Attracting new business through targeted marketing

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“Too many messages KILLS the message” which is why it is crucial that you think of what the customer sees and hears, whether it is in your salon, social media, newsletter or elsewhere, targeted marketing is key, says Valerie Delforge.. Targeting a certain group of people will ensure that your message is not only consistent but you will be more likely to generate engagement and, therefore, the conversion to buy/book a treatment will increase. In order to understand who your customers are, these are the questions you should be asking yourself: Who are my customers and who do I want to attract? In order to create a constructive influence within your database, you must look at who your clients are. It will then be easier to assess who are the customers you want to attract as you can identify any gaps you might have. By doing this exercise, it is also essential to check what is happening within your community. Perhaps a new school has opened and you want to take the opportunity to welcome new parents or new students. Your marketing and activities will therefore be geared towards that. Now I know who are my clients, what do I do? It is important that you take a step back from all the distractions of the day and really assess what your customer think about your business. Do they love it? Do they think something is missing? Are they telling you about something that you never considered before? For the customers you want to attract then assess whether they know about your salon and if they do know about it, what is the image that you portray out there? Assess their needs This is important as it determines what you want them to think about your salon which ultimately will give you the Marketing ideas that you want to create. Usually by answering the need of the clients, you are able to create a much better targeted and focused program and keep client satisfaction to its maximum. Define your marketing strategy Ensure your strategy is created per quarter, don't leave it to chance as it will not happen or will not be consistent. Think of the 3 Ps: Plan, Prepare and Present. Work with your influencers In each category of clients, you have potential influencers. With your existing clients, your influencers are the ones that work for large corporation, local community activist or active in the Parents Teacher Association, someone with a huge number of followers on their Twitter account, just to mention a few. So what can you do with them to increase your database? It is true that if they are spending money with you there is no way you want to stop that, however, it is essential that you are looking at what could benefit them. An offer that if they introduce five friends they get their favorite treatment free could work wonders, for example. The possibilities are endless, however ensure that the relationship is always beneficial for both of you and reevaluate regularly. Valerie Delforge is founder and CEO of consultancy Delforge + Co www.delforge.co