Spa Marketing | SpaBoom

Valentine Packages that Sell

January 27, 2014

Choice is good. Too much choice paralyzes.

Why should you care about that? You’re trying to capitalize on Valentine’s Day sales, that’s why!

Creating a set of packages that offer up indulgent services and suit all of your potential gift buyers is a no brainer. Really.

First, let’s think about what we know from recent data, then we’ll go from there. The average gift certificate sale over the recent holidays was $85.

Second, most men who are buying for their loved one want a solution, not decisions to make. They’re trying to do the right thing by purchasing a gift of experience, but their patience for answering a multitude of questions while they do it is very limited. Packages offer the perfect way for them to do the right thing, no headaches involved!

Third, you already have what it takes to solve the gift giving conundrums with ease!

We recommend setting up three packages, one higher-end, one based on your average gift certificate sale amount (yours may be a little different from ours since ours is an aggregate – use the number that makes the most sense for you for this middle-priced package), and one value package.

That would look something like this:

Platinum Pampering Package, $125-$130

Joyous Indulgence Package, $85-$90

Loving the VDay Package, $50-$60

The key to packages is to leave room for upsell. Including services that lend themselves to add on’s means you’ll have an opportunity to provide more of your magic for your clients and generate more revenue while you do it.

Once you’ve created your packages, be sure to let your clientele know via blog posts, emails, and social media. Get the word out that you’re catering to the Valentine’s Day gift buyer, and then do that voodoo that you do to indulge, pamper, and create great customer retention once your gift recipients come in to redeem their treat!

Brand Management – What Is It and Why Is It So Important?

January 22, 2014

In today’s marketplace, effective brand management is key to growing and maintaining a successful business. But what is brand management and why is it so important?

Brand management is defined as the process of creating a relationship between a product or company and the emotional perceptions of the client in order to build loyalty. Effective brand management can mean the difference between your client seeking you out time after time or visiting a similar business because they cannot tell the difference.

So what can we learn about brand management from iconic brands like Apple or Coca Cola? Here are three brand management strategies used by these big companies that help create a strong and successful brand identity:

Establish your brand identity – the most important aspect of good brand management is to establish your true brand identity early on and then continually streamline and improve it. This is true whether you are known for being on trend, taking a holistic approach in your treatments, or using all natural products. By incorporating your company identity into your brand, you set yourself apart from others in your field.

Market to your target demographic – You have to know who your target audience is and design your marketing for them in order to garner their business time after time. This means communicating with your target clients where and when they want. Utilizing social media and email marketing is key to cultivating a relationship that drives future business.

Ensure Consistency – The most important aspect of successful brand management is to be consistent. Your clients need to know that they will receive a consistent product or service every single time they visit. This promotes good feelings when they see your brand or look at your marketing. The repeat business and referrals this generates can drive business growth over time.

Your brand identifies your business and sets you apart from others in the same field. But the most important thing about your brand is how your clients feel when they see it. Your brand is your reputation and it reminds people of how they feel about your business and the services it provides. Effective brand management can ensure that your clients think good things when they see your brand. And that can only lead to success.

Strategic Marketing for Valentine’s Day

January 21, 2014

Valentine’s Day is one of the Big Three gifting holidays each year, which means you need to capitalize on every selling opportunity around the event. Your goals should be simple but focused on three key marketing goals:

Generating Revenue
Growing Your Client Base
Retaining Your Clientele

It’s that simple. None of these stand alone, but are, in fact part of an overall strategy that you need to employ.

How should that work?

You’ll need to design well-timed, finely-targeted promotions and compelling packages that garner the interest of gift buyers. Once you have the attention of that audience, you’ll want to deliver gift options that fit their needs perfectly.

Simple, right? Of course! The good news is all the hard work you do designing great promotions and packages will help you prepare for and succeed with the next upcoming event, Mother’s Day!

Keep in mind the following things as you move forward:

Who is your audience?
What exactly are you wanting to sell?

A solid understanding of these key items will go a long way to shaping your messaging and offers, and will keep you focused and clear as you do it!

Resourcefulness – A Success Secret

January 15, 2014

Resourcefulness is the ability to find quick and innovative ways to overcome challenges. As a small business owner, finding creative ways to meet the needs of your business, your staff, and your clients is a necessity, but also the number one way to promote growth and success for your business. Being resourceful in all of your business decisions and practices, will lead to better, more streamlined processes, allowing you to save time and money.

Here are a few key components that resourceful owners use to promote growth and stay in touch with their business needs.

Be Open to Change

First and foremost, you need to be open to change. Having an open mind and being open to new and innovative ways of thinking about a routine process or situation is what will make a better solution possible. Cultivating the idea that a better solution is out there can make it much easier to go out there and make the changes that you need in order to run a more streamlined business.

