Creative marketing and advertising techniques are one way of branding your salon; however, there are a number of other ways for you to get your name out to the community. Here are a few of the most popular techniques:
Grand Openings/Celebrations
The grand opening is a crucial first step in introducing a salon to its customer base, and that first impression has to be a good one. Similarly, celebrations—such as for the salon’s anniversary—are a great way to recharge an existing business. Fortunately, hosting a hot event doesn’t have to break the bank. Often, other businesses will donate products or giveaway items for the event—ask your distributor o favorite lotion manufacturer to pitch in with goodies to give away. And, check with other businesses—such as local eateries—to provide treats.
Of course, a main event will fall on its face if no one gets the word out. Invite cards or VIP passes are economical ways to reach the audience, but be sure to keep the design in mind. Invitations that are attractive and exclusive-looking are the best way to make a salon stand out. In addition, advertisements and media coverage can help generate a hubbub—especially if they are promoting door prizes, such as a trip for two to a sunny location.
One main thing to remember is that employees—and any other event-only hired help—must be on the top of their game during a big gala, especially if there is a large crowd of potential clients present. Customer service has to be on-point and efficient, and everyone should be knowledgeable about the equipment, lotions and packages available at the salon. For the already-established customers at the event, try introducing them to ancillary services. This is an opportunity to expose clients to a service they haven’t tried, but may love—and will want to pay for in the future.
Live Promotions
It’s easy to play it safe with your advertising by offering a coupon or two—or maybe even a flier—but if you choose to do it with a little more pizzazz by running a live radio broadcast, your customer volume could change in an instant.
Radio can reach enormous audiences that most print mediums can’t even approach. The key is to take full advantage of this medium and create more than just a few 30-second spots here and there. Salon operators who have had success with live radio broadcasts—or remotes, as they are often called—say a big, fun event can help you sign up new customers faster than fliers and coupon books combined.
For those unfamiliar with radio promotion, a live remote is when local radio station runs a live broadcast with its most popular disc jockeys (DJs) from a chosen venue. During the program, the DJs talk about your salon and its monthly specials, offer discounts on lotions and other products, and give away free tanning packages to listeners who call in—maybe the fifth caller after a certain song in played. The main idea is to entice people to come down and check out your salon during the broadcast.
Rates for live radio broadcasts are different in every town, but you are more likely to get a reasonable quote in smaller markets. Your best bet is to decide what demographic you are aiming to reach and contact the appropriate station with a few clever ideas. The best part about promoting your salon with a radio broadcast is that you can do it your way.
Cross Promotions
Everyone likes free advertising, and cross promotions are a great way for salons to team up with a complementary local business to promote the salon and the other business. One of the most popular businesses to do cross promotions with are gyms and fitness centers because indoor tanning and fitness have been indirectly linked for years.
Just take a look at those infomercials that are prevalent on late-night television. If they are for a diet, fitness or weight-loss product they always feature before and after pictures. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that the person in the after picture is always darker than they were in the before picture. Why? Because a tanned physique looks leaner and more contoured. And, in the early 1980s, when tanning first started to boom in the United States, the fitness industry was one of the first areas to embrace it.
Salons need to recognize that the members of gyms that don’t offer tanning are potential tanners. Through creative cross promotions, salon operators can lure fitness lovers into the salon and significantly boost their clientele.
There are many ways to cross promote—it can be something as simple as leaving fliers at the gym that offer a specific special for gym members who visit your salon (and allowing them to leave similar fliers on your front desk) or something more complex, such as a combined mail-out to members of either the gym or the salon. It really depends on the relationship between the salon operator and the fitness center operator.
Be aware that the best chance for a salon to grab fitness lovers is at the beginning of the year, because one of the biggest problems gyms and health clubs have is the New Year’s resolution syndrome—people join in January, but quit by March because they don’t see the results right away.
Vehicle Wraps
These days, taxis encouraging people to subscribe to iTunes or invest with Morgan Stanley are quite common. Likewise, restaurant delivery cars emblazoned with store logos, products and prices cruise around the roads. This trendy method of “mobile billboard” advertising—which boasts a 97-percent recall rate according to Outdoor Advertising Magazine—is something tanning salons might consider using to spread the word about their businesses.
A vehicle wrap, also called a fleet wrap, can mean the actual painting on the surface of the car, but usually refers to the attachment of vinyl decals that blend or contrast nicely with the car’s surface or completely cover the car. Professional wrappers almost exclusively use vinyl, which means no ads are permanently attached to the vehicle—allowing the owner to replace the wrap with another, or simply remove it altogether.
Wraps often go on private vehicles, like a salon owner’s sedan or company car, but some taxis sell their space. The cost to wrap your own car will vary according to its size; a mid-sized sedan will likely cost $2,400 to $2,800, while SUVs and vans run about $3,000 to $3,600. Though it may seem pricey at first, promoting on a personal car doesn’t require any rent for ad space, resulting in a one-time cost. In addition, the return on that onetime cost is substantial—salon owners that have wrapped vehicles hear feedback from customers fairly often.
