Use social media platforms to get the word out online, using relevant hashtags to reach potential shoppers who don’t follow you, but might be browsing for ideas. If it’s in your budget, advertise your specials on Facebook and Instagram via the Facebook Ads Manager. Select your targeted demographic and location to draw in the highest conversion rates.

Advertise in-store in the weeks leading up to the big day with promotional materials around your business. Create a pay-it-forward promotion by stapling small cards to every receipt with an offer that your guest can pass along to a mom they know (i.e. "Happy Mother's Day, Moms! Bring this card in for 20% off your next visit!") to potentially attract new clients. Feature any retail specials at the front desk and in the waiting area, and have your employees mention any in-store events or promotions during their appointments.

4. Create your timeline

It’s always a good idea to begin promotions leading up to a holiday or event a few weeks in advance. However, when it comes to Mother’s Day, the majority of consumers wait until the week before the big day to make a purchase (while nearly 20 percent of shoppers don’t start searching for the perfect gift until 48 hours beforehand!) so use the opportunity to amp up your marketing tactics until the eleventh hour. 

Take advantage of Facebook’s ad services to offer social media-exclusive promotions to your targeted demographic or offer digital gift cards or certificates that can be emailed directly to the recipient — last-minute shoppers will thank you!