Holiday Promotion Brief

The holidays are ripe with new purchasing activity, but your time is running out. Thankfully, we just had a webinar about your strategy to take you through the holidays and use promotions to get YOUR brand front and center with the clients that will appreciate your services.

We discussed 3 easy promotions to increase your last minute holiday sales for the next seven weeks without spending more than 15 minutes to put them in action. Download our presentation, or watch the video and get yourself excited!

Watch the Video: Hot and Fast GCs for the Next 7 Weeks

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

Did you know there is less than a month until holiday shopping begins in earnest? Last month we gave you strategies on how to perfect your holiday marketing campaign. First, watch our webinar from last month and get caught up, then check in on our latest webinar – how to put it all together.

Yesterday, Janell and Dena took the tips to the next level – how to maximize and follow through on your online holiday marketing campaigns. We used the word "execute" for a reason – you will be the killer present under the tree for your clients this holiday season – just make sure they know it and keep coming back to everything that you offer.

If you could not be with us, just view and download our webinar files on your own schedule — but do it soon!

Watch the Video: Execute Your 2011 Holiday Campaigns

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Creating Customers, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

It's the end of September. NOW is the time to perfect your holiday marketing campaign. It might seem soon, but trust us, your clients shop earlier every single year and having your strategy in place as soon as possible will get YOU in front of their shopping list before many of your local competition. Our webinar this week is exactly what you need.

Janell and Dena were rockin' and rollin' on Wednesday, taking a holiday-hungry audience through tips to leverage your online holiday marketing campaigns, resulting in growth potential for the coming year and increased revenue for your salon/spa this holiday season.

If you could not join in for the engaging presentation, just view and download our webinar files on your own schedule — but do it soon!

Watch the Video: Ignite Your Holiday Revenue for 2011

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Creating Customers, Holiday Promotion Brief, Social Media, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Search Engine Optimization (SEO), SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

Walmart announced today that it is offering free shipping, with no minimum purchase, at least through December 20th.

By promoting this aggressive offer to shoppers, the retail giant is hoping to take sales away from other online shopping sites during the busiest six weeks of the year.

In an article today, the New York Times notes that such a strong offer may "make it harder for smaller e-commerce sites to survive." This may be true for many, but not for your spa website.

A SpaBoom account allows your spa to offer free shipping and instant delivery of Gift Certificates 24/7, including Christmas Day. Take advantage by leveraging your spa's instant gift delivery proposition, it is just as powerful as a behemoth like Walmart.

Go get em!

Posted in General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Gift Certificates • Comment »

Thanks to all who attended our second pre-holiday webinar on Wednesday the 3rd by Seth Gardenswartz and Janell Loving. The holidays are pretty much already here, and Doubling Your December is critically important to get 2011 started off right.

Relive the presentation by Janell as she outlines the Top 5 tips to leverage online holiday sales growth and maneuver your way to a successful, revenue-filled holiday season.

Double Your December in 2010: Watch the Video

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Social Media, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • 1 Comment »

Thanks to all who attended our first 2010 pre-holiday webinar this Wednesday by Seth Gardenswartz and Janell Loving. (Pre-holiday already?! Wow!)

Right now is when you need to perfect your holiday marketing plan to ensure success. Relive the presentation by Janell as she outlines the Top 10 list of must do's to create a revenue-filled holiday season.

Are You Where You Need to Be?: Watch the Video

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

On September 1st, Seth presented a great overview with the Pillsbury Law Firm of the new Gift Card Law affecting nearly all businesses — this is a must-view!

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Further reading…

• The New Gift Card Law — How it Affects Your Spa
• Selling Gift Cards Under the New Law
• Spas and the New CARD Act
• Pillsbury Law on the new requirements

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • 2 Comments »

How the New Gift Law Affects Your Spa

The new Credit CARD Act took effect on August 22nd, 2010, changing the rules (radically, in some states) for gift card and certificate sales in the United States. Despite what you may have heard, it has a profound effect on small businesses who sell gift cards or gift certificates. We'll show you how to navigate the new law and what you can do to protect your business.

Join Seth Gardenswartz at SpaBoom and Amy L. Pierce at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP as they demystify the new rules.

Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

This webinar is Free. Space is limited.

