For any tanning salon business, profit is the name of the game. To be successful, you need to be constantly on the lookout for new ways to bring in revenue. Given the highly competitive nature of the beauty industry, this can certainly seem like a daunting task.
Fortunately, you have a number of options when it comes to making your tanning salon more profitable. From stepping up your marketing game to investing in good tanning salon software, there are plenty of techniques to experiment with.
In this guide, we’ll share six of our favourite strategies. Read on to discover how you can simply and effectively increase your tanning salon’s profits.
1) Introduce Special Offers
Special offers are an incredible tool for attracting new clients and encouraging existing ones to return. While they may involve a lower profit margin initially, a successful promotion will tempt customers to spend more overall.
There are a plethora of deals and offers you could implement in your tanning salon. For example:
- Lower rates for first-time customers
- Block booking discounts (offer a better price per minute on longer tanning courses)
- ‘Buy one, get one free’ promotions on tan accelerators and lotions
- Monthly specials (limited-time offers on certain courses or products)
Offers that expire are particularly effective – customers will feel the need to take advantage before time runs out.
2) Schedule Automatic Appointment Reminders
With a busy schedule, it’s all too easy for clients to forget their tanning appointments. They may cancel at the last minute, arrive late, or not turn up at all. Not only is this frustrating for you and your staff, but it also means lost revenue for your salon.
One way to combat this issue is to send out appointment reminders. This way, your clients will receive an email or SMS reminding them of their upcoming appointment, resulting in fewer no-shows.
You can send such messages manually, but it’s incredibly time-consuming. A better option is to invest in software that can schedule and send automated appointment reminders, such as ActiveSalon.
3) Host Contests on Social Media
Social media is a powerful marketing tool, and one that you should definitely be taking advantage of in your tanning salon. A great way to increase engagement on social media (and profits) is to host contests.
Various platforms can work well for this, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For example, you could:
- Ask customers to post a photo of their tan, and offer a discount or free product to the best entry
- Have followers share your post and tag a friend to win a free tanning session for two
Contests are a great way to generate some buzz around your salon and get people interested. Asking entrants to share your page to be in with a chance of winning is vital for increasing brand awareness.
4) Start an Email Marketing Campaign
Email marketing is essential for increasing profits in your tanning salon. By sending out regular newsletters, you can keep your clients updated on the latest deals and offers. You can also advertise new products or services available in your salon.
An email marketing campaign is a great way to encourage customers who haven’t been to your salon in a while to book an appointment. For example, you could offer them a limited-time discount to sweeten the deal and tempt them back.
Tanning salon software is a great tool for helping you manage your email marketing campaign and mailing lists. You even can set it up to send out scheduled emails automatically.
5) Implement a Referral Rewards Program
Referral programs are a way of rewarding your patrons for referring others to your tanning salon. For example, they could earn 10 free minutes for every new client referred, redeemable at their next session.
This system brings two important benefits. Firstly, your patrons are encouraged to spread the word, leading to new clients for your salon. Secondly, existing clients are more likely to return to you in future rather than visiting a competitor. There are no limits on how many referrals each person can make.
You can use software such as ActiveSalon to quickly and easily set up a referral program. The built-in client database will help you keep track of each client’s referrals and minutes earned.
6) Switch from Paper to Digital Customer Records
Finally, if your tanning salon is still using physical client record cards, it’s time to make the switch to digital. Upgrading to digital client records will streamline your operations enormously.
ActiveSalon offers a full customer records system that gives you access to all of your clients’ details in one place. It comes with many built-in features that you can utilise to help increase profits.
For example, you can use digital records to immediately identify which clients haven’t visited your salon recently, and send them a promotion or discount. You can also view statistics showing who your best customers are and which sunbeds and products are most popular. Not to mention, all data is stored securely in accordance with GDPR.
Start Your Free ActiveSalon Software Trial Today
ActiveSalon is a comprehensive salon software application specifically created for tanning salons. Our digital record system allows you to track clients’ contact details, skin type, appointment history and more.
Many other helpful features are available, too – such as online bookings, automatic appointment reminders, queue management and T-Max integration. Our software can be accessed from anywhere, anytime, across multiple devices.
Why not try ActiveSalon today with our free trial? We’ll set the software up, build your database, give you full training and ensure everything runs smoothly for three months with no obligation. Call 0161 507 1598 or email support@activesalon.com to take your tanning salon business to the next level.
Loukas has been a part of the tanning industry since 2013; what he doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing! As a Director of SolarTrack Systems, his responsibilities don’t just include ActiveSalon, but a variety of different tools and packages.
