More marketing ideas?

[theperfectten]

Hi all! I'm just after a little help here...

I started working from home in May, having been used to a salon for years so am new to the whole marketing thing. I started off with a few regular clients who have stayed with me and referred their friends, but other than word-of-mouth I can't seem to find any more clients! I have read the threads on here with marketing ideas and have followed them but nothing seems to be working I'm so disheartened that I'm thinking maybe I should go back to full-time employment and keep nails to a hobby but I have spent the best part of £800 on setting up. Can anybody suggest anything that has worked for them and perhaps work for me? I can't afford to keep going the way I am.

Thanks in advance...!

 

[PixieBeauty]

Have you done everything on Lynne's marketing thread?

This is going to take a lot of work & time to get going, and £800 IMO is not a lot of money to spend setting up in this industry so I think you need to rethink and reassess that it is going to take more time & money to get it going.

If you're prepared to do that then go back through Lynne's thread & do EVERYthing on there, then you'll know you really pulled out all the stops!

Eg ask yourself
Do you have a website
Facebook page
How many leaflets have you posted
How many posters have you put up
How many companies have you emailed/got in touch with
How many pamper events have you attended
Have you been to any networking events
Refer a friend scheme
How many free websites have you registered on
Signed up to voucher schemes eg Lavish

I could go on. I won't think I've tried everything till I've got thru all of my to do list & it'll take me a while!!

Good luck hon xx

 

[theperfectten]

Have you done everything on Lynne's marketing thread?

This is going to take a lot of work & time to get going, and £800 IMO is not a lot of money to spend setting up in this industry so I think you need to rethink and reassess that it is going to take more time & money to get it going.

If you're prepared to do that then go back through Lynne's thread & do EVERYthing on there, then you'll know you really pulled out all the stops!

Eg ask yourself
Do you have a website
Facebook page
How many leaflets have you posted
How many posters have you put up
How many companies have you emailed/got in touch with
How many pamper events have you attended
Have you been to any networking events
Refer a friend scheme
How many free websites have you registered on
Signed up to voucher schemes eg Lavish

I could go on. I won't think I've tried everything till I've got thru all of my to do list & it'll take me a while!!

Good luck hon xx

Thanks for your reply! I have worked through and done just about everything I can, the only thing from your list I haven't done is the networking events... which I'm working on...! Have even given vouchers to charity events to try and get my name out there!

 

[PixieBeauty]

How many leaflet drops have you done?

What incentives have you tried to get people through the door?

How about 10% off your first treatment but 20% off your second treatment

Or bring a friend & both receive 20% off together

Go to large companies/call centres/supermarkets/pubs/cafe's and get them to display your contact details either in the staff room or offices/store front wherever?

There's always more you can do hon but I don't know how much you've done already. I seem to have spent a small fortune on leaflets etc!!

Xx

 

[theperfectten]

How many leaflet drops have you done?

What incentives have you tried to get people through the door?

How about 10% off your first treatment but 20% off your second treatment

Or bring a friend & both receive 20% off together

Go to large companies/call centres/supermarkets/pubs/cafe's and get them to display your contact details either in the staff room or offices/store front wherever?

There's always more you can do hon but I don't know how much you've done already. I seem to have spent a small fortune on leaflets etc!!

Xx

For recommendations I give their friend £5 off their next treatment and the one who recommended also gets £5 off after their friend has been. I've left business cards in gyms, supermarkets etc and have located a hairdressers (without a beauty salon attached) who is willing to display a poster and keep some business cards to give out. I emailed some of the bridal stores in my area offering them a free manicure in exchange for recommending me to brides (at least they have first hand experience of my work) but nothing seems to work, not keen on a leaflet drop as Craig Fulton said in his 'Marketing Ideas' thread - it's marketing to us but junk mail to the potential consumer. Facebook has been a brilliant tool, free advertising and a large audience but you can't reach everyone this way!

 

[PixieBeauty]

For recommendations I give their friend £5 off their next treatment and the one who recommended also gets £5 off after their friend has been. I've left business cards in gyms, supermarkets etc and have located a hairdressers (without a beauty salon attached) who is willing to display a poster and keep some business cards to give out. I emailed some of the bridal stores in my area offering them a free manicure in exchange for recommending me to brides (at least they have first hand experience of my work) but nothing seems to work, not keen on a leaflet drop as Craig Fulton said in his 'Marketing Ideas' thread - it's marketing to us but junk mail to the potential consumer. Facebook has been a brilliant tool, free advertising and a large audience but you can't reach everyone this way!

Yes fair point about the leafleting, but I keep hearing there's about a 4-5% return rate on leaflets so if that's 1000 leaflets out at even 1% conversion it's 10 new enquiries so worth it I reckon? It worked for me and got two enquiries, just from my village drop of 150 leaflets (I've got 2,500 more to deliver!) Also I think if I received a leaflet and only glanced at it but also saw this same logo/ad in the hairdressers and the local cafe/pub whatever, then it would add credence to the brand, sort of strengthening your advertising.

I agree abou t Facebook. Have you used it to advertise in local Facebook groups?

What about a website, do you have any idea how much business that is bringing in?

Have you done all the free sites?

Are you getting yourself to local pamper evenings/events?

I hope you don't think I'm picking I'm really trying to help you think of ideas xxx

 

[souz]

hi, i dont think you should worry too much, it takes time to get word of mouth recoemndations and for people to find you.....i have been going 8 months and have done all the above but its only now that i am getting busy and consistently busy xx

 

[NailsXpress]

Well I get most of my work in from my website or recommendations.
So a website is a must in my opinion.
I am just awaiting my A Board to be finished and then that will go outside the salon too. I bought it off fleebay for £28 and the graphics on vinyl will cost £45 for both sides of the board. So £73 spent on one item of advertising but should last for ages and ages. Or until I want to change the advert.

I firmly believe that people search for a nail tech etc on the tinterweb either by pc or smart phone. So the tinterweb is best by far.

Also dont forget to advertise on as many freeby sites as you can. ie the free bit for Yell.com, Mister What, Gumtree etc etc etc.

It takes time as everyone says, just use your spare time to use the freeby sites. Just doing this passes time and doesnt cost anything either.

 

[Lynne Baker]

Flippin heck. I wish I'd only spent 800 notes on setting up!
In my first 12 months of trading I made a loss of £300. It took me 3 years to make a proper living out of this.
Keep going!

 

[Jen889]

not keen on a leaflet drop as Craig Fulton said in his 'Marketing Ideas' thread - it's marketing to us but junk mail to the potential consumer.

This is why you target the right area by researching extensively. I sent out 1500 postcards a couple of weeks ago, up to now I have gotten 50 new clients, 10 have returned so far and I have more booked in after my vacation this upcoming week.

I researched my area and was able to pick and choose who I wanted to send out to by household income etc. definitely a success I say!

 

[theperfectten]

Ok looks like a leaflet drop is the next on the list...! Have only spent £800 on setting up as it's all I had, have just been trying to build on what I already have and buy as I go along and it's bloody hard! I have a website, don't think people use it but I keep it updated just in case... it's linked to my advert on Yell.com but after 3 months I've only had one person come back from there and they had tried to sting me £200 a year to use it!

 

[kezza*]

I get some many clients from my website! I spent a bomb the first year on advertising and what worked for me was leaflet drops. It is junk mail but the way I looked at it is you have from the moment they pick they have to walk to the bin, you have time to catch that person's attention! I did pedicures with a free shape and polish on hands or an eyebrow wax, I had the list of pedicures available and price's that worked really well. It's a case of keep trying it does take time to build a client base!