To reach a broader market, I launched a marketing campaign targeting a specific segment alongside a new feature release. By aligning the channels and content formats with audience preferences, we achieved a tenfold increase in new sign-ups and saw strong growth in the targeted segment. This outcome demonstrated the effectiveness of a user-centered approach in marketing strategy.
Timeline
Jul - Aug, 2023
Role
Product Marketer
Responsibilities
Marketing Strategy Development
Ad Assets Creation
Campaign Execution
Tools
Figma
Vrew
Instagram / Facebook
Colavosalon is a digital platform designed to streamline operations for beauty and wellness businesses. The platform offers features helping independent salon professionals save time and grow their businesses.
Colavosalon’s existing user base was primarily focused on niche services. To tap into broader market opportunities, we took a strategic approach with the launch of new features, targeting a wider audience segment to increase app downloads and overall engagement.
User Interview & Discovery
1. User Interview:
To understand what solo salon owners actually value, our team interviewed active users, rather than focusing on assumptions about new users.
2. Discovery:
I synthesized the interviews to identify areas that users consistently found most valuable while running their business smoothly.
Seamless booking without interrupting ongoing work (Booking link)
Reduced no-shows and reminder effort (Automated appointment reminders)
3. Insight:
What mattered most to solo salon owners was the ability to stay focused on their work without constant interruptions while operating alone.
By reducing missed inquiries and saving time spent on no-show prevention reminders, the product meaningfully improved their day-to-day workflow.
Based on insights from active user interviews, I reframed the ad content around real, day-to-day challenges faced by solo salon owners while working.
I created short-form Instagram ads using interview-style videos that featured salon owners sharing their own experiences, in their own words. Each video focused on a specific operational pain point, showing how bookings and appointment reminders are handled in the background so owners can stay focused on their clients, reduce missed inquiries, and spend less time managing no-show prevention.
Value 1: Interruption from Customer Inquiries
1. Pain point:
Salon owners frequently struggle to manage incoming booking inquiries while actively providing services, leading to constant interruptions and loss of focus.
2. User Voices Featured in the Video:
"I'm in the middle of a treatment and get calls asking, 'What time is available?'"
"I keep saying 'Just a moment, just a moment please', and it really breaks my concentration.
3. How It Was Used in the Ad:
These moments were highlighted to immediately trigger recognition and emphasize uninterrupted work as the core value.
Value 2: Reminder & No-shows Burden
1. Pain point:
Even after bookings are made, salon owners spend time preventing no-shows and handling misunderstandings around appointment schedule.
2. User Voices Featured in the Video:
"Some clients forget even after making an appointment."
"On the day of the appointment, they say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize. Sorry.’"
"Sometimes clients even ask why they weren’t reminded!"
3. How It Was Used in the Ad:
These quotes reinforced how automated reminders reduce manual follow-ups and the frustration caused by no-shows.
The campaign led to a tenfold increase in new app downloads, with significant growth in sign-ups from the target segment.
It validates the effectiveness of pain-point-focused ad messaging.
Impact of a User-Centered Approach
This project reinforced that effective marketing decisions come from understanding when and how a product fits into users' daily workflows.
Value of User Feedback
I learned that raw user feedback becomes most powerful when translated into relatable scenarios instead of feature benefits.
Using salon owners' own words allowed the ads to trigger instant recognition, making the value of the product intuitive.
Choosing the Right Channels
The choice of marketing channels and content formats should be based on understanding of the target audience. Beauty salon owners, for instance, are more responsive to visual, intuitive content, making short-form videos a more effective approach than text-heavy materials.