Title: How the New Gift Law Affects Your Spa
Date: Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EDT

What is Your Marketing Campaign Doing for You?

Marketing campaigns are all over the place these days. Everyone is searching for the magic message to create business in this economy. Do you have a plan to effectively market your spa/salon for the upcoming holiday season?

Join Janell on September 8th as she explores ways to maximize the relationships you have built with your existing clients and reach new potential clients by developing your most successful online marketing campaign for the holiday season now.

Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

This webinar is Free. Space is limited.

Title: What is Your Marketing Campaign Doing for You?
Date: Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EDT

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • 2 Comments »

UPDATE: For you Social Media enthusiasts, we FINALLY have our Social Media Revealed Webinar available for viewing!

Thank you so much for attending our webinar yesterday. If you would like to revisit anything we covered, feel free to view the video below or download the  presentation.

If you did NOT attend, you will find great information about preparing online for this holiday season and how it can help you win the revenue game. You'll see actionable tools to maximize holiday sales, and prepare for the holiday rush so you can be in the best position to help your business.

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Don't miss this opportunity to take advantage of SpaBoom's Online Marketing Suite at special pricing. Use or mention the referral code "yglab." The offers expire 8/27/10 so call or email us today!

Presenters are Seth Gardenswartz, VP Business Development, SpaBoom and Brigette Lemos-Norman, Social Media Manager and Program Developer, YG Laboratories.

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

To help you prepare your spa for the holidays I found inspiration in the Twelve Days of Christmas, creating a handy list for you to re-connect with your clients and make this a great holiday for everyone.

I hope you had fun with the first set of 6. Here are the final 6 – use them, enjoy, and have a great "spa-liday" season!

The Twelve Days of Spa Tips

On the seventh day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Seven Products Selling – Products are a great way to enhance your clients' spa experience and further your own brand, especially with private-label goods

On the eighth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Eight GCs Printing – Don't forget that your SpaBoom account can print out GCs for clients – whether you sold them through SpaBoom or not! Track your retail GCs to keep all of your records in one place

On the ninth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Nine Clients Dancing – Dancing for joy about your promotions? Maybe, but you could also host an open-house in the week after Christmas to remind them of all your de-stressing potential as they wind down from a busy few weeks.

On the tenth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Ten Percent Off! – Use our Percentage Discount feature to offer a sale price on all of your gift certificates across the board, to encourage last-minute gift giving.

On the eleventh day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Eleven Brochures Stuffing – Slip those Instant POP printouts from Day One into retail bags to remind your clients they can purchase gifts from your website 24/7.

On the twelfth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Twelve Smiling Greetings – After all, this is about your relationship with your clients. A smile and warm greeting from your staff sets them up for a wonderful spa visit and gives everyone the same warm fuzzies I feel when I see decorations and piping cups of hot cocoa.  (In fact, why not offer hot cocoa while they wait?)

If you have holiday tips or practices that you'd like to share, please submit a comment – we'd love to hear what works for you and your clients.

Have a great week!

Posted in Creating Customers, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Marketing • Comment »

To help you prepare your spa for the holidays I found inspiration in the Twelve Days of Christmas, re-envisioned for spa marketing.  Cheesy?  Perhaps.  Catchy?  Definitely!

In each, we link back to other blog posts or directly to help files to get you started.  Here are the first SIX – consider them your homework for the weekend – the second half will be on Tuesday.

The Twelve Days of Spa Tips

On the first day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• An Instant POP designed just for me – choose a holiday-themed flyer in your account, print it, and display at your front desk

On the second day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Two Events Online – make sure you have featured services or just promote in-house events, and show them on your website!

On the third day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Three BOGOs – Make Buy One, Get One offers to give back to your clients when they purchase gifts

On the fourth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Four Brand-New Clients – Collect contact information from clients at your front desk – offer them a promotion for signing up, and keep them informed on all your goings-on!

On the fifth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Five Golden Clicks – Your website can be a goldmine – make sure your clients know they can visit anytime, even in bad weather or when you're closed!

On the sixth day of Spa Tips, SpaBoom gave to me:

• Six Reports Displaying – Use SpaBoom reports to see how you're doing – from upcoming birthdays to your full client list and their details

Tune in next week for the next 6 — and have a wonderful weekend!

