Salon Advertising – is this the world’s WORST ad?
by Greg Milner on 18/02/10 at 10:25 am
If you own a salon business or a day spa business, you’ve probably put at least some effort into crafting an ad that might pull some response. Unless you’re equipped with the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit® (or even equipped with the very basics contained in the new Lite program) you’re probably doing it blindfolded with one arm tied behind your back, but I give most salon owners credit for at least having a crack at it.
But this salon deserves to have the earth open up and swallow it whole, never to re-appear. This ad was sent in by long-term Inner Circle member Rebecca Skehan of Gaia Hair in Queensland. Like most Members who’ve been ‘converted’ and educated in the kind of Direct Response marketing we do (the kind that puts so many noses out of joint in the beauty industry), Rebecca has developed a keen eye for the wasteful, nonsensical, slap-dash crap that passes for ‘creativity’.
In fact it’s a burden that many of us carry. Many times, I’ve been taken aside by a member at one of our salon owner conferences, and told
“Greg, your system has ruined my life. Everywhere I go, I see small business advertising that’s so pathetic I’m constantly having to stop myself from going into that business and ‘saving’ them…”
Inner Circle member Rebecca Skehan - like many of our members, troubled by the wasteful nonsense that passes as so much beauty industry advertising
Well folks, suck it up. Knowledge IS a burden. I can never go anywhere and simply switch off. I can’t stop myself looking at an ad, a billboard, a letter, without instantly and consciously analyzing it, wondering what’s it supposed be achieving, critiquing it, mentally re-writing it. But you can’t save people who won’t lift a finger to save themselves.
Whoever ‘wrote’ this ad is clearly desperate, like a cornered animal. But obviously not desperate enough to bother taking the time or putting in the little energy required to find out even a little information on what works in advertising.
And it’s not difficult. Fifteen years ago, you’d have had to get in your car, drive to the library, take out a couple of books, drive home again, and spend hours studying. Now, there’s Google. There’s NO excuse.
Try this yourself: Google ‘direct response advertising’. There’s page after page of people trying to sell you stuff, written by some of the best marketing copywriters on the planet. It’s a veritable university on your desk. If ALL you ever did was study what these guys have written, the structure of the piece, the way it leads the reader down a slippery slope to the Most Wanted Response… and applied even some of it to your own marketing, you’d be that far in front of most of your competition you’d be outta sight.
This particular ad is barely worth spending any time on. Certainly, I doubt any prospective customer did. But a couple of points worth mentioning.
One, it’s clear ‘distress selling’. May as well hire a megaphone, stand on your salon’s roof and shout “Hey, we’re starving, there’s really nothing going for us at all, but we’re really cheap!”
Second, the most important thing about any print ad is it’s headline. If the best you can come up with is the name of your salon, go flush your marketing money down the toilet.
Lastly, this ad begs for cheap clients, who’ll only ever want to spend five bucks. It has absolutely zero redeeming features. If I owned a salon nearby, I’d have a big sign out front that says
“We Fix $5 Haircuts”
Good grief. People like this don’t deserve the luxury of having customers.
FOOTNOTE: Even among our own Inner Circle members, there are always a few who are not long for this world. One, who joined the program recently, moaned and whined during a coaching call today that “no, I haven’t even opened the Toolkit, I haven’t been on the Members Only site, and anyway my business is different, this kind of stuff won’t work for me, and in any case I don’t want to do any of this marketing stuff, I want it all done for me…”
Sometimes, losers manage to weasel their way through a crack in our usually well-tuned Loser Filter.
If you are NOT a certifiable loser, can justify why we should accept you into the Inner Circle program, and think you can handle the ‘burden’ of knowing what works while getting aggravated with (other people’s) marketing that doesn’t, then you should apply to be one of only 30 salons we accept into the program each month (out of about 100 that apply). Here’s where you go to find out more and fill in the Pre-Application Survey.
