Spa Clientéle Marketing Tips

Do you really need to advertise to bring in new business?

You may have seen this issue on the blog before but I think question "Do you really need to advertise to bring in new business?" really deserves a second look.

It would be easier if it was a simple "yes" or "no," but as in life, things are not always so black and white.  However, I will say that there are many examples of successful spas, solo estheticians, salons and massage therapists out there that have never run a print ad and are happily booked up. 

What's their secret?  Well for one, success isn't a secret...but it there is no one magic answer either.   But success does require some planning -- we've all heard this before.  A business plan.  A personnel plan.  A marketing plan. And so on.

Very often the marketing plan does not get finished ... or even started ... prior to opening the doors on that first day.  This is not uncommon, but it could also be a costly mistake.  Without a marketing plan, spending and activities are reactive and are not as effective as when operating from a well thought out plan.

I know it can be overwhelming to know where to start...and sometimes this prevents us from starting at all.  But trust me when I say that having a month-by-month marketing plan will save you money and bring in more clients than not having one. 

To get past that stage of not knowing where to start, my friend and partner in this site, Heather Gallegos, created a four-hour course on creating your annual marketing plan called Smart Spa Marketing.  Spread over three to four weeks, this self-paced course will take you step-by-step in the creating a marketing plan for the next twelve months.  And then you can simply make small updates for the next year, and the next.

As most of you know, I recently purchased Heather's business along with the course. As I am going along in blending her business and products with mine, I'd really love to get some feedback on how I can make Smart Spa Marketing even better. That's where I need your help...

I've decided to offer the Smart Spa Marketing course for just $79, but only to the next 15 people that respond to this special offer. That's almost 40% off the regular price of $129. So what's the catch for giving such a huge discount? Not a thing. All I ask is that upon completion of the course you complete a quick evaluation of the course, tell me what you like least and most about it, and provide suggestions on what would make this class more valuable to you and others. The discount is simply my thank you for your time and help.

What's more, by implementing even just one of the helpful tools in the course, I am positive you will make back your entire purchase price and much more. If you don't I'll refund your entire purchase price.

To learn more about Smart Spa Marketing, just click here. When you are ready to make your purchase, type in the coupon code SMARTSPA to get your discount. 

Don't put off making this incredibly affordable investment in yourself and your spa or practice. This is a one time offer and one that will not be repeated.  Get started with Smart Spa Marketing today and make 2010 the best year ever for your business!

Thanks in advance for your help, support, and feedback . Stay SMART!

Felicia

Related Articles:

Five reasons why you need a marketing plan for your salon or spa

Slot machine marketing

Must-do marketing for solos

Make the most of your clientele

 
Lots of spa owners and service professionals talk about the need for getting new clients into their business. They feel that they just aren't seeing enough new faces in their doors or bodies on their tables. Perhaps the advertising and marketing vehicles they are using to attract new business aren't very effective. Or maybe the business' current clients aren't sending enough referrals their way. But while both of these situations are quite likely and deserve some exploration, I think it is really vital to look at ways to engage and encourage more business from your current clientele.

My definition of "current" clientele is essentially anyone you have done business with ever. With any luck you have a client list, computer database, or even a three-ring notebook filled with contact data for everyone who has visited or spent money in your business. In the best case scenario you would have their name, birth date, mailing address, phone number, email address, and dates of all purchases ad visits. (Note: There are numerous Point of Sale of software systems out there that make tracking this information very easy AND even easier to pull back out as needed with the touch of a button.) But what can you do to reach out to these folks and increase their visits, purchases or sales?

Here are a few ideas:

    Ask every client to rebook every time they come in. This may seem like a no brainer, but just the simple act of asking every single client to come back and schedule their next appointment while they are there can make a huge difference in your overall retention rate and revenues. If you are treating someone for a specific condition such as a strained muscle, you can increase the likelihood of the client making another appointment even more by suggesting a treatment plan for their injury.

    Offer every client an upgrade on the amount of time or service they usually schedule. If you want to increase your revenue without adding more clients, why not offer a longer session for a special price. "John , I know you usually book an hour massage but I wanted to let you know this month I am offering a 90 minute session for just $20 more than a sixty minute session. Would you be interested in booking that his time?" Try it...you'll be surprised how often it works.

 

   Recommend helpful products to your clients. If you sell any products that will be of help to your clients in solving the problems they see you for or meeting other needs they have expressed, don't be afraid to tell your clients about them. One of the most popular products I sell in my practice is a neck wrap. I personally keep one in the freezer at my house to use on my achy shoulders and tell new clients about it after their first session. I explain how I use it, and then put it on to show them how easy it is to use. I sell one to about 50% of my new clients after that first visit or down the road after a few sessions.

Ask clients for their referrals. Even though you are asking for new clients by asking for referrals, your current clients are better than billboards or any other type of advertising for getting new people in the door. Your honest request for help to build your business - along with some type of small bonus or incentive like a small discount or service upgrade - will give people who like your work an incentive to help you grow your business. Be sure to acknowledge each referral and to thank people in whatever way you promised each and every time you get a new client from someone.

