EPISODE 62 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: LOW-BARRIER TO ENTRY OFFERS
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Christine Olga to talk all about low barrier to entry offers. This conversation was recorded over Zoom, so the audio component isn't my usual stellar quality. However, I really wanted to publish this conversation because there are so many valuable insights into how to generate leads for service-based businesses. This conversation discusses the beauty industry specifically, but the principles can be applied to almost any business. Welcome to the Boom Your Biz podcast, a podcast for the movers, the shakers, and even bigger action takers in business. I'm your host, Sonya McIntyre-Reid. And each week I'll be exploring the question of what really makes businesses and organizations thrive. I'm on a mission to educate, empower, and inspire business owners and myself along the way.
Christine Olga:
So, Sonya tell us who you are and what you do.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Yeah, of course, it's really hard talking about yourself isn't it? Where do I start? I have a business called Linchpin Digital. So, we're a digital marketing agency that's specialized in growth marketing. So, we have a really strong focus on Facebook and Google Ads to generate leads for businesses, or if they have an e-commerce store, then online sales. And part of that, which we'll discuss a little bit later on, is also making sure they've got everything set up correctly in the backend as well. So, making sure their website is optimized so it actually converts. So, I see a lot that, excuse me, people will put money into ads or doing this low barrier to entry offer and they don't have the bits and pieces set up in the backend to make it work. So, we come in and we look at businesses sort of holistically for their digital strategy and go, "All right what is going to work for you and what are the missing pieces right now?"
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Secondary to that, I've also got a... I'm in the process of building a marketing training membership actually for small businesses under the banner of Kiss Marketing, which is my original company. And we have a podcast called Boom Your Biz. So, that's me in a nutshell.
Christine Olga:
Fantastic. Just on the podcast, because I know that my coaching clients and probably the audience here are always after education and learning particularly I think our industry being the hair and beauty industry struggle with all of the technical side of things. It's like, I often compare what we go through in the industry of coming and interviewing somebody and deciding to take a marketing or a Google or an SEO package or whatever, is similar to us going to see a mechanic. You know when the mechanic comes out and says, "Oh, well, your car service comes to $2,000 today." And you just sit there and you've got to hand over the money because you've got absolutely no idea, no capacity to check anything technically of what this person's saying. And you've got to take them at face value. So, I'm just wondering from an education standpoint, what does your podcast offer, can't it help the hair and beauty industry owners with some of these dilemmas that we face when-
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Oh my goodness. What you have just described is honestly... Over the last few years has almost been enough for me to want to leave the industry. Our industry in the digital marketing space is really led by this kind of bro agency culture, where they're throwing big words at business owners. They're not being transparent, they're charging them a fortune, they're not getting results. And it just makes me sick. And that's actually part of the reason that I started this podcast and why I'm building out this membership site to educate business owners and help them have an understanding of it. So, if you do get to the point that you can afford to outsource your ads or outsource your website build, you know what's happening and you can understand the reports that they send through monthly. Because otherwise they're just going to throw a whole heap of numbers at you and you're not going to know the right questions to ask.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
So, 100% this podcast would be fantastic. I interview a ton of different women across a range of industries, not just talking about marketing, but also talking about the other things that have really helped them grow their business. I'm a big believer that you have to be in your best state to grow your business and do your best work. And you've got to do it in a sustainable way. So, there's always that kind of underlying theme throughout the podcast as well, but episodes range from about five minutes up until interviews that are sort of around half an hour as well so definitely check it out.
