Creating Customers

In this age of nearly out of control spam (you have noticed how large your junk mail folder is in Yahoo or Hotmail, right?), taking steps to make sure that your own marketing practices are friendly and sustainable is a necessary part of online life.

The best way to stay in touch with your customers and prospects is to send them targeted messages letting them know what you're up to and what new benefits you can offer to them. However, sending those messages to recipients who really want to get them is the key to your success.

How do you make sure that your email list is full of great customers and leads? Simple — you ask them.

Here at SpaBoom we've made it easy for you to import your client list into your account so that email marketing is a snap. To keep your life simple, we did not — until recently — send confirmation emails to those imported contacts, but in reality they might not have known they would receive marketing emails from you. Spending your time on the smaller group of contacts who are truly interested will grow your spa's business wisely, creating your best customers both now and in the future.

Being great 'Net citizens means doing occasional spring cleaning on mailing lists, and that's what we are doing on Wednesday. We will send an opt-in email on your behalf to your imported clients, giving them a chance to voluntarily be included on all the best you have to offer.

Just to be clear, SpaBoom's free email newsletter feature is:

• A service to help you send announcement of promotions, events and special occasions to your client list.
• Not used for SpaBoom to market to your clients. SpaBoom never markets to your clients.
• Available to each client that SpaBoom can verify has "opted-in" to receive your mailings.
• Secure, in that SpaBoom always protects your customer data, even when a particular customer hasn't opted-in to receive your email newsletters.

Have a great rest of the week, and here's to finding — and keeping — valued clients!

Posted in Creating Customers, SpaBoom New Features, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management • 26 Comments »

Tip #4

Use Email marketing: What would you spend to create an additional $278,000 in sales volume? Would you spend nothing? Many of you did (in part).

The SpaBoom email marketing program is free to SpaBoom clients and we can directly attribute over a quarter million dollars in (2007) sales to our email marketing campaigns, which are 100% free. While most of you benefited in some way, the lion's share of that volume went to 10% of SpaBoom clients. Let me briefly explain how and why:

First of all, unless you turn the email marketing feature off, every time one of your clients buys an Instant Gift Certificate (IGC), they get a chance to opt-in to your email marketing list. If they buy the IGC from Spa Emergency, they can opt in to the national list as well. Thus, we are patiently collecting email address on your behalf. While that may be helpful, we take it a few steps further for you. We also draft outbound email marketing messages (as well as newsletters) on your behalf that are periodically sent to your list, from you. (It is important to note that this feature can be turned off at any time.) Consequently, if you do nothing, we are automatically collecting email addresses and sending your clients timely messages from you reminding them about the wonders of last minute spa gift certificates from your website as a holiday (Valentine's Day or the like) approaches.

So why do the top tier get so much of the benefit? Let's start with the list we are sending to. If you sell 120 online gifts a year to 80 people (I am assuming some repeat business) and 90% of them opt in, that leaves you with 71 folks on your email list at the end of the first year. I'll bet most of you have a bigger email list than that, and if you don't, you should! The easiest, simplest thing you can do to make email marketing more effective is to to grow your list. We have a (free) tool to import your existing email list into the SpaBoom application. If you have 300 email addresses, we can import them and make any campaign you create much more effective simply by delivering it to more people.

The next step the super-SpaBoomers often take is to customize their campaigns. All they (or you) have to do is log into SpaBoom and modify or create any email message or newsletter you like. While our emails are professionally written, your customers will generally respond even better to a message more from you, about your specific services or offers. For a great primer on how to set up an email campaign in SpaBoom, see Andrea Feucht's post on Email Guidelines (or call her at 800.940.0458). There are tons of other email tips out there and I encourage you to read and experiment, but here are some basics:

 

• Let them Opt-In. Everyone on your list has (hopefully) opted in to messages from you.
• Don't email too often or over sell. Once a month is probably the right number of outbounds.
• Be consistent. Try to send on the same day an time each month (like the second Tuesday at 2:00).
• Give them a reason to open the email, generally in the subject line. Never ever use exclamation points or all capital letters. That makes you look like a mortgage merchant. You win if they open your message, even if there are no direct sales. They will remember you when they have a last minute gift need.
• Put the good stuff "above the fold" in the top half or quarter of the content.
• Newsletters are for for news. Emails are for events and specials. Try to keep them distinct.

One last thought. We provide some reports that show what email marketing campaigns produce on your behalf (click the "Reports" tab then scroll down to "Email marketing" on the bottom right of the page). This report generally provides good data, but a bug in our system prevented it from showing any sales or results for late December through Valentine's Day. It's fixed now and should be accurate going forward.

