Birthday messages for salon clients: stay in touch without the effort

It’s Tuesday morning. Sarah picks up her phone and sees a message from her hairdresser: “Happy birthday! As a little gift, you get 10% off this month.” She smiles. And before she knows it, she has booked an appointment.

A message like that costs almost nothing, but it does a lot. Clients feel seen, and they think of you at the moment that matters. The only problem: who has time to keep track of birthdays every day? In this article you’ll read which messages work well, and how to send them automatically.

Why a personal message works so well

A salon runs on regular clients. Someone who comes every six weeks is good for eight or nine appointments a year. When a client like that stays away, you often notice it months later. A friendly message at the right moment keeps the relationship warm, without feeling pushy.

The difference with a newsletter? A personal message is about the client: their birthday, their first visit or the fact that they haven’t been in for a while. That’s a message people actually read.

6 messages your clients love to get

1. A birthday greeting. Short and warm. Want to add something? A small discount or a free extra at the next treatment makes it even nicer.

2. A thank-you after a year. “Exactly one year ago today, you came to us for the first time.” Many clients enjoy hearing that, and it feels like a compliment.

3. A “we miss you”. Hasn’t someone been in for three months? Send a friendly message with an invitation to book again. Often the client simply forgot.

4. An invitation to book again. Six or eight weeks after a haircut, it’s time for the next one. A short reminder with a booking link saves your client the effort.

5. A campaign on a set date. Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day or the holidays: a good moment to highlight a gift card or a special treatment.

6. A reminder before and a thank-you after. Less festive, but useful. A reminder before the appointment prevents no-shows, and afterwards you ask for a review with one button.

A good message doesn’t feel like advertising. It feels like attention.

Keep it tidy: only with permission

Birthday greetings and campaigns are a form of marketing. So only send them to clients who agreed to receive them, for example with a checkbox when they book. Add an unsubscribe link to every message. And keep it short and personal: one message on the right day works better than an email every week.

How to do this with ChairIt

In ChairIt Pro, all your emails and text messages are in one place: the message centre. For every message you choose when it goes out, to whom, and whether it goes by email or by SMS. You write the text yourself, and the client’s name is filled in automatically.

For birthdays, the first year and “we miss you”, messages are ready to go: you only need to switch them on. Want to add a gift? ChairIt creates a personal discount code for each client that only works for them. Clients add their birthday (day and month only) themselves when they book online.

ChairIt only sends these messages to clients who agreed to receive news and offers, always with an unsubscribe link. The message centre is part of ChairIt Pro (€69 per year). Online booking, the team agenda and confirmation emails are free.

ChairIt is a WordPress plugin, so you need your own WordPress website. You install ChairIt there for free via the Plugins menu.

Start with one message

You don’t have to do everything at once. Switch on the birthday greeting first and see how clients respond for a month. Chances are it brings you a few extra bookings, and plenty of happy faces in the chair.