Solved: Small laser hair removal business not growing enough

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. I've had a look over your situation, and it sounds very familiar. A lot of new service-based buisnesses hit this exact plateau, so don't feel like you're alone in this. It's tough when you've got passion and a great service, but the numbers just aren't adding up yet, especially with loan repayments looming.

I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on my experience running campaigns for other service businesses. I'll be brutally honest because I think that's what's most helpful. The goal isn't just to get more clicks; it's to build a predictable system for getting new clients in the door so you can cover expenses and start growing properly.

We'll need to look at your offer and who you're really talking to...

Right, first things first. Before we even touch Google Ads or Instagram, we have to talk about what you're actually selling. You said you have a "small business focusing on laser hair removal." That's the service, but it's not the offer, and it's not what your customers are buying.

No one wakes up in the morning excited to buy "laser hair removal." They wake up frustrated, annoyed, and fed up. They're buying a solution to a problem, a very specific and often emotional one. They're buying back their time from endless shaving, the confidence to wear a swimsuit without thinking twice, freedom from painful waxing appointments, and an end to itchy razor burn. Your ideal customer isn't just a demographic; they're in a state of pain. They're living in a personal nightmare of constant, inconvenient hair removal. This is what you need to become an expert in.

Your marketing message, every ad, every Instagram post, every word on your website, needs to speak directly to this nightmare. You don't just sell a service; you sell a good night's sleep, a confident holiday, an extra 15 minutes in bed every morning. For example, instead of an ad that says "Laser Hair Removal in [Your Town]", you could test something like:

"Tired of the endless cycle of shaving and waxing? Imagine smooth skin, every day, with no effort. Get freedom from unwanted hair and reclaim your time."

This is a small shift, but it's everything. It changes you from a commodity that can only compete on price to a specialist who understands and solves a deep-seated problem. Once you've defined this pain point properly, finding the people experiencing it becomes much, much easier. You stop shouting into the void and start having a conversation with people who are already desperate for the solution you provide.

Forget adding facials for now. That's a classic mistake. You're trying to solve a client acquisition problem by adding more complexity and expense. It just divides your focus and your cash. You need to master acquiring clients for your core, high-value service first. Once you have a reliable engine bringing in laser hair removal clients profitably, you can use those profits to fund expansion into other services. Don't build a second floor on a house with shaky foundations.

I'd say you need to focus your ad spend where it counts...

You mentioned using Instagram ads, Facebook Marketplace, and Google Ads, but that Google feels expensive and you've seen no clients from Facebook. This is completely normal and, frankly, expected.

The problem is intent. When someone is scrolling through Instagram, they're looking at photos of their friends' holidays or funny videos. They are not in a 'buying' mindset for a high-consideration service like laser hair removal. You're interrupting them. Trying to sell to them here is like trying to sell a new boiler to someone relaxing on a beach. It's the wrong time and the wrong place. For a small business with a tight budget, awareness campaigns on social media are often a fast way to burn cash with very little to show for it. You are essentially paying the ad platform to find the people in your area who are cheapest to show ads to, not the ones most likely to buy.

Facebook Marketplace is even worse for a professional service. It's a platform for second-hand furniture and cheap goods. It completely devalues your brand and attracts bargain-hunters, not loyal, high-value clients. You should stop using it immediately.

The real battleground for you is Google. Why? Because that's where people go when they have intent. They have recognised their problem (the nightmare of unwanted hair) and are now actively searching for a solution. They're typing "laser hair removal near me" or "best laser hair removal clinic in [your city]" into the search bar. These are the people you need to be in front of. Every single pound you spend on marketing right now should be focused on capturing this existing demand, not trying to create new demand on social media.

You said Google Ads feels expensive for the turnover you're seeing. Let's unpack that, because this is the most important financial mindset shift you need to make. The question isn't "How low can my cost per lead be?" but "How high a cost per lead can I afford to acquire a great customer?" To answer that, you need to understand the Lifetime Value (LTV) of your client.

Let's do some rough maths. Laser hair removal is rarely a one-off treatment. It's a package.
-> Let's say a typical full course of treatments for one area costs a client $1,500 in total.
-> Let's assume your gross margin is 70% after paying for your time/staff, rent share, consumables, and depreciation on the machine.
-> So, the Gross Margin Value per new client is: $1,500 * 0.70 = $1,050.

Each new client who buys a standard package is worth $1,050 in gross profit to your business. Now, let's look at the "expensive" Google Ad lead. Let's say a lead (a phone call or a form fill) costs you $40. That might feel high. But what if your consultation and sales process is good enough to convert 1 in every 5 leads into a paying client?

Your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) would be: 5 leads * $40/lead = $200.

You are spending $200 to make $1,050. That's more than a 5x return on your investment. Suddenly that $40 lead doesn't look expensive at all, it looks like an absolute bargain. It looks like the key to predictable growth. This is the maths that unlocks aggressive, intelligent scaling. You have to stop thinking about the cost of a lead and start thinking about the value of a customer.