Analyze – And be realistic

Next up, you need to be able to objectively assess the situations or processes of your business in order to determine where a change needs to be made. The first step in thinking outside the box is to determine what you want to change and what you have to work with. Developing a detailed objective list and then pairing resources that you have to make the change a reality creates a roadmap for easy execution.

Optimize What You Have – Be creative

This is where thinking outside the box really comes into play. Coming up with solutions for doing more with less in a stream-lined way could be as simple as asking, “if we didn’t have this resource or process, how would we get along without it?” Maybe a system you already have in place can be expanded or adapted to handle other processes. Or maybe a shuffling of duties, or scheduled tasks, could lead to a more eloquent solution.

Stay Focused

Finally, when you decide to implement change, be sure to stay focused. You can’t change or improve everything all at once, so be purposeful when selecting and implementing changes. Focusing time and effort on the change and following it through to the end can mean the difference between the intended outcome or having to return to the drawing board.

As a small business owner, you are in the unique position of being flexible enough to make improvements regularly and to implement them quickly. Doing more with less because you have created an innovative and clever solution is a savvy and smart way to continually develop your business strategy.

Spa Trends for 2014

January 13, 2014

With 2013 wrapped up, We thought it would be fun to take a look at what trends are poised to drive spa in 2014. Here are some of the prominent themes we expect to see emerge and continue through out 2014.

Inclusive Wellness and Preventive Health
Many people now view regular spa treatments as a way of promoting overall health and wellness rather than simple pampering. With a growing focus on maintaining health as part of an overall wellness lifestyle, it will be key for spas to shift their offerings to address this theme. Creating services that enable your clients to address and manage their overall health, and offering solutions for incorporating regular spa treatments into a wellness routine, will only become more important this year. As people continue to focus on preventive care and inclusive wellness, offering new treatments and services that meet these needs will keep you competitive and successful going forward.

Spa for Men
An emerging trend for the past several years, spa treatments for men will continue to grow in 2014. More men are devoting time and money to skin & hair care, as well as overall wellness treatments such as massage. Catering to your male clients and their needs by creating treatments and packages especially for them will benefit your business and broaden your audience base.
Wondering how to market to men, it’s easy. You already have a built in referral service in your regular female clientele, who can pass along the benefits of spa, as well as your offerings, to the men in their lives.

Value-Added Packages and Add-Ons
In today’s economy, your clients are looking for ways to maintain their healthy lifestyle while also maximizing their budget. Creating smaller add on services will work to build awareness about different services and offer affordable upgrades for your clients. Small value add-ons, such as adding hot stones to a massage or offering a 15 minute reflexology add-on to a pedicure, will change the experience your client has, and offer an upsell opportunity for your spa.

Wellness Travel and Staycations
The trend towards wellness travel and spa vacations will be more important than ever this year. But an important subtrend emerging from this will be the idea of the wellness staycation. In this economic climate, not everyone can afford to go on a spa vacation. By creating treatments and packages that offer your clients a mini wellness vacation at home you can offer many of the benefits of a wellness vacation from the comfort of their own hometown spa. Packages featuring international techniques or botanicals will continue to drive the popularity of this trend.

So there you have it, our list of new and continuing trends in the spa market as 2014 begins to shape up. This is the perfect time of year to evaluate what worked and didn’t work for your business over the past year and create a plan for a successful 2014. Incorporating some of these ideas into your service menu is one way to ensure continued growth and success in the coming year.

Happy New Year! Now What’s Your Plan?

January 6, 2014

A new year brings an opportunity to renew and strengthen your business. With that opportunity comes the need to plan and focus your energy on business activities that will bear fruit in terms of generating business as well as nurturing those most precious treasures you’ve already worked so hard to gain – your existing clientele.

Visibility is key

Your clientele need gentle reminders that you are around and eager to make them look and feel fabulous, at their convenience. Why not establish a simple email marketing strategy and schedule right now that will help you stay on track? Emails need not be cumbersome epic novels. A paragraph or two, perhaps from a blog article you’ve already written, is all you need to send. Be sure to mention the ease with which they can book services with you, and include a link to your Booking page. Always include a mention of and link to your Instant Gift Certificates page as well. Many milions of dollars are spent every year by email recipients just clicking on those links when they’re reminded of a gift need or are encouraged to book a service!

How often should you send emails? One every couple of weeks will inform and educate your recipients without annoying them. You want people to open your missives, not automatically delete them. That line is a fine one, and we tend to err to the conservative. After all, if your readers want to hear more from you, they can pop into your blog, too!

