From a salon business point of view, the power of the mobile phone lies in the fact that almost every single one of your clients, right this minute, is carrying one in their hand, in their pocket, in their handbag, or sitting in the console of their car.
It’s the ONLY form of media that millions of people carry with them 24 hours a day. And you can reach them on it, hundreds of them, with a short, but carefully-worded little message, called SMS.
Few salon owners use SMS effectively, or often enough. Yet those who do can reap massive Return on Investment.
Case in point: Paula Cliffin of My Skin Spa in Birkdale, QLD.
Here’s what Paula did;
First, she extracted from her salon’s software system a list of names and mobile phone numbers, totalling 450.
Second, she signed up to a web-based mass-text service, called SMS Global (www.smsglobal.com). You don’t have to do this if your software system will send out text messages cheaply. The total costs of text messages for this entire campaign was a paltry $150.
Third, she crafted her first SMS offer. Here’s what it read:
OFFER #1: “Hi {*Given Name*}, check out this great offer from MySkinSpa, lose guaranteed inches with a Fat Cav trial valued $265 for only $119, 6 spots this week only. Phone 3822 6166!”
Then, she pressed the ‘Send’ button, and amazing things happened. The phone started ringing off the hook.
Twelve bookings. With upsells, total revenue a staggering $3,137.
The very next week, Paula did another SMS, this time to a smaller number, about 400, since some of those from the first blast had requested to be taken off the list.
OFFER #2 ” Treat yourself to a MySkinSpa performance brand facial, eye treatment & hand or foot ritual, value $115, this week only $65. Be quick ph 3822 6166. 10 available.”
Fifteen responded, spending a total of $1,564 including retail.
Encouraged, Paula overcame her natural reticence about ‘harrassing’ her clients, and in Week Three, she sent the following to a list which now numbered about 380:
OFFER #3: “{*Given Name*} feel like 21 again with MySkinSpa’s NEW non surgical facelift, normally $250 only $120, limited time – first 10 callers. Call now 3822 6166.”
Response: ten bookings for $1,200 in sales.
TOTAL COST OF SMS CAMPAIGN: $150
TOTAL REVENUE: $5,901
But there’s a caveat to this: no point in dreaming up the most effective SMS campaign – or any other marketing campaign – if your in-salon Sales Prevention Department is in fine tune. To avoid this, Paula treated the whole exercise like a military operation. Before sending each SMS, Paula completed a Staff Template, which set out to all staff exactly what was happening, and what was expected of them.
Members can download Paula’s template here.
“It worked like a charm,” says Paula. “The staff did exactly as I expected, upselling retail and extra treatments and courses of treatments.
“I was thrilled with the success of the whole campaign. When I first joined WSM and my husband took a look at the marketing templates and ad suggestions, he scoffed at them, said they were so ‘tacky’ and ‘unprofessional’ looking.
“But his tune changed as the figures started coming in,” she laughed. “The return has been fantastic. Thanks so much – I really needed that ‘harden the f*** up’ pill.”