As seen above there are many methods of promotion. In recent research I found out that social media was considered as being very important for the running of a business, in the 2011 social media report seen in graph 2, when they asked marketers if they used social media to market their business, the overwhelmingly majority (93%) indicated that they used the media for marketing purposes. Also as seen in the graph it is clear that there are many benefits of social media marketing.
Furthermore there are different types of advertising such as; informative advertising includes the advertisements that aim to provide the customer with information about the product. This form of advertisement informs the customer about the various features and the benefits of using the product. Persuasive Advertising - The objective of this form of advertisements is to persuade the consumer to buy a particular product or employ a service offered. It usually includes some attractive additional features or special offers that will further entice the customer to buy a product and the list goes on. These methods are important because in a successful business, advertising play an essential and important role. Though advertising does not mean selling of products and services but it helps in increasing your sales. Inbound and Outbound marketing is also a debateable method of promotion. Outbound marketing, the traditional mode of marketing a business, was the primary way to advertise a business over a decade ago. Companies relied on interruption based methods of promotion using print ads (newspaper and magazine). These forms of marketing were accepted and effective prior to the widespread adoption of the internet. Due to the negative feelings held by many, outbound marketing methods have become very expensive. It is often necessary to distribute tens or hundreds of thousands of messages to generate even a handful of warm leads. Consumers are masters of avoiding outbound marketing interruptions. They have caller id on their phones to prevent unsolicited telephone calls, integrated spam/junk email filters to weed out unwanted emails, and DVR boxes to skip past TV commercials. In graph 3 of 2012 state of inbound marketing in the U.S it shows that outbound marketing expenses have shot up therefore inbound techniques of promoting would be more beneficial and money saving. Inbound marketing focuses on preparing your marketing message in a way that makes your business easily found when consumer search. The goal is to engage with people rather than interrupt them. Some examples of inbound marketing techniques that attract new customers are Organic Online Placement – Millions of people every day search for product and services to purchase on Google and other search engines. To remain competitive, businesses reach these potential customers using organic SEO to obtain good placements for their website and social media properties. Paid Search Ads – In addition to organic placement and content creation, businesses purchase advertisements that display their products and services in search. In the pie chart (graph 4) it is clearly visible that 70% of people using the internet use organic links and not the paid, this shows that it is a greater way to raise business awareness and help improve the promotion element of the marketing mix. When these search engine marketing ads are linked to a well-designed marketing website the results can be spectacular. However there is still an argument over whether organic online placement is better, in my opinion I think it is because it’s free, more traffic (80% clicks) and it’s longer lasting.
Although there are different methods of promotion, I think the following various methods will help to improve the promotion element in the marketing mix for the ‘Extreme Hair Team’. The ‘Referrals’ method is effective, Word of Mouth marketing will be the most powerful, cost-effective and effortless marketing you can take advantage of for increased business and profits. The more referral systems you have in place, the higher likelihood of your clients, associates, suppliers and prospects (yes even prospects as you communicate with them on a regular basis via your monthly newsletter!) referring new business to you. They are usually at no cost and even if you are offering a bonus or giveaway, there is only a cost if you receive a successful referral. Given the lifetime value of a client, this is a very small cost. There are some you will run continuously and some that you implement during special periods or for limited availability. Here are some examples of referral systems:
- Referral card on the back of appointment cards to give to your clients
- Referral link in your monthly online newsletter
- Referral section in your client surveys
- Vouchers/coupons for 1st time visitors to give to your clients upon payment or included in mailers
However referrals do have a disadvantage for example when someone gets a card they tend to glance at it and then dispose of it. This could lead to a business’s downfall as there cards are not being used. Also today’s generation don’t always read the newspaper either because they get bored or they just cannot be bothered, this again could lead to less customers.
More methods of promoting also include A Niche Strategy to focus your Marketing efforts. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Focus on your specific niche. Know what makes you different from your competitors. Analyse your competitor's strengths and weaknesses. Offer more value by differentiating your specific treatments and results. One of the biggest niche strategy advantages is the ability to quickly become a dominant player your specific area of expertise. There are salons that cater specifically for rejuvenation, slimming, tanning, hair design, waxing and massage. Niche marketing can be a focused strategy at a niche group such as pregnant women, teenagers, couples, men. Also Add-On Services can be used. Increase your revenues on a daily basis by offering “add on” services for clients who are already receiving treatment. This can be added to your greeting upon your client check in. “Would you like to try our hot oil treatment? We have a promotional offer today.” For male clients, it may be “Would you like our express nose-hair trimming along with your haircut today?” This is a low cost, high return strategy. A way to approach a client with an add-on service may start with seeking permission by asking “Do you mind if I suggest a product or service…to you today?” This is called “upselling” to a client already purchasing. If 20 clients walk through your door per day for an appointment and you upsell only 2 of them (10%), over an aggregate period of 3 months, you can work out how much extra revenue this mean for you. Another method of promotion is Blogging, as seen in the graph 5, 92% of blog users who go on multiple times a day aquire a customer through their blog. Also in one of the researches I found out that B2C companies that blogged had 88% more leads than those who do not (this can be seen in graph 6). However in a research carried out in march 2012 the results shown in graph 7 show that Facebook is effective for B2C customer aquisation because a staggering 77% of users aquired a customer through it whereas only 60% of Company Blog users aquired a customer, this could also be the reason why the business I have chosen is promoting well by using Facebook, also as the ‘Extreme Hair Team’ is a business to consumer company it may need to just tweek the way it uses Facebook andd make it more visible that the are on a social networking site . Finally Effective Words that Sell could be used. Copywriting is the use of words to promote your salon and spa. You know the saying, "It's not what you say, but how you say it. You can tell clients we cut hair, do facial and waxing. Or you can start defining your product or service in a whole new light. Literally turn the spot light on what you say.
Before: We sell xyz products
After: The Best Clinically Proven Anti-ageing Formulation for Fine Lines and Wrinkles.
Before: We do Facials
After: Our Facials will rejuvenate your Skin, Leaving it Looking Radiantly Healthy and Feeling Absolutely Fabulous.
Every word in every single message, advert and presentation forms a perception, either good or bad. Choose your words wisely. Too many salon and spa owners study what the competition is doing and do and say the same. Make you words count; make them unique, succinct, persuasive, enticing, juicy and delicious.
To conclude, in my opinion, I think that a Niche Strategy and Blogging should be used for the business I chose because in both the methods it is clear that there are a lot of successes and few disadvantages. The ‘Niche’ is better than other methods because you don’t have to spend a lot of money and it could help to increase repeat purchase which will then help increases ales and hence boost profits. Lastly Blogging could help improve the promotion element because it is a better way than other social networking sites; it’s easily accessible for people of all ages. Also personally I feel that Facebook is not as expressive because fake accounts are usually created and this can lead to misinterpretations with a customer and a business, so blogging is the new way forward for the ‘Extreme Hair Team’.
by
banto123 (student)
