Spa Technology | SpaBoom

Tune Up Your Social Media

October 1, 2014

These days, just having a Facebook page and Twitter account is not enough. They shouldn’t just be an afterthought, or something you signed up for because you thought your business should have them. They also shouldn’t just be a place to advertise your specials.

People spend more time on social media than they do watching television, so making sure your business is not only present but offering interesting and engaging posts is more important than ever. People are looking for engagement and benefits from liking your page. Social media should be a place where you create and foster a community. That community then becomes a captive audience and a strong contingent of your regular customers.

Now is a great time of the year to tune up your social media pages & rethink your social media strategy. Here are some things to consider:

First, Do a Bit of Housekeeping
Here are a few initial places to start off the housekeeping on your page:

Is your contact information (phone number, address, & website) correct? Have you entered your business hours and are they accurate? Is your About section filled out and up to date?
Make sure your Facebook page is a business page and not just a profile. Not only is it more professional, it also doesn’t violate Facebook’s policies. If someone can “Friend” your page, then you have a profile. A Business page can only be “Liked”.
Do you have a cover photo and profile picture? Studies show that users are drawn to pages with photos. Make sure your page has them and they are sized to fit properly.

What makes a good post? Trends in Posting
More and more people are spending more and more time on social media, and they aren’t just on there to watch videos of cats. They are there looking for inspiration, engagement, and to feel like part of a community. So make your page the sort of place that provides that sort of experience, rather than just a spot to check out your specials. Inspire them with tips and information about how to achieve a more beautiful and healthy lifestyle. Engage them with questions that encourage interaction. The trend in posting to social media is moving towards shorter, more frequent communications, with a focus on visual. This is the perfect place to test out your brand voice and personality (two topics we’ve covered recently here on the blog). The best posts create and foster a sense of community and initiate conversations.

Think Visual!
Consumers continue to become more and more visual, and they are drawn to posts with images. So think about incorporating more visuals into your posts. All of the social media platforms are set up to incorporate photos or videos into your posts, so posting with photos is now easier than ever.

Consider using Video
YouTube has more viewers than cable television. Used effectively, video is a great way to connect with even more of your clients or prospective customers. Plus, with the Facebook algorithm, users who watch videos will start to see more videos in their feeds, which means your posts will show up more frequently if they include photos and videos. Video can be a great tool for sharing tips with your followers or introducing them to your staff.

Create a Series
Series are a great way to generate interest and also a way to bring followers back again, to check out the next installment. It’s also a great way to set your business up as an expert, or to help foster your brand identity online by helping your followers get to know your business better.

A great idea for a series is to answer your five most asked questions in little videos. Then share them on your social media outlets in a weekly series & make a landing page on your website that features them as well. Or create an Ask the Expert series where followers can post questions and you post a video response/tutorial once a week.

Should you add another outlet?
Facebook and Twitter are still the kings of social media. But there are lots of other platforms out there that continue to grow in popularity. Now might be a good time to think about adding another to the mix. Consider Google+, the fastest growing of the social networks. Experts predict that it will only continue to grow and its users are very active. It could be a great third social media outlet to add to your marketing plan.

There are also quite a few social media platforms that are a bit more specialized, such as LinkedIn for business contacts, Pinterest for pinning fave photos and links to websites/articles, Instagram for posting snapshots, and Vine for posting short 6 second videos. It’s worth evaluating these to determine whether any of them will provide added benefit to your social media strategy.

Now more than ever, having a strong social media marketing strategy is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing plan. Make sure you keep it up to date and invest the time and effort to make it useful and interesting for your followers. You’ll see that commitment reflected in your bottom line.

*** This article is part of our “Time for a Tune Up” series, designed to help you tune up your business practices, get ready for the holidays, and think about your business and marketing strategies, both for the rest of this year and heading into 2015. It’s not too early to start thinking ahead, and now is the time to start preparing for even more success.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes Are Out, It Must Be Fall!

