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Most Nail Tech s are terrified of marketing, so to make your life easier and less stressful, our team at Magnetic has put together a short ebook full of marketing strategies that you can implement immediately. Putting together a Marketing Plan for your Nail Business is actually much easier than you might imagine. In fact, we believe that putting together marketing strategies that will grow your business and put money in your bank account is actually fun. It should be an exercise that motivates, inspires and energises you as you think about all the opportunities that lie before you and your business. So in this ebook, we are going to keep things really simple and we are going to give you an easy to follow, easy to use Plan of Action that you can use together with the marketing calendar that we recently placed on Magnetics website. If you don t have the calendar, click here to download it. The strategies and plan of action in this ebook can be customize for your unique Nail Business depending on the products and services you offer as well as the market that you service. This ebook, will focus on helping you create your Marketing Strategies for the next 3 months or 90 days only. That s a good question. Winter is finally over and spring has arrived. For most Hair, Nail and Beauty Salons, business automatically increases as customers come out of their winter hibernation. Over the next three months, you have the some of the biggest, most important marketing opportunities of the year coming your way. The effort that you put into marketing your business over the next three months of spring will determine what kind of Christmas and 2016 your business will have. We want you to start building business and sales momentum during spring so that the momentum gets carried over into summer, Christmas, New Year and even as far away as Valentine s Day. But, here is also a warning, if you don t start marketing your business during spring, your lack of sales thinking and marketing will also shape and effect your sales and income negatively in 2016. The problem is that most Nail Technicians are too passive when it comes to marketing their services, especially at this time of the year. We want you to make the most of the spring increase in business and we want you to grab all of the upcoming sales opportunities with both hands and make the most of them! Please note that this Marketing plan is designed to be a guideline as to what kind of things you need to put in your Spring Strategy. This Marketing Plan is a working document, it must evolve and should never remain static. This ebook will give you focus and direction but it doesn t have to be cast in stone when you put it on paper. If a new or unexpected opportunity comes your way over the next three months, be flexible and simply add it to the overall plan and marketing calendar. Remember that your marketing strategies should not just get your diary full, it should also make your Nail Business more money and boost your profit margins. You want to get the best possible return on your treatments and products for the least amount of time, effort and risk. The profit margins you make on the sale of your products and services are really what it all comes down to. How much profit you can show at the end of the day determines 2
how successful your Nail Business is. When putting together a marketing plan you need to look at all the different ways that you can market your business and make money after all, isn t that why you started your own Nail Business to make money? To help you make the money, here is an added checklist that will help you put your marketing message in the right places, and it includes a list of most of the various types of marketing channels you can use to promote your Nail Business. Remember, every time you create a special offer or a promotion, always choose 3 to 5 different ways of getting your promotions out there regardless of whether the promotion is targeting existing clients or new customers. Make sure that you use; -It ads new offers area -Frame chalkboard or Sandwich Board -Salon Posters/Table talkers achine / voicemail -salon 3
1. Start by Marketing to your existing customer database When you start marketing your Nail Services Magnetic always recommends that you invest at least 50% of your time, money and energy marketing to your existing clients first. These are the people who know you, love you and trust you and so it makes sense to market to them first because it is always cheaper and easier to convince an existing customer to buy from you a second time than it is to convince a new customer to buy from you for the first time. Your September newsletter If you don t have a monthly newsletter then we have to ask why not? If you are not talking to your customers, someone else is. Here are some ideas and topics for a Monthly Newsletter product of the month, share why you use Magnetics products and explain what they do for your customer. Highlighting retails products is always a profit and sales booster. How about a Staff Biography? Write about your Nail Tech s, position them as experts. Write an educational article about them and include topics in which you or people in your Business are experts. How about educational articles, i.e. how to look after your nails, why your business does client consultations etc Send your newsletter to your top 100 clients and bulk email it to everyone else. (TIP: Don t forget to also put the newsletter on your website and Facebook Page.) Run a Seasonal promotion What kind of promotions can a Nail Business run in spring? Here are some ideas. Start with manicure and pedicure specials. Make sure you promote gel polish especially with all the new spring and summer colours that Magnetic has available. Nail Art, Sugar Look, Smile Lines and Natural nails are always a hit at this time of the year. The Rugby World Cup has just strted, go with Springbok Nail Art as well as some fresh green and gold designs. If you do more than just nails in your business, don t forget to promote services like weight loss, tanning, hair removal, sugaring, detox treatments, wraps, microdermabrasion, spring hairstyles etc. During spring we move into wedding season so make sure you target this market also. Make sure that you include your seasonal promotion in your newsletter. You can also email and SMS these offers to your existing customer database. Monthly SMS & Email Campaigns Send out at least 2 SMS / WhatsApp campaigns in September. Send out one on the 25 th of the month (this is payday for your clients and you will get a good response for bookings) Send out another SMS / WhatsApp promotion just before the middle of the month so that you don t have a middle of the month slump. Host a spring workshop The possibilities with workshops are endless. Invite a guest speaker who is an expert on a women s issue to come and speak. Workshops require a large amount of time and effort, but they always result in good gains, exposure and more bookings for your salon. 4
Collect customer testimonials for your website and Facebook page If you say you believe in word of mouth marketing, then why aren t you collecting testimonials from satisfied, loyal customers? Get at least 5 10 new testimonials every month and start using them everywhere! Put them on Facebook, on your website and all over your Nail Business. Build your Nail Portfolio on Instagram Every time you do a set of nails or nail art, make sure you take photos and start building your online portfolio on Instagram. It s free and will help you gain much needed exposure on the web. 2. New Client Marketing If you are serious about building a successful Nail Business, then you must have a list of all the new clients who have visited your business over the last thirty days. You must also have a list of people who phoned to enquire about your services but have not yet bought from you. There people need special attention and love from you, your staff and your business. There people are potential business just waiting to be tapped. Make sure that you contact them with a special offer that incentivised them to book an appointment with you for the very first time. Mailbox Marketing An often overlooked strategy is delivering professionally designed special offers to homes and mailboxes in your area. Please note that this strategy does require a long term commitment. Start small, start with placing 1000 printed offers in home mailboxes and P.O.Boxes in your neighbourhood, but make sure you stay committed and do it on a consistent basis. Facebook and Website Marketing If you are not on the web then your target market just can t find you. It is as simple as that! Get your specials on the web as fast as possible! 3. Recurring Monthly Marketing Systems Anniversary & Birthday Marketing Every month, you have customers on your database who celebrate either birthday or anniversary. Make sure that you give these clients a ready-made special offer. (Not a discount!) Send it to all clients celebrating their birthday or Anniversary in September. In a future Knowledge for Nail tech s blog post, Magnetic will teach you how to use birthdays and anniversaries to put money in your bank account. Prodigal Clients On your customer database you have clients that haven t been to your Nail Business for a couple of weeks or maybe even a couple of months. It is really quite easy to reactivate these clients. All you need to do is get out of your comfort zone and contact them with a special offer for clients who haven t been Nailed recently. Contact these clients as a matter of urgency!!. They will come back, they will do business with you and they will put money in your bank account. 5
Staff Rebooking Challenge Start now with an internal rebooking competition between Nail Tech s and Staff Members. See who can rebook the most customers for the months of October and November! 4. Marketing Ideas and events in September Secretary s Day 2 Sept 2015 Rosh Hashanah 13 15 Sept 2015 Friday the 13th Fri 13 Sept 2013 Rugby World Cup Starts Sat 19 Sept Change of Season Mon 21 Sept 2015 Heritage Day Thurs 24 Sept 2015 Fri 25 Sept 2015 5. Other Promotions Set your employees a retail product sales challenge. Get any and all of your suppliers involved. Make sure that they do sales training before the challenge begins so that staff retails as much as possible. 6. Your To do list for next month s marketing: Start writing the content for your October newsletter now. Don t leave it till the last minute. Send newsletter to printer by end of this month deliver first week of next month Make a list of Octobers birthdays and anniversaries to send letters in first week of next month Choose local small businesses to approach for next month s business of month promo. I.e. florist, Real Estate Agent, Plumber etc Prepare next month s Rebooking challenge and talk to staff about it in meeting 6
1. Existing Clients Marketing Your October newsletter If you were prepared and organised, you would have started writing your October newsletter in September. If the idea of a newsletter scares you, don t be afraid you don t have to do the work all by yourself, get your staff involved. How many of your competitors send out a monthly newsletter? The answer none. That s why you have to do it. Make sure you include vouchers and special offers in your newsletter. Post your newsletter to your top 100 clients and email it to everyone else. Monthly SMS & Email Campaigns Send out at least 2 SMS / WhatsApp campaigns in October. Send out one on the 25 th of the month (this is payday for your clients and you will get a good response for bookings) Send out another SMS / WhatsApp promotion just before the middle of the month so that you don t have a middle of the month slump. Marketing Ideas for October There are some great marketing opportunities for the month of October. Firstly, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, highlight this in every promotion you run. The Rugby World Cup is here and don t forget Bosses Day, Pay Day promotions and Halloween. 2. New Client Marketing If you are serious about building a successful Nail Business, then you must have a list of all the new clients who have visited your business over the last thirty days. You must also have a list of people who phoned to enquire about your services but have not yet bought from you. There people need special attention and love from you, your staff and your business. There people are potential business just waiting to be tapped. Make sure that you contact them with a special offer that incentivised them to book an appointment with you for the very first time. Mailbox Marketing An often overlooked strategy is delivering professionally designed special offers to homes and mailboxes in your area. Please note that this strategy does require a long term commitment. Start small, start with placing 1000 printed offers in home mailboxes and P.O.Boxes in your neighbourhood, but make sure you stay committed and do it on a consistent basis. Facebook and Website Marketing If you are not on the web then your target market just can t find you. It is as simple as that! Get your specials on the web as fast as possible! 7
3. Recurring Systems Anniversary & Birthday Marketing Every month, you have customers on your database who celebrate either birthday or anniversary. Make sure that you give these clients a ready-made special offer. (Not a discount!) Send it to all clients celebrating their birthday or Anniversary in September. In a future Knowledge for Nail tech s blog post, Magnetic will teach you how to use birthdays and anniversaries to put money in your bank account. Prodigal Clients On your customer database you have clients that haven t been to your Nail Business for a couple of weeks or maybe even a couple of months. It is really quite easy to reactivate these clients. All you need to do is get out of your comfort zone and contact them with a special offer for clients who haven t been Nailed recently. Staff Rebooking Challenge Start now with an internal rebooking competition between Nail Tech s and Staff Members. See who can rebook the most customers for the months of November and December! 4. To do list for next month s marketing: Start promoting Christmas Vouchers now to existing clients Start telling clients that you are already taking bookings for December. Let them know when you are closing for the holidays and that space is limited. Book ad with local newspaper for new client Christmas promotion Start thinking of Christmas Marketing ideas Write November newsletter copy Send newsletter to printer by end of this month deliver first week of next month Make a list of November birthdays to send sms and or an email to them in the first week of next month Prepare next month s Christmas Voucher sales challenge and talk to staff about it in meeting 5. Marketing Ideas and events in October Breast Cancer Awareness Month Tue 1 Oct 2015 National Bosses Day Wed 16 Oct 2015 Rugby World Cup Sat 19 Sept 2015 Pay Day Fri 25 Oct 2015 Halloween Thurs 31 Oct 2013t 8
Did you know that most retailers in South Africa like Woolies, Pick n Pay and Clicks start their Christmas Marketing in October already. Get ready for the Christmas rush, don t start marketing too late!! 1. Existing Clients Marketing Your November Newsletter If you were prepared and organised, you would have started writing your November newsletter in October. This month, get help from your suppliers, ask them for articles that you can add into your newsletter. Make sure you include vouchers and special offers in your newsletter. Post your newsletter to your top 100 clients and email it to everyone else. Monthly SMS & Email Campaigns Send out at least 2 SMS / WhatsApp campaigns in November. Send out one on the 25 th of the month (this is payday for your clients and you will get a good response for bookings) Send out another SMS / WhatsApp promotion just before the middle of the month so that you don t have a middle of the month slump. Marketing Strategies for November Once again, November is packed full with sales and marketing opportunities. Be creative with Guy Fawkes promotions as well as marketing for the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. But, most importantly, push Early Bird Christmas Voucher Sales to every client who books an appointment for nails. Once again, don t forget to send out promotions via WhatsApp / SMS on payday before 10am in the morning. 2. New Client Marketing Make a list of all the new clients who have visited your business over the last thirty days. Make it a priority to send your Christmas promotions to all new clients. 3. Recurring Systems Mailbox Marketing An often overlooked strategy is delivering professionally designed special offers to homes and mailboxes in your area. Please note that this strategy does require a long term commitment. Start small, start with placing 1000 printed offers in home mailboxes and P.O.Boxes in your neighbourhood, but make sure you stay committed and do it on a consistent basis. Facebook and Website Marketing If you are not on the web then your target market just can t find you. It is as simple as that! Get your specials on the web as fast as possible! 9
Staff Rebooking Challenge Start now with an internal rebooking competition between Nail Tech s and Staff Members. See who can rebook the most customers for the months of December and January. This is a priority most Nail Businesses don t focus on rebooking s at this time of the year and they end up experiencing a very slow January after their clients come back from the December Holidays. If you want a busy January, start making bookings for January in your diary now. 4. To do list for next month s marketing: Develop & design Christmas packages for existing clients Prepare your corporate vouchers for gift voucher promotion Write December newsletter copy Send newsletter to printer by end of this month deliver first week of next month Make a list of December birthdays and anniversaries Choose businesses to approach for next month s business of month promo Prepare next month s Retail challenge and talk to staff about it in meeting 10