\u2018Tis the Season<\/strong><\/p>\nTraditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it.<\/p>\n
While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
\u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways.<\/p>\n
One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly.<\/p>\n
Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well.<\/p>\n
Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d<\/p>\n
The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spreading Holiday Cheer<\/strong><\/p>\nThose types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year.<\/p>\n
As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business.<\/p>\n
And free stuff \u2013 free always works.<\/p>\n
Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer.<\/p>\n
Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d<\/p>\n
As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Gift of Giving<\/strong><\/p>\nMany of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table.<\/p>\n
But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says.<\/p>\n
Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday.<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/strong>We put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d<\/p>\nAs always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount.<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/strong>Bundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d<\/p>\nMidnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well.<\/p>\n\u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/strong>We try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d<\/p>\nAnother timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says.<\/p>\n
Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
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While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push - Smart Tan News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak period forward and also set the stage for a more productive traditional prime season and entire year to come. There\u2019s a lot to consider, but also so much to be gained as you wrap up 2019 on a high note and lay the groundwork for reaching all your goals in 2020. But, it can also be a difficult time to stay focused, so, first things first, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this period for your business, and remember that it will only be what you make of it. \u201cStay energized, don\u2019t get comfortable and go in every day like it\u2019s an opportunity,\u201d says New Sunshine Regional Sales Manager Jason Brooks. \u201cStaff and owners sometimes check out because of other things going on with families. This is the start of a brand new year, and we want to stay in the game and ready to go.\u201d \u2018Tis the Season Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it. While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving. \u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend. \u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period. \u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways. One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly. Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase. \u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well. Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early. \u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners. \u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d Spreading Holiday Cheer Those types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year. As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients. \u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers. \u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business. And free stuff \u2013 free always works. Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer. Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor. \u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community. \u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d The Gift of Giving Many of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table. But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff. \u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are. \u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says. Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday. \u201cWe put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d As always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount. \u201cBundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d Midnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status. \u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase. \u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan. \u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d The Most Wonderful Time of the Year \u00a0In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well. \u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward. \u201cWe try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d Another timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come. \u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards. \u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says. Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales. \u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d \" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push - Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak period forward and also set the stage for a more productive traditional prime season and entire year to come. There\u2019s a lot to consider, but also so much to be gained as you wrap up 2019 on a high note and lay the groundwork for reaching all your goals in 2020. But, it can also be a difficult time to stay focused, so, first things first, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this period for your business, and remember that it will only be what you make of it. \u201cStay energized, don\u2019t get comfortable and go in every day like it\u2019s an opportunity,\u201d says New Sunshine Regional Sales Manager Jason Brooks. \u201cStaff and owners sometimes check out because of other things going on with families. This is the start of a brand new year, and we want to stay in the game and ready to go.\u201d \u2018Tis the Season Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it. While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving. \u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend. \u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period. \u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways. One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly. Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase. \u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well. Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early. \u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners. \u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d Spreading Holiday Cheer Those types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year. As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients. \u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers. \u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business. And free stuff \u2013 free always works. Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer. Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor. \u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community. \u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d The Gift of Giving Many of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table. But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff. \u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are. \u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says. Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday. \u201cWe put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d As always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount. \u201cBundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d Midnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status. \u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase. \u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan. \u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d The Most Wonderful Time of the Year \u00a0In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well. \u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward. \u201cWe try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d Another timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come. \u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards. \u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says. Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales. \u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d \" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-07T14:16:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-14T20:52:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1361\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smarttannews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smarttannews\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smarttannews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819\"},\"headline\":\"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-07T14:16:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-14T20:52:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\"},\"wordCount\":3400,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\",\"name\":\"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push - Smart Tan News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-07T14:16:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-14T20:52:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak period forward and also set the stage for a more productive traditional prime season and entire year to come. There\u2019s a lot to consider, but also so much to be gained as you wrap up 2019 on a high note and lay the groundwork for reaching all your goals in 2020. But, it can also be a difficult time to stay focused, so, first things first, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this period for your business, and remember that it will only be what you make of it. \u201cStay energized, don\u2019t get comfortable and go in every day like it\u2019s an opportunity,\u201d says New Sunshine Regional Sales Manager Jason Brooks. \u201cStaff and owners sometimes check out because of other things going on with families. This is the start of a brand new year, and we want to stay in the game and ready to go.\u201d \u2018Tis the Season Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it. While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving. \u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend. \u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period. \u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways. One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly. Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase. \u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well. Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early. \u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners. \u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d Spreading Holiday Cheer Those types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year. As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients. \u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers. \u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business. And free stuff \u2013 free always works. Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer. Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor. \u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community. \u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d The Gift of Giving Many of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table. But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff. \u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are. \u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says. Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday. \u201cWe put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d As always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount. \u201cBundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d Midnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status. \u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase. \u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan. \u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d The Most Wonderful Time of the Year \u00a0In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well. \u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward. \u201cWe try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d Another timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come. \u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards. \u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says. Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales. \u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d \",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg\",\"width\":1361,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/\",\"name\":\"Smart Tan News\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Smart Tan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":164,\"caption\":\"Smart Tan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819\",\"name\":\"smarttannews\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"smarttannews\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttannews\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push - Smart Tan News","description":"While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak period forward and also set the stage for a more productive traditional prime season and entire year to come. There\u2019s a lot to consider, but also so much to be gained as you wrap up 2019 on a high note and lay the groundwork for reaching all your goals in 2020. But, it can also be a difficult time to stay focused, so, first things first, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this period for your business, and remember that it will only be what you make of it. \u201cStay energized, don\u2019t get comfortable and go in every day like it\u2019s an opportunity,\u201d says New Sunshine Regional Sales Manager Jason Brooks. \u201cStaff and owners sometimes check out because of other things going on with families. This is the start of a brand new year, and we want to stay in the game and ready to go.