Airbrush Marketing Ideas for Unusual Location/Setup

[KMLPurelyBronze]

I have sort of an unusual situation. I am an airbrush/HVLP only tanning company. Basically, I'm it. I have a space in a commercial office building inside of another business. The location is very convenient, but it is unusual since I am located inside another company. I do not pay rent, and I have a really cute room - blue walls, white wicker furniture, black tanning tent with clothe draped from the ceiling around it to make it look like a cabana, pictures on the walls of beaches and cabanas, etc... Every client who enters my tanning area gushes about how cute it is.

I have been in business since November, and I started out offering free tans to anyone who worked out at my gym. I did about 5 tans a week from this promo for a few months, and then I changed the promo to Buy-1-Get-1-Free. I have also dropped cards at about 8-10 beauty salons in the area, offering free tans to stylists (the word of mouth they could provide is worth the price of a free tan) as well as Buy-1-Get-1-Free cards for their clients. I have received almost no calls from this promotion. In the month of January, I went from seeing about 5 clients/potential clients a week to an average of 1-2 clients per week. Even most of my regulars (not that I have very many) have stopped coming. I think this could be due to the weather (I live in MN and it has been FREEZING out-even our gym is empty all the time because no one wants to go outside).

I know the busy season is approaching, and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for me on how to market my service since I'm in such a strange location. My prices are affordable, so I know that's not the problem. Every one who comes in comments at how reasonable my prices are (e.g. $25 full body, Buy 4 Get 1 Free for $100, and unlimited monthly airbrushing for $75).

Luckily this is not my only source of income (or I would be starving!), but I would really like to generate at least $1000/month from this small business. Does anyone have any ideas for me? Thanks in advance for all of your help!!!

[jellybelly]

Why don't you offer your services as a pageant vendor or sponsor someone competing locally and advertise through the program book for their event? That makes up 90 % of my clientele. I am the same as you, a one woman business and only do spray tanning.

[KMLPurelyBronze]

Thanks. That is a really great idea. How did you initially get into that area of the business? And do you actually go the event and spray the ladies a day or so before? Or do you just advertise with them so a lot of them come to your location before the event? I am definitely going to look in to this. And additional info you could give would be great. Thanks again!