Art Of The Float

Continuing in our advertising for the holiday series, Matthew Phillips joins the crew tonight to talk about using video advertising - in a cinematic format - to attract new clients. Matt shares some tips for how to create the perfect video to hook a potential audience, whether on YouTube or other social media platforms, and get new leads. He shares his secrets for using an emotional response to a quick hook and audio to pull in some niche clientele. He shares tips for using scarcity, limits per person, Google Keyword Planner, and SMS campaigns to maximize your results, as well as how to strategically use landing pages versus purchase link sand sales funnels. Whether you’re a marketing pro or a novice, you’ll pick up a few tips for marketing your center. Links email: itsaknowthing@gmail.com FB: It’s a KnowThing FBL https://www.facebook.com/itsaknowthing/ Floatoffers.com Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Maximum Floats (https://maximumfloats.com) Mindfull Solutions (https://mindfull.solutions)

This episode dives deep into using educational video content to market your center, but it comes with a loving content warning. Our marketing expert, Andy Chayer, shares his story of how a very traumatic robbery event led him to float therapy. It’s a powerful reminder of how important the work of running a float center really is. Andy shares his story of how floating, and a family legacy of small business ownership and marketing, led him to help other float center owners to maximize their reach. Andy talks about how he creates videos that cause 90% of those who watch to respond by becoming repeat float customers, how one video campaign brought in 600 new floaters, and how he uses Facebook ads to create loyal customers. He dives into data that supports how four major segments exist in the float industry: those with back pain, join pain, anxiety, and depression/mental disorders. Andy’s data rolls up to one big fact: the float industry can help so many people. We just need to use the right skills to reach the

The crew is delighted to have a wildly entertaining disinfection expert with more than 30 years experience in microbiology join us - the one and only Dr. Roy Vore. Roy has made his way from an outsider to one of the beloved personalities in the float world, and while he shares a bit of gloom and doom, he also blesses us with a whole lot of hope and inspiration in this episode. You’ll hear the latest news about vaccinations and reporting nuances, but you’ll also journey through questions like, “Are our patrons high risk?”, “What’s the best way to minimize our risks?”, “What does Chicago deep dish pizza have to do with infective doses?”. And “Why should I keep my finger out of my nose after cleaning a float suite?”. Dr. Vore shares the two highest risk touchpoints in a float suite, why you might want to extend times between floats, whether or not investing in HEPA filters is a good idea, and what sort of cleaning products are a load of hogwash. Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Maximum Floats (https

Dylan updates the float community on Art of the Float, upcoming Patreon projects, the Float Shoppe and his personal life.

Sometimes it’s smooth. Sometimes it’s rough. Sometimes it’s sexy, and sometimes it’s just downright unpredictable. We’re talking about flooring, of course! The crew hashes out the differences between all of the flooring options that are available to float centers now. Dylan shares his hellacious stories about using tile in his float rooms, and the pros and cons of the ultramarine and Takron rooms he has now. Kim and Drew talk about their love of concrete with epoxy, but both have had some unexpected challenges with their shower setups in relation to those beautiful floors. If you walk away with nothing else tonight, walk away with this stuck in your ear: don’t do tile floors. We love you too much to see that happen. We also have a quick little celebration for two float center anniversaries coming up this month, because when the world is hard, those celebrations matter the most! Kudos to Kim and Drew! Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Max Floats (https://maxfloats.com) Mindfull Solutions (https://mi

Sometimes it’s smooth. Sometimes it’s rough. Sometimes it’s sexy, and sometimes it’s just downright unpredictable. We’re talking about flooring, of course! The crew hashes out the differences between all of the flooring options that are available to float centers now. Dylan shares his hellacious stories about using tile in his float rooms, and the pros and cons of the ultramarine and Takron rooms he has now. Kim and Drew talk about their love of concrete with epoxy, but both have had some unexpected challenges with their shower setups in relation to those beautiful floors. If you walk away with nothing else tonight, walk away with this stuck in your ear: don’t do tile floors. We love you too much to see that happen. We also have a quick little celebration for two float center anniversaries coming up this month, because when the world is hard, those celebrations matter the most! Kudos to Kim and Drew! Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Max Floats (https://maxfloats.com) Mindfull Solutions (https://mi

This week we scratch the surface of social media with our very own Kim Hannan. One of Kim’s consultative offerings is a social media solution that provides content and a scheduling tool. We dabble on the details of how that works, but Kim also drops a few tips to help you get started on (or get a handle on!) your own social strategy. Organic content growth is wildly different from paid social media advertising, and the long-term strategy requires just that - strategy. As each co-host shares their challenges with juggling the demands of running a float center, you’ll hear some ideas that you can quickly implement, and some that may require a little more thinking and planning. Social media can be a DIY task, but Kim shares one of the most important pieces of an effective strategy: the strategy. Without it, you’re just throwing darts in the dark. Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Maximum Floats (https://maximumfloats.com)