\u201d \u2018Tis the Season Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it. While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving. \u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend. \u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period. \u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways. One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly. Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase. \u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well. Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early. \u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners. \u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d Spreading Holiday Cheer Those types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year. As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients. \u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers. \u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business. And free stuff \u2013 free always works. Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer. Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor. \u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community. \u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d The Gift of Giving Many of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table. But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff. \u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are. \u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says. Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday. \u201cWe put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d As always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount. \u201cBundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d Midnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status. \u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase. \u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan. \u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d The Most Wonderful Time of the Year \u00a0In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well. \u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward. \u201cWe try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d Another timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come. \u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards. \u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says. Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales. \u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push - Smart Tan News","og_description":"While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak period forward and also set the stage for a more productive traditional prime season and entire year to come. There\u2019s a lot to consider, but also so much to be gained as you wrap up 2019 on a high note and lay the groundwork for reaching all your goals in 2020. But, it can also be a difficult time to stay focused, so, first things first, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this period for your business, and remember that it will only be what you make of it. \u201cStay energized, don\u2019t get comfortable and go in every day like it\u2019s an opportunity,\u201d says New Sunshine Regional Sales Manager Jason Brooks. \u201cStaff and owners sometimes check out because of other things going on with families. This is the start of a brand new year, and we want to stay in the game and ready to go.\u201d \u2018Tis the Season Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it. While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving. \u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend. \u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period. \u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways. One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly. Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase. \u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well. Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early. \u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners. \u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d Spreading Holiday Cheer Those types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year. As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients. \u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers. \u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business. And free stuff \u2013 free always works. Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer. Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor. \u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community. \u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d The Gift of Giving Many of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table. But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff. \u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are. \u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says. Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday. \u201cWe put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d As always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount. \u201cBundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d Midnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status. \u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase. \u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan. \u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d The Most Wonderful Time of the Year \u00a0In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well. \u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward. \u201cWe try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d Another timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come. \u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards. \u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says. Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales. \u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d ","og_url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/","og_site_name":"Smart Tan News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","article_published_time":"2019-11-07T14:16:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-11-14T20:52:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1361,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"smarttannews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SmartTan","twitter_site":"@SmartTan","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"smarttannews","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/"},"author":{"name":"smarttannews","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819"},"headline":"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push","datePublished":"2019-11-07T14:16:33+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-14T20:52:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/"},"wordCount":3400,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/","name":"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push - Smart Tan News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-07T14:16:33+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-14T20:52:31+00:00","description":"While it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbusy season\u201d yet for most, the holidays are an important period in the tanning calendar for a variety of reasons. Beyond being a time to service clients for their holiday events and provide gifts for their friends and families, there are other opportunities you can seize to move your peak period forward and also set the stage for a more productive traditional prime season and entire year to come. There\u2019s a lot to consider, but also so much to be gained as you wrap up 2019 on a high note and lay the groundwork for reaching all your goals in 2020. But, it can also be a difficult time to stay focused, so, first things first, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of this period for your business, and remember that it will only be what you make of it. \u201cStay energized, don\u2019t get comfortable and go in every day like it\u2019s an opportunity,\u201d says New Sunshine Regional Sales Manager Jason Brooks. \u201cStaff and owners sometimes check out because of other things going on with families. This is the start of a brand new year, and we want to stay in the game and ready to go.\u201d \u2018Tis the Season Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered the official start of the holiday season, and Black Friday the turning point in the holiday sales season. It\u2019s the perfect time to kick off your holiday gift and gift card sales push and jump into the holiday spirit. Salons tend to approach Black Friday in a variety of ways. Some go with the flow and take advantage of the busy shopping day with big promotions. Others find there to be too much direct competition, and put their own spin on it. While huge deals from big box retails can be a little intimidating to compete with on the actual day, do remember that Black Friday shopping is a fun event, not just a shopping trip, so groups of shoppers might be inclined to stop in the salon as part of their routine \u2013 particularly with the right encouragement. To kick the season off with a bang, some salons even schedule free tan weekends following Thanksgiving. \u201cFree tan weekends are an amazing way to create a lot of product sales. It\u2019s a great shopping time, and you can kill two birds with one stone,\u201d says Sun Evolutions Global Sales Trainer David McFarland. \u201cShow some appreciation, get some new customers, and at the same time pull in all that black Friday traffic. All the girls I know that go shopping on Black Friday also get their nails done and other stuff. Anything you can do to get your traffic up and booming is what you want to do.\u201d Other salons manipulate timing to avoid the competition of Black Friday, and stage a kickoff where they can be more of the center of attention. \u201cPink Wednesday,\u201d held the day before Thanksgiving has emerged as a trend in the industry, or you can embrace your position as an independent business after the dust has settled from the weekend. \u201cI just did a webinar about not focusing on Black Friday, because it\u2019s hard to compete. I\u2019m encouraging salons to take advantage of Small Business Day,\u201d says Brooks. \u201cLook into your community, when they\u2019re highlighting small businesses to make their Black Friday. Everyone\u2019s doing social media today, so even if you\u2019re a small, independent salon, you can put an ad online for a Cyber Monday special, too.\u201d Regardless of the exact timing, this holiday kickoff is where you can make a big push in product sales and also begin to set the stage for the rest of the holiday season and even beyond. That can be accomplished with a combination of attractive product discounts and tanning offers that will ensure repeat business for an extended period. \u201cI have an account that does a huge Black Friday sale every year. All prepaid memberships are 40 percent off \u2013 prepay for EFT or individual sessions,\u201d says Devoted Creations Director of Brand Development Lisa Parsons. \u201cThen, they pick 10 different product skews, and each one comes with something for free. Also, they do 50 percent off sale on all 2018 products to get them out and bring in room for the \u201919 stuff.\u201d Following Black Friday, the world is fully focused on Christmas, and you should be too. There\u2019s so much to do to embrace the holiday feel and become a gift and party-prep destination, but that can all be centered around some big promotions. One of the most commonly used promotions that will drive traffic and excitement throughout the month of December is some variation of the \u201c12 Days of Christmas.\u201d JaMakin\u2019 ME Tan does 24 Days of Christmas, and Midnite Sun, a mid-sized chain in Michigan, does a variation with freebies, called 12 Days of Giveaways. One of the key elements of 24 Days of Christmas is that the deals become progressively bigger and better as it gets closer to Christmas, so anticipation builds, and those who take advantage of early deals are likely to check out the rest as well. \u201cWe make a nice little Christmas calendar, and each day there\u2019s a new little special,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cPeople seem to get really excited about that. We look at how each day performed the last year and adjust accordingly. Midnite Sun also developed a holiday coupon book that added to the holiday feel by benefitting charity. At a $15 cost with $5 going to charity, and a $200 value in coupons, it\u2019s appealing enough to bring clients into the salon just for that purchase. And, it contains time-specific coupons for the entire year to come, so it will ensure buyers will be coming back throughout 2019 to take advantage of their purchase. \u201cI think customers really like the value, but the best way to sell it is part of the proceeds actually go back to the community and local area,\u201d Roth says. \u201cDonating to a big charity is great, but people don\u2019t identify with it as well. Once Christmas has come and gone, it\u2019s not time to regroup and relish in your holiday success yet. You still have the opportunity to take advantage of several days where virtually everybody is getting ready for some sort of New Year\u2019s celebration. While people will surely be coming in throughout December to work on their natural tans in preparation, the late push is, of course, best for spray tans. Parsons even advises getting those NYE spray tans on the books early. \u201cI would do a sunless promotion in the middle of December. Everyone wants to spray tan for New Year\u2019s,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, you can do something to get them to buy it ahead of time, like a package deal with three spray tans and a maintenance product for NYE.