MARKETING Essentials

What is your unique selling proposition?

All too often we witness yet another brand touting the benefits of their products - but they fail to offer a significant point of difference in their overall brand message.

Your point of difference is what stands your range out from the rest. Quite often this will not be a product feature or benefit, but rather, something unique in the quality of customer care your salon will offer the client.

Trade Blinkers

Over the last decade we coined the term "trade blinkers" because too often, a trade specialist or artist stops seeing value from the eye of the end consumer. They place all the emphasis on the colour or texture of a blend, when they fail too understand that there are so many other critical elements from the perspective of a customer, making a purchase (and those elements are not valued in the same order, as the artist values them).

Think like an entrepreneur! Act like one too!

The recipe for Success: 4 Ingredients

To simplify a complicated process think of your marketing mix as a cake recipe. Most cakes will use four basic ingredients, the flour, milk, eggs and sugar. But you can change the end outcome by altering the ingredients somewhat. The marketing mix is much the same.

For simplicity lets evaluate the 4p's of marketing, rather than the 5 or 7 version. Your marketing mix will be varied in the same way. This makes your overall 'product different from your competitor, regardless that the blends are ultimately similar, or colours the same.

A high profile or luxury brand will place more emphasis on the promotion and less on price. A discount brand will focus on the price and reduce product and packaging costs, so they move high volume of an "economical" product. This would work if your customers or "target market" is very price sensitive.

P1 - Price

High Price vs Low Price. Price is the monetary Cost the dollar amount.
The value of a product however consists of other non-tangible components such as service delivery, ease of payment, the quality, the existing reputation of the brand, and many other factors - so it is a different concept all together. Do not mix the two up!

P2 - Placement

How will you distribute this brand. Will it be via Distributors, direct to customer, strictly online or via a Retail Store? What about Party Planning. Each option is a totally different market & recipe.

P3 - The product.

Will it simply be a jar in a box, perhaps you will offer only kits, or value bundles, will you sell individual items. Will you expand the 'product' by adding value to the product through creative instructions or applications.
Information is a great way to add value to a product.

Note: one of the most prohibitive and expensive ways to value add to mineral makeup is trying to launch, with a specialty container. The factories that manufacture fancy packaging, will impose at minimum 20,000 unit minimum orders. If you budget does not permit this, and you are not prepared to take risks this high, so early in your journey - then you are at the right place to get started, safely & profitably.

P4 - Promotion.

Advertising, sponsorships, free gifts with purchase and other incentives. Charity contributions, % off. Salon operators often use a free gift with each booking. This is very clever, as the customer will see your brand name every morning, and it keeps your business "Top of Mind" more so than a magazine add read once and recycled! Creating a win win for client and business owner!