A beauty salon after a bad first run with ads: about 1,500 Instagram DMs in a month

Starting point

Where things stood

The salon got clients from a range of sources, but Instagram and Facebook ads had already failed once. The goals: more new clients and more online bookings through Instagram.

Goal

What needed to happen

Bring in new clients at up to $3 per inquiry, with no gaps in ad delivery — at least 40 clients a week. First, we had to rebuild trust in advertising, so we agreed on a test week with a $100 budget.

Strategy

The plan

We analyzed competitors and pinned down what sets the salon apart: certified specialists, new equipment, great service, and discounts. That shaped the offers and creatives, and we launched three booking funnels at once to quickly see which one worked.

System

How the funnel works

1. Instagram ads
2. Chat with a manager, a quiz, or online booking
3. The manager calls already knowing what the client needs
4. Appointment with a specialist

Execution

What was done

• Test week: 2 days of setup and 5 days of ads on $100 — about 95 messages, after which the client signed on
• Analyzed competitors and built discount-based offers
• Created ads that get people to send a DM and book
• Launched three funnels at once: direct chat with a manager, a short quiz before a call, and a mini booking site showing specialists' open slots in real time

Result

What came of it

• ≈ 1,500Instagram DMs in one monthSource: Project report
• ≈ $1cost per message (target: up to $3)Source: Project report
• ≈ $1,600ad spendSource: Project report
• ≈ 95messages in the 5-day $100 testSource: Project report

This is one of my early projects, from more than three years ago. I no longer have ad account screenshots, so the numbers are rounded from the report I wrote at the time. The result here is Instagram DMs: someone saw the ad and messaged the salon. That’s one of the cheapest actions you can pay for on Instagram, and impressions cost about $4 per 1,000 — hence the low price. A message isn’t a client yet: there’s no data on how many turned into bookings, so I’m not showing revenue.

Takeaway

What the project showed

After a bad experience, a client doesn’t need a plan — they need quick results. A $100 test that brought in about 95 messages in 5 days won back their trust, and over the month each message cost roughly a third of the target price.