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A post by Greg Milner The odd idea, a bit of prodding, a nudge here and there, a little fun, and the occasional dose of brutal reality. Greg is co-founder and CEO of Worldwide Salon Marketing, a writer, direct response marketing consultant, specialist marketing systems adviser and coach. He (sometimes) accepts private consulting clients. |
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Stephen
Feb 18th, 2010
Hey Greg,
Maybe we should add a section to the members only area for members to send in any terrible ads like this they find, it would be a great point of reference how not to do things and at the same time provide a bit of a giggle.
Regards,
Stephen
Tracey
Feb 18th, 2010
Greg, that’s terrible. What was she thinking?? It made me think of a conversation I had with a couple of salon owners (hair & beauty) over coffee Monday. They were all so busy bitching about “how quiet it is”, “how back to school is killing them” “staff let them down” blah blah moan moan instead of at work DOING stuff to bring in the dollars. Don’t whinge, don’t bitch, don’t drop your prices… do some marketing. Needless to say I rave about you guys and these salons are too tight/afraid/stupid to fork out the $$ to join but want to just drop their prices. Just can’t help some people. I felt like gouging them in the eyes with a blunt spoon. I didn’t bother to mention that we launched a $399 mini package (in these tight back to school economic times – their collective words) and sold 10 in 2 days so far. Extra $4k in two days for a few sms’s, an email and in salon promo. God some people just want but don’t want to DO! Oops a bit harsh of me but why would you offer $5 haircuts or whinge the world is coming to an end but not sign up to get help from people like you guys. Go figure!
Greg says:
Tracey the harsh reality is that 80% of people would rather stay comforted by their own moaning about ‘how tough things are’ than get out of their own way to change their circumstances. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about them. Let ‘em suffocate in their own dog poo.
Michael Curtis
Feb 18th, 2010
Geez Tracey…
You’re brutal…but I love your frank and honest approach….very refreshing and spot on.
Muriel Davis
Feb 19th, 2010
I like your response Greg, “we fix $5 haircuts” I may use that in my new website, if I may, I have had to fix many eye brows, nails etc, ruined by others. Good on you Tracey, I agree, I believe “if it’s to be it’s up to me”. The only time I am ‘sitting’ lately is folding thousands of flyers for the Hollywood Womens Package. I had the first customer today, she loved it!! In the lite program – I certainly am busy preparing lists etc. thank you Greg.!!! Muriel, Sydney.
David
Feb 20th, 2010
2nd worst Greg…
One of my competitiors a little while ago put an ad in the local paper.
Headline was “looking for a new barber”
Had a lovely picture of his staff , and the salon name at the bottom.
No call, No phone number, no contact details no even his address. Zip. I wish I had cut it out so I can send it to you.
Naturally, I had to shake my head in dismay. Being a competitor of mine I am not about to go down there and tell him how to do it…in fact, it makes me happy to see such pathetic, poor excuses for marketing campaigns.
Michael
Feb 22nd, 2010
Hi Greg,
What’s the difference between a $5 haircut and the free haircut you suggest we offer as part of your “Raise the Dead” letters?
As far as I can see the only difference is that in your letters the reason is explained – to get you back into the salon – but why can’t you have a reason for offering $5 haircuts (“We’re Celebrating 5 years in business by giving away $5 haircuts”, for example)? Is it offering $5 haircuts you object to, or the way it is done (or both!)?
Greg says: it’s the way it’s been done. This ad is based SOLELY on price, a dangerous and ultimately self- fulfilling strategy. If you’re going to use price as bait at least disguise it with solid ‘reason why’ copy. In fact there’s really nothing attractive about this ad at all, apart from the price. It reeks of desperation, of ‘distress selling’, and it appeals only to those who buy on price. Are those the kind of customers you really want?
Gail Smith
Feb 24th, 2010
Well said Tracey! I have to agree, I am tired of hearing people whinge about how slow their business is – all because they don’t bother doing anything to change it. I have two businesses in my centre at the moment closing and one on the verge of bankruptcy – all because they did NOTHING to change what they doing day after day. I have just sold a 8 week skin challenge package for $1,400 to 8 clients and am putting together a fantastic valued but exclusive membership for my hair and beauty salon and people are excited! $5.00 hair cuts – very amusing!