How to advertise your business

I always get asked about how to advertise a business, whether it is nails, hair, beauty, a company just starting up or if you are representative of a company. The person asking is normally struggling with sales or getting clients and wants a challenge to boost what they are earning but are stumped on how to do it.

You just need to put your thinking head on...when you are out and about take a look around at anyone advertising:

• What do you see?
• Where do you see the advertisements? On a car, a sign, a leaflet, a shop?
• What can you hear?
• Is it someone you have overhead talking about a brand or recommendation?

If you are a nail technician make sure your nails are done to a good standard as this will be a talking point when you are out and about and could bring in potential clients, the potential client can then see your work up close and make a decision if that is what they want, normally a bit of nail art gets someone talking and brings interest but wait....how do you make sure they remember your business name? 

Do you have a business name? if not you will need one, something distinctive so they remember your company name, 

Make yourself an email address and website, It doesn't have to be one that charges there are free ones available, so when a potential client is searching on google for something that matches the criteria yours will be there, this way they can interact with you. This could be booking an appointment, asking a general question or even ordering something.

Have a facebook page as nearly everything nowadays are on facebook, it will have your website address (if you have one not always necessary) phone number, treatment and price list, location, what you sell etc, they will be able to contact you, see your details and leave you a review, you can also put up pictures of your work to show what standard you are working at.

Business cards, you can get them done at vistaprint at an affordable cost, it doesn't have to be fancy but keep it current to what you are working in, make sure your business name, what you do, phone number and location are on there. Always keep a set on you, so when a potential client asks about your services you can hand them a business card so they don't forget they have spoken to you or what your company is and go to a competitor.

You could make a leaflet up, again current details such as business name, phone number, location, treatment and price list etc everything you need to advertise your business. You could keep them in your salon, home based salon, mobile or just to hand out, you could make a bit more and advertise in other places.

Where else could I advertise my business?:

• Your local Gym
• At a salon (not providing the same treatments)
• Photographer (maybe work in a deal you advertise them and vice versa for a potential discount)
• Your local supermarket,  you may need to pay a small price 
• Your local corner shop again you may need to pay a small price
• A Local business advertising leaflet - check if costs are involved
• Yellow pages - check if costs are involved
• Your own website
• Your own Facebook page/group
• Local selling sites on facebook
• Twitter
• Gumtree
• Netmums
• Through letter boxes - check rules on fly tipping
• On peoples car windows - check rules on fly tipping
• Giving your friend a freebie in return of advertising you to their friends and family for potential clients
• Hand a business card out to anyone who has any interest in your business
• keeping contact (do not stalk! or pester)
• Business e-newsletters
• Ask friends and family to hand out flyers, business cards etc in return of a discount or freebie
• Run a promotion - for people in beauty when having a set of nails, get gel polish on toes for free, this way you are showing them a new treatment and gives the potential for them to book in for that treatment in the future
• Loyalty cards - example after 5 treatments 1 free same treatment or other
• Discount for trying a new design/style
• Run a competition for a new set
• Create a package - prom season is a good one, christmas, wedding etc

When giving clients your phone number you could be in for contact at any hours of the day as some clients feel you should answer 24 hours a day 7 days a week, I have seen lots of techs getting upset at getting a message at say 3am but remember this could be a convenient time for the client to message as they may not have any other time to book but you do NOT have to reply at that time and obviously reply at a convenient time within your working hours. 

You may want to look into getting a business mobile, it is your decision if it is pay and go or contract and you will have to work out what is cost effective just so you can turn it off at the end of your working day so that you do not get disturbed when you are in bed, out and about, a birthday, somewhere inappropriate eg out drinking lol. This way it doesn't effect your personal time by yourself, with your family, friends etc.

Always take pictures of your work and show it off on your page, website etc but please make sure you watermark them! I see it all the time where others are stealing other peoples work and taking the credit for your hand work so please please please watermark your pictures, put your business name on or your own name just so that when someone sees that picture they can see and know it is yours.

There are companies out there who can make you a company logo, leaflets etc it isn't something you have to have and something you want to look into before going a head with costs involved, this would be something relevant to your company and would be unique.

I hope this helps everyone who is struggling to advertise and needed a bit of help, I wish you every success in your business,Thank you for reading, much love tasha xxx

A little something about me

Hey everyone I thought I would introduce myself, my name is Tasha and I am 26 years old, I am married to my husband called Danny and I have a gorgeous 4 year old daughter called Ebony. I am a qualified nail technician to level 3, a qualified hairdresser to level 2 and a qualified barber to level 2, I love doing arts and crafts and having a laugh. I have a few health issues at the moment which I hope will be sorted soon which I will talk about over the next couple of blogs, I will be talking about general life, my day to day, feelings, weight loss, beauty, hair, tutorials etc so please keep tuned as I update every day. This is my first blog so please bare with me as I hope to learn how to use this site properly and get better as I go along. Thank you for reading and I hope you all have a great day much love Tasha xxx