Christine Olga:
Fantastic. Sounds really good. I will be checking that out. Thank you very much. So let's get onto, I've got a few questions here, but in particular Sonya, I'm keen to know what are some of your success stories of, the theme today is low barrier to entry marketing. I know there's probably a myriad of people watching this going and "But I want some information on Google Ads." And I know what you're thinking guys, just hold your horses, but I just want to get a sense of what success stories have you seen using a low barrier to entry marketing strategy. And why do you think they've been successful?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Yeah, so I mean, there's whole heap of examples that come to mind. And when we sit down with clients, we actually make sure that at least seasonally, they've got some form of low barrier to entry marketing. And this does not matter what industry it is. Honestly, I'm having the same conversation whether or not they're hair and beauty, whether they're an e-commerce business, there has to be something that lets people go, "All right, this isn't a huge commitment on my part. I'm going to try them out. And the risk is very low to me." And that's what we're trying to achieve with these low barrier to entry offers. So, a few that come to mind in the beauty space are $49 facials that are really sort of... On your end, it might only take around 45 minutes, but the goal is then to upsell them into a series of treatments or a package and then products as well.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
So, the ones that have been really successful for us have really not just stopped at them paying their $47 or whatever, $49 for a facial. It's when the salon in the backend can actually upsell and retain, and provide a really amazing experience. On the flip side, we've worked with brand new businesses that don't have that foundation in place, yes, we've been able to get them in the door for that first offer, but their re-booking rate has been really low. They haven't resold them, people aren't then talking about it to their friends and I would consider it a total flop. So, this does not work all the time for everyone, but what I would recommend and where we've seen great success is really looking at that balance between, all right, what can we do where we break-even, or even maybe lose a little bit on it, but knowing that we've got the other systems in the backend, and what can we turn out? What are all of our team trained in as well?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
I think that's a really, really important question. So, things like facials are great because it's that upsell opportunity, I've seen a lot for eyelash extensions, especially if you're bringing on a new team member, because obviously once you've had your lashes done once you are totally hooked and you want to keep coming back.
Christine Olga:
Absolutely.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
It's an amazing business model. I don't have lashes on at the moment and I feel completely naked. It's those treatments that get people hooked, get them feeling really good about themselves as well.
Christine Olga:
Yeah. Great. Awesome. And obviously a lot of what you've touched on there I've just obviously been through in the whole broadcast in terms of do not try this if.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
That's good.
Christine Olga:
And this is really the messaging that I'm trying to get out into the industry, because the problem is... And I wrote an article for Hair Biz that's just been published. And the heading was, "Discounting is not a dirty word." Because unfortunately I think low barrier to entry has really copped a flogging and a real negative perception of discounting and de-valuing service. And the reality is I think people potentially have either tried it prematurely or they haven't had the business foundations to support that type of marketing strategy, or they don't understand it or the principles behind it. So, we've worked really hard today on trying to get that messaging out so that business owners feel confident in their ability to make those decisions or there's an opportunity for them to build those foundations of the business before they potentially dabble in a marketing strategy like this.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Absolutely. And I mean, I've seen some businesses try and do it that I know have the foundations in place and everything in the backend to back it up, but they're not communicating that offer properly either. Sp, they might say for example, "$49 facial come in and get pampered." But they're not really communicating the value. So, I've got some here, for example, where you talk about coming in and having an expert skin analysis, you having a double cleanse, you're doing an enzyme peel, and then your brand new creme masks and then finished off with the LED treatment. So, when you're layering what you're actually offering people and they look at it and go, "Oh my God, this is actually going to be worth my time." Whereas I think some people go, "Right, well, let's just get them through the door for like a five minute for our consultation."
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Or something like that. And I just go, "We're all so busy? Why would we waste our time doing that?" And I think you need to be attracting the right kind of people. So, when low barrier to entry offers get a really bad rap, I think, "Yeah because you haven't done it properly and potentially you're attracting bargain hunters that aren't going to come back again." So, it really does come down to the language that you're using with the offer as well and making it seem really valuable and get people excited about it.
