What do some of the industry’s most successful independent salon operators have in common? They’ve all worked with UV Marketing Group to improve their sales, marketing and branding strategies during the toughest years our industry has ever experienced!
When UV Marketing Group opened for business five years ago, there wasn’t a lot of optimism for any new, start-up business. In fact, small businesses were closing their doors in record numbers. In the tanning industry, the years that followed are the worst on record. Salons were being consolidated into larger operations and many shuttered their businesses forever. “Some of our clients were on the brink and needed real solutions for their sales and marketing programs,” said Drew Donnell, President of UV Marketing Group. “It wasn’t enough to say, ‘send out a postcard – it will get better.’ We had to prove there were sales and marketing strategies to grow their businesses, even in the bad times.”
Founding partners, Drew Donnell and Victor Martinez started UV Marketing Group just as their previous employer was closing his doors. “We knew it was coming,” Victor remembered. “It was obvious that there were things going on that we couldn’t morally be part of. Drew and I are both bound by our personal and fiduciary responsibilities to our clients, and we needed to break away. It took two months to build the infrastructure, relationships and capital resources to open, but it was worth it.”
The first trade event UV Marketing Group attended happened to be JK North America’s first trade show – the 2008 West Coast Tanning Expo in Las Vegas. “Jerry, Nina, and the whole gang at JKNA were incredible!” Drew recalled. “It was a great show and we met dozens of clients who are still with us today!”
From there, the company grew and attended show after show, building clientele. Speaking engagements, live sales training, writing articles for the trades, and their dedication to the industry have made UV Marketing Group a well-known resource for salon sales process development, marketing strategies, design capabilities and branding.
Just recently, they launched “The GIVE Campaign” (GiveCampaign.com) to help the industry combat negative publicity. “It’s a project we took on willingly, and the one of which we’re most proud!” say the founders. “We all need to focus on improving our image in our own markets. As an industry, we don’t have the money to counter the slander on a national level. We need to go grass roots.”
The GIVE Campaign is a public relations program that highlights the generosity of salon owners in their communities, and gives them the strategies and tools to promote their charitable giving to their clients and the general public at large. “If we don’t speak up, the megaphones of the national press will drown us out, and lies will become truth,” they said.
“The next five years will be critical for our industry,” said Drew. “After all, salons aren’t just about delivering great tans. We’re much more than that. We provide a vehicle to improve self-esteem, social lives, professional success and personal relationships. We give people a moment to escape and relax. We educate them about the benefits and risks, and we help them get more of out of life! This is a powerful message salon operators, need to understand and deliver,” Drew concluded.
Congrats, UV Marketing Group! – Team IST