It’s been a few months since the crew talked about the PPP situation, and as the (extended) deadline to use the funds is creeping near, you’ll hear the tales of how we’ve each used our funds. Gloria, as usual, stays on the pulse of the changes and updates, and she shares some news that gives Dylan some room to breathe again. In true Art of the Float fashion, the conversation pivots to tackle another big topic: social media. Dylan wants to quit it all, but running a business and staying connected to the float industry makes that nearly impossible. You’ll hear us scratch the surface on the pros and cons of staying in the social media world as we know it, especially in light of a new documentary on the topic. Links State of the Industry Survey (https://www.floattanksolutions.com/float-industry-survey/) Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Maximum Floats (https://maximumfloats.com)

As we’re getting ready to step into the final quarter of the longest, wildest year of existence, the crew (minus one) rallies to share how things are going in the day-to-day. You’ll hear a whole lot of happiness, in spite of a crazy year, and you’ll pick up a few unexpected blessings that have come in the form of operational cost reduction, guest satisfaction, and revenue targets. With fewer opportunities to float, some guests are finding it important to schedule their next visit sooner than they would “in the before”. The whole crew is walking away with some new ideas and some things to consider for moving forward, and we hope you are too. Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Maximum Floats (https://maximumfloats.com) Floataway (https://floataway.com)

After a long weekend at the virtual Float Con, the crew unpacked their bags and brains to share some of the highlights of the annual event. It was a historical moment - the first Float Conference to take place entirely on screen, and it was definitely one to remember. You’ll hear a few big speaker moments, including a big news bomb that left us all a bit speechless when we heard it. We also share the highlights of some of the Think Tanks, where participants were invited to turn on their cameras and ask questions, share their own best practices, and join in that ol’ Float Con sense of community that we all love. It wasn’t all perfect, so you’ll hear a few of the downsides and mishaps, and why some folks are hoping for a virtual option again in the future. Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Floataway (https://floataway.com)

So how did it go with the trial run of the Virtual Float Conference? Well, the main speaker was in tears, people were “eeking”, and technology played nice, except when it didn’t. Of course, those tears were of gratitude, the eeks were from float friends who were excited to see each other, and technology is… technology. The crew shares their experiences with Virtual Float Conference Preview - what it felt like on the “speaker stage”, all of the behind-the-scenes dishing, and how they enjoyed the Think Tanks and Discord parties. While there were definitely a few learning moments, the full conference is going to be pretty amazing if the Preview was any indication. (Oh, and you might not want little ears to hear this one - just a few little fun mentions that you might not want to explain later.) Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Floataway (https://floataway.com)

In an interesting twist, our guest - who owns a marketing company - had great success and then closed her center. Heather Lawson Bradfield of Totum Advising Group also co-owned a float center in Florida until her business partner had a major accident and the pandemic hit. Heather used her background in marketing to run successful ads and local campaigns. She shares her high-level strategies for measuring the success - or lack thereof - of each campaign, as well as some tools she used to create connections with local business owners. Local partnerships didn’t pan out, but digital marketing was very successful. She talks about how to use a traditional sales funnel (cold leads, lukewarm leads, to hot leads) to target and retarget new guests and why you shouldn’t direct new leads to your website. One of the most important things Heather shares is how to have a plan and to check your success if you’re doing it yourself, and know when to hire a pro to help you. She even drops a cost-per-click rate that you’ll want

We’ve seen it happening more and more lately, and it can be heartbreaking to hear about float centers closing their doors, but tonight’s special guest brings some hope and an amazing spirit about closing the doors to his center. Carlos Casias of Float Los Alamos recently announced that he’ll be shutting down his operation after about four and a half years of ups and downs. He talks about the struggles his center encountered last year, and how they had big plans to restructure, rebrand, and relaunch… and then a pandemic hit. He battled the decision to continue taking on more debt or to “be selfish” and stop the financial crisis that was beginning to grow. He talks about all of those moments of realizing that bankruptcy is on the horizon, but how it is now going to be a relief, not the gloom and doom one would expect, as he begins to see a glimmer of hope after investing all of his time and energy into running his center, a two-person, two-tank dream for the past few years. Sponsors The Buoy Project (https://f

We’re getting excited about the 2020 Virtual Float Conference! We searched high and low to find some folks who are willing to talk to us about what’s happening with this year’s event, and thankfully, we found a few board members who were willing to talk about this year’s event! We got the inside scoop about what’s coming up this September, including how you’ll have an opportunity to not only hear some amazing speakers, but also have really cool ways to connect with fellow attendees, “create your own” topics, see some familiar floaty faces, and still party Float Con style! And a big spoiler: if you can’t attend a session live, you’ll have immediate access to watch it later! Links Float Conference Tickets (www.floatconference.com/tickets) Sponsors Float Buoy (https://floattanksolutions.com/buoy) Maximum Floats (https://maximumfloats.com) Floataway (https://floataway.com)

