Are you looking around your salon and seeing empty chairs? Not sterilizing enough combs?

If you’ve never offered a coupon before, the idea can be stressful. Will the coupon work? Will I lose money? How much of a discount can I get away with? These are a few questions that may be swirling around in your head.

In this article, we’ll answer those questions by looking at what has helped our salon partners succeed. We’ll go over the basics of coupon design and provide examples of coupon discounts that have the highest rates of return.

What are the elements of a great coupon?   

Every great salon coupon has a few basic elements:

• Business name
• Logo
• Contact info
• Offer
• Terms and Conditions

First, every coupon should have the name of your business, and like any advertisement, your coupon should provide contact information. It should clearly state your address, phone number, and possibly an email address.

Last but certainly not least, the coupon should have a great offer.

Most advertisements will use a dotted line to surround the actual offer. This not only serves as a suggested perforation if people don’t want to keep the entire ad, but they also highlight the offer. People automatically associate dotted lines with coupons and discounts.

Your salon can place terms and conditions in small print beneath the coupon. Expiration dates and “cannot be combined with any other offer” stipulations protect businesses from being taken advantage of by overzealous couponers.

After checking off the essential elements (Business name, title, contact info, offer, and conditions), businesses can consider overall design.

 Components of Great Coupon Design

Companies like Register Tape Network use a team of designers to ensure that coupons are attractive, focused, and have artwork that is consistent with the company’s personality.

A few elements of coupon design to keep in mind:

Bigger. Brighter. Bolder.  – This is the trifecta of any successful advertisement. Attention grabbing words, bolded buzzwords like “Free” and “Value” perform really well on coupons. Coupons are an opportunity to directly sell to clients. Save subtlety for other advertising mediums.

Consistent Colors – The best coupons use coordinating colors that match the company’s colors and brand personality. Psychologists have studied the implied meanings of different colors, which you can discover here. Although certainly not a science, certain businesses should stick to their color schemes for consistency.

Include a Logo – Coupons not only provide an incentive for new customers to visit your business, they also build stronger branding. Adding your company’s logo can strengthen brand recognition before they’re redeemed.

Now that you’ve designed a great coupon, it’s time to tackle the hardest part—the offer.

How to Create a Coupon Offer for Your Hair Salon

Creating the offer is perhaps the most important part of the coupon design process. People are most interested in how much money the coupon will save.

The offer is what gives the coupon its value. The text “$5 off” instantly transforms your coupon ad into a five-dollar bill.

 How do I create a hair salon offer that works?

Quick service salons have the most success when they discount their primary offer — the haircut. Most customers are coming for a quick and affordable haircut, so these clients respond best to bold discounts.

Make it Simpler – The most effective coupons advertise haircuts for less than $10.00.

When constructing an offer, salons should usually avoid percentage discounts. Promoting a $9.99 haircut is more effective than advertising 16% off the regular price of $11.99.

Make it Better – Salons that offer more than just basic services can offer compelling discounts on upgrades, such as shampoos. These coupons will be appreciated by current customers and can strengthen customer bonds.

Make it Friendlier – Families often take their kids to quick service salons. A discount on Children’s haircuts is a great way to drive traffic from families, which means several new young customers!

 Ready to Begin Coupon Advertising? 

Register Tape Network partners with thousands of retailers in 33 states and has helped several salons diversify their marketing to build a stronger presence in their communities. Here are just a few notes from our many satisfied customers.

If you’re considering using register tape advertising to reach more customers and would like to talk to our representatives for a free consultation, click on the link below to get started.

Click here to get a customized proposal based on your individual needs and geography.