Is Groupon really the only way to drive business anymore??
Any ideas on getting the word out affordably AND still getting value for your services??
Or has the whole world been trained to cheapen every service and good out there??
(Can you tell I'm a little irritated by the whole trend?!?)

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Felicia,

no problem getting paid although they do pay you over 3 months which to me was like having money (I didn't have to begin with) in the bank. You have generally 6 months to get everyone who purchased in so you get paid long before everyone comes in. 

hey Gina,  I feel your pain.  It has become an irritating trend that hope will pass soon.  I had a meeting with a marketing consultant and now there is a texting service where you enter a code and send promotions out through texts to clients and public...some good ideas she had were to not necessarily lower prices of services but to offer a freebie with a service like free lashes with a facial for example..my spa will be starting that service soon..hope it works and I hope that was a little helpful.   sarah
Good ideas, Sarah... has me thinking.... :-)
Good Luck! I'd love to know how everything goes :)

I do my own version of "groupon" I use facebook and my email list to spread the word.  I also use Spaboom to process the online gift certificates. I don't sell 500 services but then again - I don't want to work that hard for no money really. 

Example - I offer a 1 hour facial for $65 and you get about $60ish worth of add ons like - brow design, hand, lip & eye treatment. The extra treatments don't cost me a lot of money, they don't take up that much extra time and my clients get something special. If 3 of their friends purchase the special then they get a complimentary back facial as a thank you. We are trying some different combinations to see what clients like.

There are many coupon sites out there to help bring in new clients and I would believe that there are few of us that would say we have all the clients we need.  That being said, in addition, I feel we should make our regular loyal clients feel special by marketing to them directly and I have come across a site that does just that.  Just sharing another option.  I have not tried it yet as I am waiting a couple weeks to complete training for new products and services and will then try it as a way of offering an opening special for said services. It is called "LocBox" if any one has tried it please share your results.........

www.getlocbox.com

I agree with Christine.  You have to ask for the sale when you want clients to rebook and a discount is a nice way to close the deal.  You can also limit the number of Groupon's sold and set an expiration date so it won't go on indefinitely and drive you and your staff crazy.

I built both my websites with GoDaddy.  So easy and their customer service & tech support are very helpful.  I'm www.dermaplanepro.com and www.azaaonline.com  

I have heard intuit is good but I've found Go Daddy to be less expensive.  www.schedulicity.com is great for solo aestheticians because clients can book online and it automatically sends appointment reminders, connects with facebook, etc.  They have a free trial and are about $20 a month.

Best of luck,

Rikki  

Are you on Facebook or have a website? My website brings me a lot of business because it is informative not just a fancy online brochure. I do my own version of Groupon on Facebook and through a newsletter format from Constant Contact. I am not a fan of discounting your services that much.

http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2011/6670/four-ways-to-make-...

This an article my web lady sent to me about how to make Groupon type deals work for you.  Maybe this would help.

 

 

Groupon is bad business! Not because of the half off factor but because they did not pay me until I refused to accept any more Groupons. Then they still didn't paid me in full. I can tell you it was great to get new faces in but get them hooked and sign them up for a paid membership so they can get a discount all the time. The membership is how you get upfront $$ for new equipment. Then with their 30% off keep them coming back. Refer a friend is great but refer 5 and get a free service. 

Here's something I'm trying....I was able to purchase a very specific mailing list from vistaprint for a great price. I narrowed it down to homeowners one mile radius from my Center and income of $150,000 or more. They came up with 327. I made some really cute postcards offering a special for their first visit. We are mailing them today, so I'll check back in to let you know what kind of response we get. The whole thing cost about $140. I only need to get a couple of new clients from this mailing to pay for the cost or just one that spends more!

Shelly, Idid this about a year ago. Narrowed it down like u did and I got so many back of invalid address. So I have been very hesitant to do this again
Kellie

We got three returned for invalid addresses...not bad. We ended up with only two new clients from this but I'm not unhappy with that....it paid for itself!

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