Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1236015
Marketing was so much easier in the 1990s! Fabulous customer service and a newsletter every now and then did the trick. (Perhaps because there weren't as many of us back then.) Now we're on every corner, so we need to do something to stand out from the spa down the street. There definitely wasn't any competition with internet discount campaigns back then; now they seem to be running rampant. I grew a very successful skincare business starting in 1988 until I sold it in 2005, but things are very different now. We really need to be creative, don't we? Below are a few things that I've done over the years that worked well. Many years ago, someone taught me about putting ads on Craiglist on a regular basis. I can hear you thinking about not finishing this article after reading that sentence! Hold on, there's a good reason and it doesn't have anything to do with getting clients from Craiglist. Hear me out! I started placing an ad every week (they're free!) and pretty soon I started showing up higher and higher on search engines. The more your name is out there, the more the internet thinks you are important and will move you up on search engines. That's the reason I placed the ads. It wasn't to get new clients; it was to move up! Once you've written one ad, each week all you have to do is hit "repost." It takes two seconds and it's well worth it. Come up with fun treatment ideas during slow seasons to bring in new clients or bring back clients you haven't seen in a while. Here's an example: August is typically a slow month, so to get the appointment book filled, I sent out an email to my client list with a special I felt they just couldn't pass up. I called the treatment "Sizzling Summer Super Lift." It was a 30-minute treatment priced at only $40. It's not about making a ton of money on this appointment, it's about getting them back in the swing of coming in on a regular basis. I added that if they brought a friend who had never been to my center, the price would be $70 for both of them. Now I've got them thinking about who they can get to come with them, and that person will be a new client for me. Again, it's not about getting rich from this appointment. I even had one client say, "Oh, I've got two friends I want to bring." This turned out to be a very successful campaign for me. Many years ago, when I was about to turn 40 (I turn 60 this year!) I sent out a newsletter letting all my clients know about my birthday. I stated that if they send me a birthday card, they'd receive a discount on their next facial. I received 56 birthday cards. Many were from clients that I had not seen in quite some time. On my 54th birthday, I did the same campaign with my esthetician followers. I stated that if they sent me birthday wishes via email, I'd send them the link to my equipment workshop for free. To my excitement, I received over 300 emails on my birthday! I was a very busy gal returning all those emails! My point is to make it something fun for your clients to engage in. Let your creative juices flow and have fun! I've got more marketing ideas up my sleeve. Please visit my website and sign up for my emails and I'll keep you posted! If you read this whole article, I truly appreciate it. Send me an email letting me know what you think, and I'll send you that workshop video link for FREE! Simple Marketing Ideas Advertisement Shelley Hancock Consulting Inc. Helping You Transform Your Skin Care Business www.shelleyhancock.com (925) 392-8114 ASCP MEMBER Listen to Shelley's Audio Snippets on her website.