Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Marketing Strategy
Many customers were willing to wait a day or two just to book a slot for a photoshoot.
For this impromptu makeup and travel photoshoot, they were using the skincare products Jessie Sterling and the others had brought with them.
Wendy Lawson worked with Tanya to schedule the clients’ appointments for three days later, at which point she closed the booking period.
This was for two reasons. First, not many tourists would still be around on the fourth day. Second, Wendy Lawson had received a flood of private messages online from people wanting to book.
To book with them, clients had to pay a 200-yuan deposit. The package, priced at 999 yuan, included makeup, styling, an outfit, and a one-hour photoshoot. It came with all thirty unedited photos and three retouched images.
This price wasn’t particularly expensive by national standards, but compared to the dirt-cheap 100- to 200-yuan options, it was in the mid-to-high range.
Wendy Lawson went live on stream while doing makeup. This was a great way to drive traffic and allow more people to see their makeup process and the final results, which in turn would attract more business.
To drum up business online, Wendy Lawson wrote a dedicated post with all the pricing information and pinned it to the top of her page.
At first, when netizens heard the package cost just under a thousand yuan, many reacted by saying it was quite expensive.
Some even felt it was a "celebrity tax," making their prices higher than typical travel photoshoot businesses.
Wendy Lawson didn’t argue. She simply kept the stream running and got to work.
In her opinion, the people who actually wanted a photoshoot wouldn’t think the price was high. Those who weren’t willing to spend the money would find it expensive no matter what.
Besides, she believed their service was worth the price.
Leaving everything else aside, just the Hanfu provided by Shao Wei made it worth it in Wendy Lawson’s eyes.
It was exactly what you’d expect from a famous designer and a renowned shop in the Hanfu community. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the styles were so unique you could hardly find anything similar in other stores.
Gradually, the tone in the livestream chat began to change.
"Oh my god, they’re using all high-end brand-name skincare and makeup. At this price point, I think I can accept it."
"Not a single off-brand product in sight. Even the concealer is 600 yuan a tube. Okay, I’m in."
"Spending this much on makeup and styling is so worth it. And it’s Shao Wei herself doing the makeup! People outside the community might not know her rates, but to have her do your makeup for 999 is a total steal. It’s dirt cheap."
"Wow, I’m suddenly tempted."
Soon after, Shao Wei’s fans must have caught wind of it, because they started flooding into the livestream chat.
While Shao Wei wasn’t a social media influencer like Wendy Lawson, her fanbase consisted mostly of consumers with the financial means to buy from her own brand.
So when Shao Wei’s fans arrived in the stream and saw the rack of Hanfu hanging in the background, on top of the detailed photos and model shots Wendy Lawson had posted earlier, they started freaking out in the chat.
"AHHH! I’ve been waiting forever to get my hands on this ’Moon Light’ set and couldn’t even snag one from the first drop! It looks so gorgeous in person, I’m obsessed."
"What? You can rent an outfit from Shao Wei’s collection for 999? I want to go!"
"And there are limited editions! OMG, who are these lucky people? I’m so jealous I could die. I’m green with envy."
"Does anyone know how long Shao Wei is doing these travel photoshoots for? If I book a flight right now, can I still make it in time?"
The hype around the travel photoshoots continued to grow.
Some tourists traveling nearby even tried to book a night shoot, but they were all turned down.
Jessie Sterling and the others hadn’t even eaten lunch. They worked tirelessly the entire afternoon, with everyone having a specific job.
They were either busy with photoshoots, doing makeup, or acting as runners, shuttling back and forth between the house and the canopy.
They were exhausted after a long afternoon, but in the end, they had nearly six thousand yuan in cold, hard cash to show for it!
That evening, after Jade Moyer brought the last client back to the living room to select her photos, the entire group nearly collapsed onto the sofa.
"I’m dead," Wendy Lawson said, flopping onto the sofa right after she finished cleaning her makeup tools.
Ron Ford and Haydn packed up the canopy and brought it back. They walked into the kitchen and GLUG GLUG GLUGGED down a large glass of water.
"I don’t think a full day of training has ever been this exhausting," Ron Ford said.
"But we made money!" Haydn said with a grin.
They were exhausted, but they were thrilled to have earned some money.
"So, what are we eating tonight?"
Tanya raised her hand. "Today’s travel photoshoot went so smoothly, and Shao Wei was the MVP! Without the outfits she provided and her incredibly reliable makeup skills, we never would have attracted so many clients, right? So, for what to eat tonight, shouldn’t we ask our star contributor?"
Hearing this, Jessie Sterling nodded in agreement.
"I’ll go with whatever Shao Wei says."
No one else had any objections. Shao Wei herself probably never expected that, surrounded by A-list celebrities and influencers, she would one day be the center of attention.
"Oh, I don’t know about that," Shao Wei said.
"What’s not to know? If it weren’t for you, we definitely wouldn’t have made so much money today!" Tanya insisted.
"Exactly," the others chimed in.
"Come on, Shao Wei, hurry up and decide! If you don’t, we’re all going to starve tonight."
Shao Wei blushed, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. It felt good to be valued, to have found her place within their small group of eight.
"Then... should we go get some of that local yak with the skin on? I heard it’s a specialty here, a Tibetan-style hotpot? It’s different from the free meal the production team treated us to last night. Should we go?" Shao Wei asked.
She was actually a little nervous. After all, they had only shared one meal together, so she wasn’t sure about everyone’s preferences.
But to her surprise, as soon as she spoke, everyone around her readily agreed.
"Yeah! I actually did some research when I got here yesterday, and that yak hotpot has the best reviews. Haha, looks like Shao Wei and I are kindred spirits, we have the same taste."
"Let’s go! Let’s go right now. It already sounds delicious."
"Let’s go, let’s go. I’m starving."
Chatting and laughing, the group headed for the door. They might not have noticed their hunger while they were busy, but now that they were relaxing, their stomachs were starting to protest.
"So hungry..."
Once they got to the restaurant, the menu was passed around, and everyone ordered their favorite dishes.
Jessie Sterling’s phone rang just then. The sound was suddenly jarring at the dinner table.
She glanced down and saw it was a call from Victor Morgan.
Jessie Sterling thought for a moment and decided to just decline the call.
’If I take this call right now, won’t it seem a little antisocial? Besides,’ she thought, ’Victor probably doesn’t have anything important to say anyway.’
But just moments after Jessie Sterling declined the call, Victor Morgan’s name flashed on her screen for a second time.
Jessie Sterling was speechless.
Comments