So… You want to start a float center?

One of the first thing people do is they begin researching. They scour the internet for float tank information in preparation for holding educated conversations with future customers. After all, you will be seen as the expert, so you better have some facts straight.

Before you even determine where your location is going to be, you’ll probably be discussing floating with your friends, family, neighbors, and just about anyone who will listen. You may even distribute a survey to gain some insights on your community.

BUT BEFORE YOU DO ANY OF THAT… you need a (digital) home.

A place for people to find you online and to help spread the word of your upcoming existence.

A lot of owners begin to think about marketing their float center as they get closer to opening. After a name, a brand, and even leased location are established. I’m here today to tell you that you need none of that (at least in the very beginning).

What you do need is a simple one-page site (often called a “coming soon” landing page), that gives people your name, contact info, and most importantly an email capture for where they can enter their information to be notified when you’re closer to opening.

You don’t need to be a web wizard to set up this landing page on your own. There are services available such and Launchrock, Squarespace, and if you’re a little more comfortable behind a keyboard, WordPress. Pair one of these services up with an email management system like Aweber, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact and you’re in business!

Tips to make sure your landing page is simple and effective

Email Capture Front and Center

Make sure that your email capture form is above “the fold.”

In other words, if you have to scroll down to take action, it’s not high enough on the page.

The words you use in this area are crucial for turning visitors into emails.

Don’t offer people the opportunity to “Join” another “Newsletter.” If you do, they’ll be more likely to give you their junk email and never read what you have to say. Instead, entice visitors to “be notified when we open” … “receive a grand opening offer before everyone else” … or offer them the opportunity to “learn what floating is all about.”

However you word it, be clear in what you’re offering them when the sign up. What are the benefits to giving you their email? Make them crave the information that you are about to provide. A key to a lot of marketing is the words you use. Make sure your words stand out and don’t sounds like another “newsletter” ready to be sent to the spam folder.

Contact Info in a Clear Location

People are going to be excited about what you’re doing and they WILL want to help. Make it easy for them to contact you via phone and/or email. A lot of centers place their contact info in the footer (the very bottom) of the page. If you want to encourage people reaching out to you, consider placing it higher up on the page.

If you’re afraid of putting your personal phone number online for everyone to see, there are services like Google Voice, Grasshopper, and Line2 that offer an additional phone number to use and very little cost to you.

A Quick Explanation of Floating

You don’t need to link up an entire Wikipedia article. Use this opportunity to refine your pitch. Find a way to explain floating in as few of words as possible. Bonus points in you can get it in a video that’s under 90 seconds and include pictures of people floating. There are plenty of royalty free photos around the internet. Just make sure before you arbitrarily grab one, ask the photos owner for permission first.

The earlier you can get a place for people to find you online, the better. Even if you don’t have a logo or official name, put something up. It’s ok to change it later as long as you redirect people to your new address.

A landing page is the first in many actions known as “pre-marketing” that you will be going through in preparation for opening day. In an future blogs, we’ll talk about logos, branding, social media and other areas you need to have in place before you book your first float.

Until then… I love seeing examples of float center “coming soon” landing pages. If you have one you would like to share or you want my opinion on yours, send us an email: info@floattanksolutions.com

-Derek W Wyatt-

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Interested in marketing content to use at your float center? 
Check out our complete social media toolkit, The Buoy Project!