ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Direct mail is a great way to find new customers for your tanning salon. But if you're not careful, you'll end up wasting money by paying too much postage, reaching the wrong customers, and even wasting money on printing. Here are a few ways you can make sure your direct mail campaign is the most effective.

If the only web presence your tanning salon has is a static web page that hasn't changed in three years, you're missing out on the power of social media marketing. Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or even just simple email, please do me a favor and get out there and start connecting with your clients. Go to where they are. Here's where you can find them.

Facebook

Most of the successful tanning salons I know have a Facebook presence. They use their Facebook salon profile as a way to stay in touch with clients, allow clients to become "fans" of their business and advertise secret, "friends-only" promotions.

Parents generally have some serious say-so in their children’s lives up to age 18, when they legally become adults. And as such, many states require parental permission to allow teens to tan at an indoor tanning salon.

However, now in Massachusetts, state lawmakers are proposing to go a step further, and require a complete ban on indoor tanning for anyone under the age of 16 – and Rhode Island is likely to follow. This is leaving many tanning salon proprietors scratching their heads in frustration.

Most already have strict policies in place for minors. One Rhode Island salon owner says all their clients under 18 must have a consent form signed by a parent in front of an employee. “When parents come in and we explain all the facts, it’s clear how time intervals work and how to tan responsibly,” she says.

Parents themselves may object to having their authority usurped by state politics, and some point out that getting a tan in a controlled environment is better than over exposure outside. Another salon owner agrees the ban is going too far and points out: “I think the laws are sufficient as long as they are enforced.”

When it comes to parental permission, the ban may be a moral battle ground, but for salon owners it’s also a business battle ground – with a significant impact on the business bottom line. One owner claims it would affect almost 75 percent of her business – especially during certain times of the year.

It’s all about tanning responsibly, salon proponents say. “Teens can go out and get fried outside, too,” says one salon client. “In my opinion, if they’re going to tan, it’s better to do it in a controlled environment.”

There are 29 states which currently regulate teen tanning.

To learn more about legislation in your state, contact your local government or visit the Indoor Tanning Association website .

Salon ownership doesn't begin with planning an opening. There are steps to opening a tanning salon, both behind the scenes and front-and-center. And where does it begin? With choosing a location, of course.

1. Choose the best location.

You can't overcome a bad location, that's just the way it is. So, here at ETS Tan , we help new tanning salons do demographic studies and competition analysis on a particular area to help them find the best location.

We look at the population, the competition and the commercial landscape and we ask "are there enough people to sustain a tanning salon and if there is competition, how many beds are there now, and how can we control that market?"

2. As the owner, get involved.

In the old days, you could throw a few tanning beds in a storefront, throw up a sign and enter the world of salon ownership. Today, owners need to be more involved.

We can actually help walk you through the ins and outs of salon ownership and if you can't be as involved as you'd like, then we can offer advice on hiring a skilled, experienced and passionate salon manager.

3. Hire the right staff.

Your staff are the front lines of your people. They talk to people, represent you, deal with problems, make your sales, maintain your beds and keep your salon clean. And the sad truth is that even though most people care about their jobs, some people don't. It's your job to hire people that care.

4. Nail the perfect mix of equipment.

I know, I know, I sell tanning salon equipment, so why isn't it at the top of my salon ownership list? Well, to be honest, location is critical, you're critical and so are your staff. All of these elements together can actually overcome equipment that's less than ideal. But, you're more likely to see success with a nice mix and selection of quality tanning beds.

5. Learn how to market.

How you put together your advertising, your decorating, your pricing structure, your membership fees, the lotions you're going to carry, other products you might stock and all your other offerings are all going to come together to create your salon image.

Are you going to be a high end spa/tanning salon or more of a budget-friendly facility? How will your marketing reflect that?

6. Find a salon ownership mentor.

Here at ETS Tan, we can help to connect you with a fellow tanning salon owner who has seen some success and is willing to help walk you through part of the business. Having a mentor (outside of your competition area, of course) can help you avoid common mistakes, bring new ideas to the table and learn from the expertise of others.

7. Learn how the equipment works.

You have the best equipment available. That's great. Do you know how to work it? Can you fix it if something goes wrong? Do you know how to maintain it on a day-by-day or tan-by-tan basis? We'll walk you through every nook and cranny of every tanning bed and tanning bed system you buy.

8. Learn how to sell lotion.

Pinpoint the lotions that you want to carry and connect with their sales reps. How will each company work to help you make sales? Will they provide training? Displays? Free samples?

9. Get a good web presence.

A solid web presence is mandatory. This is how the majority of your new clients will find you. And remember, you can't just create a page and forget about it, it should be dynamic and updated regularly. Not only does this keep your customers coming back, it also keeps your search engine rankings high.

10. Plan your opening.

Finally, now that you've stated to get a handle on tanning salon ownership,  now it's time to plan your opening. Will you do a soft opening? How will you advertise? Will you use direct mail to target the neighborhood? will you advertise in the local paper? Remember, your opening and its marketing needs to reflect that same branding and style that you want from your salon.

Missouri will be joining the ranks of 16 states that are considering legislation to limit or ban teens’ use of indoor tanning salons . Legislative proposals range from requiring parental consent, to requiring a doctor’s note, to outright banning of minors.

This is in addition to the 29 states which already have restrictive indoor tanning laws for teens on the lawbooks.

Proponents of such limitations say it’s for the protection of minors, much like the cigarette sales laws. But opponents disagree – arguing this goes too far. “You cannot regulate everything in this world,” says one state senator in Florida who voted against such bill when it came up in his state. “I suppose we could say the same thing and outlaw tanning on the beach.”

Tanning bed bulbs are probably one of the most critical components of your business. You may have the slickest indoor tanning facilities, the best tanning beds and the hottest lotions, but if your bulbs aren't up to scratch, your customers simply won't get the tan they want.

That said, tanning lamps are a huge investment, so how do you choose the right tanning bed bulbs? And once you've made your choice, how do you care for and maintain them? It's not that easy, which is why I've put together a breakdown of the differences between the various types of tanning bed lamps and some guidelines on how to keep your indoor tanning bulbs working at maximum efficiency.

It’s almost the stuff of urban legends – the famous (or infamous) baby oil tan.

For years people on beaches and in backyards slathered themselves down with baby oil to get a deep, dark tan. And it worked. People who could tan would find they did tan when they “laid out” coated with baby oil.

Those were also the days of some pretty serious bikini lines.

But as always, times have changed, and so have people’s tanning accouterments. So is tanning with baby oil a classic? Or a dinosaur? Here are a few questions we're commonly asked about tanning with baby oil: