Online marketing:Why Local Businesses And Service Providers Definitely Need Email Marketing!Part Two
As you previously discovered in part one of this ongoing series, about “how” extremely savvy offline small business owners and or service providers, can and definitely should start aggressively taking more advantage, of some of the many untapped online marketing opportunities that are readily available to them!
If nothing else, in order to lower some of their traditional upfront, out of pocket cost and to better leverage themselves through automation.
Case in point:as you also recall in part one, our hypothetical (local offline) women’s hair salon owner, they were able to generate some very respectable gross profits, even with a very small opt in email list of just 173 subscribers!
Most veteran online marketers would practically be in panic mode, if their opt in list only had 173 subscribers,right?Absolutely!
Even though the the all too typical offline small business owner and or service provider, would probably love to have a a couple of thousands subscribers on their list,they have no problem “whatsoever” profiting from “what” they currently have!Do they?
In part two, we’re gonna dig even deeper, to see “how” else they may be able to take advantage of some of the many untapped online marketing possibilities.
So How Do Extremely Savvy Offline Small Business Owners And Service Providers Consistently Take Advantage Of Some Untapped Online Marketing Opportunities?
Now let’s suppose this savvy women’s hair salon owner decides they would like to increase their customer base, and they’d like to somehow pro-actively use email marketing, to help them do it. And keep in mine, while they do currently have a (mobile responsive) WordPress website, and they were even savvy enough to include a blog component to it.
To date they haven’t actually published one piece of content yet! And truth told, they may never!After all, they’re pretty much working 24/7 to successfully run their one modest sized shop, with a total of just six chairs and four hair dryers!
Sure she’s be told a gazillion times, she should be regularly creating some short 5-7 minute “how to” videos, and post on both youtube and her newly created Facebook fan page! Successfully demonstrating some of her most popular and creative hair dressing styles.
But to date, she’s yet to actually do it!But she does recognize, that she can systematically lower her upfront out of pocket cost, simply by strategically using mobile and or email marketing.
And since she’s started actively reading and studying a few of those non traditional small business marketing blogs online, she’s finally decided to try and get her business to the next level or two, by implementing some of “what” she’s being exposed to.
Just Because You’re Not A Marketing Guru Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Be Creative!
Here’s one of the strategies she’s going to at least, inexpensively test.First she will start systematically approaching some of the other local small business women owners/service providers within a minimum 20 block radius of her shop, and (become) a regular customer of theirs first!
Then over time, say within 90 days or so, she’ll ask if they’d like to start getting their hair done for free? If they do, all they have to do is start including a two sided index card, the hair salon owner will pay for.And all the shop keeper does is make sure their cashiers include them in their customers bags as their paying for their purchases and exiting the store.
(The card will basically have some type of “bring this date stamped, time sensitive card back within X number of days, along with a new first time customer over 18 and save X%!”
And side B will drive them to a special lead capture page of their hair salon owner, where they’ll be told to come in by a certain date, for their VIP brand new, first time customer 40% off savings!)
And in exchange for that,the hair salon owner will agree to do their hair for free, plus give all their employees 30% off every service they have done as well!
Here’s where they implement the next part of their long term, unconventional marketing strategy.They will start frequently visiting one of the nearest Cosmetology schools, specifically looking for an upcoming graduate that might be a little older, and who’s only looking to work somewhere between 2-3 days per week max!
(Or else, they periodically place an ad on Craigslist.)
Which is perfect for the shop owner.Because here’s “what” they’re considering, since most hair salons are typically closed (at least) two days per week.
Usually it’s Sunday & Monday,they’d like to offer these two new part time associates those two days each week!Meaning;they’re gonna test being open seven days per week!
Isn’t It Amazing How One Incredibly Simple Adjustment Can Potentially Mean So Much To Your Bottom Line?
And only close on the major holidays like Thanksgiving,Xmas and New Years.Here’s the way they rationalize it; let’s say their current monthly lease payment is $1,500 dollars per month.And since the typical month is four weeks or days 30 days.
That means it basically cost them $50 dollars per day in rent. And since they’re currently closed twice a week or eight days in a four week month or ten days in a five week month.
They’re paying anywhere from $400 to $500 dollars per month, for days they’re not even open!However,by leasing their shop on those eight to ten days,they would otherwise be closed, to these two brand new associates, who basically pay $125 dollars per day each, to lease their chairs!
Irregardless of “how” much or little business they actually do!Now the savvy hair salon owner is grossing (either) an additional $2,000 and or $2,500 more per month!
In essence, the addition of these two brand new associates, now pays their entire monthly lease!Plus leaves a little gross profit to boot!
And they’ll primarily email all the new opt in email subscribers they collect from the other women small business owners and or service providers in the immediate area, who have bee gladly inserting their two sided index card in their customers bags, as they’re exiting the store.
Those new subscribers (initially anyway), will be the ones they primarily use to fill their shop on the two days they’d normally be closed!
Of course they’ll periodically email their current subscribers to make them aware of their brand new shop hours as well!But hopefully, you can see “how” they’ll use their online marketing opportunities, to create some potentially profitable offline marketing possibilities.Pretty cool right?Any questions?
Now as is customary during this part of our show.
Please share your extremely valuable comments (in the comments section below) that you can apply to your business, product or service in the next 30 days or less!
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