7 Inspiring Salon Grand Opening Ideas to Give You a Head Start

‘Well begun is half done’. Isn’t it true that whenever you get a head start in life, you are much better poised for success?  

If you are a new or aspiring salon owner, imagine this – you pull off a salon grand opening ideas that really build a buzz. People are super curious and excited about your new salon. Everyone wants to give the new salon in town a try. Your phone is constantly ringing with appointment requests, and walk-ins are pouring in too. Wouldn’t that be a fabulous start to your salon business? You get the picture right?  

But just how do you give your salon that grand opening? Everyone’s been there, done that, by now. Coming up with those salon grand opening ideas is not easy, of course, but will be totally worth it. Let’s give you some key strategies and innovative beauty salon grand opening ideas, that will create the much-desired buzz and attract new clients.  

Related Reading: Check out the ultimate guide to salon branding

7 Salon Grand Opening Ideas

Your salon grand opening idea is a marketing opportunity you do not want to miss or mess up. It’s a sure-fire way to announce your arrival, get your foot in the door in the salon business, attract customers, and shoot down competition. It’s also an occasion to invite potential clients to your new salon and present your salon to your target audience.  

There are many ways to make your beauty salon grand opening ideas fly! But be sure to choose one that reflects your personal style and resonates with your target clientele.

1. Party Party Party!

While it does seem run-of-the-mill, you can never go wrong with a salon grand opening idea of throwing a party. And with the right amount of thought, creativity, and planning thrown in, this could be the party people talk about for years to come.

Some pointers though:

• Keep a budget and stick to it – If your hair salon grand opening idea is to throw a great party, make sure to chalk out all the expenses you’re likely to incur for your event. You would be wise not to spend your entire marketing budget on just the opening event.

• Build a suitable guest list - Include a cross-section of stakeholders. Existing or potential clients, important people from the community, press, influencers, business owners from the local community, and of course, well-wishers who will spread word of mouth. If you can pull in some celebrities, it will add to the buzz. Make sure you RSVP, so that you get the numbers right.

• Choose an appropriate date and time – Keeping in mind the invitees, choose a date and time that will be most convenient for them to keep the date. Avoid dates that coincide with holidays, long weekends, and other events. Preferably, choose a date a couple of weeks after the salon opening, so you’ve had enough time to iron out the kinks.

• Theme & décor – Choose a theme and décor in keeping with the brand image you would like to build. Whether it’s luxe, classy, funky, or over the top, stay authentic to your brand. The magic is in the details. From elaborate floral arrangements to the humble paper napkin, incorporate the salon’s theme into every little detail.  

• Curate a bespoke menu – Make sure the party menu is perfect for the occasion. Appetizers and hors d'oeuvres, carefully selected and easy to eat, are a great choice. Charcuterie boards, tapas platters, exotic dips, dessert bars, theme-based cocktails, and champagne make for a classy and drool-worthy party menu.

• Provide entertainment – The onus of keeping the party engaging till the very end is with the host. A flat party will create a negative buzz. Think of interesting ways to keep the guests entertained. A photo booth, mini makeup trials, contests, and prizes for guests, a stand-up comedian act, live music or maybe ending the night on a high with a DJ party, would make the salon opening party an unforgettable one.

• Photos and social media amplification – Get a great photographer and click pictures that are Instagram-worthy. A photo booth with prominent salon branding, a nail station soaked in myriad colors, photo ops with celebs, paparazzi capturing the guests as they arrive, the grand salon opening party should have a gazillion pics. And these should be amplified on social media with a catchy hashtag.

2. Promotions & Inaugural Offers

Another good option for your hair salon’s grand opening idea is to give great offers in the opening month/fortnight/week. Everyone loves a good discount or a freebie and will be willing to give the new salon a try if it gives them some great deals. Once a guest walks in the door, make sure to offer them great service, so you keep them for life. Once the promotional offer period comes to end, revert to your full rates, by which time you will have got a whole bunch of new clients, and enough leads.