  Remind your clients that you sell gift certificates both in your business and online. Let them know that purchasing a gift certificate from you is a great way to give a hassle free gift for any occasion or to get someone they've referred with no success to finally come in. If you have an email list of clients, make sure they know about your online purchase option in every single email or newsletter. No need to hit them over the head with it...just add a tag line to your email signature that says "Visit our website for instant massage therapy gift certificates" with a line to your website just below it. Then be sure your website has a "Buy Gift Certificate Now" button or link on every page. (Click here to learn about my favorite resource for online gift certificates, TheGiftCardCafe.com.)

The bottom line is to make use of the resources and contacts you already have to increase your revenue and business. With a little work and dedication toward increasing your sales to current clients, you may soon decide you have all the business you can handle!

June 28: Grab a Facebook URL for your spa or massage business

Within 15 minutes on June 12, 500,000 Facebook users created user names which now allow them to have an easy to remember web address. An example is the Facebook Fan Page for Day Spa magazine: www.facebook.com/dayspa.  This options was (and still is) a first-come-first-serve registration for a web page address that could lead to your personal or business web page.   If you have a Fan Page already set up on Facebook for your spa business, you are already ahead of the game.  However, if you have less than 1000 fans, you may have been frustrated by the rules that prevented you from claiming a vanity URL for your Fan Page.

Well here's some good news! June 28 you can get one no matter how many fans. Mark your calendars.

Not sure what I'm talking about?  That's okay, here's the what you need to know:

Facebook Fan Pages--sometimes referred to as Product Pages, Company Pages or Business Pages--are the only way to promote your business on that site. Creating and promoting Fan Pages can put you miles ahead of your competitors who don't know about these powerful tools.

Because Facebook doesn't limit the number of Fans you can attract, but limits you to 5,000 Friends, you'd be crazy not to create a Fan Page for your business.  

It is also important to note that Google indexes these pages, so they can show up in the organic search results on the left side of the screen when somebody searches Google for keywords like "day spa" and your local city or zip code. So be sure to include relevant keywords when you create the name of your Fan Page.  This may mean the title of your Fan Page is a bit longer than you might think is natural, but having a long title helps folks see your page and is not going to prevent anyone from scheduling an appointment.  If your business name is Chrysalis Salon and Spa in Oswego, IL your fan page user name could be "chrysalis" or "chrysalissalonandspa" and the name you enter when you first create the page could be "Chysalis Salon and Day Spa serving Oswego and Montgomery."

Some quick links for you to get started now:

• Create a username for your personal page (which may be your business on Facebook right now): www.facebook.com/username. 
• Create a Fan Page
• FAQ about Facebook Fan Pages

So get a head start today on creating your fan page so you will be ready on June 28th to grap your own Facebook URL!

And by the way...facebook.com/spa and facebook.com/massage are suprisingly not reserved yet!

How planning an exit strategy can make your business more successful today

Just like a pre-nuptial agreement, a well defined exit strategy for any business is both uncomfortable to plan and appreciated only after-the-fact.   But unlike a pre-nup, having a plan for what will happen to your business when you are no longer the one running it can make a huge difference how you run it in the meantime. 

Many business owners and entrepreneurs are so focused on the here and now that they postpone thinking about how the business (a.k.a. their baby) may end.  Yet, just like most things in life, when you have a goal or end-point in mind, it makes getting there easier.  While selling your business may be the assumed nirvana, the reality is that most spas and salons are simply closed without a buyer.  In today's economy, that is is easily understandable.  However, two or even five years ago, it was still challenging to find a buyer for spas.  Those skincare, massage or spa businesses that do find buyers have a few things in common:

• Profitability.  This really is the number one thing buyers consider and the sale price is based upon.  A very simple, very generic asking price of most businesses for sale (regardless of industry) is annual profits times two.  If the business is not profitable, it will be challenging to set a high sales price that buyers will be interested in.
• Standard operating procedures.  Do all your employees have an employee manual that lists procedures for every aspect of the business?  From morning open and evening close, to how the phone should be answered, to signature technique and touches in the treatment room, everything about your business should be documented.  Michael Gerber's book, E-Myth Revisited:Why Small Businesses Fail, does a fabulous job at explaining why and how to start documenting roles, job descriptions and operating procedures.
• Loyal and long time clients.  While this may seem to be an obvious need when selling a business, proof of loyalty is important.  What percentage of your clients return on a regular schedule (monthly or every six weeks)?  How many new referrals have you received from clients?  How often do you reach out to promote new services, employees, or special offers?  Well kept client records can provide insights on the performance of the business that nothing else can.  Don't wait to calculate how frequently clients on average visit for skincare until you are ready to retire.  Find out now and then brainstorm a way to reduce the average from 7.8 weeks to 4 now so you can reap the rewards.

Even if the thought of closing up shop, retiring or selling is very far off, adopt the mindset of running the business as if you were preparing to sell it tomorrow.  This shift will uncover ways to be more efficient, expose opportunities to be more consistent in handling clients and help focus the direction of the business.  Perhaps it will lead to other strategies like opening more locations or reducing the number of services you offer.  

Having a plan for transitioning your business into one you are no longer running, will shine new light on ways to be more successful today.