The Sassy guide to advertising your business

Sassy Hassy

So you’ve done your training, you’ve practiced a lot and feel confident enough to be let loose on the public at large … only trouble is how are they going to find about you? Word of mouth is always the best and cheapest way of getting clients, but if you’ve no clients in the first place then this isn’t exactly going to work is it? So where on earth do you start?
To be able to advertise effectively you need to understand a bit more about it, and why people actually buy stuff!
Firstly, there are two main types of advertising - stimulative and directive..

STIMULATIVE is the sort of advertising that people respond to immediately. For example, an advert in the local paper with an offer that is too good to miss so it stimulates them to buy it now rather than later, often giving you INSTANT results

DIRECTIVE is when they turn somewhere because they are looking for, and have a need, for a service, product etc. This is normally in the form of yellow pages directories (either online or the book) or your own website. It may sometimes take longer to get a response from this type of ad, but can be very effective

To really understand how to grab those new clients you have to understand what is running through their grey matter when deciding when and what to purchase - this is very useful for promoting retail too. Firstly they have to have a need for a product, once they have established this then they start to search for it and … AIDA. Huh? Okay AIDA …
ATTENTION your client has to see the product (ie your ad). If they can’t see it and it doesn’t stand out and grab their attention then forget it!!!
INTEREST - so your lovely ad has grabbed their attention, now you need to get their interest. It could be your “never to be repeated” sooper dooper offer. Basically, it needs to be enough to make your prospect think, “hey what’s that all about?”
DESIRE - Your client wants to need what you have to offer so make sure you list ALL the services you do. If you don’t put it down they’ll assume you don’t do it.
ACTION - so come on they need to call you. Make sure your telephone number is easy to spot… and is correct! You could make your offer for a limited time period. Or your advert is so professional that they call you. Or your USP is appealing.
USP? What the hell is a USP when it’s at home? It’s your Unique Selling Point, it’s what sets you aside from the other gazillion nail techs out there all vying for the business YOU want. Find out what your competition has to offer a client and then assess what makes you DIFFERENT and promote it. My USP is "Sensitive support to nail biters“ and it works well for me, no other local advertiser promotes this.
ADVERT LAYOUT
Firstly give it a catchy headline (it could be your USP), don’t use your business name, have that at the bottom. You need something big and bold to grab their attention (remember our friend AIDA?). Then remember your ad is your shop front. The image you portray in your adverts will be how people perceive you, so keep it professional. Not sure what I mean by this? Open your local YP and pretend you are looking for a hairdresser (or even a nail tech). Study the ads. Which ones attract your attention? And which ones would NOT get your call. This should give you an idea of the style of ad you should be aiming for. Is it the size of it, the picture, the colours, the wording or the layout? What makes it interesting? Bear this in mind when you design your ads - it really does matter. There should be no more than 60% text, and remember a picture speaks a thousand words so include one if you can.
BTW How many of the free line listings would have got your call? Free listings are not adverts!!!!
Oh and make sure you proof read ANY ad you do, a typo looks unprofessional, and an incorrect phone number is a catastrophic and costly mistake!
WHERE TO ADVERTISE
Sometimes it’s trial and error as to what works and what doesn’t. What has worked for some hasn’t for other and vice versa, but the following are all worth a try …

Yellow Pages & Thomson Local - delivered to every home in your area & sits there 24/7. Downside is that it’s fixed for a year so if anything changes in your business you can’t change the ad. It’s also quite expensive, but most companies offer interest free monthly payments to spread the cost.
Yell.com - again 24/7 advertising,. Very effective and cheap. You also get calls from people outside your area buying gift vouchers for people local to you.
Local Newspapers - Classified ads can be the most expensive form of advertising and will only work if you place an ad week in week out. The circulation is limited. For the same expense you could have a huge ad in YP.
Produce your own website, there’s loads of software around so DIY! You can say tons about your business and it’s very cost effective. Make sure it is search engine friendly though so that people can find you (take a look at our own Seanny's threads for help on this ... they do work but it can take a few months)
If you are opening a salon then make sure you put your signage up straight away so people know you are opening, and a poster in the window to let people know your opening date. It can take a month or more to get the interior right so you are advertising before you even open.
Leaflet dropping - you are better to target the same smaller area three times than go for one hit on a larger area. Remember it’s considered a good response if you get feedback from 1-3% (ie for every 100 leaflets expect to get maybe one call). I have found that delivering on a Sunday when people are more relaxed and have no other post delivered is best. Also make your leaflets look good, I used full colour postcaards from Vistaprint and it definitely made a difference.
Leaflet targetting - approach your local shops - takeaways, boutiques etc - and ask them to put a leaflet in every sales bag. Small business do tend to want to help each other as they know how hard it is to stay in business.
Ads in shop windows
Church magazines
Bridal fairs
Do seasonal promotions - Christmas, Valentine’s, Mothers Day etc - if you have a salon you could have a big window banner that is changed regularly

And for those on a tight budget, these ideas are mega cheap, or free …

Business cards (you can get them free on Vistaprint.co.uk) left in hairdressers, ladies loos at the pubs, in takeaways, schools, gyms etc (get permission from the owner first)
Put up a sign offering a FREE nail. It gives you the chance to get bums on seats and once people have tried one they'll want the whole lot doing! (maybe you had better put limited to one per person so they don't keep coming back and end up with a free full set!!!)
Local businesses / offices - contact the HR managers and ask them if you can put a business card / advert on their notice board
Decals on your car
Donate a prize to local raffles
Local Free Ads
Always wear perfect nails and give out your business card when you get compliments
Give business cards to your clients to give out or put up on their staff noticeboard, they are proud to recommend you - you could offer an incentive for EACH friend they introduce
Team up with hair salons and offer a joint marketing offer
Contact your local schools to have a table at their fetes - may not earn you much on the day, but it gets your name out there
Editorial in your beauty section of the local paper - offer to do the Ed’s nails / beauty for free and in return get them to write an article about you.
Wear t-shirts with your company name and number on

CONSISTENCY and TIMING
How many times have you had a leaflet through the door, or seen an ad in a paper for something and weeks later you wish you still had the ad to hand? A one off ad in the paper will not be effective. You have to do it week in week our for at least 3 months.
Brand yourself. Make yourself a logo, and use it on all your advertising so people always know it’s you, it keeps you in the forefront of people’s minds and makes you instantly recogniseable.
People are more flush with money at the beginning of the month when they’ve been paid, so don’t plan a huge ad campaign towards the end of the month when people are skint! Also busy periods from March through the summer and at Christmas are better prospecting times than in the quiet months, February and the lst 2 weeks of August often being the worst.
PORTRAY THE RIGHT IMAGE AND KNOW YOUR COMPETITION
Don't forget that if you have a salon that your premises are an advert for you too. Make sure your signage is easy to read, and with your telephone number. You can also have the windows sign written to show the types of services you offer. BUT keep your window clutter free without lots of nasty bits of paper stuck to the window as it detracts from the image of your shopfront. If you have posters in the window make sure they are straight.

And it should go without saying that your salon needs to be spotless with clean windows and a clean and tidy interior. Not easy when you are mega busy all day, but tidy your work station as you go along. i have been amazed when I have walked past some salons when they are shut and they are FILTHY, not a good advert at all.

Be aware of what your competition are up to. Pay them a mystery shop and you will soon get to know who are the good salons - your competition, and the poor salons - the opposition. It will also give you a chance to see how people meet and greet their clients and give you ideas of how you expect to greet your own clients. Get that wrong and you've lost a potential client for life ... after all we don't get a second chance at creating a first impression,
ATTRACT THE RIGHT TYPE OF CLIENT AND YOU CAN DRASTICALLY REDUCE YOUR ADVERTISING BUDGET
Infills should account for at least 90% of your income. If it’s not then something is amiss. I aim my prices and advertising to the young 20 somethings, or the “still young” 40 somethings. They tend to have a better disposeable income and like to treat themselves. They’re not going to be affected by sudden changes in budget with school uniforms, birthday / Christmas presents etc to buy. If you do cheap silly offers then you’ll get cheap, fickle clients.

GETTING THE CALL
Yippee, at last your ads are working and you get the call, now it is up to you to get the business. Usually your prospect asks "how much for acrylic nails?" don't just answer £35 a set, get into a dialogue. Mine is often " we do acrylic gel because I prefer it to the liquid and powder system" they then ask loads of questions about the differences, and THEN I tell them the price. When they come in for their appointment I ask why they chose me to others and normally it's because I took the time on the phone with them.

MONITOR
No good spending loads on an ad if you don't know if it is working, so ask how they hear of you and monitor it. Then you will know what works and what doesn't.

Whatever form of advertising you decide on remember it’s not always instant so don’t expect your phone to ring off the hook. Competition is fierce and you need to pitch your stall to get the loyal clients. Building up a solid client base can take years. Keep your name out there and gradually it will happen.