Promotional Products Can Drive Your Business

Today, indoor tanning is a $5 billion industry that provides tans to approximately 30 million Americans each year. Since indoor tanning is a vanity-driven industry, tanning salons must provide customers with topnotch service and results or lose their business to another salon down the street. This highly competitive industry relies heavily on customer loyalty and outside-the-box marketing. Successful salons have found that the use of promotional products keeps their salons in the spotlight and provides great word-of-mouth advertising.

Promotional products are an $18 billion industry and include apparel, writing instruments, calendars, drinkware, bags, totes, award and many other items, usually imprinted with a company’s name, logo or message.

The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), an international not-for-profit trade association for the promotional products industry, reports that recipients of promotional products have a significantly more positive opinion of a business through more positive overall image; more positive perception of the business; higher likelihood of recommending the business; and higher likelihood of patronizing the business.

When considering the use of promotional products, be sure to evaluate your customer database to make a wise purchasing decision. Promotional products can range in price from hundreds of dollars for crystal awards to less than $1 for a pen. The possibilities are endless, but the following are some of the most popular promotional products used by tanning salons nationwide.

The apparel category is home to hundreds of items including T-shirts, polos, jackets, hats and corporate casual items. Since tanning salons are a more casual work environment, many tanning salons have opted to have employees to wear a uniform consisting of polos or T-shirts with the salon’s name and logo. This not only makes for a branded appearance, but it also sets a standard of professionalism for the salon.

Apparel is a walking billboard for any business and tanning is no exception. Tanning is fun and relaxed, and clothing with cool salon logos and such are ripe for this industry. Many salons have found success by giving T-shirts as incentives for purchasing packages or handing them out to loyal customers. Of utmost importance is making sure the clothing drives people to the salon. It should have the salon’s logo, slogan, location, phone number and Web site if at all possible.

Antenna balls are cool. Much like license plate holders, they are extensions of car owners’ personalities and also help locate vehicles in crowded parking lots. People collect them, trade them and give them away because they are fun. These are perfect for the indoor tanning industry, as they make for great giveaways.

Case in point: a number of years ago, LOOKING FIT® took 3,000 yellow sunshine antenna balls emblazoned with its Web site to an industry trade show. Attendees were required to fill out a brief survey in order to receive the antenna ball. The result was a feeding frenzy of attendees and exhibitors. The booth was mobbed with people filling out the survey just to get their hands on the sunshine ball. Some even offered to buy them outright. The antenna balls were gone within two days, and attendees were begging for more.

Walk into any home and most likely you will find a refrigerator covered with magnets. They exemplify convenience and commercialism, often with a specific message or meaning. Magnets on our home fridge include ones from the veterinarian, the University of Notre Dame and the local pub down the street--the basic trinity that keeps the house intact.

Many tanning salons give out these inexpensive items daily to keep their names in their customers’ heads. Need more proof? A study by the Florida Solar Energy Center revealed that a two-person household opened the refrigerator an average of 42 times per day. Magnets pack a heavy marketing punch and are an inexpensive way to get your foot into the promotional products arena.

It’s safe to assume that nearly everyone has some type of key ring. These handy promotional items are a daily necessity and ideal for tanning salons because customers have to leave their house and go to the salon. A key ring with a salon logo and phone number is a constant reminder that the customer needs to take a mini vacation and steer toward the salon for some relaxation.

Many salons have found success by giving out beverage koozies to their customers. These are a perfect fit since quite a few salons sell or give away water, juice or soda to help quench post-tanning thirst. And since tanners are social beasts, salon owners know those koozies will make their way to the beach or pool where they will be instant advertising.

Everyone loves a freebie. The promotional products discussed in this article are just a few of the thousands on the market.