The owner already had the ability to serve international customers. The owner could communicate in foreign languages and understood marketing. Yet, as the permanent makeup studio prepared to relocate, it had no international customers and little online presence through which they could discover it.
growly treated the move as a customer-acquisition decision. The plan needed to fit a one-person operation and its premium services, then give suitable customers a path from discovery to booking.
01 / Starting conditions
The ability to serve customers was ahead of the ability to reach them
The owner’s language skills were a useful commercial strength, but prospective customers first had to find the studio. Its presence on Google Maps, its own website and AI search was underdeveloped. Readiness to serve international customers had not yet become a reason for them to choose the business.
The planned location also offered limited international foot traffic. Relying on people passing the premises would leave acquisition dependent on that constraint. We chose to reach people already researching and comparing treatments online, and give them a reason to make the trip.
The initial task was to assign a purpose to each customer touchpoint. Search would help people discover the studio. The global account and website would explain its expertise. Inquiry handling would support the move from interest to a booking.
02 / Premium positioning
The customer strategy had to fit a one-person operation
An owner who handles both consultations and treatments cannot plan growth solely around customer volume. Daily capacity is limited. The project therefore emphasized premium services and higher spend per customer, alongside acquisition. Reaching customers who valued that offer mattered as much as increasing awareness.
Calling the studio premium would not, on its own, explain why someone should choose it. The Instagram account and website were developed to communicate treatment expertise and the level of service the business intended to provide. Information and booking routes were prepared together so prospective customers could inquire with appropriate expectations.
The location and operating model pointed to the same choice. Limited passing trade made it necessary to explain the reason to visit online; limited delivery capacity made it necessary to communicate the value of each service clearly.
03 / Global Instagram account
A dedicated place for new international customers to explore the studio
We separated a global Instagram account from the existing account and prepared posts introducing the studio and its services. People discovering the business through search or advertising then had somewhere to investigate further. The value was in the account’s role, rather than the addition of another channel.
A prospective customer may move from search to Instagram and then to the website. The global account gathered information relevant to that first encounter. It gave international customers an introduction distinct from the existing account’s role, while remaining part of the same route to a booking.
04 / Website development
The website supported comparison and the decision to book
We built a new website around ease of booking and clear presentation of treatment expertise. SEO and AEO considerations formed part of the structure. Discovery and the information needed after discovery were addressed within the same build.
Instagram offered a place to explore the studio; the website provided an organized, official source of detail. Customers interested in an advertisement could investigate the offer and proceed to an inquiry or booking. Each touchpoint had a defined job instead of repeating the same introduction.
| Touchpoint | Role in the project |
|---|---|
| Search and Maps | Create a basis for international customers to discover the studio |
| Global Instagram account | Introduce the studio and its treatment expertise |
| Website | Provide service information and a route to inquiry or booking |
| Inquiry handling | Support interested customers through the booking process |
05 / Advertising reach
Targeting extended to more than 40 countries
We expanded advertising targeting to more than 40 countries and operated a separate regional campaign. This addressed the initial constraint of limited international foot traffic near the studio. The broader campaign sought interest beyond the immediate area, while selected regional activity could be managed separately.
Advertising reach and the information at its destination were prepared together. Wider targeting would have limited value if interested people arrived without a way to understand the studio. The global account and website connected that broader reach to service information and a booking route.
06 / Bidding decisions
Accumulated conversion data informed the next stage of advertising
After gathering conversion data, we set target CPA and target ROAS goals and moved campaigns from a click-led approach toward conversions. The account was adjusted as customer response became available, rather than leaving the initial operating criteria in place.
Target CPA works toward an average cost for the selected conversion action. Target ROAS works toward the relationship between conversion value supplied to the advertising system and advertising cost. Neither label, by itself, establishes that an account is optimizing for completed visits or realized revenue. That depends on the actions and values being supplied.12
The initial advertising established customer response. Later adjustments made use of the conversions gathered. Positioning and customer destinations were prepared first, then advertising evolved as response became available.
07 / Inquiry handling
The studio needed to accommodate the interest advertising created
We also standardized the inquiry-response process. Customers who had discovered the studio and read its information still needed to discuss the service and arrange a booking. Bringing them to that point would have limited value if the business could not handle the next step consistently.
The owner’s existing language ability provided a foundation. The work was designed around making that strength usable in day-to-day customer handling, rather than assuming a large team was already in place. Acquisition and the capacity to receive customers were treated together.
08 / Business results
KRW41 million in total monthly revenue, followed by hiring
In month three, the studio recorded total monthly revenue of KRW41 million. Hiring followed as the business expanded. The project connected an initial absence of international customers with a developed acquisition route and a larger operation.
The consistent choices matter more than the number of channels. Online discovery addressed the location constraint. Premium demand aligned with a one-person operating model. Customer response informed later advertising changes. Reaching customers and being ready to serve them were treated as parts of the same growth decision.