\u201d The package strategy also lends itself to turning those special event tanners into regular spray tanners. \u201cThe main goal is to get them back. If they say they\u2019re coming to get a spray for a party, have a package as a \u2018come back and try us again\u2019 deal,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cBuy this sunless retail product, and we\u2019ll give you two free sprays. A lot of salons are starting to introduce that to get clients used to using pre- and post-sunless products.\u201d Spreading Holiday Cheer Those types of promotion will have a built-in impact, appealing to the clients that are coming in to tan anyway throughout the holidays, but you also need to be extending your reach to prospective clients and those who might not be coming in much that time of year. As seems to be the trend in the industry throughout the year, most salons are turning away from more traditional media and toward social and other digital media that is highly trackable and generally efficient. Especially this time of year, you have great promos that just need to be put in front of eyes for minimal cost, and it\u2019s easy to come up with additional content that will catch eyes because of holiday engagement. For deals that are too big to pass up if they\u2019re known about, definitely use email, text or other direct approaches to reach previous clients. \u201cInstagram is growing dramatically, so I\u2019d encourage marketing there,\u201d Brooks says. Creating a strong presence is important because it\u2019s a minimal cost. Some of the mailers are still working, and email collection, I would also recommend. When clients are coming in this time of year, make sure you can contact them via email and text.\u201d As far as your social media approach for the holidays, one of the most things you can do is getting started right away. You can\u2019t promote your events or sales the day before and expect everyone to see each post or to respond immediately. By starting early, you can build anticipation, be part of the holiday excitement and imprint yourself in the minds of consumers. \u201cRepetition sells, so market often,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cOn social sites, post, post, post\u2026multiple emails and holiday cards. You can\u2019t organically expect people to learn about your promos when you have a small amount of time.\u201d However, to be successful on social media, it\u2019s important to be about more than sell, sell, sell. You need to pique interest to gain a following, as well as engage with them to improve your brand reputation and be more personable as a business. And free stuff \u2013 free always works. Midnite Sun developed another holiday promo that is less about selling and more about the combination of those elements of social success. Calling it \u201cSanta Selfies,\u201d clients are encouraged to share selfies of themselves spreading Christmas cheer, for a chance to win a free bottle of moisturizer. Along with bringing in more prospects with outside advertising, really embracing the holiday spirit can have a bigger impact on converting more sales than you might expect. Santa Selfies is a great example, and you also need to bring the spirit into the salon. That naturally starts with holiday d\u00e9cor. \u201cI think it brings people\u2019s spirits up. Because we put that extra effort into it, they feel so much more welcome. When people feel welcome, they spend their money,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about sales \u2013 it\u2019s about customer service and caring about the customer so we are the place they like to come to.\u201d As exemplified by Midnite Sun\u2019s coupon book, another great way to embrace the holiday spirit is to give back to the community. \u201cAs an independent salon, you need to get involved with your community. Christmas bazaars and parades, a lot of people are out shopping, maybe do something in a local mall or sponsor an angel tree kit,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cA lot of people buy with their heart as well these days. People see you supporting charities that are important to the community, and it makes a lasting impression.\u201d The Gift of Giving Many of the same elements of supplying holiday spirit also relate to the idea of presenting your salon as a destination for purchasing gifts. That\u2019s the area where you can really boost the bottom line this time of year. Even if your average traffic is no different than in July, you can generate far more revenue by making gift sales that normally wouldn\u2019t be on the table. But, before you can present as such to the clients, being a gift destination starts with conveying that to your staff. \u201cFor the holidays, we focus on \u2018who, who and you.\u2019 The idea is who\u2019s on your Christmas list we can check off, who else we can check off, and then what for you,\u201d Roth says. \u201cSell moisturizers and the little extra bath bombs and things. Get staff into the ideas of you\u2019re not just selling tanning and products secondary, but helping hem with their Christmas list.\u201d Then, the d\u00e9cor and arrangement play a major role. We\u2019ve discussed getting clients in the holiday mood with decorations, but the way you present and arrange good gift options will really make the difference in encouraging additional purchases. First, keep in mind that tanning isn\u2019t for everyone, so you need to present options that are. \u201cI think this is a very important time to make sure you have point of sale things around your counter. There are so many sales that occur in beauty, and retail period, where the person isn\u2019t thinking about it, and that only happens when there\u2019s stuff around the counter,\u201d McFarland says. Another great way to present products as gift options, and elicit a bigger sale, is to bundle packages and add the little extra touches that relate it to the holiday. \u201cWe put a tree together that has a specific tanning product, aftercare and face lotion, so they have a trio,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cWe put it in a nice little package for them.\u201d As always, bundling also allows you the opportunity to make an attractive offer, while still making a large sale with a relatively minimal discount. \u201cBundling works. There\u2019s just something psychological about a girl and buying and bag deals,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cMake a bag deal with a couple things full price, but throw something in free, like a bath bomb, and market it that way. Free works.\u201d Midnite Sun also takes its gift presentation a step further by putting it in print. They developed a gift guide catalog that\u2019s printed externally to resemble a catalog from a popular retailer like Victoria\u2019s Secret. Overall, it\u2019s just one piece of a complete puzzle that\u2019s sum is greater than each part in achieving gift destination status. \u201cWe tie in in-store and external marketing and social, so it\u2019s all one big Christmas feeling. The catalog wasn\u2019t a promotion \u2013 just a catalog \u2013 but it showed us as the gifting destination,\u201d Roth says. \u201cThen, when we did print ads, we tried to make it the same feel. Customers are definitely more tied into it, rather than just this promo and this promo. It also helps with customer loyalty.