Visibility across all media is now your goal. That means your Social Media needs to be a place of give and take. Images that connect directly to your message du jour will really help catch the eye and reinforce your message. Are you offering up a great new non-drying color technique in your salon? Cool! Be sure to include an image of a client having their hair colored/conditioned to support a headline of Come in for a Deep Nourishing Color Treatment! for example. You get my point..don’t just include random images that look anonymous and aren’t really tied to your message. The social media audience just responds well to concise copy and clearly tied images.

Wherever you are, be there on a regular basis. And always be sure your website is showcasing any new services or products. That will be a default location for your audience to learn more about what you’re up to at any given point.

Consistency is key, too.

Starting out with a bang and ending with a fizzle isn’t an optimal marketing strategy. At a time when information flows at the speed of light, if you only send out one email campaign every quarter or write one blog article every couple of months, or are less than regular with your Facebook or Twitter posts, you’ll be doing your business a disservice.

Again, length of message isn’t really what’s important, it’s the regular reception of that message by your audience that ensures you’re presenting an organized and professional marketing effort. Your clients and prospects will appreciate your efforts with visits and word of mouth referrals.

Keeping your brand clear and maintaining that clarity everywhere your message is distributed? Also key.

Yes, there are lots of keys to marketing, but they’re all related. If you write consistent blog articles about your areas of expertise, generate emails, then create social media posts based upon those blog posts, you’re meeting the key criteria with a minimum of effort. Maybe we should have called this post Your Blog Posts – Keys to Your Entire Marketing Strategy?

Clarity, though, that’s important in a whole different way. If you are clear about what your business represents, what you’re doing, what you bring to the spa or salon or massage experience, etc., then that will flow through into every bit of content you produce. Knowing what you want to be known for is huge, and keeping that front and center on your website, (with imagery as well as content, of course), in your blog posts, in your emails, and out in the social media realm will ensure you’re drawing the clientele that fits your sweet spot and will set the stage for building long-term relationships that net consistent business over time.

Simple tricks like posting your mission statement, or a similar reminder of just who you are and what you’re trying to be to your audience, right above wherever you go to write content are helpful. Who doesn’t get carried away by the Muse of Random Tangents from time to time? Stay on track, and always depict the true essence of your business as you write.

Maintaining clarity isn’t easy in a time when many businesses are trying new things to garner business. Know your true self and stick with that. Doing otherwise can alienate your audience and confuse in general, which usually makes people just go somewhere else. Nobody likes to try to figure you out. Your job is to be so clear, so consistent, and so visible that the natural decision for them to make when seeking spa or salon services is your business.

Laying a simple but comprehensive marketing foundation sooner rather than later will put you ahead of the game, and the work you do now will serve you well for the entire year to come!

Social Media Trends for 2014: Focus On The Visual

December 16, 2013

As we wrap up 2013 and look ahead to the new year, now is a good time to start thinking about your social media marketing strategy for 2014. One of the biggest trends we expect to see is a continued shift towards shorter, more frequent communications, with a focus on visual, rather than text-based, content. Here are a few highlights of other trends to watch as we approach the new year.

The Continued Rise of Visual

Consumers are becoming more and more visual, and studies show they gravitate to marketing which is image driven. With the continued popularity of sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Snapchat, it is going to become increasingly important to come up with ways to visually promote your business and your brand. Whether it is utilizing more photos in email communications or interacting with your clients on photo sharing sites like Instagram, bringing more images to your interactions with clients means you can more effectively meet their marketing wants by communicating with them where and how they want you to.

The Importance of Micro-Video

Micro-video is a new trend that emerged in 2013 and revolutionized the video sharing business, with sites like Vine leading the way. Vine allows users to upload 6 second videos and share them with friends, filling the consumer desire for short bursts of visual communication. Industry giant Instagram soon jumped on board, allowing its users to share 3-15 second videos with their followers.

In this time where people want short visual bits of information shared more regularly and rapidly, micro-video is a new and powerful tool for marketing. A series of micro-videos could be used to tell the story of your brand, promote new offerings, or set you up as an expert in your field.

Social Media is Still King

Facebook and Twitter will continue to dominate in the social media market, with the highest number of regular users. But they are showing a shift towards more visual communications as well. Picture-dominated posts consistently get the most interactions on both platforms and both sites have made improvements to enable quicker and easier sharing of photos and videos. Both are poised to continue strongly in 2014.

Google+ will be the social media site to watch in 2014, as it continues to grow and link its social media site to all the other Google brands. It automatically opts in all users of any of its brands to Google+, which made it the fastest growing social media site in 2013. Recently, it linked YouTube comments to Google+ accounts as well, helping to drive consumers to its platform. With long term experience in visual communications, it will only continue to grow in importance throughout 2014.

2014 will be an exciting year for social media marketing. As the visual side of things continues to grow and consumers continue to demand rapid, to the point, image-based communications, it is more important than ever to adjust your marketing strategies to embrace the visual. In an industry where visual images have always been important, this is an easy and effective marketing change which can produce huge results.

What to Say, What to Say

November 19, 2013

White page syndrome can strike even the most seasoned wordsmiths, and when it does, it paralyzes. Suddenly creative minds draw blanks, the cursor flashes incessantly at the top of what should be an easy-peasy piece of content and ideas simply refuse to materialize.

It’s no fun when this happens, we know this. And if you’re a person who would rather have small shards of glass removed from the bottom of their feet than actually write a blog post, this happens a lot. In fact, most people just don’t enjoy writing at all, they only do it if they’re forced to.

But you can do this, and all you need to do is break it all down to smaller parts and to remember that you are the expert on your subject. You may not consider the fact that nobody knows as much about skin care, or taming tresses, or the wonders of massage and its therapeutic benefits as you do, but you do.

You are trained to know your stuff. Your salon or spa or massage practice is what you do, which gives you limitless insight and a deep well of material from which to pull article ideas.

Think ‘small pieces’, and then let your brain go to town. Blog posts are a way to share snippets of information with your audience in digestible (read ‘NOT huge’) chunks. Think ‘Preventing Flyaway Winter Hair’ vs ‘The History of Hairstyles in the 20th Century’ when it comes to topics. Think ‘Three Tips for Cool Weather Skin Care’ vs ‘The Importance of Balanced Nutrition In the Ongoing Pursuit of Gorgeous Skin’. Think ‘The Power of the Breath’ vs ‘A Treatise on Massage Modalities, 1717-2013’.

You get my point.

A targeted, concise (which I could use practice with, right?) paragraph or two will go a long way. You’ll have crafted a helpful article that your blog readers will want to read. The good news is once you’ve established your groove, you’ll enjoy visitors who come back again and again to see what you have to say.

Another bonus of writing blog articles? They help your ranking when it comes to being found on the web. Search engines love regular, fresh content, so you’ll be rewarded over time with ranking as well.

So, have fun with this, and know if you ever get stuck for ideas or just a little nudge in the right direction, we’re right here to help!

Cultivating Customer Loyalty

November 6, 2013

Loyal clients are the most important part of your business. On average, repeat clientele spend 33% more per visit than a new client and are also easier (and cheaper) to market to, allowing you to grow your business faster and with less marketing dollars. But how do you cultivate that loyalty and build a relationship with your clients that will keep them coming back time and time again? Let’s talk about some of the more important ways to build a positive relationship with your client.

Deliver Great Customer Service Experiences
Every bit of contact you have with a client is an opportunity to create good experiences and build a positive relationship. From the moment they visit your website, pick up the phone, or walk through the door of your spa or salon, you have the opportunity to provide the best possible experience for them. Making sure things are easy to find on your website and that all contact is friendly, helpful and professional can go a long way. A client who always leaves any interaction with your spa or salon happy and satisfied is one who will not only return, but who will tell friends about your business as well.

Communicate Regularly
Communication is always key when building a relationship. Find out where and how often your clients want to hear from you. And then communicate with them regularly in the form that works best for them. Email marketing or posting to social media is a powerful way to keep your business in the front of your client’s mind and a good way to build rapport. Making sure that not all of your communications are sales based is a good way to demonstrate that the relationship you have with your clients (& not just their money) is important to you. Sharing valuable information on a blog or in an email newsletter can help establish you as an expert in your field and turn your business into a trusted resource for your clients. Regular communication can mean the difference between your client thinking about your business the next time they need a service – or going someplace else. Good communication not only helps build a great relationship, but also a healthy business as well.

Listen to Your Clients
If you have satisfied a client once, you can more than likely do so again. But you need to know what they liked and what you could do better. So ask your clients for feedback and then act on it. Really listening to what they have to say and then involving them in improving your processes can not only help you improve your business, but also help it grow over time. So ask them, in both informal and formal ways, and then show an interest in meeting their needs.

Treat Your Loyal Clients Like You Would a Best Friend
Treating your most loyal return clients like best friends can help create an even stronger relationship and really cultivate the loyalty you are hoping for. So do the same things for them that you would do for your best friend. Keep them in the loop on what is going on with your business, either through email, social media posts, or your blog. Share insider information with them through special preview deals and announcements. Involve them in sneak peeks for new products or services before they are available to your entire client base. Ask for their feedback on how you are doing and what they think you could be doing better. Show them that you truly care about them and not only will they keep coming back, they’ll refer their friends and family to you as well.

Cultivating a positive relationship with your clients, both new and existing, is the most powerful way to build a successful business. Every interaction a client has with your business is an opportunity to create an authentic relationship with them which will keep them returning over and over.