Help with promoting my services, and building a client base

[starlightdiva99]

Hey Geeks,
I'm recently qualifyed from the foundation course, I'm so new and enthusiastic that i just can't wait to get out there and get the experience, and get better! There is just one small problem
Currently I have 3 clients.. and one of them is my grandmar bless her heart and she only has a manicure.:biggrin:
Can anybody help me out with tips to promoting myself and my services, currently i'm mobile untill I get more experience and feel comfertable enough to work in a salon. I have placed a free ad on "gumtree" and in over a month i've had no luck and i know that leaflet posting has than a 4% call back rate, with a less than 1% succession of acctually picking up a client, i'm just stuck...:grr: Please help!!
Laurenx

 

[eskimonailtech]

hmm well, when I started doing nails, I went the free online ad's route. I'm sure there's more than one place to that you can post a free ad online though.

Also, try printing off flyers and putting them in local coffee, tea shops etc. Sometimes you have to put money in to make money out though. I'm sure there's a place around where you can get like 500 business cards printed up for like 10 pounds and give like 20 cards to each family member/friend and have them hand them to their friends etc etc.

it's definitely a lot of work. i haven't even really started up a business yet. i've actually never mentioned it on this forum but i'm moving in two weeks to a resort in Glacier/Waterton International Park where i'll be working for the next 5 months. When I come back though, I will be opening my own business.

 

[user 35377]

Not on your continent, but what I did was the following:
Joined the local chamber of commerce and went to the mixers. This provided me with some free advertising as they welcomed my business to the community and helped me me other business people who were the sort to get their nails done (take a lot of business cards with you).
Got a lot of business cards made up and hand out a minimum of 2 to everyone that even glances at your nails (one to keep and one to give away)
Leave stacks of your business cards at other places like coffee shops, laundrymats, internet cafe's, etc.(I got mine from vistaprint.com along with my brochures, car magnet and door sign)
Find 3 people in varying professions and offer a free set of nails of your choosing--give each of these people a stack of your cards with their name printed on them. THen as those cards come back with new clients, give the new client a gift card for 10% of their next visit and give the person who's name was on the card 10% of their next visit. (creates return service--I chose a waitress, teacher and bank teller)
Take photos of all your work and get a facebook page and friend all of your friends and encourage them to suggest more friends. Pop up limited specials on your facebook page like, enter your status at noon that you will run a special on free art for those who book an appointment between 1 and 3 that same day. This garners interest and keeps people coming back to your page if for nothing more than to look at pics of everyone else's nails.
That's all I got off the top of my head, hope it helps.

 

[wendy malley]

Definate yes to vista print lots of freebies and special offers. Do a search on free advertising on here lots to be found,yellow pages etc. Also lots of info on websites here vista print also do one free at first but not sure about price after that x

 

[kimi1101]

Hun I know you are on a downer about leaflet drops, but depending on where you go, you can have a lot of success. we did 3000 leaflets out, it wasn't massively expensive to have them made up, and i paid to get them delivered, all in all maybe spent about £250 but you could defo do it cheaper, i think we have had around 30 back so far and its still coming in strong. there is one street in my area that we had around a 20% success rate from. We get a lot of custom from the newer housing estates, so maybe try them. a tip is do your drop on a sunday so they wont get humphed in with all the other crappy leaflets people get on the weekdays. good luck xxx

 

[The Beauty Shed]

Hun I know you are on a downer about leaflet drops, but depending on where you go, you can have a lot of success. we did 3000 leaflets out, it wasn't massively expensive to have them made up, and i paid to get them delivered, all in all maybe spent about £250 but you could defo do it cheaper, i think we have had around 30 back so far and its still coming in strong. there is one street in my area that we had around a 20% success rate from. We get a lot of custom from the newer housing estates, so maybe try them. a tip is do your drop on a sunday so they wont get humphed in with all the other crappy leaflets people get on the weekdays. good luck xxx

I thought delivering on a Sunday would help too and in 2005 I spent 20 Sundays in a row from 9am to 9pm delivering my leaflets to houses, I got through 5,000 leaflets and had one phonecall. And to rub salt into the wound he was trying to get me to sell his products to my customers. I would never do a leaflet drop again!!

I have also tried a BIG advert in the yellow pages, posters in shop windows, posters on noticeboards in 6th form common rooms,putting business cards in those little holders in supermarkets, posters in my car windows, giving away treatments for prizes in raffles in the area etc and none of that even got 1 customer for me. Word of mouth is definately the very best way of getting new customers, and it's free, it's just a shame it takes soo long.

It is disheartening and I would love to know if anything else has worked for people. My next venture might be attending wedding fayre's and school fayre's, has this worked for anyone?

 

[kimi1101]

leaflet drops have worked for us, adverts in papers were useless, prizes at raffles and also going to these charity fayres worked...maybe im lucky to be in an area where people are calling out for our services. website also helps us a bit, goes hend in hand with the leaflet drop as we put our webpage on it, then they look on the website to find prices. a client of mine sent out our details to a club she s a member of, 20% to all members (900 members) and ive never seen one person from it.

 

[starlightdiva99]

Thanks guys, i may try leafelet dropping in the student district of my city as they all love being pampered and when those loans come through, woohoo.
I guess its just going to take longer than i wanted, if anybody has any other ideas please let me know!

 

[glitter tips]

Have you tried setting up a Facebook page for your business? I did and i've had loads of clients from that and alot of clients i've got are from word of mouth.
Check it out if you want to get some ideas - Twinkle Tips Mobile Nails by Alison xx

 

[**nail candy**]

hi lauren!! love u lol xxx:lick:

 

[angelnailz]

Facebook x

 

[loulou's nails]

hey hun, was in a similaer position myself a little while ago. go to vistaprint.com and order lots of business cars and fylers, leave them in local shops and cafes etc.... i left mine in ladys toilets at my local pubs (make sure you ask the owners first) also as mentioned before, make up a facebook page! it has worked wonders for me!- maybe do a special offer to all new customers eg 10% off or something? hth good luck xxx

 

[starlightdiva99]

Thanks guys, ive already set up a facebook page, put pictures of my work up there.. and no luck its so frustrating i need to get more people to see it, I will go to vistaprint and get some cards and flyers printed off and put ads up in ladies bathrooms that sounds a brilliant idea!

 

[glitz and glam]

my opinion on the flyer thing is to try it. It isnt expensive and if u just do an hour here or there it doesnt feel lke a chore. I delivered 300 and got 3 back which isnt bad. I went to a cpmpany who did my artwork for me and they look fab which is why i think they work i had a logo made up which has def made a difference that was on the flyers too. Every areas different so u wont know till u try.
Ialso phoned the local slimming world who are giving out my flyers in exchange for a gift voucher for the slimmer of the month. The lady who runs the group has booked in.
good luck just get urself out there however u can x
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Smartieswife]

Hi
I would also agree with a flyer drop. I did this myself and could get through 1000 in 4 hours. Even if you get 1% back thats still 10 new people who might tell a friend.
Also a good friend of mine approached a local big supermarket and offered to collect food for the local RSPCA. Everyone who put an item in the trolley on the way out got a voucher for money off.
It worked really well for her (she runs a gym) so that might be an idea?
Ive been a therapist for 14 years but even now i get out with leaflets and burn some shoe leather!
Good luck

 

[angelheart]

Anouther good one is to phone local schools and ask if you can drop leaflets off to put in the kids zippys to take home to mums, in return offer a treatment voucher for their next fete or fundraiser, the one that has worked the best though is cofffee shops, ive had sooooo much business through this, good luck it all takes a little time

 

[xxhaylzxx]

wow 1000 in 4 hours thats amazing! It took me hours to do quite alot i dont quite know how many we got out there but i had ordered 5000 and there is loads left. I have tryed to cover areas local to me and not just my town. I have asked friends and family to give them out to their friends or put them out at work on the counters and things and notice boards. I have a website that has just been completed and i think its worth it as its always going to be there and people cant throw it away. I was actually suprised that theres about 1 maybe 2 websites of local salons in my area i cant understand why people wouldnt do it. Its just a one off price then your hosting every year which isnt that bad. Im going to put an ad in the little directory that goes round every so often as it gets delivered for free and i dont have to bother. Just make sure that every chance you get to promote yourself you do. Advertise on all the free websites, facebook page, things like this that dont cost you money. Have an introductory offer to get people coming.xx

 

[starlightdiva99]

thanks guys!
Well I rung my slimming world counsellor and she's told me I can leave some cards... so when I go next week im going to hand some out with a discount offer because they are slimming world memebers.

It sounds pretty promising going that route, going to leaflet drop in student area when i get some printed out, and leave them in the coffee bars etc.

Your all being so helpful! keep it coming!!

 

[kimi1101]

with regards to the student areas...could you not have a word with the uni and offer a 10% off voucher in freshers week? I know at the local unis here, the students get a pack when they first start uni, and its got loads of discount vouchers for fodd places, and rainbow room did one when my friend started uni too. Might be a good idea. Also go to the schools...its prom time!!! Dont know what it is you do, but you could go to the local school and do a talk on the dangers of skin cancer to the older pupils, and hand out discount vouchers then too. xx

 

[kezza*]

Hi

I started out in september last year,,,,,, I have done no end of adverts,,, yellow pages,,, not one person, and that was over £300,,,, a local mag which was £30a month and had a great response,,,,,, in the local paper,,, got couple from,,,, I have a website and been on all the free site's and no haven't got anything back. Facebook only had a couple of people,,,, My best form was 5,000 leaflet have I had done in March with March's offers on and I didn't get chance to deliver them all but I got an amazing respnose and they only cost me £69,,,, and people are still ringing me now about them. It does depend on area's some area's not one phone call,,,, I had a pedicure with a free shape and polish on hands or an eyebrow shape and I put the price of a pedicure. The other side I had about me and the treatments I do and I got calls for people wanting other treatments besides pedicure's.

It is trial and error but like I said to my other half I have to try with different form's because you don't know what works and what doesn't.

The best form is word of mouth and it's starting to work now for me but it takes time so it's about trying to get new clients....The other thing is I walk round in my beauty uniform and so many people stop me and ask where I work,,, I had one today in the bank,,,, they were looking for someone to do mobile for a pamper party. so you never know.

Good luck and just keep trying.

Kerry