As we’re all re-emerging from the COVID closures, we have to be smart about what to expect and how we operate. Jeremy Jacob, owner of FLOAT in San Antonio, joins us to share his experiences. He recently expanded his center with additional tanks and new services, and then closed after just 6 weeks. He talks about how his reputation and the trust his guests have in his center have helped him stay afloat (pun intended) as he reopened. The crew shares how they cut some costs and how they tapped into new marketing strategies to bring in new clients. Sponsors Float Buoy (https://floattanksolutions.com/floatbuoy) Floataway (https://floataway.com)

In the past few episodes, you’ve heard how important it is to continue marketing efforts. In this episode, we dive in deeper into one particular marketing strategy - consultation programs. First, you’ll hear some tips about what to look for if you’re hiring a marketing partner, and then Kyle from Maximum Floats sheds light on some things that float center owners can do on their own to implement programs that bring in new guests and increase the frequency in which they float. One of the key points is to sell programs that solve problems, or “pain points”, not to sell floats. Gloria is in the process of kicking off a program with Maximum Floats, and Kim shares a bit about a similar program that she launched on her own at her center. And if you’re a non-salesy center, you’ll pick up a few ideas for how to share information and deals without coming across as pushy - how to be a helper instead. Sponsors Float Buoy (https://floattanksolutions.com/buoy) Floataway (https://floataway.com)

As we’re all starting to emerge from the COVID closures, it’s important to start thinking strategically about ways to increase revenue. When it comes down to it, there are three major buckets for doing just that. The crew talks about some of the ways they each 1) increase the number of sales, 2) increase the dollar amount of each sale, and 3) increase the frequency of sales for each customer, and how these strategies play into both the short-term and long-term plan. We realize that feels like a lot of sales talk, but the success and longevity of our centers require “sales” strategies. It doesn’t feel very floaty though, so we dive into how to shift out of the sales mindset and into one of being a consultant who’s there to help guests feel better and find relief. You’ll hear stories of having a “summer attitude” and being challenged to think about your long term strategy for your business growth - meaning is it a lifestyle business that’s centered around you as an owner, or do you want to grow and scale in a

We’ve been missing everyone fiercely, so we opened up the link for anyone to join for our freestyle conversation. This episode is a free-for-all, as we invited the community to join us. We dabble through some fun new projects coming from Luke at Mandala Float Systems and Juliet and the crew at Float Tank Solutions. We check in with several folks from around the industry, including an appearance from “the other Graham” The conversation flows through the COVID-19 reopening, potential round 2 shutdowns, the struggles of the slow season timing, nifty inventions, cool new offerings, photography needs, marketing strategies, and a special personal story from JulietWe absolutely love you all. Getting to just hang out and talk through the ups, downs, and twirl arounds of this industry in this time is absolutely special, and we don’t take that for granted. We’re so grateful to each of you who listen, who join in, and who support us so we can support you. Sponsors Float Buoy (https://floattanksolutions.com/buoy) Floataw

It’s an interesting world, floaty friends. Tonight is a special night. We’re dipping into a bit of the emotional state behind the COVID-19 pandemic that has bled into a fight for racial justice. Some of us have been caught in the crossfires, but we’re all here to stand up for what’s right, and to look out for each other and our guests. We never could have imagined what that would mean, but in this episode, we’re here to share some quick updates about our own centers, but more importantly, what’s going on across the country. We’re grateful for Jennifer and Mark Gurley from Infinity Float Center in Houston, TX; Elliott Reed of IMR Float in Henderson, NV; and Michael Hineline, the new owner of Float Brothers in Destin, FL. They’ve all joined us tonight to talk about how things are going in their reopening after the COVID shutdown. Someone is having success with billboard ads, someone reopened in the wrong phase and ventured into the world of a “speakeasy float center”, and someone else is getting a full initiat

If you’re thinking about reopening soon, you likely have a ton of questions about what to do to ensure you’re keeping your center as clean, disinfected, and sterilized as possible. Kim’s center is already open, while Drew’s center is open to members only, and Gloria is about to reopen, so they each share a bit about what they’re doing and the new tools they’ve implemented. This episode is all about the magical UV fairy, errrrr robots who have wands to make the virus go away. We dive into how to use UV in your routine turnover processes and whether or not to ask your guests to wear masks. It’s a mixed bag, and you might be surprised as to why. Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Floataway (https://floataway.com)