ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Satisfied and informed customers are your greatest resource for building a client base and for most tanning salons, our business is built on local referral business.

So, how do you build on that? How do you turn one customer into ten or twenty?

Here are 3 new marketing tips that will increase your client base and get those customers into your tanning beds:

1. Set up a referral program and educate your customers about it.

By setting up an organized referral program, you’ll give your customers a reason to tell their friends and neighbors about you. At a friend’s salon, the owner put up a sign that said “Were you referred by another customer? If so, tell me and you’ll both get a free tanning session.”

The sign served two purposes; it set up a simple and easy-to-manage referral program and it educated his customers about it.

2. Harness the power of testimonials.

People rely on word-of-mouth information. Start controlling that with recorded, positive customer testimonials. Whether it’s encouraging your customers to leave positive reviews for you at an online review site like Yelp.com or collecting feedback and using the testimonials for your own website, positive feedback is a great selling tool.

One innovative salon started posting customer video reviews on their website and saw a major boost in business. They set up a “testimonial cam” and offered their clients a free tan in exchange for leaving a review. You can do the same thing and then post the videos on a simple and free blog (hint: use free blog sites like Wordpress or Blogger).

If you’re going to start a website though, keep the site content fresh with local news about the salon and information on your community. Remember, when people are searching for a tanning salon in their neighborhood, they’re going to use search terms like “tanning salon in [your neighborhood name] or [your city name],” so pepper your blog posts with search friendly terms that identify your community with lots of keywords and addresses.

3. Create a customer community for your tanning salon.

Tanning salons depend on repeat customers, so developing a customer community is critical to boosting and maintaining your business. You can do this by hosting monthly or quarterly events that bring your customers together. One salon brought in a local chef to host a smoothie-making workshop. It was simple, cheap and it appealed to their target market base.

By implementing these three steps you can multiply your customer base and start filling those beds. But, don’t just leave it to me, what have you done to boost referrals and get more customers?