Author Topic: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding  (Read 3644 times)

skippy

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Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« on: August 14, 2017, 06:12:26 AM »
I own a brick and mortar small business where we have to cover rent, utilities, and pay employees as part of our costs.  We also have to do a lot of advertising so people know where we are and actually want to come in and see us.  I know the old saying is 'you have to spend money to make money', but we are still new and I don't want to take out a huge business loan right now(ever!). I'm wondering if any other mustachian minded people have stumbled across new ideas for how to really get peoples attention in ways that don't break the bank.  Thanks!


  Danielle

SC93

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2017, 10:48:46 AM »
A couple of things.... I know this is just a message board but look around and you will see this problem in advertising..... spelling. It might not be THAT important here but if you can't even do it correct here, just think of the money wasted on words that are not spelled correctly. Not a huge thing but just be aware.

'New' ways to bring in customers. Most 'new' ways are always money drainers. And let's say there is a 'new' way to advertise, how did the other person do it? Let's take Facebook for example, I know 20 people that have advertised on Facebook. 18 of them say it sucked, 1 says it did a little bit of good and the other guy says it kicks ass! Now me personally, I know what the 1 guy that says it kicked ass did but do you? I'm guessing not because if you did you wouldn't be on here asking about advertising. So you can get information on how to advertise but nowadays using internet advertising is all about knowing how to do it for YOUR business, not someone else's business down the street. It really is all about YOU when using internet advertising.

Smokystache

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2017, 06:47:11 AM »
I'm assuming you're referring to your massage therapy business from another post.

Given that this is such a personal business (where the customer really needs to feel comfortable with the provider), I'd recommend going with situations where you give mini-massages and hand out business cards. I guess there may be some people who go get a massage without knowing who will be doing the work, but I'd be really hesitant to do that. Asking a business if you can set up a chair and do 15 minute head & neck massages will give you enough face-time to establish trust and then they'll feel more comfortable making a paid appointment.

The other thing I'd recommend is making sure your website does a great job of introducing the massage therapists. Make them seem like real people. Try to find a balance between professional (listing trainings, areas of expertise) as well as enough personal details to make them seem relatable (loves her dog - Coco, spends his time running marathons, etc.). And I think pictures of the therapists are a must.

Also, include information relevant for first-massage clients. Brainstorm all the questions you get from friends, family, and first-time clients and then create a FAQ page and feature a link prominently on your home page. Do everything you can to show that you understand that getting a first massage is a big step of trust - and that you will do everything possible to make them comfortable. I think some massage therapists focus a lot on the health benefits - and I'm not downplaying that. Certainly mention that too. But most people already know that massage is helpful and just plain feels good. But what keeps people from making the appointment (at least it would keep me) is feeling comfortable in this very different situation where someone is touching me.

Best of luck!

skippy

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2017, 08:11:31 AM »
Stubble:  I DID try FB, and yes it was horrible and such a money drain.  I think people are so inundated with messages, emails, news flashes etc, that it doesn't even register in their brain anymore. 

It is a very specific kind of advertising I'm after, but some people in the forum may have stumbled upon less costly options in terms of marketing, or even other ways to lower the overhead on office supplies, equipment, utilities, internet, etc.

skippy

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2017, 08:14:59 AM »
Smokystache, i'll definitely try to update the website with more personable info about our therapists.  I have some FAQ set up, but it would probably help to expand on that and elaborate all the pros.  We have done a lot of outreach and volunteer events where we do massages and hand out cards.  I've been looking into the option of going into businesses, but as i'm still employed full time it's a bit of an issue to coordinate everything.

Thanks!

I'm assuming you're referring to your massage therapy business from another post.

Given that this is such a personal business (where the customer really needs to feel comfortable with the provider), I'd recommend going with situations where you give mini-massages and hand out business cards. I guess there may be some people who go get a massage without knowing who will be doing the work, but I'd be really hesitant to do that. Asking a business if you can set up a chair and do 15 minute head & neck massages will give you enough face-time to establish trust and then they'll feel more comfortable making a paid appointment.

The other thing I'd recommend is making sure your website does a great job of introducing the massage therapists. Make them seem like real people. Try to find a balance between professional (listing trainings, areas of expertise) as well as enough personal details to make them seem relatable (loves her dog - Coco, spends his time running marathons, etc.). And I think pictures of the therapists are a must.

Also, include information relevant for first-massage clients. Brainstorm all the questions you get from friends, family, and first-time clients and then create a FAQ page and feature a link prominently on your home page. Do everything you can to show that you understand that getting a first massage is a big step of trust - and that you will do everything possible to make them comfortable. I think some massage therapists focus a lot on the health benefits - and I'm not downplaying that. Certainly mention that too. But most people already know that massage is helpful and just plain feels good. But what keeps people from making the appointment (at least it would keep me) is feeling comfortable in this very different situation where someone is touching me.

Best of luck!

SC93

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2017, 10:41:11 AM »
You tried facebook but facebook was not the problem. The problem was that YOU don't know how to use facebook. I make thousands from facebook ads every week. I spent hours reading and put together 1 good thing from this person and 1 good thing from that person and then put them all together and figured out how to make facebook work for ME. You can do the same if you are truly serious about your business.

What I find amazing is that people spend all kinds of crazy money on brick and mortar businesses before they know how to market their business. I bet thousands of people do this daily. People think that just because they have 100 hammers to sell, someone will show up and buy them. They don't understand that having 100 hammers is easy.... learning how to get people to buy them is the trick. Or let's take in your case massage. Just because you know how to massage doesn't mean you know how to run a massage business. Massages are the easy part for you. What you needed to do was learn how to market and advertise and basically know the ins and outs of your business before you actually go in to business. So hopefully in the future someone will see this before they jump head first in to something they don't know anything about.

skippy

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2017, 09:57:51 AM »
Or maybe FB works great for some kinds of businesses but not others? Or maybe it works great in some parts of the country?  Useful advice would be great.  Berating me for mistakes I've already made is not necessary.