Related Reading: Explore these fun salon marketing ideas to attract more clients  

3. Conduct a Lucky Draw Contest

Promote your salon’s grand opening by offering a lucky draw contest. The lucky draw prizes should be mind-boggling, so that even the most skeptical client will feel like participating in the draw. Keep a minimum requirement for participation, such as buying salon services or gift vouchers. Announce the date the lucky draw winners will be selected and create some drama around the event. Make sure the lucky draw winners get the promised prizes.

4. Cross Promotions

Partner with nearby businesses and offer cross-promotions. This can be done in various ways, such as offering gift vouchers or discount coupons at your salon when they buy your partners’ products or services, placing your grand salon opening invites at a partner outlet, offering free samples, and even outright advertising at partner locations. But do ensure that there is some parity in the brands you partner with, and that your target clientele is common.

5. Influencer Collabs

Beauty influencers and bloggers wield a lot of power through their social media handles. Positive and authentic reviews from appropriate influencers are a great way to announce your grand salon opening. Here again, make sure you reach out to only those influencers that reflect your brand image.  

Some creative ways you can use influencers to promote your grand salon opening are:

• Sending beautiful gift hampers to announce your grand salon opening and get them to share unboxing videos

• Inviting them to your salon to try services you want them to promote and have them post about their experience, the salon’s USPs, etc.

• Holding an influencer party and make sure they splash it all over social media

6. The Grand Salon Tour

Open your salon doors to a select few people who will generate positive word of mouth for your salon. Give them a grand tour, a sneak peek, or a pre-launch party. Showcase your salon, organize a meet and greet with your staff, allow them to experience service, or attend an expert session. The special invitees could be members of the press, high-profile socialites, influencers or bloggers, contest winners, etc.  

Related: Take a look at this helpful guide to hosting a salon open house

7. 360^o Promotions

Make sure you have a healthy mix of above and below-the-line, online and offline promotions. As much as you rely on social media, your target clientele also needs to be reached through traditional media. Whether through radio promotions, newspaper and/or magazine ads, hoardings, Google ads, organic social media promotions, email lists, or your own website, make sure the customer gets all the details regarding your salon grand opening event.  

Beauty Salon Grand Opening Invitations

Before your guests or clients see your salon in flesh and blood, they form a perception of it from the very first touch point – the beauty salon grand opening invitation. Make sure your first impression is the best one. Some suggestions to get you to a flying start.

• Use a professional designer and don’t rely on your fledgling design skills.

• Send personalized emails to target clientele, rather than bulk emails to random mailing lists.

• Hand delivers carefully curated gift hamper invites, with an understanding that recipients will share unboxing videos on social media.

• Keep flyers/brochures or a limited number of salons opening invites at prominent establishments within the local community.

Looking for some helpful information on email marketing ideas? Find them here.  

Salon Grand Opening Gift Ideas

Salon grand opening gift ideas are almost as important as the salon grand opening ideas themselves. So what should go into those exclusive gift hamper invites, or what do you gift your lucky draw winners, or even someone who won a contest?

It must be something that narrates a story about your business and builds the desired brand image. The products and designs should reflect the value of your business.

Here are some things you can gift your clients for the salon grand opening:

• Branded Products – These could be samples or miniatures of any special or exclusive products.

• Gift Vouchers/ Discount Coupons – Gift vouchers and discount coupons will ensure footfalls and induce trials.

• Loyalty Cards – Position it as a privilege card for a select few, so that the recipient feels special and keeps coming back to your salon.

In Conclusion

Salon grand opening ideas are not for the faint of heart. However, once you get it done right, the benefits are many. Use all your creativity and planning to pull off a spectacular salon opening. But don’t get carried away either with all the excitement. Remember to focus on this as an unmissable marketing opportunity for your salon business, to give it a head start.  

While you can use professionals to organize your grand salon opening, on the other hand, getting employees actively involved in the process, is a whole load of fun and also a team bonding exercise.  So, here’s to all you new and aspiring salon owners, the world is ready for you to make that splash!

Meanwhile, if you want transform your salon into an efficient, customer-centric hub, Zenoti's innovative AI technologies for salon automation is just what you need. To lean more, drop us a line!  

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