Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
If you’re running a float center, you definitely have a newsletter. Right? If you don’t, then you should. Most businesses these days have them. Establishing a newsletter can be a daunting undertaking if you’re unfamiliar with the process. What goes in a newsletter? How frequent is too frequent to send it out? Who are you sending it to?
Graham and Ashkahn dole out some wisdom on the importance of this correspondence method. Give it a listen.
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Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Today’s question is “what do you put in your newsletters?”
Ashkahn: Good. Newsletters. So, let me start by saying we have a separate newsletter list than just our full customer list, right?
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: So I just want to make that distinction up front before we start talking about other stuff is that we’re specifically sending newsletters at our place, in our center, to people who have actively signed up to hear about us from our newsletter. We’re not just blasting all the emails we have from our customers.
Graham: Yep, and oftentimes double opting in as well. Although I think that is changing now. MailChimp’s kind of changing their structure a little bit to a single opt-in by default, which is interesting. Maybe for a different topic, maybe for something that talks more about newsletters, we could discuss that. So our opt-in people, which obviously is much smaller than your full customer list in almost all cases. I guess let’s talk about frequency and let’s talk about general length.
Ashkahn: Right.
Graham: And then let’s talk about what to include.
Ashkahn: Okay. So every day is too frequent. You probably shouldn’t be sending a newsletter every day. It’s a little bit intense.
Graham: And every other day is too seldom.
Ashkahn: So you’re looking at that sweet spot.
Graham: One and a half days or so. No, so I would say anything more frequent than every month for something like a brick and mortar business feels way too often.
Ashkahn: Yeah, a little too intense. You’re probably gonna overwhelm people, or just not have enough interesting stuff to say.
Graham: Yeah. And a month or longer feels, to me, like the right amount of time.
Ashkahn: Mm-hmm.
Graham: Three months, for some reason. I don’t know if it’s that we’re a brick and mortar business, people actually need to physically come into, as opposed to a website where they get a newsletter and immediately they can go and get the new content from it, or something. Maybe it’s just ’cause newsletters take so long to write that once every three months sounds way better than doing it every month, but that, to me, one to three months has always felt a little bit like if you want to have a really regular newsletter, that’s what you’re looking at.
Ashkahn: Mm-hmm.
Graham: What about length? How long are you sending things to people?
Ashkahn: How long? I feel like usually it feels good to have about three main points in your newsletter. Kind of three distinct topics is often what I find feels like substantial, especially with the infrequency of when they’re going out, and that’s maybe a one or two paragraphs per topic.
Graham: Yeah, that’s about what I was thinking. I was gonna say the ability to read it and digest, or at least read slash skim it, in under five minutes?
Ashkahn: Mm-hmm.
Graham: And get all of the information out of it, feels like the right amount of time in there.
Ashkahn: Right.
Graham: So I guess if you were to type it out in kind of magazine pages, it’s almost like a spread, is your newsletter. Maybe a couple pages is what feels kind of right to me.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: So what the heck goes in that that you’re sending out? I definitely have my list of favorites. I don’t know if you prepped for this. I was up at night, studying.
Ashkahn: I’ve got some things that I’m thinking about.
Graham: All right, I’ll say one first, and then you can say one.
Ashkahn: Okay, but I hope it’s not mine.
Graham: You only have one?
Ashkahn: Well I’ve got one that I’m excited about.
Graham: Okay, you say yours first.
Ashkahn: All right. So one thing I think is great to include in there is any awesome cool improvements you have going on at your float center.
Graham: That’s good, that was not the one I was excited about, so-
Ashkahn: Okay, nice. Yeah. ‘Cause that’s always just great news for everybody, right? Your center is doing better, your customers’ experience is gonna get better. Oftentimes with a float center it’s things that people might not even know, or notice, right? It’s-
Graham: “We expanded our wall by six inches, and reduced sound by 20 more decibels!”
Ashkahn: Heavy soundproofing is hard. No one just walks in and goes like, “Oh, did you do more soundproofing there?” But it’s great stuff to talk about, because it’s like, hey, you’re making people’s float experiences quieter, and improving the kind of service in that way. So those are always fun. If you have some kind of great upgrade that’s happening in your float center, that’s always one that I think is definitely worth including.