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • 1 Comment »

First impressions are important, certainly - I would never argue against trying to put forward a good face to your clients who are 'seeing' you for the first time.

However, it is the LAST impression that can count more than you might imagine - more than the whole experience, the friendly introductions, the pleasant services. You could say it is even trickier to get right than the first impression, because your new customers are ready to have a good experience when they first meet you. After their appointment, they are feeling more in touch with what your business is about, and their expectations are higher for continuing great service.

When your client walks up to the cashier to pay and there is awkwardness about the tip, or the front desk is cluttered with business cards for totally unrelated establishments, or even something as simple as the receptionist jumping right back into their spreadsheet (or Solitaire!) the moment the transaction is completed - before the client turns around to walk out the door - they will be left with a less-than-ideal Last Impression.

Read Seth Godin's comments on this situation and the importance of keeping the final minutes as pleasant as the first: The Last Interaction.

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Business Management • Comment »

I already get the sense that everyone around me is in the same state of shock: the holidays are HERE and I didn't see them coming. It seems like "last week" was September, and the week before that?  April!  Sheesh.

While the postal service may be swamped with orders for last-minute package deliveries, YOU are in the perfect position with your SpaBoom Instant Gift Certificates. You can sell to your customers around the clock right up until the last possible minute they need their gift.

Use your website to loudly proclaim this fantastic ability. Put a display on your front counter letting everyone know about your website and your services available there. Tape a sign on your front door for the unlucky shopper who shows up when you're not open, reminding them that all is not lost if they need a gift for anyone.

In your marketing, target situations that illustrate examples of predicaments that your Instant Gift Certificates can help alleviate. Here are a few to get the ball rolling — use them or come up with your own unique calls to action:

"Aunt Betty showed up to the holiday dinner unexpectedly with a really great bottle of wine? It's no problem when you know you can visit us online and get her a great little thank you in 5 minutes."

"Arrive at a friend's dinner party with nothing to offer the host? Grab a few minutes on their computer to order an Instant Gift Certificate and have it emailed to them on the spot!"

"Disappointed at early closing hours for other holiday stores? On our website, you can always get Instant Gift Certificates for your wish list friends - no mailing or trips to the store required!"

Get creative and see a noticeable spike in your last-minute shoppers — good luck, and the best of the season to you!

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Marketing, Spa Gift Certificates • Comment »

Seth Godin writes in his business blog about a common practice — that of talking down to the very people who bring in their money and interest and passion for your services. Putting unreasonable limitations on them only hinders the relationship, such as the sign in the image below which was spotted in an otherwise upscale retail store.

I might need to pick up yoga again or meditation as a de-stressor, because when I run into this kind of disrespect for clients, I start to feel like a cartoon character — all knotted up and desperately needing some relaxation.

Seth writes, "No exceptions? Really?" When you tell someone that a rule or suggested action truly has no exceptions, you are essentially saying that you are unwilling to spend any time having a conversation about how their experience in your location can be made easier on them. The message his article leaves is to take care of your customers and they will reward you with loyalty and respect.

Enjoy the rest of your week and this unseasonably warm weather!

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Business Management • 1 Comment »

Email marketing can be powerful stuff for your spa. It's no cost marketing for SpaBoomers to the very people most important to you: your clients and prospective clients that have asked for you to talk to them.

That power comes from email marketing being permission based. To begin, you should confirm that everyone that is on your client list is appropriately marked as a "yea" or a "nay" on the "Send Email Marketing?" checkbox. Make sure your list is updated, and you'll know that those who receive your marketing emails are only the people who are already receptive to communications from your business.

Second, even if you have sent out your own Email Marketing campaigns before, you'll need to go into the Settings and adjust all of the colors to make them your own.

Some default marketing colors are shown on the screen (which could differ from those below):

but they are just there to demonstrate a basic color palette. Until you adjust each of the five colors and save them, you will get the system's default colors and they might not be what you are expecting, which brings us to the final, crucial tip:

Use the "Send Test Email" link early and often as you craft the message. You might find that the colors need more tweaking, or the text could be refined.

Once everything looks great, you'll be ready to send off to your list of clients with confidence!

[As to what happens after you send the email, see our other post about email delivery.]

Posted in Creating Customers, Tutorials, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Do you really think through what you send to your clients in newsletters? Do you have a strategy for appealing to them and to providing real content, not just an offer?

If you don't, you should. It turns out the virtual highway is clogged with what amounts to spam, even if it isn't technically the irritating stuff. In a recent article G. Simms Jenkins discusses how the definition of spam is changing. Jordan Cohen, a Yahoo! representative said, "Operationally, we define spam as whatever consumers don't want in their inbox."

Face it, people are besieged with email every day, and unless yours is helpful, there's a chance your clients may become irritated by your e-communication.