September 11, 2014

On my way to class the other day I stopped at Starbucks, something I rarely do anymore in an effort to avoid too many extra calories and because I seem to be running late most of the time (I tend to over commit and then end up rushing…ahem…). Anyway, as I pulled up to order I saw that Pumpkin Spice Lattes are on the menu and I did a little happy dance because that means it must be Fall, right??

As strange as that reaction is, from a marketing perspective it means they’ve trained me, using seasonality (scarcity), thereby ensuring I will find a way to get back there again for yet another of those sinfully delicious, spicy lattes. The strategy is simple, brilliant, and one that many businesses have used, with great success, through the years.

Remember the McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes? I’m pretty sure there was nothing in them that even resembled wholesome, Irish cream, or even anything from nature as we know it, but we didn’t care. As kids, when those popped up on the menu we were super excited because a.they tasted good, and b. it meant St. Patrick’s Day was right around the corner. And while we had a broad ethnic representation in my neighborhood, as far as I know there wasn’t a soul from the Emerald Isle in sight. But we didn’t care.

And then there were the seasonal flavors at Baskin Robbins – Baseball Nut. Fresh Peach. Black Cherries Jubilee. Yumminess by season primed us to pounce when the favorite flavors arrived, consume until we were (almost) satiated, then bid them adieu for another year.

As an adult, it’s been my pleasure to enjoy seasonal foods from different local restaurants, a pleasure not unlike enjoying childhood treats around seasons or holidays. With seasonal foods, of course, it’s about availability for a short time, then the item disappears until this time next year when we’ll welcome the return of said dish and enjoy it to its fullest once more.

Seasonality translates beautifully into our spa and salon marketing efforts. Through my years with SpaBoom I’ve seen an amazing number of really wonderful spa service menu items. And then we started working with salons and realized how many options there really are for hair styling and care services, something someone not natively of the business wouldn’t have immediately understood.

A few services have stuck in my mind as particularly compelling, not always for the service itself, but often for what product the service may have incorporated. There have been blue corn scrub wraps, which are about indigenous ingredients. There have been pumpkin avocado facials, cranberry salt scrubs, seaweed wraps, cucumber facials, spicy chai pedicures, coffee scrubs and creamy, milky options designed to create suppleness.

And who doesn’t appreciate a hair treat to prime for the next season, as well? Lovely deep conditioning oil treatments help repair Summer’s havoc, and amazing, rich colors manage to capture the light and infuse the hair with depths of hue that please the eye while creating softness and health in the process.

I have a point, here, and it’s really this – What is your Pumpkin Spice Latte? Do you have one? If nothing jumps immediately to mind, consider adding a seasonal option to your service menu, one (or more) that add variety while creating a sense of anticipation for your clientele. Ideally, creating four of these, one for each season, makes the most sense, and then promote them in all of your content areas – your blog, email newsletters, on your website, social media, text messaging, and, yes, as in-house signage.

Catch the eye, capture the imagination, satisfy the craving you create, then gently remove the option at a predetermined time until next year. What’s not to enjoy about setting, then exceeding, client expectations year after year?

Time for a Tune Up Series

September 9, 2014

It’s that slower time of year, the calm before the storm of the holiday madness. Now is a great time to get your business tuned up so you’ll be ready for the wonderful craziness that the holiday season always brings. This article is part of our “Time for a Tune Up” series to help you tune up your business practices, get ready for the holidays, and think about your business and marketing strategies, both for the rest of this year and heading into 2015.It’s not too early to start thinking ahead, and now is the time to start preparing for even more success. But first, a bit of housekeeping.

