First sow, then reap ..
At ONE TREE PLANTED, they’re doing it… Politicians are doing it…
and you can do it too!
At One Tree Planted they take it literally.
First, they sow the seeds, then they care for them until the saplings start to grow and can eventually be planted...
The "harvest" of ONE TREE PLANTED consists of trees that promote biodiversity, clean air and water, and create jobs...
You can see this happening in politics, too.
In the run-up to the elections, politicians take to the streets, appear on radio shows, and, of course, on TV. Everywhere they go, they spread their message and explain what they stand for. They want us to “get to know” them so that we can trust them. That is sowing. And during the elections, they reap the harvest in the form of the number of seats.
As an entrepreneur, you do this too …
You sow too...
You're on Facebook and/or Instagram
to show what you do...
You're hoping that by posting a lot on
, people will call you to make an appointment
You put all your energy into
, but you often don't get any follow-up...
And that’s a shame, because if
Facebook or Instagram disappear
, you won’t be able to find your followers anymore ...
The algorithm can also work against you
, because it means not all your followers will see your posts
and therefore won’t know what you’ve written ..
But there's a solution to that...
Something you can completely customize
where you decide when to post a message
that all your followers will see...
It’s the best way to stay in touch with your customers ..
and build a relationship
You know, it's all about knowing, liking, and trusting
In other words:
- your prospective customer first needs to know you exist; otherwise, she can’t choose you
- then she has to like you …
- and when she trusts you, she becomes your customer.
So after sowing… you reap the rewards in the form of your client paying you for the treatments you provide…
or the products you sell.
This allows you to offer even more value to your client
by investing in new services and products that benefit your client even more.
By delivering value to your customers, they become repeat customers..
which is, of course, important for building your business.
Just like with any relationship you have, you also build a relationship with your customers..
you must nurture it…
you must keep working on it
hence the word “build”…
Because just like with any other relationship, if you don’t put in the effort or pay attention, everything fades away,
the connection weakens, and you lose sight of each other.
Just think about your relationships with your girlfriends…
If you don’t call or meet up every now and then
, the connection fades until you’re no longer in touch at all …
I’m sure you’ve experienced this before.
But does that mean I have to become friends with every client
and go over for coffee?
No, of course that’s not necessary; there are different kinds of attention.
For example, this could involve providing valuable information
that addresses your customers’ interests.
You can do this by publishing a newsletter.
Butisn't anewsletter totally old-fashioned?
It’s true that no one is really waiting for anewsletter… but everyone does want to receive tips and interesting facts about something they’re interested in.
That’s why you don’t call it a newsletter, but give it a different, original name …
You can ask your (prospective) customer if you can use her email address to send her emails with tips and interesting facts.
She’s often willing to do this, especially when she gets something in return…
Please note: You should not send newsletters to someone without their consent. Otherwise, it constitutes spamming. Subscribing to a newsletter is always optional, and the recipient must always be able to unsubscribe if they no longer wish to receive your emails.
Why have a newsletter when there's social media?
Social media is fleeting, and you’re at the mercy of someone else…
specifically, the person who decides who gets to see your posts.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t be on social media…
this is where your future customers can find you
But building a real relationship only starts when she gives you her email address…
so you can add her to your list and she can hear from you regularly
without having to do anything herself.
This is called email marketing.
The advantage of email marketing is that you have permission to send emails to people.
These are people who are genuinely interested in what you do and what you have to offer.
They love hearing your tips and insights.
You're helping them!
The best part is when you have both: social media and email marketing.
It’s not about being better, but about being different. You need to give people a reason to choose your salon
You can use social media to direct potential customers to your website, where they can sign up for your newsletter.
By regularly providing her with valuable information, she’ll become your fan, start to trust you, and see you as an expert...
which makes it much easier for her to become your customer.
Of course, that won't apply to everyone, but you do have a better chance that she will...
And even if she doesn’t become a customer herself, she’ll remember you and might refer others to you. After all, people do business with those they like and trust.
There has to be a certain connection.
You often share the same interests. She knows you can help her with her problem or desire.
She’s happy for you.
That’s how everyone attracts their own audience, fans …
But doesn't it take a lot of time to send a newsletter to everyone?
You’re not going to send a newsletter to everyone individually,
, because that would indeed take a lot of time.
And if you were to send this via your regular email, your message would also be flagged as spam
, and your readers wouldn't receive it.
But there are certain programs that let you write a newsletter once
and have it sent to everyone on your list without it being marked as spam.
These are what are known as autoresponders
Some examples of autoresponders include:
Mailchimp,
Autorespond (NL),
Active Campaign,
Enormail (NL)
Aweber,
Mailblue (Active Campaign in Dutch).
There are free and paid versions.
Generally speaking, the higher the number of addresses on your list
and/or the more features you want...
the higher the subscription tier.
You can often try it out for a while first.
I've been using MailChimp for years...
Mailchimp isfree up to a certain number of email addresses (and that’s a lot)
so I think it’s a great place to start.
After that, you can always decide if a paid version is necessary
Let’s just get started…
The only downside to Mailchimp might be that it’s in English… but of course you can still use it to create newsletters in Dutch (or any other language).
If you'd like, I can help you set everything up…
then that certainly won’t be a problem anymore…
The great thing about an autoresponder is that even though you send one newsletter to everyone, it can still feel like a personal email.
There's a trick for that.
Plus, everything is handled automatically … for example, if someone wants to unsubscribe, you don't have to remove them from the list yourself—the program does it automatically.
What do you need to know about your newsletter?
Send your newsletter about twice a month—that’s a good starting point,
—but preferably more often rather than less.
It’s also important to provide information in your newsletter
and not just try to sell.
This is known as the 80/20 rule.
That means 80% content and 20% sales.
Sales are still important, of course, since you run a business,
but don’t let them dominate.
That will lead to unsubscribers
But what should I write about?
Seriously, there's so much to write about.
Check out trade magazines,
, or websites that cover trends....
You could write about new colors or products
about the training course you took
You could share some insights about nails, skin...
as well as practical information like when you’re going on vacation... or new business hours...,
new treatments, special offers
There's a story behind everything!
Yeah, but I can't write at all!
If you can speak and think
, then you can write too.
Write as if you were talking to a friend
Don't use overly complicated sentences
Avoid jargon
Just go ahead and DO it.
Or you could record something and then write it down?
Or include your audio clip in your newsletter?
Or your video?
Need help?
Are you ready to take the next step?
But not sure where to start?
Don't want to spend a lot of time figuring everything out on your own?
Because you’d rather be working in your salon?
Not tech-savvy?
But you want to get ahead?
In short, would you like some more guidance on how to build your salon?
And would you like some help with this?
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