Christine Olga:
Yep, absolutely. So, Sonya what platforms do you feel like are best to be able to market these low barrier to entry offers?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Definitely Facebook, definitely Facebook. I think a lot of people are saying, "Oh Facebook is dead." But in terms of the options to actually convert people, Facebook is king. I mean, you know yourself [crosstalk 00:10:30] exactly, they're absolutely incredible for the low barrier to entry option and there's a certain virality to them as well. So, I haven't personally tried this technique myself, but I have seen some salons actually say, "Comment below or PMU to continue that conversation." They're not necessarily using a bot per se, but they're getting that engagement happening. So, then their friends see each other tagging them on these offers and look, Instagram is fantastic for brand awareness. It's amazing for building a brand, but honestly all around when it comes to the bottom of the funnel with your advertising, Instagram is really powerful for the top of the funnel. I don't see such high conversions at the bottom on Instagram.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
And I know a lot of people are going to be sitting there being like, "Oh, but Instagram's the best." And there are so many marketing gurus out there going on and on about [inaudible 00:11:27] Instagram strategy. And I think, "You're spending so much time and effort on a platform that is top of funnel. You need to be getting those sales and those people through the door." So, if I had one platform, it would be Facebook.
Christine Olga:
Yep. Awesome. Awesome. Tell us the difference and I know this is, when you say or definitely when I say words like Google Ads, and I can feel the hair and beauty industry business owners just going, "I remember when I spent $2,000 on Google Ads, it didn't work and I never got my money back." Actually, seriously just had a conversation with the business owner that said, "I'm paying all of this money for SEO." And again, that just that feeling like they don't actually know where the money's going or whether they're getting return on investment. So, how would you explain the difference between the different platforms in terms of putting forward low barrier to entry offers, whether it be Facebook Ads or Google or any other platforms, like how would you explain to the audience the difference between using those different types of platforms?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Yeah. Look, I think this is something that every business owner should have a basic understanding of before they do any form of advertising or even anything to their website, to be honest with you. So, I'm going to use a bit of marketing jargon for a second. So, there are two different types of marketing you can do. There's push marketing and there's pull marketing. So, with push marketing, you kind of like pushing someone into something, right? With pull marketing it's what I think the gurus now on Instagram call attraction marketing. So, you're putting something out there to get that interest and that attention happening for people then to take action. So, what we've got to understand is that social media is that pool marketing or that attraction marketing, right? So, you're putting out a really great deal. There's low barrier to entry and it's like a magnet.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
You're drawing people in. When it comes to Google advertising and SEO your catching those people that already know that they have a problem or a need for something and they're actively on the hunt for it. So, it can mean that they have a much higher intent. They know what they want and they want to go after it. And they want options now, right? So, when it comes to your low barrier to entry offer, if you were doing something with a service that is getting a lot of search volume at the moment. So, things like fat cavitation is a great one. Skin needling is one that has really taken off as well. And you've got a great offer running, you know that people were searching for say, skin needling, Sunbury, for example. That is where you can have that offer in a Google Ad. Now, the reason that people often see that Google Ads or they think that Google ads or SEO isn't working is again, it comes back to that conversion side of things on the backend.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
So, their website has to be set up to convert, right? And the reality is that I don't know the exact stat, but it's something like 85 to 90% of people that land on a website will not make an inquiry or a booking the first time they go there. Okay, so this is why you really need to then have that pull marketing element coming in and be re-targeting them on social media to get them back. And that's where that low barrier to entry offer is fantastic. Because even if you've just advertised generally for your salon or your spa on Google, then following them around with that low barrier to entry offer is really, really powerful to actually get them back, to get them in the door. So, they work really well hand in hand, but again, you've got to have your website set up to convert and you've got to have your sort of sales funnel mapped out. It's really important that you cannot do any form of marketing in isolation. It doesn't work in a silo.
Christine Olga:
Yeah. And it's funny you say that Sonya, because in the session, that's just what we spoke about. We spoke about sales funnels. You've got to have an objective, where are you taking these clients? It's not just about a bum on a seat. It's actually about what are you trying to achieve? What's the objective? You know, and funneling the clients through the higher value services always.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Yes, yes, absolutely.