We are all in and out of our SpaBoom accounts fairly regularly, but how often do you stop and double check that all your information is correct and that everything is set up correctly. Take some time this week to check on the following information in your SpaBoom account (you can find it all under the Setup tab):

Check your contact information — You can find your contact information under the Setup Tab. From there, click on “Basics” in the left hand column. Make sure your address and phone number are correct.
Are your locations correct — If you have multiple locations, make sure they are correct as well. You don’t want to lose a sale because the wrong address is showing on your website or your second location is missing entirely. You can check those (& add new ones) under the Setup Tab, by clicking “Locations” in the left hand column.
Double check your hours — Make sure your hours are correct. This is also where you can go to change your hours if you start to run extended hours during the holiday season. You can check your hours by clicking on “Hours” in the left hand column under the Setup tab.
Who has access to SpaBoom — Double check who can access your SpaBoom account. Each person who has access to SpaBoom needs to have their own login. Nobody should be sharing one. By clicking on “Professionals” in the left hand column under the Setup tab, you can make sure your professionals are correct, add new ones, or delete old ones.
Are your services up to date — Review your service menu in SpaBoom to make sure it is up to date. You don’t want to go into the holiday season with old services that you no longer offer, or new services missing from the menu entirely. You can check your services by clicking on “Services” under the Setup tab.
Take a look at your gift certificate designs — We are updating and adding to our gift certificate design library all the time. But if you don’t go in and check the offerings, you will never see the new designs. Take a moment to check what designs you are currently offering and see if there are any additional designs you would like to add. You can check your gift certificate designs by clicking on “GC Designs” under the Setup tab.

Take some time today and double check that all of this information in your SpaBoom account is correct and up to date. It will save you lots of time and hassles down the road.

That’s it for today’s tune up. Be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of the articles in our Time for a Tune Up series, as we help you get ready for the holidays and the new year.

Ready To Setup A Rewards Program?

July 24, 2014

Returning clients spend an average of 67% more than new clients. So it only makes sense to focus on bringing your clients back again and again. One great way to do that is to reward them for being loyal customers. SpaBoom offers great functionality for running your rewards program. But before you turn it on there is a lot to think about. Here are some things to ask yourself when you’re ready to set up your rewards program.

What activities do you want to reward?
You want to make sure you are rewarding behaviors that help your business to grow, either in the number of clients you have or the amount of revenue being generated. Some of the most popular activities to reward are:

Purchasing Gift Certificates
Purchasing Services
Using Online Booking
Purchasing Deals
Referrals for services or purchases
Signing up for Email Marketing
Share with a Friend
Shared Friend Signups

How many points will be rewarded for each activity?
You need to decide what sorts of behavior you want to reward the most. Is it more important to keep your clients coming back again and again? Then make purchases and services worth more points than referrals. Or maybe referrals are more important, so you would want to make referrals for services or actual signups worth more points. The default in the Rewards setup is 1 point per dollar spent and 100 points for email newsletter signup. But you can change these and fully customize the point values for each individual activity.

How much is each point worth?
A good starting point might be to make 10 points worth $1. This makes it easy for your clients to quickly earn rewards, which is a good thing. SpaBoom gives you full control over how much each point is worth, so you can decide what works best for your business. But keep in mind that people who participate in a rewards program typically want to be able to redeem their points in 3-6 months. So making it easy to earn points, and easy to redeem them, will make your rewards program much more effective.

What rewards do you want to offer?
Create rewards and incentives that your clients desire, but also that are unique to your business. You also want to make sure that your Rewards program is helping to grow your business and isn’t hurting your bottom line. So keep that in mind when deciding on rewards. Some rewards options are:

Discounts on services
Gift certificates for services or products
Bonus products
Add-on experiences
Monthly special – an exclusive offer for reward members

Studies show that clients tend to be happier with rewards other than discounts. But now might be a good time to ask both your staff, and some of your top clients, what they think the rewards should be. Tailoring your rewards to meet the needs of your clients will make your program more successful.

How will you promote it?
Be sure you promote it on your website and via social media. But, more importantly, make sure your staff are ambassadors for your program. They should all understand how it works and why it is a benefit to both the client and the business. Some spas even have displays showing what you can receive at each point level. Talking with your clients about your rewards program should be part of the checkout process at the end of every visit. Let them know how many points they currently have, and also what they can redeem them for, as well as an incentive for re-booking at the time of checkout.

