If there's one thing you master your first few years as a beauty pro, it's the art of timing. The Back-to-School season is a great time to get a head start on marketing yourself, filling up your books for August, and practicing the planning skills that will come in handy for the rest of your career.

Back-to-school promotions aren’t limited to just school supplies. According to American Express Spending Tracker, the average students back-to-school budget is approximately $600.00. What exactly are students buying? Of course, they're stocking up on the traditional school supplies and a new wardrobe, but a percentage of that budget is spent on their personal grooming needs such as; haircuts, haircolor, hair straightening services, waxing, manicures, pedicures and a variety of spa treatments. 

To help you create an effective back-to-school promotion(s) you need to consider three things:

• Promotional Ideas- When putting your back-to-school promotions together, remember that everyone likes a deal. Create packages that combine multiple services, such as; haircut and color, or manicure and pedicure, etc. These package promotions can create a great deal of interest for students that are on a budget. Don’t forget about take-home care products, create product promotions around larger size products, such as liter or gallon size products for students to take to their dorm rooms. 
• Marketing Ideas-  Once you have your back-to-school promotions create, now you need to market them. Take advantage of getting the word out through social media, create intriguing signage and place throughout the salon/spa. Create a script that provides details about the promotion and ask the salon/spa front desk coordinators to inform all customers of the back-to-school promotion.
• Timing- Although most college and school-age students don't return to school until late August or September, you need to start marketing your promotions now. The last week or two before school begins is pure chaos. Families are stocking up on extra groceries, running out to buy extra notebooks, and jetting off to last-minute doctor appointments or vacations; the last thing you or the customer needs is to add an extra stop to the salon into the mix. Start advertising now so that your book is manageable and that you can plan on guaranteed money the last few weeks of this month as well as August. 

July is a great month to tap into the back-to-school market and start filling up your books for August. Don't wait until the last minute to execute your plan: you don't want to leave extra money on the table!

Photo: sergey causelove 

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