Researching Local Opportunities to Market Your Salon
For a business like yours – tanning salon, spa, wellness center, chiropractic or physical therapy office – it’s important to be recognized as a vital part of your community. Market research and advertising strategies that focus on making your business stand out on a local level are some of the best ways to make your FIT Bodywrap® more profitable. Ask yourself these questions to get started.
Who’s Your Competition?
No matter how long your business has been open, it’s a good idea to assess the competition. Find out where your local competitors are located, what services they offer and what they consider to be their unique selling proposition. The best way to do that is to visit in person; if you are too well known to do that, enlist the aid of friends or family members. If nothing else, give them a call.
Another thing you need to assess is your competitors’ marketing strategy. Do they advertise heavily in the local newspaper or on a radio station? Do they have a website? Do they use social media? Find your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses when it comes to marketing; this will allow you to get a toehold in advertising venues they aren’t saturating – or compete directly in those they are using.
Who are Your Customers?
Once again, even if your business is well-established, it doesn’t hurt to reassess your current clientele and find new markets to target. When you offer FIT Bodywraps, your target market automatically expands to include people who not only want to look good, they want to feel good.
Ruben Vargas, GM of Desert Sun Tanning, is currently expanding his salon’s client base. “Now we are feeling out areas where we can find people who are looking for ways to a healthier lifestyle. We are reaching out to gyms and chiropractic offices to partner with.”
Frank Ewing, of Sun on the Run, has done something similar by going after a unique portion of his locale’s client base. “My salon…is located in a military community, so I offer a military discount on all services. Military personnel have to hit a certain weight. If they don’t hit their target weight, they get into trouble. Some use FIT Bodywraps© on a regular basis, especially when it’s time for weigh-in. FIT Bodywrap© helps them make it. This success has spread via word of mouth so I am now getting more and more military customers and beginning to specifically target them.”
A new market for your salon or spa could be sports enthusiasts, same-sex couples, corporate groups, minorities, athletes, stay-at-home moms – you name it.
Where Can You Get Extra Exposure?
Nearly every community has a wealth of local networking opportunities: chamber of commerce, visitor’s bureau, project/volunteer organizations, meet-up groups and more. How many of them do you participate in? The more networking you do with others in your community, the greater your chance of getting referrals. Plus, you may find someone at a related, but non-competitive business, to partner with in regards to advertising.
Doing something as simple as sponsoring a Little League team, adopting a highway or hosting a local mixer at your business are all good ways to increase exposure, as well. The more times a person sees your name around town, the more likely they are to patronize your business.
Time to do your research! Next month, look for suggestions on real, viable ways you can market your business locally. Need help now? Give us a call at 760-542-6707 and set up a phone appointment to go over specific ways to market your FIT Bodywrap® system.