Graham: And another really good one is just other float news that has made it into the media. I really enjoy, especially when there’s a really high profile article or piece that’s come out in Time Magazine or on NPR or anything like that is really cool to be able to link people back to and rather than being solely in charge of getting them excited about coming in and floating again. Now it’s this broader culture at large is responsible for a little bit of their excitement, which always feels like a nice one to put in there.
Ashkahn: Yeah. And what else? What else goes into a newsletter?
Graham: Oh I got plenty more yet. I have two spreads full of information. Customer stories. I love highlighting a customer, or someone who’s gotten a lot out of floating recently. Maybe one of your members, or something like that. And especially if they have a story, where they got a lot out of floating. They’ve been floating every week for the last three months, and it really affected their lives, or they were actually in a car accident, and it helped them recover, or just those really profound stories that we get every single day, I think are great things to share around.
Ashkahn: We do a lot of programs, and things like that, at our float center, too. And those are always rich content for putting out. Almost anything cool you’re doing within your community is a great thing to put in a newsletter because it’s not just exciting about you, it’s exciting that you’re working within the community, and cool things are being developed, and any outreach or community work, or any of that stuff you’re doing is, I think, some of the most uplifting and nice things to read about, when you read a newsletter.
Graham: Yup. So that’s kind of the idea behind some prime examples of content, but the basic idea, here, is this shouldn’t just be a pitch all about why to come in and float with you. If anything, it’s a tangential pitch, in my mind. What you’re doing is the same thing that any magazine does, or that anything like a newspaper where you’re going to it for content every day. You’re just trying to provide content that people are entertained by, and that they want to read. And hopefully that’s exciting for them.
And just that alone, just getting people excited about floating, and having them read inspiring or funny stories, or whether that be from floaters, or in the news, those are the things that’ll make them come back in. Oftentimes, what you’re trying to hit is not the people who are thinking about floating every week, and actively deciding not to come into your shop. You’re trying to get the people with your newsletter who floated a couple times, or floated once, and don’t think about it often, and this newsletter is that thing where they’re like, “Oh yeah, floating! I’d kind of forgotten about it.” And they’re like, “Oh, that helps with PTSD? That’s awesome!” Or whatever it is, right? You’re kind of feeding their dialog, and just giving them a little prod to remind them that floating is out there, A, and that you’re out there, as a specific place to float, B.
Ashkahn: Yeah. So if you have some sort of specific deal, or something like that, it really should be kind of tied into other things. You shouldn’t, ideally, just be sending emails out every month that are like, “Hey, 20 bucks off,” and just kind of those hard sales pitches, or stuff like that, I think tends to be less effective. ‘Cause you’re really not providing a ton of interesting content, or huge value to people, as they read your newsletter.
Graham: Yup. Make it entertaining, make it educational, and just sort of trust the rest of the magic to happen. You definitely, like Ashkahn said, don’t need to pitch a deal every time. Cool?
Ashkahn: Yeah, I mean, do we have a newsletter that they can sign up for?
Graham: If you want to sign up for our newsletter, go to our site. It’s FloatHQ.com. Actually the … and the Float Tank Solutions newsletter is a great example of that, or signing up for a blog, for example. And by the way, the same exact lessons go for making a blog that’s coming out regularly for your center, as with a newsletter. That same educational, make it entertaining, share people’s stories, yeah, same idea.
And if you want to sign up for us to answer a question … you like that segue? That was good one, huh?
Ashkahn: That was an okay one, yeah.
Graham: Then just go to FloatTankSolutions.com/podcast. Type in your question…
Ashkahn: …And we may just answer it.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Should I Wire my Float Tanks into the Wall? – DSP 265
Ashkahn is currently recovering from his talk and the after-party last night, but Jake and Graham have gracefully taken the time to answer a construction question again today.
On the docket today is a question about wiring a float tank directly into the wall. Graham and Jake provide an overview of why some people may prefer this (it’s much easier to keep waterproof, e.g.), and why at Float On they use the twist lock for their outlets and how to properly utilize them.
