A few months ago, I found a new nail technician and made an appointment.
It’s hard for me not to talk about marketing, so the owner and I started talking. (I think it’s part of a manicurist’s job to listen to their clients during a treatment.)
She had tried a newsletter and offering discount coupons, but it wasn’t successful. People just didn’t use them. She had tried connecting with other similar places in town, but they weren’t interested.
We started talking about both online and offline marketing and I realized that many techniques work for both types of businesses.
How do I get people to come to my place of business — or my site?
We see techniques that large companies use all the time:
- Discount coupons
- Two for the price of one specials
- 1¢ specials (buy one and get a second for 1¢)
- A free gift (how many trips to fast-food restaurants are initiated by kids who want the free prize they saw advertized on TV?)
- and so on
We may try some of these techniques and not get a good result. But, just because one approach doesn’t work doesn’t mean you should give up. For example, if no one ever cashes in your discount certificates, try something else. Maybe the offer of a free gift would work better. Success with special promotions depends on local preferences, your type of business and even the time of year.
The owner had some bottles of nail polish that she was discounting, because she had decided not to carry them any more. I suggested that she use them as gifts to referrers, such as my hairdresser, to thank them — and then ask if they would take a few business cards to give to their clients. She liked that idea. You can use a similar technique online — use merchandise that you have disconted — or e-products that don’t cost you anything — as gifts, whether to customers or people who refer customers. Then ask if they will put a link to your site on their website.
Put your name and contact information on everything!
The owner had some information sheets on proper nail care. I took a few home the first time I visited as well as her business card. But the business card got lost and I had only those information sheets — but they didn’t have her business name or phone number on them, so I had to look it up again. I was motivated, but not everyone is so motivated.
Online, make sure it’s easy for people to get in touch with you. Make sure every web page has a contact link. Use an email system that lets people reply and actually get in touch with you. Have you ever received No-Reply emails and been frustrated by them? Or emails that come from some weird email address like 48e9rom450lwe@emailaddress.com?
You should use your website and email to create relationships, so be there for people to contact you.
Internet marketing is for everyone
Even a brick-and-mortar business can — and should — do Internet marketing. Di you know that many people search for businesses like yours on the Internet? Did you know that Google (and other browsers) know where a searcher is and provide local results?
What does this mean for you?
I asked the nail salon owner to show me what happens when she typed “manicure” in a Google search box. And guess what? Her competitor came up (a hair salon that does nails), but she didn’t.
Remember, when people who live in your town search for “manicure,” they will see results in your home town. Try it now to test it out. Don’t include the name of your town; just use a search term that people might use to search for your business. For a nail salon, that might be:
- manicure
- pedicure
- nail salon
- or something more specific, like “natural nail care”
If your business doesn’t show up, then you need a Google Places Page. It’s free and easy. Just go to this Google page for instructions on how to sign up and verify your business. It can take up to 2 weeks, so what are you waiting for?
What is Google Places for Business?
Google Places for Business is essentially a free web page that Google gives you to advertise your local business. You give your business name, address and phone number, plus a brief description, plus a few other items. Your Google Places page automatically includes a map.
When someone searches for a term that is related to local businesses, a list of local businesses comes up, with red markers showing the locations on the map, as you see here. I’ve searched for skin care and Google knows that I’m in Fairfield, Iowa, so it gives me results in my home town.
If you have a skin care business, you want to show up when people in your town search for skin care! This is very important to your success!
When searchers click one of the links on the left, they go to the Google Places page. Here’s a very simple one for one of the skin care businesses.
As you can see, essential information about the business is on the left, along with the location flagged on the map on the right. This business hasn’t used all the potential of Google Places. You start with the following:
- Company/Organization: This is the official/registered name of your business.
- Address (required): The address should look exactly the way you’d write it on a standard mailing envelope.
- Phone Number (required): Be sure to include the area code with your phone number.
- Website: Your website URL can be a maximum of 255 characters.
But you can add more! Here are the other options:
- Categories: Enter several categories to describe your business, to make it easier for others to find when they search Google
- Hours of operation: Select your hours of operation using the dropdown menus.
- Payment options: Select the checkboxes next to the payment methods that your business accepts.
- Photos: Use the photo uploader to add a photo from your computer, or specify a URL to add a photo from the web. You can add up to 10 photos to your listing.
- Video: To add a video, upload it to YouTube and copy and paste the URL to your Places listing. You can add up to 5 videos to your listing.
- Additional details: Use this section to add custom information fields to your listing. For example, parking availability, or whether your business allows pets.
One important point is that your customers/clients can write reviews. A negative review can have a great effect on your business!
Do you get it? It’s a free website from Google!
You can add photos, videos, text in the form of “additional details,” and more. It’s a goldmine for local businesses.
Google isn’t everything
The other two large search engines are Bing and Yahoo. They have a similar feature:
Leave a comment and let me know if you have used the Google Places feature (and the Bing and Yahoo equivalents) and how it has helped you. Did you see measurable results?