Meta and Google ads for a hair salon in Dubai, UAE: 2.2x the booking taps from Google
LUMINA runs the performance marketing for a ladies' hair salon in Dubai. Customers book on WhatsApp, so the ads are built to start that conversation.
A salon has no checkout, so we count taps on the salon's book-on-WhatsApp button. In the latest year Google Ads brought about 1,080 of those taps a month, up from about 490 a year earlier, and each one cost 12% less. On Meta, a click now costs 51% less than it did two years earlier. A tap is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking. We keep the client's name private. Every figure comes straight from the ad accounts we manage.
- Client
- A ladies' hair salon. We keep the name private.
- Services
- Hair extensions, hair colour and nails
- Market
- Dubai, UAE
- Channels
- Google Search and Performance Max, Instagram and WhatsApp ads on Meta
- LUMINA's role
- Performance marketing: strategy, campaign build and day-to-day management
- Source of figures
- Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager, as each platform reports them
Why is a salon hard to advertise?
A salon does not have a checkout. A woman sees an ad, sends a message, asks about price and timing, and then books. The sale never shows up in the ad account, so it is easy to pay for clicks that never become a conversation.
The salon also sells very different services. Someone looking for hair extensions is not the same customer as someone looking for a manicure, and one campaign cannot speak to both.
Performance marketing, from strategy to daily management
LUMINA plans, builds and manages the salon's Google and Meta ads, and tells the salon which creatives are working.
What did LUMINA set up?
How the campaigns are organised on Google and on Meta.
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One campaign per service
Hair extensions, hair colour, the salon itself and nails each have their own Google Search campaigns, with their own keywords, budget and cost target. Extension methods such as clip-in, tape-in, weft and keratin have their own ads too. Budget follows the service that is filling the diary.
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Close to the salon first
Search campaigns run inside a set distance of the salon, from 3 to 10 km depending on the service. Performance Max covers the nearest 5 miles and brought booking taps for $0.77 each. Areas too far to travel from are excluded on both platforms.
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Booking taps counted, not clicks
The landing page has a “Book my appointment” button that opens WhatsApp. That tap, phone taps, calls and direction requests from Maps, and visits to the salon are the goals Google bids toward.
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Instagram conversations with the right women
Meta ads run on Instagram only, to women aged 20 to 55, in English, Russian and Arabic. Each ad opens a conversation in Instagram Direct or WhatsApp. Women who messaged in the last 14 to 30 days, and existing customers, are left out, so the budget goes to new enquiries.
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Follow-up by service
Women who visited a service page or engaged with the salon's profile see an ad for that same service. A separate campaign sends women who do not follow the salon yet to its Instagram page.
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Hiring through the same account
When the salon needed stylists, a separate campaign reached hair professionals and opened a WhatsApp chat with each one who replied.
What were the results on Google?
The campaign for women who are ready to book did best. Of the people who saw that ad, 13.4% clicked it, and a booking tap cost $10.35. Maps and location ads added 1,404 direction requests and 537 calls in four months, and Google measured 183 visits to the salon from ads.
| Measure | Earlier year | Latest year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp booking taps a month | About 490 | About 1,080 | 2.2x |
| Cost per booking tap | $17.81 | $15.59 | −12% |
| Clicks from Google ads | 71,082 | 142,252 | 2.0x |
| Cost per click | $1.42 | $1.41 | Held |
Source: Google Ads, as the platform reports it. A booking tap is a tap on the salon's book-on-WhatsApp button after a Google ad. It is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking. Taps compare the same 11 months one year apart, and clicks compare 12 months. The Google Ads account is in UAE dirhams, converted at 3.6725 to the dollar.
What did Meta ads add?
Meta ads run next to Google for the same salon, on Instagram. Google reaches women who are already searching. Instagram shows the work and starts the conversation earlier. Compared with the same 12 months two years earlier, the account now gets 3.4 times the clicks and pays 51% less for each one.
- Conversations started in Instagram Direct and WhatsApp: More than 1,700
- Visits to the salon's Instagram profile: 3,549, at $0.40 each
- Contact requests from the website: 95, at $12.07 each
- Conversations with hair professionals, for hiring: 247, at $5.61 each
| Measure | Two years earlier | Latest year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clicks a month | 664 | 2,251 | 3.4x |
| Cost per click | $3.17 | $1.56 | −51% |
Source: Meta Ads Manager, October to September of each period, as the platform reports it. Clicks are link clicks. The Meta ad account is in US dollars. Source: Meta Ads Manager. A conversation is a chat started from an ad. It is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking.
Running ads for a salon or clinic in Dubai?
Tell us your services and what a new client is worth to you.
What made the difference?
Three things. Each service has its own campaign, so hair extensions, colour and nails each get the budget they earn. The ads reach women within a short drive of the salon, the ones who book. And the booking tap is the goal both platforms bid toward, so the budget follows enquiries rather than clicks.
Questions brands ask before they start
We count the actions that lead to a booking: taps on the book-on-WhatsApp button, calls, direction requests and conversations started. Each one is tied to the ad that caused it. A tap is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking, and this page says so wherever the number appears.
They do different jobs. Google Ads reaches women searching for a service right now. Meta ads on Instagram show the work and start conversations with women who were not searching yet. This salon uses both.
In this account the Search campaigns run 3 to 10 km around the salon, depending on the service, and Performance Max covers the nearest 5 miles. Areas that are too far to travel from are excluded.
Both. We are based in Dubai and run performance marketing for online stores and for service businesses such as salons, in English, Arabic and French.
Everything from strategy to campaign management and optimization. We also tell you which creatives are working and what we need from you next. Every client gets an account manager and a digital marketing specialist.
The performance figures belong to the client, so we keep the name private. The numbers come straight from Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager for the periods shown.
Running ads for a salon or clinic in Dubai?
Tell us what you offer and what a new client is worth to you.