Facebook advertising, does it actually work?

[redlottie13]

Guys I do the odd 'share and win' thing on facebook but I've never paid for the pleasure.

Have any of you guys done this and what did you get back from it?
What would you recommend and for what duration?

Any other tips would be amazing.. I've done door to door leaflets (1000) and not a client back from it!
I'm having my car decal done soon and word of mouth seems to be the consistent tool I have but are there any tricks I'm missing....... any other ideas hugely appreciated xx

I'm a hairdresser xx

 

[Cesar]

I've done this when I first started out...I made a few posts, where customers shared them, and I made a list of their names, and after a week I randomely chose one of the names, and gave that person a free haircut of their choice. It worked for some time, but it didn't bring in too much people...I have a salon management software (I work for the company too) and they let me collect referal points and have customers use them as currency in my salon.

 

[bbcupcake]

I think I struggle with the variety of posts and creating new content.
I did recently pay for advertising to gain some more likes and it did work, but not necessarily with people from my area.

 

[Cesar]

Go to cafes or local restuarants if you're a repeat customer, ask if you can leave some cards with them, and take some of theirs! Word of mouth works best imo

 

[BannerPenguin]

Social Media Marketing works if done well. You need good content and daily. It's all about engagement. You won't be allowed to do a competition on a boosted post saying 'share' this status etc. as it's against Facebook's rules.

Leaflets work when done with a bit of planning. Also the return rate is low so you need to do a lot. We have a blog post on our website about planning a good leaflet drop here - http://www.penguin-pages.co.uk/graphic-design/planning-the-perfect-leaflet-drop/

 

[Desita]

Hi,
I did pay for an advert on Facebook few times but it didn't bring me any clients or likes xx

 

[Verve Designs]

Does it work? Yes. Does it work straight away and with no effort? No.

It's like any other form of marketing- it's a numbers game. If you've got a page with few likers then it's not going to have a fantastic return straight away.

If you take your time, increase your likers, and have them engaged consistently with your page then it's a fantastic marketing tool. I know that first hand from my own business, and second hand from the hundreds of people I speak to in this industry.

You have to be patient though and play the long game. Find yourself some hints and tricks online about increasing the amount of people who like your page first- that's the first step.

Make sure all your marketing is connected. So, if you have a business card, make sure the FB page is referenced. If you've got a new leaflet mention it on FB. All these interconnections will then create a coherent message and "brand" that will, again over time, mean you're getting recognised more.

There's really no shortcuts, or magic bullet in marketing. It's very boring advice admittedly (and some people either don't want to read it)- but it's true.

(p.s. A thousand leaflets may sounds like a lot. It's really not, it's actually very small in reality.....)

 

[Verve Designs]

...........I'll also be blunt. I hear a lot that people's marketing isn't "working".

Frankly that's down to two reasons.

1. What you're offering isn't attractive enough.
2. You're doing it wrong.

and both of those can be fixed.

 

[Desita]

...........I'll also be blunt. I hear a lot that people's marketing isn't "working".

Frankly that's down to two reasons.

1. What you're offering isn't attractive enough.
2. You're doing it wrong.

and both of those can be fixed.

I agree that needs time and I am keeping working on it everyday by adding bit by bit

 

[redlottie13]

Thanks guys I think k I've just been adding before and after pictures on facebook really, not really sure how else to engage people though. I was thinking of doing a hair up in 10min tutorial x

 

[redlottie13]

Does it work? Yes. Does it work straight away and with no effort? No.

It's like any other form of marketing- it's a numbers game. If you've got a page with few likers then it's not going to have a fantastic return straight away.

If you take your time, increase your likers, and have them engaged consistently with your page then it's a fantastic marketing tool. I know that first hand from my own business, and second hand from the hundreds of people I speak to in this industry.

You have to be patient though and play the long game. Find yourself some hints and tricks online about increasing the amount of people who like your page first- that's the first step.