How will your clients earn, track, and redeem points?
This one is easy. SpaBoom rewards make it easy to do all of this from your SpaBoom account. You can even set it up to automatically redeem points. When a certain level is reached, SpaBoom will automatically send your client a congratulatory email with their reward attached as a gift certificate. We also make it easy for your staff to look up how many points a client has earned and redeem them right there while the client is still at your front desk. Efficiency in use guarantees a successful rewards program.

You are now ready to turn on and set up your Rewards program in SpaBoom. But keep in mind that your rewards program is a living entity. Follow-up regularly with your clients to make sure your program is meeting their needs as well as yours and that the rewards are really worth it. Communicate with them regularly, both about what is available in the rewards program this month, and also about how many points they have currently. And make changes as needed to keep it competitive and successful.

A successful rewards program not only rewards your clients for their loyalty, but can help to reinforce the relationship they have with your business. Making it an easy program for your clients to participate in, and also for your staff to administer, will ensure that your clients are happy and keep them coming back for more.

Need help getting your Rewards program set up? Give us a call. We’re always happy to help!

What Net Neutrality Means To Small Businesses

July 15, 2014

On May 15, 2014, the FCC proposed new rules to govern internet access. The new plan would allow internet service providers (ISPs) to charge extra to large companies like Google or AT&T for preferential treatment (such as faster delivery of information). The problem with this is that it then creates a two-tiered internet: a superhighway for businesses who can afford to pay and a dirt road for all of us smaller businesses. You can read more about net neutrality in our blog post from last month: Should You Care About Net Neutrality?

But why should you care anyway? Internet is still internet, right? Well, actually, it’s not. Net Neutrality is the definition of an open internet and it ensures our right to communicate freely. Without it, the internet is up for bid and those with the most money will have the most control not only over what sort of information you can send as a business but also over what your clients can receive as consumers. Without net neutrality, big companies such as Verizon or AT&T would have the power to choose whether or not your website is available and whether or not your clients can access it.

Here are just a few reasons why net neutrality is especially important for small businesses:

The loss of net neutrality will affect the ability of people to find and access your website
People are busy these days and don’t want to waste a lot of time. When they pull up your website, they expect it to load quickly and easily. If it doesn’t, they may just decide it is taking too long and move on to your competitor.

Without net neutrality, small businesses won’t have the necessary resources to put themselves into the internet fast lane, which could mean slower load times, or clients who cannot even access your site due to their ISP deciding not to carry it (similar to cable companies). This means that the internet would no longer be a level playing field and it will most certainly hurt not only your ability to conduct business online, but also your ability to simply promote your business effectively online.

The internet will no longer be a level playing field
A free and open internet, where no ISP can decide what you can and cannot post or read, is a key foundation of Net Neutrality, and it is what the internet was based upon. Without net neutrality, ISPs would be able to give preferential treatment to those who can afford to pay for it, and users would no longer have access to everything posted on the web. It means that small businesses would no longer be able to compete on the same level as bigger companies. It stifles competition, but more importantly, it stifles innovation. Many small businesses would never be able to get off the ground without a free and open internet. It diminishes progress and the overall sharing of information for all of us.

For your business, it could mean that users in your area may no longer be able to access your website at all, or it may be buried underneath the results of bigger companies in your area, or those with deeper pockets. It would have a major negative effect on your online presence, unless you have the funds available to push yourself up to the superhighway. And the sad truth is that most small businesses just don’t have the funds to compete with larger corporations. Without net neutrality, we’ll fall behind the big guys, and that could mean the end of our businesses.