\u201d While many people like to give a tangible gift, gift cards are still the easiest to choose, and they can be a boon for you business. Not only do they provide you up-front cash, but they also offer the opportunity to make additional sales when they\u2019re redeemed and, in many cases, to convert a totally new customer. Make sure gift cards are a known option, presented front and center in the store, and promoted externally. Also, a gift card sale can be well worth some major incentives for purchase. \u201cOffer clients incentive to buy gift cards. You can do buy one, get half back in credit,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cMake sure they can\u2019t use it until after Dec. 25. so they don\u2019t spend it that day. I would put out little signs to promote it, like \u2018Treat yourself! Buy one for somebody else and get half back.\u201d But, when it comes down to it, remember that regardless of the promotion or positioning you come up with, your sales successful will depend heavily on your staff\u2019s motivation to sell. Financial motivators are musts, but you can also give them some stake in the game by increasing their involvement in the holiday sales plan. \u201cLet the crew have a lot of creative say in promos, because when you can enlist them to come up with contests and promos, they take ownership when they know it\u2019s what they came up with,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cIt\u2019s a cool trick. Even if you led them there, let them come up with it on their own, and it builds confidence. Make the whole team part of the process.\u201d The Most Wonderful Time of the Year \u00a0In tanning, the holidays are actually the precursor for the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 busy season! There are so many things you can do to make the holiday season a hugely successful finish to your year of business, but you also need to look at the bigger picture, too. It\u2019s not only the end of the year, but a beginning as well. \u201cThat\u2019s all part of the plan when you kick off holiday season. Yeah, you want great cash flow, but you always want to set yourself up,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cTo me, there\u2019s nothing more important than great engagement with your guests. That\u2019s something that every salon can do immediately is become better and how they\u2019re engaging with guests.\u201d The best thing you can do to make a lasting impact now is to find ways to lock visitors into memberships, or at least packages. The product sales you make now, and the way you educate clients to use products, will also affect their buying decisions moving forward. \u201cWe try to focus on membership the most, because peak does hit right after holidays,\u201d Roth says. \u201cJan., Feb., March are big months, so we want to get people into memberships before that and sell them products now, so we can sell them again later when they run out.\u201d Another timely matter, outside of the holiday realm, is the release of new products for 2019. Depending on your vendors, you\u2019re already receiving never-before-seen products that you can introduce to your clients. How you do that and prepare your staff to sell the products as they face more and more clients will also impact the entire year to come. \u201cI think the early launch of products this year is imperative for the success of the salon. It\u2019s going to give you the time to evaluate the current lineup and see what products to switch out,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cIt really gives you time to get staff educated and trained and familiar with it, so you\u2019re not bringing it in at the same time they get busy. With the staggered launch, they\u2019re not seeing 20 products at one time. So, it\u2019s really about the preparation and education, which is why we launched early.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t want to launch too much, either. If you order and choose correctly, with a couple different price points, five to six new products at a time is plenty,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cNo need to get rid of everything and restock your shelves. Then, you can re-launch again in a few months with new stuff you didn\u2019t the first time. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than new products.\u201d You\u2019ve thought about how you\u2019re going to sell more gift cards this holiday season, but the more overlooked matter is how you\u2019re going to handle the people that come in to redeem them. You should aggressively be trying to convert these people to members, as well as trying to extend their purchases beyond the value of the gift cards. \u201cEncourage them to use their gift card on special promotions. Bring in different goods that are good for all clients \u2013 things that cater to the masses. Aggressive promos on that to take back some sales from the mall, Bath & Body Works and such. Make it easier for the client to spend a little more,\u201d Brooks says. Beyond converting people to members and training them to use all the products they need, you also have the opportunity to change the way you relate to your clients coming into the new year. If your staff is too often stuck in the mode of just setting time and asking if they need lotion, now is the perfect time to push reset and develop an approach that improves both service and sales. \u201cThe most important thing your salespeople are going to do is talk. If they don\u2019t talk a lot, you\u2019re never going to sell a lot. I take any opportunity with a salon to say, going into the holidays, you\u2019re going to get a vibe going in your salon,\u201d McFarland says. \u201cHow are you talking with them? How are you bringing up specials? How are you getting them to do the most important thing, which is spend time in your salons? I think this time of year is an incredible time to change the culture.\u201d ","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Holidays-11-8-18.jpg","width":1361,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/the-gift-that-keeps-giving\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Gift that Keeps Giving: Set the tone for the season with a strong holiday sales push"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","name":"Smart Tan News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization","name":"Smart Tan","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","width":500,"height":164,"caption":"Smart Tan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819","name":"smarttannews","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"smarttannews"},"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttannews\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21731"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21743,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21731\/revisions\/21743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}