You know just as much as us how competitive the Nail & beauty industry is... Which is exactly why we wanted to put our money where our mouth is when we preach marketing and creating products for grow.
So... We did. With a simple vision and a whole lot of heart, we converted a small room into a haven for beauty aficionados. We were on a mission to prove that with a little creativity and the right approach, any beauty business could flourish. We've built a full nail room inside our warehouse at Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast, hired a full time Nail Technician, Poppie, then started spending money on marketing our new beauty business.
We started marketing January 1st 2024 and in 4 months up until now, we've spent a total of $2,442 on ads and have got back some really incredible results. Over $25,000+ in fact.
(View Full 6-Figure E-Book Guide Here)
Let's dive straight into our booking system to see the results.
As you can see in our Fresha booking system below, we were able to gain 128 new clients, book 272 appointments and bring in $20,991.19 in revenue just from the bookings alone. This doesn't even include cash bookings and product sales!! This number will be more towards $25,000+ if we included the add-ons.
To be a bit more specific, we ran ads on Google, Facebook & Instagram.
For beauty and nail businesses like us, especially if you're just starting, standing out is a must. Our marketing strategy was nothing complex and definitely someone you could do yourself with a bit of time to learn and test what works for you.
Google AdWords - $922 spent
We began our journey with Google Ads by targeting those who are actively searching for nail services on the Gold Coast. The beauty about Google AdWords is that you only pay when someone clicks your ad, and that person clicking your ad is actively searching for your service.
We invested $922 over four months on Google AdWords and were able to see some really amazing results.
Facebook & Instagram - $1,540 spent
Surprisingly, many nail techs and beauticians we talk to overlook the power of running ads on these platforms. Some said they boosted a post in the past and felt they didn't get anything back. So they stopped trying.
But what you need to understand about ads is that they work on algorithms. They self-learn and will optimise over time, so running a post for a few days will only start working into the learning phase, you need to leave ads running for a few weeks to a month (at least) so Facebook can see who's turning into clients and then automatically targeting people similar to them.
I could go on and on about this, but it would be a post on it's own. So for now let's just look at the overview of what we spent and what we got back from Facebook/Instagram ads.
We spent $1,540 on social ads, which we only used four unique ad creatives and an open-minded targeting approach. We literally only targeted women over the age of 20 on the Gold Coast. No fancy settings, no refined interest targeting, just open targeting and letting to algorithm do it's thing.
See the little "Purchase Conversion Value" column?
Notice that tiny column labeled "Purchase Conversion Value"? This is actually people who have purchased products from our website, outside of making a booking. We clocked in at a cool $992.76 in purchases directly from our website.
Now, let that sink in. Amidst the flurry of bookings pouring in, we were also racking up sales for our products on the side. In fact, these sales single-handedly covered $992 of our $1,540 ad spend. It's ALMOST free marketing!
This is precisely why we advocate for creating your own products. It's not just about services; it's about crafting offerings that resonate with your audience and drive revenue in ways you might not have imagined.
What kind of ads did we run on Facebook & Instagram?
We kept it simple. Over the span of four months, we stuck with just four types of creatives. No fancy bells and whistles, no elaborate A/B testing. Why? Because we wanted to keep it real and relatable.
We get it; you're busy. Ain't nobody got time for complicated creative testing. See below just how simple our ads were that brought in these incredible results.
What were our weekly product sales?
With our salon, we simply had a small product stand behind our desk and used our serums on our clients and mentioned the benefits briefly. This isn’t even a “sell” tactic as every single client was genuinely interested.
We averaged around 15-20 sales per week from our Nail Serum and our clients absolutely loved them. We ended up having repeat sale for nearly every time they came back!
- Nail Pens (single) | $14.95 x 10 sales = $149.50 / wk
- Nail Droppers (single) | $34.95 x 4 sales = $139.80/wk
- Nail Pens (8pack) | $59.80 x 5 sales = $299/wk
- Av. Total Weekly Product Sales - $500 - $600/wk
What was our total outcome?
Duration of campaign: 4 Months
Clients Gained: 128
Cost Per New Client: $19 (to get a new client)
Av. Revenue Per Client: $163.99 (av. 3 appointments)
Est. Product sales: $6,000 - $8,000
Revenue Generated: Over $25,000+
Let that sink in for a moment. For just $19, we brought a new client into our world, and on average, they returned to us three times, bringing in nearly $164 each time. This is also why good customer service is so important!!
Now, picture this over the course of a full year with a modest marketing budget of $20,000. The potential is staggering. With consistent Google and social ads, you could easily see returns exceeding $200,000 in revenue!
This is where you start to bring on new staff, open a salon, even start franchising! But it all starts from exposure, the right marketing strategy and a whole lot of elbow grease.