So what can we do?
The new rules were proposed on May 15, 2014, and we are now in the midst of a comment period, before the FCC makes their ruling on September 15th. Everyone is welcome to submit a comment to the FCC and we encourage you to do so.
But, more importantly, contact your representatives in Congress and let them know how important Net Neutrality is to you. Many feel that the only way to truly ensure net neutrality, is for Congress to make it a part of law, by adding it to an updated version of the Telecommunications Act, and there is a movement to do just that. This would take the decision making out of the hands of unelected officials at the FCC, and put it into the hands of elected officials, who are accountable to the American people.

There is a huge movement to protect and ensure net neutrality, but, as small business owners, all of us need to speak up and become part of the conversation. It is just that important.

Should You Care About Net Neutrality?

June 6, 2014

The concept of Net Neutrality is pretty democratic in nature – everyone’s data flows at the same rate, and said data (content and communications of different sorts) is freely transmitted without discrimination or interference by ISPs(Internet Service Providers). Congress ensured, in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, that ISPs like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon, for example, were prevented from creating essentially an information Autobahn and an information cobblestone path, which would have benefited big business and thrown the rest of us onto the path of much resistance and very very slow communications. Countless small businesses have reached their intended audience without fear of undue filtering, fees or interference as a result.

It has been said that companies like Google and Facebook would never have realized the enormous success they have enjoyed if the Internet had been structured favoring big money. If they had been forced to stay on the low, slow, pay-to-play path from their inception, they’d never have become the household names and key players in modern search, content, and social media that they’ve become.

The Internet is currently considered an information highway, and, as such, has remained outside of normal telecommunication fee structures and rules. This designation was intentional, and when Congress enacted the rules they understood how critical the ISPs’ roles were as gatekeepers, and preventing undue blocking or filtering was the primary goal – keeping things fair and truly ‘open’ from a data transmission standpoint was the driving ideal.

All was well in the land, and then things started to get complicated as they tend to do when big information and big money factor in.

In 2010, the FCC created an order that was intended to prevent broadband Internet service providers from blocking or interfering with traffic on the Web. The Open Internet Order was generally designed to ensure the Internet remained a level playing field for all — Net Neutrality would have been safe.

Then in January 2014, a court ruled that the FCC used a questionable legal framework to craft the Open Internet Order and now lacks the authority to implement and enforce those rules. The court didn’t rule against Net Neutrality, it simply ruled against the FCC’s ability to enforce Net Neutrality. This means the rules ensuring Net Neutrality, ie free use, access, and freedom of speech and privacy, are no longer enforceable by the FCC.

In May, 2014, more proposals, these driven by the FCC’s own Chairman, were laid out, allowing ISPs to charge higher fees to content companies like Google and Netflix for preferential treatment, thereby in effect creating that two tiered Internet that Congress, way back in 1996, wanted to avoid entirely for fear of choking commerce and creating a very unlevel playing field indeed.

The remedy, then would be for the FCC to re-desginate broadband communications as telecommunication services from their current designations as information services. In other words, the FCC needs to revise its prior work and reclassify Internet access services as telecommunications services under the law and treat ISPs as common carriers.

For the sake of brevity I’ve not detailed the step-by-step process that has led to this juncture, so if you’re interested in an more exhaustive study of this current nuttiness, Net Neutraily: What You Need to Know is helpful. There are lots of articles out there outlining the issues facing small business should the FCC not reverse their prior designations about providers, so a Google search of ‘net neutrality’ will turn up a plethora of viewpoints with various passion behind them.

Everyone is passionate about the need to keep the Internet a level playing field, it turns out, and in this case all the emotions and driving concerns feel very well founded. The privilege to conduct business to compete against those with seemingly endless resources and have a real chance of succeeding is a strong motivation if you’re one of the small guys, which the majority of us are.

What Is Double Opt-In Email?

April 16, 2014

If you are serious about building a good email list full of good prospects, then you want a double opt-in email list. But what is a double opt-in list and why is it so important?

A double opt-in email list is one in which your email subscribers are asked to confirm twice that they want to receive email communications from you. The first confirmation is when they submit their request to subscribe to your list, either by filling out a card at your front desk or signing up on your website. The second confirmation is via clicking on a link in an email they receive, confirming their sign-up. Double Opt-In is the gold standard of good clean email marketing lists. All SpaBoom accounts and websites come with email marketing featuring double opt-in, to ensure you build and maintain the most effective email list possible.