Christine Olga:
All right. So, what would be your tips and tricks for putting together a really compelling low barrier to entry offer?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Yeah. So look, I think it starts with picking the right offer, to be honest with you. So, looking at your existing service offering and going, "Right, why are we wanting to do this?" Is it that you have new team members? And then if so, and you're wanting to get them new clients, let's use lash extensions as an example. You've got someone that's just been trained up in lash extensions, and you want them to have a full client roster because again, they're going to be re-booking and then there's the opportunity to upsell them into other services. You might upsell them into a brow wax and tint at the same time or products as well. So, there's all these other layers that you can incorporate into that. So, if you're putting together an offer, I think communicating it really clearly is important. And what I mentioned before and layering the value in it.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
So for example, you might say, "We're so excited to announce that Tash has joined our team, to celebrate for the month of March we're offering a full set of hybrid lashes for $80, normally 120 limited time only. Here's what it includes. Lash cleanse, lash consultation to make sure you find the right size for your eyes." Or how are you going to tailor it to their eyes? Make it really sound like it is being completely personalized to them. And they're getting a ton of value whilst also I think it's important to add authority that you are the expert in this space as well. I think that layering that and highlighting all the different points and steps to actually having lash extensions. It's really important, and then including something like a mini aftercare package as well. And then this is something that I see people do all the time, they'll put this information up, they'll include the price, but they'll do it in like one chunk of a long paragraph.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
And I look at it and I'm like, "I'm not going to sit there and read this." Exactly, break it up in lines, have it dot pointed with emojis on what's actually included. Cap it off with the price and what the usual price is. So, the value, I even like to include at the end, some people don't like to do math in their heads, so it'd be like, "This is a saving $40." It sounds so simple, but these are the basics that people get wrong. And then the biggest one, and I can't believe I even have to mention this, tell me how I book.
Christine Olga:
Yes. Where's the call to action?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Please. Tell me exactly what I need to do. So, if it's a messenger bot ad talking about clicking the button below, if it's a lead form ad telling them fill out the form, what's going to happen after that as well? So, it's not just about getting them to click on that button. It's about once they've done that, what's, that follow-up process from there? Because again, you are going to find that a number of people aren't going to complete that process. And again, I know this is why you love messenger bots as well, because you've got their details and you can keep nurturing them. Same with a lead form, we often find that people won't pick up their phones. They won't respond to texts, whatever it might be. So, making sure you have a set follow-up process in place, and then particularly with those lead forms, you can even re-advertise to anyone that's opened the form but hasn't submitted it. So again, that's all part of the funnel, that re-advertising.
Christine Olga:
Yeah, and I think you make a really good point there in terms of some of their more successful hair and beauty industry business owners, I feel like it's not just about as a market, I wish you would understand your job really is to bring the leads through and to make sure that they're coming into the business. But then the business owner's job is actually to make sure that their lead management and that conversion process is happening and it's robust because there's nothing worse. And I've seen this a million times when I've supported business owners with putting together campaigns, on the front end, all of the numbers are there, but then you look at the appointments and you're thinking, "Well, what's happening between the lead generation and the booking process?" And you check the inboxes and the messages haven't been answered for two days.
Christine Olga:
And just the lead management's really, really poor. So I think the point is it's one thing to be able to get people interested in making inquiries. It's another thing to make sure that you take care of that person and you nurture that person to the booking stage.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Oh, absolutely. And look particularly early on in my career, this was something that I would really take personally. I'd be going, "Well, I put in all of this work, why aren't my leads converting? What is happening here?" And it took me a long time to go, "Well, hang on, this is one part of the equation." And knowing to support your clients in those other areas as well. Just quickly, while it comes to mind to test your creative, so mention that you're using, it's really funny I like to test a whole bunch of different images and only changing one variable at a time. So, you might have your copy done up and then testing your images with that same piece of copy. So, you know what's working and what isn't. I often find that the ugly image that I'm like, "Oh, this is not going to perform at all." Seems to get attention on the news feed and gets the most leads and I hate it. [crosstalk 00:21:11] the reality of it.
