Gift Vouchers: The Pocket-sized Billboard

Gift vouchers are like a pocket-sized billboard, they’re a fantastic marketing tool. Not only can they generate brand awareness, but they can attract new clients, promote the services you offer, and increase profit.

Here’s why your business should be jumping at the opportunity to sell gift vouchers, especially as we approach the silly season.

What gift do they give the business owner?

Generate brand awareness

Gift vouchers are a cost-effective marketing tool and one that helps your brand create top-of-mind awareness. When your gift vouchers are designed to look as good as the services you offer, they’re a great way to communicate your business’s professionalism and style.

When you give a gift, you want to delight. Make sure your voucher looks the part and also shows off your brand.

Generate a wider customer base

Gift vouchers will bring in more customers to your business. For every one gift voucher that sell, you will reach at least two customers – the individual who purchased the voucher and the recipient. As people purchase more gift vouchers to give to their friends on birthdays and holidays, your brand continues to reach new customers. Gift vouchers encourage people who might not otherwise visit your business.

Improve sales

Gift vouchers have a greater perceived value — oftentimes they’re seen as “free money” for those who are redeeming them. Customers who use gift vouchers aren’t as price sensitive, and consequently, they will often end up spending more than the gift voucher’s value.

In fact, two out of three consumers who pay with gift vouchers will spend 38 percent more than the gift voucher’s value.

This is the perfect time to upsell.

Why not suggest that extra argan oil hair treatment? In paying only a fraction of the full price your client will feel as though they’re getting a great deal, and in turn this creates a positive association with your business.

Our customers want convenience

Our lives are busy. Not everyone has the time to spend hours driving to the shops, gift-wrapping or even simply THINKING about what to buy that person who seems to have it all.

Gift vouchers are convenient, and allows the recipient to have freedom of choice over their desired treatment.

Larger, national chains have long-realized this — so it’s important your business can compete.

Gift vouchers are perfect for last-minute shopping, or simply for those times when you’re stuck for ideas. Be a gift saint, and have gift vouchers on offer.

How to sell gift vouchers

Now that your gift vouchers are ready, it’s time to sell them!

First things first. They need to be visible.

On your shelf

Gift vouchers need to be a part of the furniture in your salon. If they’re not visible, then your clients won’t know that they exist.

Remember clients want convenience — just as they’re about to pay for their cut and colour, you want them to throw in a gift voucher so that they can tick off another family or friend of their Christmas shopping list.

Put them on or near your checkout counter or set up displays in the “gift” section of your shop as well as any other the high-traffic areas.

On your website

What is scary for small business owners, is that the majority of consumers now do their Christmas shopping online. Luckily, it’s not too challenging to compete here either, we just have to get organised and a little tech savvy.

If possible, set up an e-commerce platform so you can sell gift vouchers online. Customers can either have that voucher delivered to that address, or they can have the voucher (beautifully presented of course) sent directly to the recipient! There are plenty of simple e-commerce websites that you can switch too, such as Shopify or Bigcommerce.

If this all feels a bit much, you can simply advertise that you’re selling vouchers through your website. Setting up gift voucher-centric banners on your website is a great way to show your customers that you’re selling gift vouchers.

For the rest of the year, it would be helpful to have a permanent gift vouchers link on your site that shoppers can easily navigate to.

Advertise through your Social Media platforms

We know how important Social Media is for communicating any marketing initiative.

“The aesthetics industry is just that — aesthetic. So your gift vouchers and marketing needs to reflect this! This is an opportunity to have a bit of fun, and be creative.”

Spread the word about your gift vouchers on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or via your email marketing.

If your voucher looks the part, you could simply upload a photo of the voucher itself, or you could get more festive, using antique Christmas card designs or imagery.

However you choose to display it, make sure your message is clear.

Embrace Co-marketing opportunities

Co-marketing is a partnership between at least two businesses or brands with the objective to share one another’s resources, and customer base. Successful co-marketing campaigns generate “win-win-win” situations that offer value not only to the partnering businesses but also to your clients.

Why not set up a co-marketing special with a product line you carry?

When clients purchases a gift voucher of $X they receive a sample/mini set of a product line you carry. You win by increasing brand awareness and your client gets a gift.

The product line may even want to share the details on their social media pages, further generating brand awareness across two customer bases and different platforms.

Promote a new treatment or service

There may be a specific service that you’re really wanting to push. Why not create a gift voucher specific to that service or treatment? You could offer it at a slightly discounted rate to increase the interest. Some treatments are more aligned to a gift, so be careful with what services you’re trying to push here.

Having gift vouchers on offer throughout the Silly Season is a no-brainer. Gift vouchers help increase brand awareness, attract new clients to your salon and help increase profit as you move into the new year.