All business owners are concerned about riding out the economic ups and downs these days. Many feel as though they should hunker down—as in, cut marketing expenses—but that’s a mistake. Your best bet is actually to increase branding and promotional efforts during tough times.
To be honest, most companies that decide to limit their promotional budgets during downturns in the economy find themselves forced to close their doors. Or, if they do survive, they realize after the fact that they lost tons of market-share to smart companies who continued to invest in branding and promotional efforts.
So where do you start? Your first focus should be to look at your brand image. If you haven’t already created a professional corporate image for your business, do it now. Remember K.I.S.—keep it simple. Just look at any of the large corporate brands—each has an image that is simple in design and easily recognizable. For example, when you see the golden arches, the first thing you think is McDonald’s.
Once you’ve created a strong brand image for your business, it’s time to use it in your promotional campaigns. There are two aspects to this: first, external branding (promoting to prospective clients) and second, internal branding (promoting to your existing clients and employees). The following are some external and internal branding efforts that work:
Offer a free branded gift. Promotional giveaways are a great way to encourage prospective clients to visit your salon and to thank current customers for their business. If your goal is to bring in new customers, the key to success is advertising the giveaway—you should include details about the giveaway in all your local advertising, and on flyers and cards to help drive as much traffic to your salon as possible. For current customers, try offering the items as incentives for purchasing particular packages or for referrals.
Customize your salon swag. When hosting a salon event—a grand opening, customer appreciation or free tan weekend—salon owners generally provide swag to attendees. Clients and potential clients love to receive product samples and coupons, and you can include some branded items to ensure your salon stays at the top of their minds. Or, make your swag bags do all the work by creating custom totes or reusable grocery bags featuring your salon logo to hold the event gift items. This does double-duty because it encourages your clients to use the bag again, which means they are promoting your brand around town without any involvement on your end.
Make community connections. Get in touch with your local chamber of commerce and any community marketing groups, so that you can network at their events and promote your business with cards and branded keepsakes. You can also contact local radio and television stations to see if they are interested in offering your swag bags to their listeners and viewers.
Create a branded-apparel incentive program. Offer your custom-branded merchandise—tank tops, tees, hoodies, sweatshirts and more—as part of an incentive program for clients. For example, clients wear your brand and receive something in exchange (such as a free tanning session).
Team up with local businesses. Seek out businesses in your area that cater to a similar demographic and ask if they would be willing to place your flyers on their front counter. And, double your response by offering them some type of desk, wall or calendar gift with your logo that will be a constant advertisement of your salon in their space.
Treat your clients. Treats—such as logoed mint tins and chocolates, and custom-labeled spring water—are great to provide to clients or to have available for purchase. Take it one step further during promotional events by designing the labels with an attached coupon for use during a future visit. And, when out marketing, you might consider leaving behind some logo-emblazoned food items (such as custom-printed microwave popcorn) to help boost your response. You can also ask local valet services if they would be willing to have their valets leave your branded mint tins in cars.
Grab client’s attention in the salon. Your salon is the perfect place to showcase your brand and there are many products to help you do just that. Try customizing your tanning rooms with mats that feature your salon logo. You can also brand front-desk items, such as pens, note pads and sticky notes. Even your employees can sport your brand with customized corporate apparel. And, if your salon offers combo-services (for example, a Hydration Station session followed by a tanning session or a UV tanning session followed by a sunless tanning session), you might want to invest in custom robes. This allows clients to travel between rooms without having to get dressed—a convenience they’ll surely appreciate—and it’s yet another way to showcase your brand in the salon.
Using promotional products to brand your business in the salon and in your local community is a great way to increase traffic—even in tough times. You’ll find that your clients and employees will go out of their way to spread the word about your salon and help take your business to the next level.
Dan Levin is the president of Gallant Inc., a full-service promotional agency, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2009. For more information about Gallant’s branding and promotional solutions, visit www.gallantgifts.com.
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