Any salon business owner knows that you have to spend money to make money. Sometimes, that money goes towards advertising and marketing. Let me correct that sentence, a part of your budget NEEDS to go towards advertising and marketing! So today, I want to have a brief chat about the importance of print advertising.

The key to successful advertising is getting your message in front of the RIGHT people, in the RIGHT place, at the RIGHT time. Not every medium is right for every message or target audience! While some people believe a traditional medium like print is not as valuable these days, I disagree. It’s all about picking the right publication and pairing it with a great message.

Here’s an example. At my salon, Be Inspired Salon in Madison, WI, we specialize in bridal hair and makeup. Because of this, we choose to take out full-page, full color print ads in local wedding publications. We DON’T take out full page, full color print ads for our services in the local newspaper or even a national wedding magazine. Why? We know that we realistically are only going to serve brides in our region, so we want a local publication. We also don’t want to waste money on readers who won’t use our services – like the [majority] of readers of the daily newspaper. By picking a local, wedding specific publication, we are putting our message in front of brides (i.e. the right people) at the right time (i.e. while they are planning their wedding) in the right place (i.e. a magazine they are using for wedding planning)!

But taking out an ad is only one part of the puzzle. Your ad also needs to be effective. And, you won’t be the only vendor with a message. So, if you are going to spend good money on an ad, make sure you take the time (or hire a designer) to help you create an ad that will 1) really jump of the page and grab the reader’s attention 2) successfully get your message across.

By creating an eye-catching ad that has a strong message, you will be using your budget wisely. Another great tip to track performance is to include a promotion code or special offer that only is only included on the ad you take out. That way, if they use it at your salon, you will know the ad worked!

Would you be interested in getting help creating an ad that stands out? Contact us to learn more about receiving a custom, one-to-one branding session for your salon!

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