Hi
I'm looking into going mobile to provide beauty service, I have a cousin that does the same but she says she spend a fortune on advertising. Does anyone have any experience on how much is reasonable to spend on advertising? what's the best method.
thank you for your help.
If she is getting double the fortune back then that is fine. Advertising is all about ROI. If the return is less than the ad spend then stop the advertising. I notice a lot of people posting (free) on local Facebook groups. I don't know if it garners the same kind of business as paid for advertising, though.
It also depends on where the customer sees the ads ie the type of customer. If they're big on Facebook, do FB ads. Your type of customer may tend to use Instagram, though. Or might actually not do social media much at all so ads in local community magazines might make more sense. Or even doing local healthy (or community) fairs, rent a stall.
Sadly, you'll have to have a think about it and investigate plus trial several methods which all have their associated costs.
Hi beautyfirst - get to any upcoming Wedding Fayres you can find - ask to have a space - enlist family and friends to come and have their makeup done. Talk to people watching as you work, and make sure you have lots of leaflets with your contact details on, to give out.
My daughter got married last weekend. Her beautician came to the venue, did the brides makeup then 2 of the 3 bridesmaids. She went on to another venue and did the bride and 4 bridesmaids the same day! This weekend she has 4 brides over 2 days. She has not needed to advertise for years as her work is so good - all her clients have found her through recommendation. Likewise with the girl who did the hair - they know each other well, as they seem to work at the same weddings. Both girls have different part-time jobs during the week. The beauty therapist prefers to work this way, and admits she rarely gets mid-week bookings for beauty work, which is why she does other stuff.
From my own experience, advertising was expensive and did nothing to get more business. I have a website now, but started as a therapist 20 years before the World Wide Web was invented!!! By far the best form of advertising is word of mouth, and talking to people! It took a few years to get established, and I was always able and willing to do some temp work when unexpected bills arrived.
Have you concerned radio adverts.? Believe or not some air time is quite affordable and get great way to get a broad audience.
I didn't spend a lot on advertising to begin with....or ever actually. I think it's important to look at where you think the best rate of return will come from. I do think these days for lots of businesses having a website is crucial and this was the key thing that got my business off the ground. Next up came word of mouth.
I think it is far too easy to waste money trying various different advertising means when some careful thought about where you think people would find out about your business could be more effective. Jabba has highlighted a great one and as i say, i think websites are always key. Also trying to get friends and family to promote you on facebook and spread the word. I'm trying to set up a new business now and these are the things i am working on. Good luck.
Website for sure and word of mouth most important.. have success and be joyous