More ways to promote your business

[Foxykim]

Soooo glad this thread has been bumped up again......best thread EVER!!!!! xx

 

[Lorrainelola]

What a brilliant thread.

I need all the help I can get

Also vistaprint are very very reasonable for promotional gifts, pens, keyrings etc.

If you check their website literally daily, you can get very good offers for example, 250 business cards free and you just pay postage. I have just got some brochures from them and you can get all their items to match.

 

[pureTXT]

Thanks for all your great advice Calla. Its really nice to see you sharing things you've worked hard to research and implement. Here's some great advice I found. I hope this helps you:

 Capture Data
Build a mailing list. This will enable you to target your campaigns more effectively. Collecting the names is the hard part, so give your prospects a reason for them to provide you with their name and address – competitions, an emailed newsletter, the promise of advance information and discounts, maybe even a loyalty card. Work at keeping your list accurate and up to date. Try to get hold of email addresses as well as (or even in preference to) landmail contact details: email is cheaper and more versatile than postage.
 Maintaining customer relationships
This is especially important in the service industry. Once you have captured your client’s data, use it! Concentrate on customers more than prospects: they will be more valuable to you, both for repeat business and because they’ll act as a reference. It is estimated to be up to four times more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to maintain an existing customer. So be personal. Remember birthdays and anniversaries. Say "thank you” when they buy (if only by email). Offer them the chance to comment and criticise. Give them special offers not available to anyone else. Make sure they know that your Christmas ‘thank you’ gift is going to a selected few, and they’re in the group.

 Selling new treatments
Invite your regulars to check out new products or services: they appreciate being treated as special, and you will lower barriers to purchase because the risk associated with trial is lower and they will therefore be more likely to purchase the treatment in the future. Look at their past purchase history if possible, and tailor special promotions to them.
 Cheap and Easy Marketing
Postcards are cheap and easy to produce, especially if you use colour on one side only. They can be mailed to prospects and stacked in help-yourself dispensers. And you can use them for a variety of marketing messages – see our new product, gasp at our new prices or our short-term cut-price promotion, enter the competition or the free prize draw (and get two entries if you give us a friend’s name and address). A reply-paid licence makes it simple for someone to return the card; these are easy and economical to set up with the Post Office.

On occasion we visit some very successful salons with massive customers bases, but incredibly have never made any effort in collecting details. It's surprising quite how many people still don't realise the power of their own database, and how easy it is to get a positive result to marketing to people you already know.

Once they start using our system it still takes a while to build the lists, having to ask for mobile numbers or wait for customers to text their keywords etc, but the ongoing responses they then receive to eventual sms marketing and sending birthday/ special occasion offers is fantastic.

 

[carleensnails]

this is an amazing thread!!! so many good ideas!! i now have 11 pages up on my screen haha!! gonna get on them all Thanks Lynne

 

[Measeymoo]

Bump... Brill thread... Gonna give these a bash tomorrow! x

 

[Claire83]

I have read through this entire thread and I've made so many notes where I can advertise, but I'm just wondering can I still do this even though I'm mobile based and have no business premises?

I want to be able to advertise, but when it asks for business street name I can't really provide a home address.

I'm confused now.

 

[Verve Designs]

When *it* asks?

 

[Claire83]

I mean when I go to yell.com, for instance, and I go to advertise, the website asks for a business street name, which I take to mean the street your salon is on?

If I don't own a salon how am I to advertise this way?

Sorry the wording of my previous post was rather poor. :o

 

[Verve Designs]

no worries!

I think it rather depends on whether you want people to know your address. If you'd like to keep it private then there’s not a lot you can do about it when they're mandatory fields- however, if you're not that bothered, as long as you keep the "mobile" bit in your business name- then people will be aware of what you're offering.

 

[Claire83]

Ok, right thanks. I will have a check and see if it's mandatory then.

Just wondered if anyone else that is mobile had advertised on the sites mentioned in this thread?

 

[redsadie]

Just bumping this thread up again :green:

It really should be made a 'sticky'!

Sarah. xx

 

[cocoon]

Fantastic thread, thanks for bumping this otherwise I'd have missed it. Thanks for all the great ideas will definately be trying some of these out.
Kizzy

 

[tina]

hi

im a mobile thereapist, there are sites like yell.com that address is mandatory, i rung them and asked if they could remove the address but if you want your listing for free you cant amend it, only if you pay!!! which is not worth it.

 

[M00min]

Hi chaps!
I've just spent a couple of hours sending emails to all the local golf clubs, day nurseries and independent schools offering a gift voucher for their Christmas Fayres/Raffles/Draws.
Given that of the several hundred pounds worth of gift vouchers I have sold only 3 have been redeemed, I decided that it was worth a gamble. It gets my name into even more local venues (I shall drop off a load of flyers when I drop off the gift voucher) and puts me in a good light in the eyes of the local businesses.
Already I have had one of the clubs ring to take me up on the offer!
Remember to keep promoting your business during these straitened times!

Hi

This will be my first Christmas in business and I'd like to capitalise on the local raffles etc! I have gift vouchers that I can customise to be for an amount or a specific treatment. I was just wondering what the "right" amount or treatment is, in your expert opinions

Thanks x

 

[Lynne Baker]

I'd now be tempted to give a 50% (or similar) off voucher, rather than a completely free treatment. Why? Too often people come and have their free treatment and you never see them again. Everyone wants something for nothing!

 

[M00min]

Thanks Lynne - fab idea!

I was thinking of trying an ad in a local free magazine. I know it could be hit-or-miss but it's been going for years and has plenty of local business advertisers so must work for some!

My business is still new and I'm trying to build up my clientele so I don't want to alienate anyone by doing an offer on a specific treatment. I was thinking of £5 off when you spend £20 or more for new customers?

Your thoughts would be massively appreciated! x

 

[redsadie]

I've just donated 3 gift certificates (made up on my laptop in publisher) to 3 separate charity events, so we'll see what comes of these. They were £10 towards any treatment (over £10).

xx

 

[Tess Warwick]

'Bout time this thread was bumped again.
Many thanks to Lynne and everyone else for some FAB ideas - especially at this time of year as we're leading up to X*** (hesitate to type it in full - )

 

[Tess Warwick]

Advertising, as such, has never worked for me. We did a Christmas ad in our local featuring our area in a freebie paper offering 25% discount on production of the ad. We didn't have one back - not even one of our little old Tuesday ladies after a cheapie ...

However, a blackboard outside the salon with the current offers drag 'em in! We also picked a couple of things that involved no stock, only time, and skinned the prices. We have eyebrow waxing at £3.50 and gent's quickie hair cut at a fiver. We can't do enough of them - and it's surprising how many men take our price list for their ladies and how many of our ladies send their blokies for a quick hair cut.
The shop is always busy - and a busy shop becomes a busier shop. I'd rather have 50 EBWs per week at £3.50 than 10 at £8 ( the going rate hereabouts) and loads of gents in at a fiver than a few in at £8. We have a traditional barber down the road from us and, bless him, he's spitting feathers ... I gues we're off his Xmas card list this year ...

 

[Caro]

Thank you so much Lynne - lots of great ideas... :hug: