Is Your Advertising Working?

At some point in your business you realize it needs promoting.  You  need to expand your customer base. Grow your revenues. Be able to cover anticipated increases in overhead like rent. 

You've worked hard at collecting client emails.  You've got people  liking your business on Facebook, Google or Instagram. But if you spend money to bring more people in, how do you know if it is working?  Much of the time, there is no way.  

Television, newspaper, radio, magazines, local school groups... everyone wants you to advertise with them. It's great to support local, but is it giving you a return on your investment?   Most venues will "increase public awareness", "build brand awareness."  They don't necessarily bring people into the door.  This is general advertising.  

The goal of general advertising is to leave a mental picture of the business in our head. They hope at some time when we might be in the market for an item, we will think of them.  Like a sexy new car, a comfy new sofa, a repair man when something breaks.  We certainly aren't going to call a repairman when everything is working well.  

Think of this as seed advertising.  You plant the seeds and hope they will grow and blossom.  But you never really know how well your dollars are working.

There is another type of advertising you can employ.  Trackable advertising.  A coupon is trackable.  Those codes you enter in to get an online special are trackable.  If no one brings in the coupon, you know that didn't work.  Don't repeat.  Do something different.

If you have an active business Facebook page, you can do trackable marketing there.  Create a unique offer with a code attached to it.  You can set it up to sell it right from Facebook. And you will know exactly how well it is doing.    Trackable return on your investment. 

You could also put an offer on Instagram, Yelp or Google. Make it a little different, or use a different code.  You want to know which venue and which offer your clients responded to.  It may take a little testing and tweaking to find what hits your clients' hot button.  But you will have more than seeds of hope. You will know exactly how well your investment is working. Trackable.

What Makes You Unique?

What Makes You Unique?

This is a question many estheticians and spas can't answer.  But for the success of your business, it's an important thing to figure out.

Your uniqueness makes you a little different from your competition. It is your Unique Selling Point. It is the basis for your brand.  You can use it for all your marketing.  You can build your business around it. You can use it as a tool to build your business quicker and faster. 

So what does make you different?  Start with a blank piece of paper. First make a list of what you see as your strengths and weaknesses. Then take another sheet and make a list down the side of competing businesses near you.  Across the top make some columns: offers, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities.

Visit each business's website and Facebook page.  If they don't have one - that is a weakness. Write no web or no Facebook in the weakness column.  

What services do they offer? Note these on your chart.  What are their strengths?  Do they have long hours?  Do they work evenings, early mornings? How do clients make appointments? Are they service oriented or experience oriented? Who is their target market? Do they even have one? Make lots of notes.

Then go back and look at your business.  How do you compare?  What do, or could you do, that they aren't? These are opportunities. Note possibilities in the opportunity column. 

Is there something no one in your area is offering? Is it something you know clients want? Is it something that could bring them back regularly? You could make this your unique offering.

Sit down with your favorite hot beverage (it is cold outside for most of us). With a fresh piece of paper, think about the service or part of the industry you are most passionate about. Jot this down.  Is it something you can convert to being unique?  Is it something that will attract clients?  Explore possibilities.

What kind of client would it attract?  Who are they? Where do they live? What is their age? Male or female? This is your dream client. Maybe you already have one. Describe them in as much detail as you can.  

How do they find out about you?  Do they read the paper? Facebook? Instagram? Google searches? Are they locals? Visitors? This gives you marketing clues.

Having trouble figuring it out? Email me. Coaching is what I do. judith@jculpcreativecopy.com.