Has your salon ever advertised online? If so, was it on Facebook? On Yelp? Groupon?

I can say with almost 100% certainty that you've seen a Google AdWord sometime in the past week. They're the ones that look like this when you search for "best haircut NYC"

It's clear that Google ads are very important for local businesses: Google now has the internet's largest ad network in the world. 71% of the ads on the internet are done through Google (source).

So it seems like a ton of businesses are advertising on Google, but how much money are they actually making? On average, businesses make $2 for every $1 they spend on AdWords (source).  

This is why your salon should start advertising with AdWords

Here are a few more stats that will help you understand why your salon needs to get going with ads:

72% of your potential clients prefer to find information about local businesses like yours via search (source). Google is their main source of info to learn about salons in your city.

However (and this is the potential downside) 98% of those searchers choose a business that is on page 1 of the results they get.

Does your salon appear on the first page of Google when people search “balayage" or "best eyebrow waxing" in your city? If not, you might be out of luck.

But with the right setup, in AdWords you can easily target the exact searches you want. So you can target people searching for “Hair Extensions”, and give them an ad about Hair Extensions.

And the real magic of Adwords is that you’re reaching people who you don’t need to even need to “sell” to very hard. They’re already searching for the best eyelash extensions or rainbow hair or couple's massage in their city.

This is one of the biggest differences between Adwords and Facebook ads, which many beauty businesses are experimenting with. AdWords is more active whereas Facebook is more passive. This means that with Facebook you need to create great copy, find the right images, the right message, and even the right offer to get someone to commit to your business.

With Adwords, you're talking to people who are already half-committed to make an appointment.

So what makes for a good Google advertisement for salons? It just comes down making sure you give potential clients a good offer and a fast way to get it.  

How to generate $3,600 in revenue through for your salon, spending less than $200

I chatted with Robert Norberciak, who is the owner of Mozaik Skin & Body in Scottsdale, Arizona. He bought the day spa a few years ago and took it from $5,800/mo to $70,000/mo in just a few years.

Yes, you read that right. $70,000 per month. In just a few years.

How did he grow it so much, so fast? Robert’s secret weapon has been Google Adwords (it’s no coincidence that Robert also owns Maya Media, which specializes in Google Adwords campaigns).

Let’s look specifically at one of his campaigns, targeted towards people in his area who are searching for a couples massage on Google.

Upon searching for something like "couples massage Scottsdale", people will see a simple Google Ad for an offer at Mozaik. Clicking on it, the searcher will see a page like this:     This is called a “landing page” because it’s a simplified page just for this offer. You’ll notice that it is very simple: it doesn’t have a menu and the focus is on “Book Now”. It only talks about a couples massage.

What kind of results has Robert gotten from this ad? You might be a little blown away by this…

Clicks on the ad from Google: 92 Total cost: $175 Total conversions (how many people booked an appointment): 31 (34%) Revenue Generated: $3,689 (31 people who spent $119 each)

I don’t know about you, but I am just amazed these numbers. Each new booking cost him  just $5.60, with a value of $119. Insane.

So, you want to have the same success for your next ad campaign? Read on...  

Step 1: Choose an offer and build a landing page for it

Remember the landing page that Robert set up for Mozaik? It was focused on just one service, just one offer.

Some of the specific services you can focus on are:

• Couples massage

• Microblading

• Spray tans for weddings

• Hair extensions

• Bikini waxing

• Rainbow hair

In short, your best bet for a successful campaign is to focus on something you do really well. Something specific that people are searching for.

Now that you’ve chosen your offer, time to build a landing page!

You can actually create really simple and easy landing pages with my favourite website, Instapage.

Check out these examples of beautiful landing page templates they have:  

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  What should your landing page have on it?

1) No menu links except for your call to action 

2) A “call to action” to EASILY book an appointment or claim your offer

This is the button people have to click on your landing page.

Robert recommends specific using Calls to Action like “Book your appointment”, “Book Your Spa Visit Now”, “Book Your FREE Consultation”.

Your call to action should link to a booking page or a phone number that they can call you at. Essentially, the easier it is for you to get a booking, the better.

3) A headline that grabs attention and shares value

Robert goes for a descriptive headline that repeats the offer in his ad.

4) Social proof

Since many people that clicked on your ad won’t have heard of you before, you have to show them that you’re legitimate and loved.  

  Robert recommends including the following somewhere on your page:

• Testimonials

• Social Proof (Reviews from FB, Yelp, Google)

• Mentions in Publications (Any Kind)

• Awards

• Certifications

5) Appealing images

I always prefer real images from your actual salon or spa (before and afters work great for certain services). But if you’re really struggling, using a few classy stock images can work well. I like Pexels.com

Step 2: Set up your ad

Now that you’ve got an offer and a landing page, it’s time to make your actual advertisement. This is exciting!

First, go to https://adwords.google.com (make sure you’re using regular AdWords and not Adwords Express) and set up an account with your info.

When you start your setup, you’ll see something like this:

1) Choose your budget

Start small and adjust according to how many clicks you’re getting or want to get.

Even $5-10 a day should be enough to get several clicks a day. Don’t forget that you’re not charged unless you get a click. You’re charged an amount for every click which varies depending on where you’re located (big cities are more competitive therefore more expensive), the keyword you’re targeting, and how well your ad is written.

2) Choose your target location

This part is easy. Your target location means that your ad will be shown to people searching Google in your city. Your Just choose your town, city, or area. Do people often visit you from another town or region? Target them, too!

3) Choose your network

Unselect “Display network” so that your ad only appears on Google Search.

4) Choose your keywords

Your keywords are the words people have to type into Google to see your ad. Since you’re doing an ad for a very specific offering, these should be easy to figure out.

For example, if your offer is a couples massage and you’re in Toronto, your keywords can be

• “Couples massage”

• “Toronto couples massage”

• “Couples massage in Toronto”

• “Couples massages near me”

• “massage for couples in Toronto”

Try to put yourself in the mind of your ideal client, and imagine what they might search for. Google recommends 15-20 keywords, so try different mixes of words, all based around your unique offer.  

Step 3: Write your ad

This is the fun but nerve-wracking part of creating an ad. Two headlines and a body and only 120 characters of text total!

Let’s take a look at an example ad I made:

Your ad should:

• Repeat in the headline what they searcher is looking for

• Include your offer if it’s a special deal

• Call out anything special about your salon

• Include the name of your city

• Include a call to action (book now! or Claim offer)

• The body should have each letter of every word capitalized

But don’t worry too much about getting it right on the first try. You should create a few different ads that lead to the same page but have slightly different text. You’ll see which one performs better and focus on that one.  

Bonus: Don’t forget to install Google Analytics!

Make sure that whatever you do, you can track. Google Adwords will show you how many people have seen your ad, clicked on your ad, and how much you’re spending. But you need to know what’s happening once people get on your website.

If you have 100 visitors and no bookings, there is a probably a problem with your landing page. Google Analytics will show you what happens on your website once people get there.  

Last words of wisdom

Robert from Mozaik has this to say as the most important things for salons to keep in mind:

"Go Granular with your Adwords campaigns! Make specific landing pages for each offer you want to do, and make campaigns for those keywords only. It will take time, but the result difference is huge.

I would also highly suggest investing time to learn AdWords. There are quite a few settings that lead to quick waste of your money. Either hire a professional that will build your full campaign and structure, like we do over at Maya Media, or read a lot of blogs about AdWords like PPC Hero”.