Beauty in Marketing

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

-MAYA ANGELOU, attributed, The Butterfly’s Daughter

Building a successful client base requires being seen and known. In Marketing lingo we refer to being seen by a potential customer as a “touch”. For someone who has never heard of you, it takes about of 3-6 “touches” before they call to make an appointment (a “touch” may be receiving a business card or postcard from you, seeing or hear your advertisement or street sign, etc). The most successful ways to build your business are listed in order:

1) Satisfied Client referrals: The bulk of your marketing budget should go into keeping current clients happy and talking about you. There is nothing as powerful as a potential client seeing first hand your work on a happy customer. Conversely, it takes 10-20 “touches” to replace one disgruntled customer. Unhappy patron reviews can negate months of advertising.

2) Phone calls and E-mails/Newsletters: Personal connection is most effective to get people to come back  or book a first appointment.

3) Marketing Collateral: Business Cards, Postcards, Brochures etc. keep you present in potential clients mind. A pen with your logo circulates around the city like a roaming miniature billboard. Marketing collateral and promotional items are effective ways to keep your branding and information out there with out you physically needing to be involved.

4) Advertising: for small, local businesses in the Beauty industry this is the least effective use of marketing budget –unless– you have a specific target client (like elderly women) and have access to advertising specifically to them within a close radius (like placing an ad in a newsletter that circulates in a retirement village close to your salon). Don’t waste money on Yellow pages. Social Media can offer word-of-mouth advertising if you are lined up with the right target market and have dedicated resources to make consistent postings.

Notice a Website is not listed. This is because a well-designed Web Presence is a non-negotiable MUST in this day and age. Clients want to look up your address easily on their mobile or be able to get a sense of who you are and what you can do. Not having a web presence gives the impression of being an amateur or fly-by-night establishment. A web-presence is a key element for building trust with potential clients who don’t know you. (There are ways to use your website as an advertisement on Search Engines and drive traffic into your salon from the web but that is not realistically the main goal of a small, local business website.)

Contact Michele to discuss what kind of web presence will best suit your current business, your budget and your goals for the next 6 months- 1 year. Note: you should update your website at least once every two years to stay current on fast-changing technology and SEO requirements.
We can also help you decide your next move in your Marketing Strategy, creating a consistent look in your web presence, business cards, advertising and social media/email.