L’oreal Paris Casting Crème Gloss Review

I received the L’oreal Paris Casting Crème Gloss in the colour Plum free to try from L’oreal via BzzAgent. My hair was annoying me as the colour had faded and it looked dull and this campaign was right up my street. I was happy to see they had some actual colours on there, rather than just being the normal natural colours of blondes and browns. So I chose the colour Plum, when it came I was so excited, it came in a nice pink box and the packaging for the hair colour looked cute. I read the instructions and it said it would develop in 20 minutes and that it was ammonia free. It came with the colour, the developer, gloves and conditioner, I also had some coupons to hand out to friends for them to try with some money off. I opened it and mixed it together, there was no horrible smell like the other colours I have used in the past, it was a nice smell, it was very easy to apply and didnt take to long, I have very thick and long hair so it would of been nice to have a little extra product. I waited the 20 minutes and i had no dripping, I did accidently lean against the cream leather sofa and white living room door…OOPS, it came off the door but still have some on the sofa. I washed the colour out which took approx 10-15 minutes for the water to fully run clear and I used the conditioner. My hair smelt really nice. I went downstairs to dry my hair so I couldn’t see myself in the mirror, I wanted the full effect, after finishing drying my hair I went and looked in the mirror….WOW, my hair was a bit darker than I expected but I thought it was great, it was a nice dark purple colour and when you stepped in the light you could see a really light vibrant purple tone. My hair felt great, it did not feel damaged in any way and felt renewed, vibrant and full of life. The colour actually did what it said on the packaging and it fulfilled what it promised. I am impressed, I have washed my hair and havn’t found it has faded yet as it says it lasts upto 28 washes.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants something different, that isn’t permanent and wants their hair to feel great, I do not have any grey hairs so I cannot comment about that but I have heard good results from friends saying it does.

I may of received this product for free but I have NOT been told what to right or leave a positive review, I have been asked to leave an honest review and this is my honest opinion.

Thanks everyone for reading much love Tasha xxx

Product review – NSPA Treatment Elixir Oil

NSPA Treatment Elixir Oil for Normal/Dry Hair, 150ml

Like most parents I have a very wingy 4 year old when it comes to brushing her hair, I have tried using a tangle teezer although great, the hair breakage that comes along with it from using it everyday isn’t. I wanted to find something I could put in her hair that would help, I already used a detangling spray everyday (I have tried a few) which kind of helped but wasn’t fantastic. I was shopping in Asda and I saw the nspa treatment elixir oil on sale for approx £2 original price tag of £4.95. I thought well its on offer i will give it a go otherwise if it doesn’t work I’m only a few pounds down. Well I was very happy and impressed I gave it a go! I used it on myself as well as my daughter, I washed both of our hairs normally, towel dried them and used 2 pumps of oil, rubbed it in my hands and evenly distributed it throughout the hair, then came the test. Normally when I brushed our hair after a bath/shower it was knotty. Unfortunately for my daughter she has my thick long hair, well I started to brush my daughters hair and was amazingly surprised. There was NO knots or tangles and I could brush her hair without her screaming and crying even though I am extremely gentle. I am a qualified hairdresser and aware on how to brush the hair properly, still doesn’t stop my 4 year old making a fuss. I have used this product every day for the last 4 weeks and I am very impressed. My daughter went for her swimming lesson this week and I wondered what would happen if I didn’t put it in?, would it make a difference?, was i imagining the difference?, you guessed it, it was knotty and full of tangles, I wont be making that mistake again and this product will be a full-time part of our daily routine! It has made our hair feel soft, not frizzy (for me a big benefit as I don’t have to straighten my hair daily anymore), It has revived our hair and looks hydrated but most importantly it does NOT look greasy from the oil, it is a lightweight oil and you do not notice it is in your hair. It dries nicely instead of having big, frizzy, buffy hair! I cant imagine this product not being used in our daily routines as it really does a fantastic job, I would highly recommend this to everyone, especially people with very knotty hair, I just wish I found this product sooner!!

This is taken from the nspa website about the product

Treatment Elixir

Instantly absorbing, NSPA’s Treatment Elixir detangles, conditions and works to eliminate frizz for healthy, happy hair. This multi-tasking spa-inspired formula helps to soften and strengthen unmanageable hair whilst restoring shine and protecting against environmental damage without leaving an oily residue. This indulgent miracle oil will leave you wondering how you managed without! – ‘A good hair day in a bottle’

How to Use

Apply two pumps of oil to towel dry hair or one pump to dry hair and run through lengths for beautiful, glossy shine.

this is a product that is exclusive to Asda so check it out when your next doing your shopping, (i seen a bottle on the shelve yesterday my oil is a yellowy/orangy colour, the one on the shelve was see through, not sure why or if there is a difference as the bottles look the same) thanks for reading much love tasha xxx