It’s every spa and salon’s nightmare – an empty schedule. Not only are you not bringing in revenue, but low employee and room utilization mean you’re burning cash by the hour. Check out some of our ideas on how to fill an empty schedule.

1. Target customers that are due for their appointment

Pull a list of customers that are due for their next visit. Whether it’s for a hair treatment or a Botox, you know when customers should be coming in. Call them, send a text message or an email - whatever method you choose, be sure to mention the day or times that you’re trying to fill up.

Also read: promotional text messaging

2. Treat your high spenders

Pull a list of your high spenders or most valued customers and reward their patronage with a special offer – like upgrading a 60 minute massage to 90 minutes for free.

3. Call regulars that haven’t visited in a while with an offer

Pull a list of regulars that you haven’t seen in a while. Target them with an enticing offer geared to bring them back to you. You might find that some regulars have moved away (and you should update your customer list) or that some have just moved on to another business. It's the perfect opportunity to get them back!

4. Reward big with loyalty points

Loyalty points are a win-win for clients and business owners. While you could double loyalty points for clients that visit during your specified times, we think customers would be more excited about flipping the offer to double the value of their points on redemption. For example, if you typically award 1 point per $1, double the values so that 1 point can now be used to redeem $2 worth of value. It's an exciting way to get customers to track and value their points!

Also read: salon loyalty program

5. Help them fall in love (with your trade)

An empty schedule might just be the right excuse to get creative with your offerings. Consider a couples’ service where you teach your client the art of massage, host a nail art class, or run a “Makeover” session where you give them pro make-up and styling tips.

6. Free treatments for your staff

With trained professionals and rooms (or chairs) free – why not let staff groom each other. It’s a great, fun way to keep up the energy at your business. And the little that you give away in product goes a long way in employee happiness.

Zenoti (formerly ManageMySpa) makes it easy and quick to find the right customer segments and get campaigns out within a matter of minutes. Our all-in-one software has helped thousands of spas, salons and medi spas grow their revenue and keep their appointment books full. Request a personal demo to learn more.‍

Related Topics: Marketing Automation Infographic - "Do You Want More Repeat Visits?".