Can I Keep My Old Ceiling With My Buildout? – DSP 264
Hopefully everyone had a lovely time at the Friday Activities and the after-party.
Ashkahn is still busy running the conference, but Graham and Jake have stepped in to talk about construction!
Today the guys talk about keeping a drop ceiling or T-bar ceiling in an existing space that you’re converting to a float center. The short answer is don’t keep it, as it can cause problems, but the guys do have some workarounds if your landlord is opposed to changing the ceiling.
What to Expect When Expanding from 1 to 3 Tanks? – DSP 263
Ashkahn is busy preparing for everything that happens tonight and tomorrow for the Conference, but that doesn’t mean Daily Solutions will stop being daily.
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Fortunately, these guys know the score and are happy to share.
All About Floor Drains – DSP 262
As Ashkahn gets everything ready for the Start a Center Workshop (happening today) and the Float Conference this weekend, Graham and Jake tackle answering construction questions on the podcast.
Today they’re talking about floor drains. What to consider for drains and how they might pair with different types of flooring. Given the hefty price tag for these more advanced drains, having as much research before making a decision on these is essential. Luckily, the guys have done the hard part already and identified a lot of things to consider.
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Graham and Jake are at the helm again while Ashkahn puts the finishing touches on the Float Conference.
Today, the guys are talking all about humidity and how to deal with it when constructing your float rooms. They talk about all the little nuances that you (or your contractor) might not think about when it comes to humidity and how soundproofing and regular airflow may not always go hand in hand.
Latest Blog Posts
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #24
Alberta is often called the Texas of Canada. Part large oil industry, part cattle country.
Don’t Mess With Alberta!
At the base of the Rocky Mountains, replete with an Olympic Stadium, Calgary is a world-class destination for winter sports. The float community developed here similarly to Edmonton – there wasn’t anything nearby except for one or two residential float tanks, and then, in a short period of time, several centers opened all at once. Instead of competing, they’ve decided to work together and have developed one of the tightest knit float communities we’ve seen. They even have monthly Float Dinners, much like we do with the float centers in Portland. They don’t keep meeting minutes, so it’s hard to determine what they talk about at these dinners; my guess would be salt, the effects of salt on various substances, and how salty salt damage can make someone salty.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #23
After Montana, we blazed our way back into Canada. The drive was long, but the scenery was beautiful. We followed the Rockies north, driving up to Edmonton. It’s a bit of a detour but, there are so many float centers in Edmonton, it seemed crazy not to stop by.
The city itself is primarily made up of workers from the oil fields – high risk, high income jobs that fuel the economy. At least until recently. Our visit was right in the middle of the Fort McMurray wildfire which has displaced a lot of the workforce, forcing 100,000 people to leave their homes. Many came to Edmonton, being the nearest metropolitan area to Fort McMurray. Some already split their time between the two cities, living in Edmonton and traveling to Fort McMurray for weeks or months at a time for work.
It’s understood that, in economic hardship, luxury commodities are typically the first thing people cut back on. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to be the case for floating. In fact, more people seem to be trying it to help alleviate the stress, many centers even offering free or discounted services to those displaced in an effort to help in a small way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #22
We’ve got two more stops in Colorado Springs before heading west. It’s a town known for its military base and long history of weapons testing. With such a large military presence, it comes as no surprise that the float center owners here are veterans, themselves.
After that, we shoot across to Salt Lake City. Utah is filled with gorgeous sights, from breathtaking lakes to stunning painted hills. With an international landmark famous for its effects on buoyancy, Salt Lake City should be pretty familiar with the concept of floating. With five different float centers, and the manufacturer of the Zen Tent out there, there could be some cause and effect.
After that, we head up into Idaho and Montana to close out the Central United States portion of our Tour. We’ll follow the Rocky Mountains north, taking in the scenery along the way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #21
Denver has been home to a vibrant float community for a long time. Some of the earliest commercial centers that started up in the ‘70s and ‘80s were out here. 30 years is a long time, and most of the old centers aren’t around anymore, but there’s a conscious community that has been floating since the old days and they love how much the industry has evolved and grown.
