Most of us have gotten our salons back up and running. There are still a few not yet there, hopefully opening soon. We’re living in a different world and we need to find way to get Canadians back into our salons. We are losing the sunny vacation travelers with all the travel restrictions. The good news is when salons were allowed to open, lotion sales increased, but that only lasted for a few weeks. Clients right now are getting mixed messages from governments. Stay at home, only go out when necessary! Is good health a reason to get out of the house? I think so. Is a private, clean room for relaxation the place to go? I say yes. A salon is a non-contact place to go and therefore a very, very low risk. We need Canadian to understand this. The COVID Winter Blues are upon us. Our clients need their sanity back. They need to find an outlet to get away from it all, just like a sunny vacation helps every year. How can a salon help?

I know you’ve been reading all the articles about increasing sales with EFT programs and I agree this is an important sales tool. I know this firsthand: Our salon in West Kelowna has double the monthly dollars coming in from the EFT program since we reopened. I would say this has saved our business in these uncertain times. We have been able to convert tanners that may only use our service once or twice a year to a monthly EFT program. With the added services (IR Sauna, Hydration, just added nail and pedicures services) we offer now, the client sees the benefit to stay on as a VIC (Very Important Client) Monthly EFT Member. We sell more All-In memberships now, than ever before. This means we do not need as many clients as we did before. Everyone should have this type of program in their sales toolbox.

This year we need to change our game or how we sell or promote our tanning. We’ve lost our sunny vacation pretanners. But we haven’t lost our pretanners for summer. But are they scared to come out? We need to give them a reason why it’s OK to get ready for spring/summer. Salons need to push the cleanliness of the salon, remind them that when they use this service no one needs to touch them, they are tanning in a professional cleaned piece of equipment. I would suggest that if you are keeping up your protocols for a Covid world we are one of the cleanest places to come to. You need to keep this front and center when promoting your salon.

Over the last few months all we hear is COVID, COVID, COVID, and fatigue is setting in. People are down in the dumps and depression is at it an all-time high. Don’t travel, don’t leave the country, don’t leave where you live, don’t travel to other provinces. What can we offer a Canadian to help? Your own private sanctuary, a controlled place to get away for a few minutes and relax. Promote Staycations, mini vacations, a warm comforting place to get away. A great place to increase your vitamin D levels the natural way through UVB exposure. A Sunshine BREAK!! Now I’ve heard some people are afraid that their friend will think they’ve been outside the country (sunny vacation). Let’s arm our clients with an answer – “I just had a Sunshine Break at (salon name). You should try it. It’s the best thing I’ve done in months.”

The JCTA has fired up its marketing plan for the next few months to drive Canadians into member salons. March will see the JCTA spend double what normally would be spent. As I have said in the past, every time a Canadian clicks into the Please Tan Responsibly Website, they see the closest 3 salon members near them. They get information about sunbeds and sunless and spa services – doing it right. Plus, they get links and contact information about member salons.

The marketing plan uses messages about “Getting in a Sunny State of Mind,” taking a break from the crazy world, looking and feeling better, and pretanning to start getting ready for summer. We started March using our tried-and-true ads on Facebook – “Dancing in the StandUp” and “Mum needs a Break”. Then we added two new ads for a “Summer Countdown” and “Dreaming of Summer.”

Google ads combine all the concepts into one search and one display ad that will show a variety of headlines, text, images and videos to users based on their interests and data.

Last but not least, how about saving some money? With everyone being so busy trying to keep up with all the subsidies and grants, you may have forgotten about the NEW JCTA Insurance program. The program has saved $100s of dollar for members. This is on top of what you have been saving as a Smart Tan member. The coverage can be even better than what you may be getting right now. You need to take 15 minutes out of your busy day and get a quote. You should always compare prices and what coverage you’re getting for that price. You should do this every year.

The JCTA is here to help, whether you want great insurance, need help understanding the subsidies and grants, just need to talk to someone that understands what you are going through, or just need a sounding board. The JCTA is here for you.

I would like to thank all the members that support the efforts of the JCTA and makes sure all their staff are Smart Tan Certified. This is what grows our industry. United!

Steve Gilroy, JCTA Executive Director