Make sure all your marketing is connected. So, if you have a business card, make sure the FB page is referenced. If you've got a new leaflet mention it on FB. All these interconnections will then create a coherent message and "brand" that will, again over time, mean you're getting recognised more.

There's really no shortcuts, or magic bullet in marketing. It's very boring advice admittedly (and some people either don't want to read it)- but it's true.

(p.s. A thousand leaflets may sounds like a lot. It's really not, it's actually very small in reality.....)

Could I ask anyone who would please take a few min to take a look at my fb page?

I'm open to constructive criticism

Giinger Hair Boutique

X

 

[WaxGirl]

It's great if you use it well, might be good for you to go to a tutorial on it, the more specific you are with your target audience the better you are able to be specific with your ad and get back a good return on your spend.

Did you know you can target people specifically in your town and change the parameters to as far out as you want to go? Likewise you can pick specific demographics or lifestyle interests so you are really reaching out to the people you want.

To be honest would worthwhile educating yourself on it as what you can do with it is pretty impressive and can be quite complex to maximise the full potential.

 

[Sawpaw]

Could I ask anyone who would please take a few min to take a look at my fb page?

I'm open to constructive criticism

Giinger Hair Boutique

X

I think your page is good but in my opinion u need to ask a question e.g. What do u all think of this transformation? Do u fancy this ? Or put a selection of pictures from your week and ask people to choose the best... anything to get a like or a comment so it's going on their wall for someone else to see x

 

[Secret Stylist]

I've done a range of Facebook adverts since I've opened and tried all different styles to see what works best. I've recently run one with a special promotion and ironically had half the interest that I've had on other posts. My most successful post was a collage on pictures of my salon and of my work and put a little description of what I am so it said something like "luxury hair salon in.... Offering services by experienced stylists. Like our page to find out more". I run this advert for 5 days and spent £10 a day and got 50 new follows on Insta, 50 new follows on Facebook and got initial bookings worth £350, all of whom went on to rebook. I think you need to use a striking image, keep text short and sweet but tell people what you want to do!

I've had a look at your page and it's really good. My only suggestion is some of your photos look a tiny bit out of focus which can make your work look a little unpolished. I think also we live in an age where customers want to know everything. maybe tell people a bit about what you've done, what products you've used and use them as selling point!

 

[redlottie13]

I think your page is good but in my opinion u need to ask a question e.g. What do u all think of this transformation? Do u fancy this ? Or put a selection of pictures from your week and ask people to choose the best... anything to get a like or a comment so it's going on their wall for someone else to see x

Love this!

 

[redlottie13]

I've done a range of Facebook adverts since I've opened and tried all different styles to see what works best. I've recently run one with a special promotion and ironically had half the interest that I've had on other posts. My most successful post was a collage on pictures of my salon and of my work and put a little description of what I am so it said something like "luxury hair salon in.... Offering services by experienced stylists. Like our page to find out more". I run this advert for 5 days and spent £10 a day and got 50 new follows on Insta, 50 new follows on Facebook and got initial bookings worth £350, all of whom went on to rebook. I think you need to use a striking image, keep text short and sweet but tell people what you want to do!

I've had a look at your page and it's really good. My only suggestion is some of your photos look a tiny bit out of focus which can make your work look a little unpolished. I think also we live in an age where customers want to know everything. maybe tell people a bit about what you've done, what products you've used and use them as selling point!

Thankyou... Really useful tips! Yeah I think I know which photos you mean I have had an issue with my camera since my son spilt milkshake all over phone!

 

[Verve Designs]

As someone said above (good advice)- encourage interaction.

Facebook gets more advertising revenue when more people see their adverts...obviously.

The way people see more adverts is when people like and share and comment on stories and posts.

Facebook actively rewards you (by you appearing on timelines) when your posts are liked, shared or commented on.

Therefore, ASK people to like, share and comment on your posts- and Facebook will instantly be more effective at promoting your business.

If, once a day, you're not asking people to like, comment and share then you're defeating the object of using Facebook to promote your business.