By asking your clients to double opt-in, you ensure that the person who signed up for your email marketing actually wants to subscribe. Otherwise, anyone could enter anyone else’s email address. By making them confirm again via an email link, you are ensuring that the quality of your email list is high, and that those receiving your emails actually want to receive your communications and will read them. A subscriber who is engaged from the beginning is one who will remain engaged and continue to read your email marketing communications.

But double opt-in has a few other benefits as well. It ensures that the emails on your list are valid emails and are current. If someone uses an email that is not valid, it will never be confirmed and will never receive any of your marketing. This helps make sure that your email list is only contains valid email addresses of those who want to receive your communications. Double opt-in also reduces spam complaints, and too many of those could lead to a ban of your domain name on more popular ISPs.

Your SpaBoom account makes it so easy to maintain your email list, by handling the second opt-in for you automatically. Once your subscriber has signed up for email, either by using the signup field on your website, or by being manually entered into the system by you, the second confirmation email is automatically generated and sent to them.

What happens if they don’t confirm?

Until they click that link and complete the second opt-in, they remain off your email list and will not receive email communications from you. If you look at their client record, you will see a red note that says, “Waiting for reply from confirmation email.” There is also a link that allows you to resend the confirmation email, in case they missed it the first time around.

Is there any incentive I can offer to get them to complete the confirmation?

Yes! You can create a sign-up promo offer in SpaBoom that automatically sends them a gift certificate for a free gift or percentage off a service once they click the confirmation link in their email. But it is also a good idea to let your clients know that they need to keep an eye out for that confirmation email, and encourage them to click that link to complete their signup and receive their free gift.

A double opt-in system helps to ensure that you build and maintain the cleanest and most effective email list for your business. While it is one extra step for your clients, it will pay off with happier clients who look forward to receiving your email communications and never feel like you are contacting them without their permission.

Need help with your sign-up promo or have additional questions about double opt-in email? Give our team a call. We’re happy to help out and answer any questions you have.

Promotions that Generate Last-Minute Gift Sales

January 30, 2014

It may come as no surprise to learn that the majority of your gift sales around holidays happen within 24 hours of the event. This fact means you need to get in front of your gift buyers and stay there as they’re making their purchases. Fun fact – this behavior is why SpaBoom came into being, actually. Turns out one of our own procrastinated a bit before buying a special gift for a loved one. Faced with an inability to purchase, online, a very special gift of spa, he knew there was a real business opportunity to be had. He knew that he couldn’t be the only one who’d ever been caught up in life and then found himself faced with a big event requiring a special gift, and he was right.

Yes, some people plan. We know them, and appreciate their foresightedness when it comes to sharing. Those people will need to hear from you and see you well before a gift giving event. Weeks before. They’re the ones you create packages for and promote all over your website and on social media and with in house promotional imagery like POP.

Most people, however, wait until the last minute and then find themselves in a panic. For your procrasinators, you need to promote as well, but waiting a little longer to get that BOGO offering up a $20 gift certificate with a $100 purchase will catch their eye and generate significant last-minutes sales.

Promoting these great offers is pretty straightforward. Last-minute promos mean you need to use venues we like for transactional reach – emails, social media, and in house imagery (POP). Try sending an email a week before, then one just 48 or 24 hours before Valentine’s Day and see what happens. And know that social media is your friend when it comes to last-minute promotions. The visual piece – the POP – will help you not only capture the interest of clients already visiting, they’ll help you trigger and reinforce the promotional messages you’ve already sent.

As Valentine’s Day barrels down, be sure to come up with one or two fun promos that will help your gift buyers make the right purchase, then enjoy capturing the sales opportunity. It’s about meeting your gift buyers, where, and when, they’re making their decisions.

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!