Ideas on making spa more visible

[Jen889]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering you I could pick your brains for ideas on making my spa more visible from the street. I'm on a second floor, the front door is facing the street. Due to by laws in the area I'm not allowed to put any signs on the building, no awnings and no permanent street signs. I do have two rather large A-frame boards, one right outside the street door and the other on the sidewalk.

I've been here for three years, I have a good clientele but its starting to get me down when new clients come in and say "really?! I never knew you were here!" Because I know there's an even bigger untapped market of clients. This happens almost daily despite advertising with the boards, in the local businesses and postcards in the mail (which work fantastically). So I'm trying to figure out ways of being more street visible for passer bys. Any ideas would be much appreciated

I was thinking of a metal framed non permanent sign for the front but I would have to drag it in and out daily. It would have to be rather big and weighted to with stand the weather here right now. So I'm thinking it might not be the best idea.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Samuel]

If new people are coming into your shop, then that's a good thing!

I know there are portable sign stands with wheels available that can be weighted down with water. They should definitely prevent from blowing over. From what I'm seeing, you could easily dissemble it to save space. Maybe you can convince the owner of one of the nearby shops below you to put the base in their closet in exchange for a free visit once per month?

This is one of many types of designs available.



Another option you have is to maybe hire someone to stand nearby and walk to nearby businesses to promote your shop? You could also do this yourself. You could pick a day and time when there is lots of foot traffic in your area, and hand out those postcards of yours.

 

[Jen889]

Thank you for you response. I already have two signs similar to these (A-frames). We're not allowed to hand out postcards on the street, its ALSO a bylaw in the area. They're very picky and very hard on business's :/ its only this area though :/

 

[Samuel]

I'm sorry, bylaws have a different meaning where I'm from: ordinances . I was assuming that it meant something similar to a private deed restriction or covenant of local businesses.

Getting listed on the search engines mostly used in your area will help out tremendously. Then, apply the best techniques to be the first result that is listed. There are many ways to do this, but the usual method is:

1. Have your own website that is Search Engine Optimized (SEO). There are website tools available to help you with this, some are great while others aren't worth the money. It comes down to using proper keywords on your site, consistently writing unique content pertaining to your business (e.g. blog), uploading photos and videos, linking it to your social media profiles, and most importantly engagement (how many people leave comments, like it, and share it). Having your name mentioned in other sites, like a local news site, can also help.
   
   
2. Have customers write reviews for your business, and publish those reviews online. This can be done either directly with the search engine (e.g. Google Maps), or through a dedicated review site (e.g. Yelp). Automatically sending a follow-up email to your customers after their appointment is a great way to accomplish this.
   
   
3. In the beginning, possibly paying the search engine to rank you higher while you build up lots of published online reviews. The cost to do this varies on a lot of factors, but usually comes down to two things: Per Impression Cost (how many people see it) and Per Click Cost (how many people actually click your website).

You could also advertise in your local newspapers, radio, and television stations. Instead of taking out a traditional ad, you could partner with local businesses to do a charity silent auction fundraiser.

I already have two signs similar to these (A-frames).

I assumed that you didn't have the A-Frame I previously linked because you mentioned the following:

I was thinking of a metal framed non permanent sign for the front but I would have to drag it in and out daily. It would have to be rather big and weighted to with stand the weather here right now. So I'm thinking it might not be the best idea.

That A-Frame in the above photo can be weighted with water or sand to prevent it from blowing in the wind, and also has wheels. Having a deal with a local business owner on the first floor to store it in their closet, along with wheeling it out every morning and night, seems like worth the effort to obtain extra clients.

I hope these ideas help, and I'm sure there will be more suggestions from other members.