How to create irresistible special offers – Part 2
Following on from my last post, on “How to create irresistible special offers – Part 1” we looked at the BIGGEST mistake Salon Owners make in their marketing. It is a massive mistake to think that a discount is a compelling offer. As I pointed out last week, discounting is a horrible business practice that is used by desperate Salon Owners who resort to attracting clients to their salon on price alone. Not only that, discounting communicates the wrong message about your business and it attracts the wrong type of customers.
But enough about discounting, let’s take a look at another common marketing mistake. Once again we are going to look at real adverts from South African newspapers and magazines. Names, logos and contact numbers have been blanked out because it is the sincere intention of this blog to educate, empower and enlighten, not embarrass or humiliate. Take a look at the following ads.
Death by bullet points
Mistake # 2: Confusing a bulleted list of services with a special offer
Don’t make the mistake of confusing your advertising with your business card. This mistake is usually the result of listening to the bad advice of an advertising Sales Rep. Sales Reps will tell you that if you want to create a great ad, just put in your Salon Logo, a pretty picture and a bulleted list of services. That’s bad advice. That’s not an advert, that’s a business card and business cards don’t sell – they introduce. You might be thinking, well Vaughan I need to build my brand and introduce my Salon to my Market. That’s a load of BULL. As a small business owner, you don’t have the time or money to waste on brand building. Brand building doesn’t put money in the bank or get your scheduler full!
Remember the definition of an advert that I gave you in last week’s post. Advertising is Salesmanship. Your advert must do the work of a Sales Rep (create sales and profit) Imagine hiring a Sales Rep and after 3 months of paying him a salary he hasn’t sold very much. When you ask him why sales are bad he responds by saying, “Don’t worry, I am building your brand.” Would you keep him on staff? Of course not! That Sales Rep is costing you time, money and missed opportunities. The same principles apply to your Advertising!
A list of services is not a compelling offer. Bulleted lists don’t move consumers to pick up the phone and book an appointment. Think about it, what are these adverts offering the reader? Nothing because there is no offer. To make an offer means “to propose, to present and to suggest.” There is nothing being proposed, presented or suggested. There are no benefits, no solutions to the customer’s needs and problem. There is no emotion, no sense of urgency and no engaging story. There is nothing irresistible or compelling in this kind of ad. In short, all that a bulleted list tells your prospect is, “these guys do pretty much the same stuff as all the other Salons in the area do.”
This kind of advert is what I call “Me marketing.” It talks about me, my products, my services and my Salon. The focus is totally wrong. The focus is on the Salon and the ad is full of technical jargon that only well trained Therapists understand. What the heck is Zeltic Coolsculpting, Ulthera Skin Lifting? Holy cow, that sounds painful!! What on earth is Ultrapeel Pepita Microdermabrasion? How many women in South Africa jumped out of bed this morning excited having their skin lifted or needled? Here’s an extremely important principle to keep in mind when you create your adverts, “DON’T TELL THEM WHAT YOU DO, TELL THEM WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM!” Sell the benefits, not the features.
Here’s another problem, adverts like this are trying to do too much. One advert cannot sell 15 different services. Make sure that one ad sells on thing. Be targeted, be specific. Aim at a precise, defined type of consumer and then “sell like hell.” Grab their attention with your headline, put your finger on their problem and show them that you have the solution. Take away their fear and risk by guaranteeing the prospect that your solution works. Prove that it works by using customer testimonials and then create a sense of urgency by using scarcity. Lastly, ask them for a commitment with your call to action.
Next week I will complete the series on how to create compelling, irresistible special offer. Make sure that you don’t miss next weeks post because I am going to show you how to increase your prices and get your scheduler full by creating value added offers that your competitors can’t compete against!
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