Seriously, it no longer matters whether they've requested your emails–if you're not building a relationship with them instead of just selling to them, they may very well add you to their spam list.

So what should you do?

Make your "offer" secondary, and content primary. You should always offer something of value in your newsletters. Share a skin, hair or body care tip that your readers can take away. GIVE them something they care about so that you create, with each newsletter, an expectation of value. Make them want to open your emails. If they trust you enough to read your tips, they will go looking for ways to do business with you-online and off.

Look at emails with your client base as opportunities to strengthen your relationship, not as simply another way to bombard them with offer after offer, and hope that some of them take the bait. Fishing with dynamite might net you some fish, but you're also offing a fair number in the process, and what's the long-term point of that? It's better to finesse your communications and build trust than to just light the big fuse and hope for the best.

Does this mean you can't include an offer in your emails? Heck no! Just be subtle about it. Always include a mention of your Instant Gift Certificates, and link to your Events page as well.

You can still remind your clients of what you offer, so long as you respect their need to feel special. If you take the time to provide a helpful article with each newsletter, you're acknowledging that you and your staff are professionals with much to offer in terms of helpful advice, and that your clients are valuable and deserve that advice in their everyday lives.

By the way, your subject line is the first place to build trust with your readers. Never ever use an "!", OR ALL CAPS and be sure your words tie directly to the story (rather than the offer) you're sharing in the body of the email. You'll be delivering with your content the 'promise' you made in subject line, which will only add to your credibility in your clients' eyes!

So go build a relationship already!

Posted in Creating Customers, General • Comment »

Anyone who's ever played the Road Warrior role knows that it's a mixed blessing. On one hand being out there representing your business and making things happen is incredibly exhilarating, on the other it's about schlepping through airports, stripping down for security, cabbing through traffic, presenting well-prepared material to your business audience with an eye to dazzling same, entertaining clients until the wee hours, and generally tapping into all personal resources, all the time.

Face it, you can't be a wimp and survive long as a Road Warrior. In fact overcoming and adapting as soon as possible will ensure survival in the marathon that is life on the business road. Nurturing the child within (and the sore traveler muscles on the outside!) with some pampering, massage, skin care or other fabulous rejuvenation offers up an essential boost in the face of crazy schedules.

The May/June edition of Pulse, ISPA's publication, noted this:

This trend means spas need to cultivate that business audience! Form relationships with local business class hotels, and let them know you offer not just fabulous services, but offer Instant Gift Certificates online, which makes obtaining a service super convenient.

Create premium Instant Gift Certificate packages that include services bundled specifically with the Road Warrior in mind. Consider including a nice takeaway product in the packages, maybe private labeled lovely lotions or bath items that will reinforce the great treatments those travelers enjoy in your spa.

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Marketing, Spa Gift Certificates • Comment »

Do you remember your very first visit to a spa? Did the experience lift you out of your usual worldly existence and, just for a little while, take you to a soothing and invigorating destination? Since you've obviously decided to take up shop in the spa business, I realize I'm preaching to the choir, but those memories are still important.

My own first spa visit was enjoyable and fun - it was to Betty's Bath (one of SpaBoom's original clients), when SpaBoom was a twinkle in a programmer's eye. The building was tranquil, the colors inside deep and inviting, and the camaraderie between guests and staff infectious.

Selling Instant Gift Certificates to your existing customers is a great first step in the growth of your spa. Along the way, do not forget about the third party - the GC recipient. They might be completely new to the spa experience, and you've got a fabulous opportunity to show them why they should change their thinking from "a spa is a nice but rare treat" to "spas are a necessary indulgence I deserve in my life".

When a new guest comes in the door brandishing an Instant Gift Certificate, pounce on the chance to "wow" them at every turn. For at most a 5% fee on their services, you've got a person that already trusts the recommendation of the gift-giver, your client. If their spa experience is fabulous, they will soon trust your staff as well.

• Have an enthusiatic staff member show them around the building and available facilities, including the ones your new guest might not be using on their first visit. Once they see how relaxing the areas are, they might be inclined to add services on top of their existing appointment.
• Guide them through what their experience will be like, and then live up to those expectations.
• On their way out, a follow-up gift to remind them of your spa while at home is a nice touch: a small bottle of lotion if they had a massage, or a mini loofah if they tried a body scrub. All the better if your spa's logo is on the packaging.
• Finally, a small reward for a new booking on the spot is entirely appropriate - a better rate on a package deal, their choice of product thrown in to any service - use your imagination and tailor your incentive towards their experience that day.

Acquiring new customers is a huge topic, so consider this just a starter post to get you thinking about always building your client relationships.

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates • Comment »