I am very well aware that there was a lot I should have known before starting out, but since i've already started all I can do is learn as I go. 

SC93

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2017, 12:49:43 PM »
Me, me, me. As I said above, "So hopefully in the future someone will see this before they jump head first in to something they don't know anything about".

You are correct, FB advertising just like any type of advertising won't work for quite everything. But, it would work great for a massage business. And again, you are correct, in a place like Hazard, Kentucky it probably wouldn't work too well because with all the tall mountains around internet is very hard to come by there. But as long as you are in a place where you can get internet, you should be able to rake in the cash.

I remember when I first went in to the residential cleaning business I was soft. I quickly realized that if I was going to be the biggest and best in my city (at the time) I had to toughen up, so I did. This was back when only a few people had the internet and there was only 1 forum for cleaning on the internet and it had been going about a year when I found it. There was this old man named Dave, I hated him with a passion. But there another guy named Ken who was friends with both of us. Ken told me to go back and read everything Dave had ever posted so I did. Even to this day I think Dave was an (*) but I learned a lot from him. So toughen up that skin and get out there and learn how to make your business the best in your city. You can.... it just depends if you choose to put the effort in or not. Or, give me 15% of all sales and I will make you the best in your city. :)
« Last Edit: August 21, 2017, 12:52:49 PM by SC93 »

SC93

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2017, 11:31:51 PM »
I'll give 1 hint about FB ads. Do you notice how a lot of times on here I tell a story? Great salespeople do that a lot. FB gets warm and fuzzy when a story is told and they reward you for it in many ways. One of those ways is that you get cheaper click rates. Now how to tell the story, where to place the story and all the other work is up to you if you choose to use FB or any internet ads. Learning how to use the internet to your best advantage is really what counts in today's marketing and advertising. Without knowing or paying someone a lot of money to do it for you, you will have this sign in the window.... Sorry, We're CLOSED! For you in particular, you took the time to learn how to be a massage therapist, now take the time to learn how to be a business owner.

Once you learn how to write a great story and where to place the story, I think a massage business could be busting at the seams with clients.

The campaign in a whole has to be laid out. Your ads, your landing page and your audience all need to match and have common ground. A winning FB ad isn't just something typed up and thrown out with a wing and a prayer.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2017, 11:49:59 PM by SC93 »

HipGnosis

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2017, 04:42:21 AM »
Me, me, me. As I said...
OMG.  You are so obviously a salesman.  You don't seem to have a bit of empathy to the OP.   Which makes your 'stories' useless (to the OP).

To the OP;  look into Guerrilla marketing.   It's an advertisement strategy concept to market products or services in unconventional ways with very low budget.

SC93

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #10 on: August 23, 2017, 12:28:37 PM »
Empathy? I thought she was talking about her business, not her personal life.....???

Guerrilla marketing has been dead for a few years now but back in it's hay day it was KING!! Guerrilla marketing is what made me my money so I know it like the back of my hand (and my palm). Jay Conrad Levinson did a great job at putting it all together in a book.

As for HipGnosis, I can say this with confidence by seeing what you wrote, when you have made as much or more than I have with both Guerrilla Marketing & Facebook, then you can tell me how to do things and at that time, I will listen. You sound like a 4 year old trying tell an adult how to drive the car. I (or anyone that knows how it works) can do more with $20 in 2 days on the internet than you could do with $2000 in 2 weeks off the internet. No need to get puckered up, it took me a few years to get off the Guerrilla Marketing bandwagon as well.

As for useless...... I'd love to tell you a few things about useless but I'll be nice. Let's compare bank statements and net worth in private messenger if you would like. If you can prove me wrong you can take a picture of me kissing a gorilla's (*) and post on here. Get it..... a gorilla's (*) (Guerrilla). Sorry, I figured I might need to explain that to you as well. :)

ElleFiji

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2017, 08:34:09 PM »
Hi skippy!

Are you in a region where massage therapy is healthcare, or spa? I'm in a place where it's healthcare, but the messaging from some businesses gets confusing.

I would look at the messaging, branding etc. of successful massage chains near you AND of successful spas/salons or medical centres/pharmaceuticals (pick the one that's more applicable), then combine the best of both.

If you're looking at facebook ads, you may need to make sure that you have an online purchase option.

Smokystache

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Re: Mustachian Advertising and Markeding
« Reply #12 on: August 24, 2017, 07:19:54 AM »
You may have tried this already, but see if you can make your message more specific. It can sound counter-intuitive because it seems like you may be narrowing your scope, but specificity is what gets people's attention and turns them into buyers.

For example, some massage therapy centers may focus on "relaxation" - which sounds good - we all want to experience more relaxation, right? But it is also pretty generic. What about focusing your message on some specific audiences and their problems. (I'm making up examples, of course, you're the expert at what massage therapy can do):

- Research suggests that regular exercise reduces migraines (I'm assuming this is true, you might reference a specific source/study)
- reduces post-surgery pain and improves circulation
- improves recovery after exercise (advertise in conjunction with a local marathon, triathalon, etc.)
- reduces insomnia and improves sleep

People won't necessarily pay for "reduced stress," but they will pay for having a few less migraines or being able to get a restful night sleep. Having satisfied customers mention specific benefits related to their needs.

You could do this with specific copy in your FB ads, information on your website, email, direct mail, visits to specific locations/offices.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!