Attracting new lash clients goes beyond just handing out leaflets, posting pretty photos on Instagram and adding a few hashtags to the bottom of your posts. If you really want to drive more leads to your business, consider incorporating SEM (Search Engine Marketing) into your digital marketing strategy.
I’ll be honest, I’m not an expert in SEM, but I do know someone who is. Deirdre Andrews of Define Marketing joins me for an in-depth discussion all about SEM and how to utilize Google Ads for advertising your lash business.
Deirdre is a Digital Marketing Strategist with 15 years’ experience in Marketing. She also specializes in paid traffic strategies including Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and YouTube Ads.
I got to know Deirdre through our mutual student, Magda, who found my Google Ads cheat sheet online and signed up for my Master Class. I was able to do some one-on-one work with her as she was going through a period of transition in her business. With guidance from the Lashpreneur community, she was able to take the leap to open her own full-service lash salon in a very busy city location.
But, she needed to boost her appointment bookings. So, we restructured her Google Ads campaign and her business grew by 357%! She had 13 new bookings for $1100 more in revenue in just three weeks using Search Engine Marketing.
So, if you want to learn how you can have similar success with your SEM and Google Ads strategy, don’t go anywhere!
{If you want to listen to the podcast episode on this topic, click on the player at the top of the post. Alternatively you can watch the video below, or read on…}
1. What’s the difference between SEO and SEM?
You’d be surprised at how many people mix up SEO and SEM. Although both are forms of an online marketing strategy, they’re very different from each other.
SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization. It’s the process of trying to optimize your website to rank higher in the organic search results.
So, think about a potential client…let’s name her Mindy. Mindy wants to get her lashes done. She’s pretty familiar with the procedure, maybe she’s had her lashes done before or perhaps she’s done enough research to know it’s something she wants to invest in.
Mindy has decided she wants to get her lashes done somewhere nearby. She’s not interested in embarking on a road trip (nobody has time for that) so, what does she do?
She pulls up Google and types in something along the lines of, “Lash extensions near me.” She hits enter and a list of relevant search results appear on her screen. If you’ve done your SEO right, there’s a good chance your business website will be pretty high on the search results. Your ranking is not paid for and it takes a lot of technical work and time to position yourself higher in the results page.
You can get help though. But, an SEO specialist can charge thousands of dollars and require you to sign a minimum contract of at least six months.
Search Engine Marketing, on the other hand, refers to paid advertising on the search engine results page. There’s no contract pinning you (and your money) in place for months on end and you can set your own budget.
SEM puts you in control.
It gives you the opportunity to show up on the search engine results page whenever a potential client searches for lash extensions in your area – minus the time and cost of SEO.
2. What’s the difference between Facebook and Google’s marketing approach?
If you’ve been following me for a while and/or you’re in The Lashpreneur Society, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Facebook advertising. The targeting options are so precise and growing awareness of your business is so much easier on Facebook than any other social platform.
But…Google Ads shouldn’t be overlooked either. As Deirdre says, “Google ads have a particular power that Facebook ads don’t. And that is the power of intent.”
When you prepare a Facebook ad, you can target people in your city within a certain radius. Usually, those women will be interested in things like spa treatments, beauty, cosmetics and so on. It’s a great way to grow awareness for your business and although you can hyper-target your ads to your ideal clients, that’s not to say that the people who see your ads are ready to get their lashes done there and then.
However, Google Ads allow you to target your ads to people based on what they’re actively searching for.
When someone searches for lash extension services near their area, it’s a clear sign they’re ready to convert. It’s at this moment that you want your Google Ad to appear on his/her screen.
“If somebody is navigating Google and they’re typing in, ‘Where can I get my eyelash extensions done near me?’…it’s because they want to book an appointment. So, now you have the opportunity to get in front of them right when they want lash extensions.”
3. How can you use Google Ads on a small budget?
Have you avoided using Google Ads because you’re afraid it’s nothing but a purse drainer?
A lot of people assume that Google Ads is out of their financial reach.
Yes, it can be expensive to run a large and successful Google Ads campaign, but you can still use Google Ads on a budget.
Many people would rather pay for cheap clicks on Facebook than Google Ads. But cheap clicks are not always better clicks.
“If somebody is not looking to get their eyelashes done, it doesn’t matter how much that click cost you, they’re not going to book.”
Most people go on Facebook to connect with others and build relationships. They aren’t necessarily going to Facebook because they want and expect to be advertised to. Whereas, somebody searching for lashing services on Google, fully expects and wants to find businesses that can deliver those services.
Deirdre told a story that I think will make sense to a lot of you right now. So, she had a client who decided to put an equal budget into both Google Ads and Facebook Ads. It was a good idea because it allowed them to track the performance of each platform.
The results came in and unsurprisingly, Facebook Ads was the number one traffic source. She got twice as many visits on her website than she did with Google Ads. BUT that’s not where the story ends. While Facebook brought in the clicks and traffic, Google Ads generated three times as many appointment bookings.
If you’ve got a small budget and can only afford to run ads on a single platform, ask yourself whether you want clicks or conversions.
4. Does advertising above search results actually work?
When people perform a Google search for a product or service, they’ll usually see a few ads displayed on top of the organic results. While some people claim that they never click on those paid ads, many people do click on them.
When someone is looking for something very specific in a certain area, they want fast, efficient and relevant results.
They don’t want to keep scrolling through search results to find what they’re looking for. After all, why bother when you’ve got a selection of relevant ads to choose from right on top?
Another issue business owners face is being unsure about how to use Google Ads. They might have tried it in the past but found the whole thing confusing. And, so many people immediately give up on it because they don’t see the results they were hoping for straight away. But, if you take the time to strategically build your campaign, you can be successful with your Google Ads campaign.
5. Why Google Ads should be a key part of your marketing mix
Google Ads comes with a long list of benefits and reasons why it’s worth your time and money.
For one thing, you can easily track the conversions through Google Ads using your Google Analytics account, which is a great way to see how well your ads are performing.
But, the biggest reason why it should be a part of your online marketing strategy is that it puts your business in front of the right people, at the right time.
“Google Ads is the best way to get your business in front of the people who are already searching for where to get eyelash extensions done.”
While Facebook and Instagram are powerful and amazing to build brand awareness and engage with potential or existing customers, you’re not always going to reach people who are near the final stage in the buying journey.
Want to learn more about how you can use Google Ads to grow your lash business?
Deirdre is offering a FREE Cheat Sheet sharing 8 Smart Strategies to Start a Profitable Google Ads Campaign that Turns Clicks into Customers – Grab yours today for FREE!
For more Google Ads tips and business motivation, you can follow Deirdre on Instagram @definemarketingblog
Have a Good One!
Tara Walsh
The Lashpreneur