Based on my experience, for local services, a cost per lead can be anywhere from $10 to $60, or even more in a very competative market. I remember one campaign we ran for an HVAC company in a competitive city, and their cost was around $60/lead. But their average job value is in the thousands, so it works. On the other hand, one of our best consumer services campaigns was for a home cleaning company which got a cost of just £5 per lead. For your niche, you're probably looking at the $20-$50 range for a quality lead. You should be aiming for a starting budget of at least $1,000-$2,000 a month on Google Ads to get enough data and enough leads to make this work.

You probably should restructure your Google Ads...

Just "running Google Ads" isn't enough. It's very easy to waste money if it's not set up correctly. Given your budget constraints, you need to be ruthless with your targeting and messaging to make sure every click has the highest possible chance of converting.

1. Keywords: Focus on High-Intent, Local Searches
You need to target keywords that signal someone is ready to buy, not just doing research. You want to pre-qualify your audience with the search terms they use. Someone searching "how does laser hair removal work" is in a different stage to someone searching "laser hair removal prices [your city]". You want the second person. Here's a quick look at how I'd seperate them:

You should also heavily use 'negative keywords' to stop your ads showing for irrelevant searches. You would add terms like "at home", "diy", "jobs", "training", "course" to your negative keyword list to avoid wasting money on clicks from people looking for something else.

2. Ad Copy: Speak to the Pain
Your ad is the first thing a potential client sees. It needs to grab them. Use the Problem-Agitate-Solve framework we talked about earlier.
Headline 1: Best Laser Hair Removal in [Your City]
Headline 2: Tired of Shaving & Waxing?
Description: Get permanently smooth skin. Safe, effective treatments from qualified experts. Book your free, no-obligation consultation today and get 10% off your first package.
This copy works because it combines the high-intent location, speaks to the pain point, and presents a clear, low-risk call to action.

3. Use Ad Extensions
These are free ways to take up more space on the search results page and give people more reasons to click your ad. You must be using:
-> Call Extensions: Lets people call you directly from the ad. Crucial for local services. You can even schedule these to only show when you know you can answer the phone.
-> Location Extensions: Shows your address and puts you on the map. Builds trust.
-> Sitelink Extensions: Links to specific pages on your site, like "Pricing", "About Us", "Testimonials", and most importantly, your "Book a Consultation" page.
-> A callback widget on your website is also a great idea. Many peoples prefer to leave a number and get a call back when it's convenient for them, rather than making the call themselves.

You'll need a much clearer offer to get people in the door...

This is probably the single biggest reason why your ads might feel expensive. Driving traffic to a website is only half the battle. If the website doesn't convert that traffic, you're just pouring water into a leaky bucket. The most common failure point I see is the offer itself.

A button that just says "Contact Us" or a generic homepage is a high-friction, low-value offer. It asks the prospect to do all the work. You are asking a busy person to take a chance on you with very little incentive. You must remove as much friction and perceived risk as possible. Your offer’s only job is to deliver a moment of value and make it an absolute no-brainer for a potential client to take the next step.

For a service like yours, the gold standard is a Free, No-Obligation Consultation & Patch Test.

This is your unfair advantage. It does several things:
-> It's zero risk for the client. They have nothing to lose by coming in.
-> It gets them through the door. Once they are in your clean, professional clinic, meeting you face-to-face, you can build rapport and trust.
-> It gives you the chance to assess their needs, explain the process, manage their expectations, and sell them on the full package in a low-pressure environment. The sale becomes a formality.

Your entire Google Ads campaign should be built around driving people to a specific, simple landing page that sells *only this one offer*. The page should have one goal and one button: "Book Your Free Consultation". Remove all other distractions. Use testimonials, before-and-after photos (with permission!), and copy that focuses on the benefits (the freedom, the confidence) to persuade them to take this one, easy step.

You could also test a low-cost introductory offer, like "Your First Underarm Session for just $49". This gets them to experience the quality of your service and the results, making the upsell to a full, expensive package much easier. The goal of your advertising shouldn't be to sell a $1,500 package from a single click. The goal of your advertising is to profitably acquire appointments for your free consultation.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below in a table to give you a clear overview of the strategy I'd suggest focusing on.

I know this is a lot to take in, but getting these fundamentals right is the difference between a business that struggles month-to-month and one that has a predictable, scalable system for growth. It's not just about setting up an ad and hoping for the best. It's about deeply understanding your audience's pain, meeting them where they're actively looking for a solution, and making it incredibly easy for them to take the first step with a high-value, low-risk offer.

That's where professional help can make a huge difference. We spend all day, every day inside ad accounts for businesses just like yours, running these kinds of campaigns. We can help you implement this entire strategy, avoiding the costly mistakes and fast-tracking you to a point where you're seeing a profitable return and can finally stop worrying about covering the bills.

If you'd like to chat further, we offer a completely free, 20-minute strategy session where we can have a proper look at your specific situation and give you a clear roadmap. There's no obligation at all, of course.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh