Dear Readers,
It’s hard to believe: this issue begins Volume 20 of IST Magazine! This industry has certainly changed in 19 years – the evolution continues, and IST is here to help you succeed and thrive.
For most in our industry, February is a very important month. With the holidays behind us and the upcoming travel season ahead, history shows that tanners start to return to salons now to get ready for sunny vacations – or here in the North, many just want to escape the cold and “feel the heat.” Excluding factors such as bad weather, negative press and restrictive Federal or State regulations, if you have a good February, you’ll probably have a strong season and in turn, a profitable year. IST’s Joe Schuster talked to three industry leaders from the sunlamp sector to get their insight on what 2016 may look like for us (see the Cover Story, “Industry Report”.) My team and I are prepared and look forward to a good year … how about you?
Hopefully, you’re ready: budgets done, advertising concepts and plans in place through June. And, hopefully, you’ve invested in a well-trained staff and done the right thing by certifying every person who works in your stores. I cannot overstate the importance of training and certification – not only to your salons’ success, but to the health of our industry. Our Sun is Life® program should be your training choice; check out the story.
In early November, my team and I met to evaluate our past marketing concepts and the success of the individual media sources that we utilized over the last decade. This year, we are making changes with regard to the use of network and cable TV, and decided to direct more of our budget to social media. That’s not to say we weren’t previously using social media; what we found is that other media weren’t bringing a measurable result. With the new metrics available from social media platforms, we found that the ROI in social media was far better. Our expert contributing writers are very much in tune with this marketing format and frequently offer great advice – be sure to check them out in every issue.
Two of our contributors are featured this month in our “7 Questions with …” feature: Jenny Bortman and John Overstreet. The tanning industry is like a small community, and I think it’s fun getting to know some of its members. Other business features ask, “Are you a hunter or a farmer?” and, “Are you irreplaceable?”
Keep looking to IST for articles that will help you succeed in business – and let me know if there’s a subject you’d like us to cover.
Thanks for reading,