Christine Olga:
The 1980s girl lying on the bed with a fake microdermabrasion, she looks like a porcelain doll. I just think, "How could anyone be attracted to that image?" But it's interesting.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
And it works, and that's the thing, like I think if you are engaging an agency at all, an element of it is you've got to trust in the process. So, they will give you a lot of creatives. Don't go, "Well, I hate this image, and I hate that one. And I hate this." The data will soon tell you, you've got to realize that there's going to be a bit of a testing period as well.
Christine Olga:
Absolutely. Absolutely. All right. So finally, Sonya, I'm keen to know the difference between a brand building and a lead generation campaign and what needs to be in place to make those types of campaigns successful?
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Yeah. So, I think a lot of the time, and this is again, a real bugbear of mine when it comes to these marketing gurus that are popping up on all our Instagrams is that they're either focusing on just brand building or they're focusing on just lead generation. And someone said to me once that there is a big difference between repeat business and loyalty business and repeat business is easily won, you just need some manipulations to your pricing such as low barrier entry, but loyalty business is not easily won. So, loyalty business means that even if someone down the street starts offering the exact same service as you, but charges half the price, that person's not going to jump and go and see that other business, right. But whereas that repeat customer, chances are, they will. So, that's why I think it's really, really important to make sure you're doing both.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
So, if you fall on hard times, say COVID hits for example, in a business and you don't have that money to advertise you need to rely on that loyalty business and word of mouth. Unfortunately it's just the way it is. So, it all comes down to I think, your brand experience. So, things like your organic social media, your newsletter list, your physical presence as well with your salon or your spa is really important. And I cannot speak highly enough of making sure you're getting your existing clientele following you on a social media app, getting their phone numbers, getting their email addresses as much data as possible. So, I think it really comes down to the brand building stuff can be sort of brand awareness top of funnel, and also that bottom, that loyalty loop that happens. But what you will find is that if you are really focusing on that and building relationships with people, when you offer that low barrier to entry, that lead generation, your leads are going to become a whole lot cheaper and they're going to be a whole lot better quality as well.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
So, I think lead generation is a great way to get people in the door quickly, but brand building is a way to grow a massive sustainable business. So, you really need both going hand in hand.
Christine Olga:
Yep. And I love that because I think that sometimes business owners just want to jump the fence and kind of cut a corner in the sense that they'll come to you as a marketer and say, "Oh, well, I just want to run ads and I just want to get the clients through the door." But then the work around the organic social media and putting the work around the brand and presence, I suppose, on social media and in all the various touch points. They don't understand how important, like you said, both of those need to go hand in hand to get that loyalty business rather than... You know what I mean? And there's no shortcuts.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
No, there's no short cuts. And I would even go as far to say that the brand building side of things is included in what you're doing with your sales training and your upsells and all of that side of things to make sure people are re-booking. So, and your team as well, making sure they're forming really great relationships with your clients and they're all having really positive experiences. So, it's kind of that old school saying around your brand isn't just your logo. It really is about how you're making people feel and how you're communicating what you do and why you do it.
Christine Olga:
Yeah, absolutely. 100% agree with you. So Sonya, thank you so much. You've been absolutely amazing. And for those of you that might be wanting Sonya's details or to reach out to either of us just click the registration link to book a turbo session with myself, I will easily put you in touch with Sonya. That's the best way to obviously do this in terms of trying to have conversations about some of these more I suppose, complex or... I think the thing is we're both here, we're both honest and ethical people that are working in the industry to make sure that you can get a service that's not going to leave you out of pocket all of this money. Where here for the right reasons so please reach out via the link that is there to book a turbo session and I will help you get in touch with Sonya.
Sonya McIntyre-Reid :
Wonderful. Thank you so much for having me.
Christine Olga:
Thank you so much, Sonya.