Voted Best Salon in Your City! Congratulations. How do you ­celebrate? You hit a milestone (1000th client)! Congratulations. How do you celebrate? Your salon is five years old this month! Congratulations. How do you celebrate?

Are you celebrating successes? Are you looking for reasons to celebrate? Celebrations have a two-fold purpose: the milestone itself and the marketing mileage you can get out of them. 

At NAILS, we find ways to celebrate with our in-house team and with our readers when major milestones are crossed. Lately, I’ve been in a celebratory mood. We’re gearing up to hit 1 million likes on Facebook any day now. (By the time you’re reading this, we may have even passed that mark.) We’ve created a thank you video and have put together a contest where we’re giving away a bunch of great nail products to our Facebook fans. It’s the least we can do to say “thank you”.

We also are big on celebrating the magazine’s major anniversaries (we recently celebrated 30 years in business in 2013) and, internally, we celebrate team members’ 10-year anniversaries with a fun dinner out together.  So how does this relate to you and what can you do to build a sense of “we’re all in this together” and “thanks for your support/dedication”? 

Here are a few ideas to help you start brainstorming for your next milestone celebration:

1. Get social! Every major milestone you hit when accumulating likes, fans, friends, and followers on your business’ social media accounts is an opportunity to give a little something back. You might be celebrating 100 followers on Instagram or maybe you’re celebrating 2,000 on Twitter. No matter how big or small the number, why not offer a 10% discount on a single service to everyone who follows you (or the first 50 of your fans to comment on your photo)?

2. Hold a contest. Maybe instead of a discount, you want to offer something more substantial like three months of free nail services. So instead of offering a small discount to many followers, try pulling together a contest on your social media platform of choice and pick a winner. Just Google “Facebook contest ideas” and see what comes up. 

3. Say thanks! Post a thank you from you and your team. It can be a photo of your team holding a message up (like this one we did for our Facebook page) or it can be a graphic element that conveys thanks (like this one we did for our ­Instagram page). It’s really nice just to feel appreciated by the businesses you follow. You might also consider posting a video on your YouTube channel with a message from your team. 
4. Publicize it! Did you win Best Mani in your city magazine? Make sure all of your followers on social media know about your win. They’ll likely want to share the good news about how fabulous their salon is, which will in turn get you more attention and possibly new clients. Put the “Best of” logo on your ads and promotional materials (and on your business cards). See if they offer a window cling or certificate you can frame and hang in a prominent place.

5. Throw a party! Maybe the salon is celebrating five years in business. Throw a party  and invite your clients to come celebrate with you. (Invite their friends as well!) Offer free or discounted mini services, serve food and drinks, and celebrate with the people who have helped to make you successful. 

Whatever you choose to do, take advantage of the momentum you’ve created to celebrate your milestones and gain loyal clients at the same time. You’re all in this together. Your success depends on your clients, so why not share the love when you hit big numbers? Have fun. And thank you for being our reader!

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