Where should a small business spend its advertising budget
We have a small hairdressing academy aimed at International students, in Barcelona and in the past we have spent a lot (for us) on Facebook/Instagram and Google Ads to promote our courses. Recently we tried out education portals with very mixed results. I would love to hear what the trend is now for advertising and where best I should spend our hard earned cash
Replies7
- @Gavin Kemp Thank you very much for your generous reply. I will definitely consider all the points you made.
- Hi CecilyI think before you spend anything anywhere you need a few marketing insights about your students journey to you. From your website you are offering a beginner course costing about 7000 euro. The answers I’d be after would be:-How have your existing students found you?How many of them have the fee at the start of the course to pay you in full, or for example does it come from an employer?Are they doing the 11 month course with you and working in salons locally?Are they being influenced/directed by an employer to study with you?As you are seeking international students what are you offering your students that they can’t get from local academies?To answer your question, a few solid marketing insights into your students journey to you and what got them to you, and a good analysis of previous advertising activity ought to give you some answers and ideas.The basic principles and the information you need to make decisions has not changed for a very long time, the various platforms are purely tools to get to specific audiences and demographics that go in and out of relevance as technology changes and new generations arrive.BestGavin
- Expertise.
- @Zoe Papadopoulos Thank you so much for your reply. We have traditionally put our budget into adverting there but I was advised that for the size of our budget it wasn't very effective. We do use Instagram every day posting content and promoting individual posts.
- @Rebecca Rea Thank you so much! These are all great ideas. If you don't mind me picking your brain a bit more:Do you think paid advertising on google is better than on instagram? Our budget is maybe 700€ max a monthI have been a bit reticent to spend money on google ads as our students come to us from all over the world and it seems to be hard to see where your money is goingThe suggestions about local advertising and international programmes are great - I will look into those for sure!
- Hey there! A few ideas:1. I would start with my Google Ads and see where I could make refinements in ad targeting, content, timing and budget.2. You could contact international or gateway programmes and form a relationship to offer your courses.3. If you're looking to attract international students in Barcelona, you could also display posters at/around local salons, hostels and hang outs.4. In an industry like hair, you can make a lot of attractive content easily. Utilise Instagram, add cool music, don't be cringe etc.
- why not Instagram?
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