Creating a referral program for your tanning salon is a great way to increase business and encourage client loyalty. It’s a type of salon loyalty program rewarding clients when a friend or relative signs up. Not only does this help draw in new customers, but it also encourages client retention.
Setting up a referral scheme couldn’t be easier with good tanning salon software in place. In this article, we’ll discuss how tanning salon referral programs work and the benefits they bring. We’ll also provide examples and ideas for your salon ‘refer a friend’ promotion and explain how to set up your scheme using ActiveSalon software.
What Is a Tanning Salon Referral Program?
A tanning salon referral program is a marketing technique that encourages existing clients to refer new customers to your salon. When a friend or family member signs up, the referrer will receive some sort of reward or incentive. This is usually a predetermined number of free sunbed minutes or credits toward future sessions.
As tanning salon loyalty program ideas go, referral schemes are one of the most effective – and they’re simple to set up. You can keep track of reward credits manually if you’re using paper client record cards. However, referral systems are much quicker and easier to implement using digital tanning salon software.
What Are the Benefits of Referral Rewards Schemes?
Tanning salon referral schemes have two main advantages. Firstly, they spread the word about your salon, leading to new clients on your books. A scheme like this can be a great tool for growing your business.
Secondly, a referral scheme works as a type of salon loyalty rewards program. Your patrons are incentivised to continue visiting your salon, rather than a competitor. This works in two ways:
- Rewards make clients feel appreciated, so they’ll think more favourably of your business
- Clients will continue booking sessions to use up their reward minutes, rather than letting them go to waste
According to a study in the Journal of Marketing, customers have higher levels of trust in a business if they were referred by a friend. This means they’re less likely to churn (stop visiting your tanning salon) in the future.
How Do I Set Up a Referral Program at a Salon?
Setting up a tanning salon referral rewards scheme is easy. Just follow these simple steps.
- Decide how to reward each referral. For example, you might offer 10 free sunbed minutes for each new customer that signs up
- Advertise your referral scheme. You can do this in many ways: e.g. through email or SMS marketing, social media or signage within your salon
- When a new customer makes a booking or purchase, have your staff ask who referred them to your tanning salon
- Find the referrer’s client record and add their reward credits (if you’re using a digital system like ActiveSalon, they’ll be applied automatically). They can then redeem these as free minutes during their next tanning session
There’s no limit on how many new customers each client can refer for rewards. This will keep patrons motivated to continue spreading the word about your salon.
Tanning Salon Referral Contest Ideas
You can also set up promotional events or contests centred around referrals. These are limited-time offers of bigger or better rewards for referrers (and/or new customers), and can work alongside your tanning salon referral program. Examples include:
- Host an Instagram contest asking clients to tag their friends, and have their friends mention the contest when they sign up. When the contest ends, choose one new client and their referrer to receive a prize, such as a gift card
- Announce a monthly special: any client who refers 2 or more clients this month will receive an extra reward, such as a free tanning lotion or moisturiser
Have fun coming up with your own salon referral program ideas and try them out to see what works. Software such as ActiveSalon can help you keep track of your marketing strategies and your sales trends over time.
How to Create a Tanning Salon Referral Program with ActiveSalon
With ActiveSalon, the UK’s leading tanning salon software, it couldn’t be easier to set up your referral scheme.
Under the System Maintenance tab, set up your credit system with a name (such as ‘tanning minutes’) and a price per minute. In the ‘Reward Credits’ field, enter the number of minutes you’d like to reward each referral (e.g. 10).
When a new client registers with your tanning salon, the system will ask for a referral source. Select ‘friend’ and choose the name of the referrer. ActiveSalon will then automatically apply the reward credits to their account.
If your salon uses tiered pricing, you can even set up multiple reward systems (e.g. ‘standard minutes’ and ‘premium minutes’). The referrer will be awarded credits matching the new client’s purchase.
Discover ActiveSalon’s Amazing Features Today
ActiveSalon is the most comprehensive and user-friendly software on the UK market, designed specifically for tanning salons. With ActiveSalon, you can manage bookings, clients, retail stock and more from one easy-to-use cloud-based system.
Our comprehensive client database allows you to track in-depth information about each customer, stored securely in accordance with GDPR. Easily view each client’s remaining credits, past and upcoming bookings, skin type and signed disclaimers. As well as a referral system, use ActiveSalon to set up an email marketing campaign, create discount codes, send out automatic appointment reminders and more.
To discover all of ActiveSalon’s incredible features, including stock management, full reporting and T-max integration, start your 3-month free trial today. For more information, call us on 0161 507 1590 or email support@activesalon.com.
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.