One potential drawback is legality, which varies from place to place. Some have a concern that overly flashy designs make driving more dangerous because of the potential for distraction—someone could be reading an ad instead of paying attention to the road and cause an accident. The distraction factor, coupled with the fact that city officials thought wraps attracted more traffic to already congested streets, inspired New York City to outlaw vehicle wraps on private cars altogether.
Additionally, if a wrap partially or completely covers a window, it will decrease visibility for the driver. Laws in many states forbid this blockage, while others are more lax.
Decency also is important. Though a scantily clad, golden model might work well in some venues, such as on a static billboard, a mobile ad of this nature might disturb some—again, because of distraction.
However, a combination of thorough research and good taste should eliminate these problems, making vehicle wraps a great “vehicle” to increase exposure and client base.
Salon Signage
From a small “open” placard in the window to chasing lights on the Las Vegas strip, signs give customers valuable information and are a reflection of a business’ image. Yet, as simple as signs can be, many business owners don’t use the power of signage to its full potential—or worse yet, they abuse the power and drive business away. Similarly, many forget that signs aren’t just for window and sidewalk dressing; they also have a place inside the business because of the natural free-advertising space.
Perhaps the first step in evaluating your business’ sign status is determining the possible places inside and outside for posting a sign. Compare that with the signs you already have. What space are you capitalizing on? What space is open? Obviously, it’s possible to overdo it—every square inch of space shouldn’t be covered with signs—but highly visible places shouldn’t be devoid of your brand and message. Here is a rundown of the major types of signs.
Building-mounted and banners. For most businesses, building-mounted signs and banners are the most visible. In short, these signs stretch vertically or horizontally and convey the business name, logo or other messaging. They can range from a piece of tarp with letters painted on it to electronic block letters attached to the building that spell out the business name. Visibility and “viewing distance,” might be the most important components for these signs. Imagine a strip mall—a common place to operate a salon—with several confused drivers clinging to the curb and peering out their windows at the signs overhead, squinting to see the undersized print. If potential tanners get frustrated because they can’t find you, they’ll leave and probably won’t return. Additionally, consider how text colors might fade or blend when exposed to sunshine, and if possible, opt for a sign that illuminates at night. The flexibility of banners that aren’t mounted to a building gives the business a chance to adapt to changing marketing plans.
Free-standing. Examples of free-standing signs include those that skyrocket from the land next to the freeway, roadside billboards and, more modestly, the plaza directory signs that sit in front of most shopping plazas. In the case of the latter, it’s worth it to make sure that your business has presence on such a sign if you’re leasing property in a shopping plaza, especially if the sign is next to the street. You might have to pay for inclusion, but the potential for driveby marketing far surpasses the nominal expense.
Hanging and standing exterior signs. Hanging signs do just that: they hang outside of the entrance to the business. Standing signs usually form a triangle with the ground. For both signs, the best audience is people walking on the sidewalk, so if you’re located in a high foot-traffic area, this might be a good option. The biggest advantage is that these signs can be taken down or changed much more easily than something affixed to a building.
Full-color window posters. Bright, full-color images that cover all of the salon’s exterior glass surfaces can turn heads—especially when they are high-quality photos of attractive, tan models. Of course, colorful posters do more than broadcast sex appeal. For those that contain text, the color provides much better readability. Astudy from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry concluded a sign with a colored background better organizes the information and allows a viewer to read it 26 percent faster.
Vinyl-cling window letters. The glassy space on the front of your business is free ad space, and some vinyl-cling window letters can allow you to send a message to passersby. The biggest advantage? You can easily peel them off and put new ones up. Similarly, the letters can be affixed on the inside of the glass and shine through, which minimizes the risk of vandalism. The biggest drawback? This style of advertising can be perceived as slightly low-grade if not done correctly, and it doesn’t always mesh with the chic, upscale images many salons are trying to exude. But if you can pull it off, vinyl lettering has several benefits.
Other window dressings and interior signs. The two types of interior signs are those visible from the outside and those that aren’t. If you’re concerned that covering too much window space will block your staff’s view of the outside, try using a type of material that is see-through from the inside. Outside viewers will still see the graphic, but it won’t obstruct the insider’s view of the outside.
Interior signs that aren’t visible on the outside, on the other hand, have a different purpose than exterior window signage—because customers they already know they’re in your tanning salon when they walk in the door. So, instead of telling them what they already know, you want to sell them on your lotions and merchandise, and inform them of current and future deals, offers and discounts. There are many options for interior signage, including countertop signs, signs that hang on the wall, freestanding banners, scrolling electronic signs and bulletin boards.
After considering all the signage options and coming up with concepts, it’s time to ask “Is this legal?” and “Is this tasteful?” Though signs you post are considered “speech” and protected by the First Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled that government has the right to limit speech if a reasonable person would consider the speech obscene—among other negative adjectives. Your local municipality or state probably has decency standards in regards to signage; find them by consulting with your attorney or doing a little Internet or library research.
Of course, most salons don’t have a problem staying legal word-wise, but they can push the envelope with racy images. The best business advice is to consider your target audience and whether or not the signs appeal to them. Poll a few of your regular tanners. Do they think the signs are risqué? What do they hear others saying?
Options abound when it comes to salon signage—from the interior to the exterior, signs are part advertisement, part branding and part “enter here,” and they’re 100-percent necessary.