Posted in Creating Customers, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing • Comment »

The days are counting down to the annual spike in gift-giving.  Make sure your customers know that you offer fantastic options for everyone on their list by promoting your services and running specials timed for their buying convenience.

You already know how online GCs solve many frustrating holiday situations — no shipping or driving around required, buy at the last minute, personal designs and messages, special packages chosen just for the recipient, et cetera.  Now — loud and proud! — let your clients know those same conveniences.

SpaBoom has several great ways to show your clients some love, and even more ideas on how to "promote your promotions".

Start by targeting your buyers — create services and new service packages just for the type of client that you'd like to bring back, or reward for repeat visits.  Don't see as many men in for appointments as you'd like?  Make some packages just for them, using your creativity for anything from a post-holiday detox treatment to a couple's bliss package themed around the Superbowl (which of course occurs just as all the holiday bills are arriving, and everyone needs stress relief then!).

Use these tools to create your chosen holiday features:

• BOGO (buy one get one) — Gift Certificates that give back — you set the threshhold and the amount of the bonus GC.
• Percentage Discount — extend a discount to all dollar-based GCs
• Featured Services — tried and true, select particular services to highlight and optionally discount

Now that you've chosen your promotions and set up the Events and created service packages as needed, you've got to promote, promote, promote.  Here's how:

In-house Events — how about a holiday party to show off your facility, your products, and your upcoming specials?  Everyone loves a party, especially when they don't have to clean their house!  Throw a little "spa happy hour" with all of your staff and therapists so your clients can come in and talk to everyone.  Serve treats, offer product or service samplers, even showcase the local artist's work hanging on your walls.  When the party's over — blog about it on your dynamic website!  Post photos at the front desk, anything to show off the great time and encourage those who couldn't make it to come next time.  If your clients feel a connection to you as a local business they'll choose you over other retailers.

• Point of Purchase signs — colorful miniature posters to highlight holiday gift designs and show off your sales.  Post these at your front desk, stack them in your waiting area, even hang on your door for anyone who might drop by after hours!
• Email Campaign(s) — talk to your eager clients using the most cost-effective marketing device — email.  Use your hard-won client list and tell them all about how you are saving them time and money this year.
• Engage Your Staff — make sure all of your employees know about the specials, from details to dates.  Get them excited and have them mention those specials to clients, even something as innocuous as, "We have some GREAT holiday specials coming up, just ask me if you'd like to know anything about them."

As the holidays come rushing in, with just a little homework you'll be set to ace the retail season and be ready for big growth and even happier clients in 2010!

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • 2 Comments »

That's right, we are once again producing new Instant Gift Certificate designs for you and your wonderful clients to enjoy as the year all-too-quickly winds down.

One of our excellent blog commenters, Christine of Great Lakes Relaxation Center, has agreed to demonstrate how you can find and show off the new designs in your account.  I'm using her account to create the screenshots below, so you'll know what it will look like for you — nothing complicated or staged about it.

First, we wanted to make sure that your current "Most Popular" designs are not abruptly yanked from your website, so we have not forced into your list the new designs — you'll need to go get them.   You can do one of two things to begin showcasing those new designs — apply our default "most popular" in one fell swoop, or choose your own favorites for display.  I'll describe both options below.

1) The first option is quick and easy.   Go into your Setup Tab, then click on GC Designs on the left side of the screen. You'll see your already selected list of thumbnails:

 
On the left, look for the "Restore Defaults" link, and click on that.  

Click OK on the next screen, and you'll be all set.  You will now have six (6) new and snazzy Most Popular designs, which gives your IGC page enough room for the seasonal designs that we feature before major holidays (4 at a time).

2) Here's how to do the second option — pick your own designs:

Go into your Setup Tab, then click on GC Designs on the left side of the screen.  You'll see your already selected list of thumbnails.

To download the brand new designs, click on the link on the left of the screen called "Update Designs". They will come in as "Hidden" by default.  To show all of our new designs, click on "show hidden designs" and they will appear in your list:

Let's say you'd like to start by removing one of your current Most Popular designs — Celebrate Life.  All you need to do is click on the handy (and new!) "Remove from popular" button.

Next, we'll be making the new design "Lavender" visible and Most Popular.  Click on the "Show" button below the name Lavender to un-hide the design, then click on "Make popular" and you've just given super-cool in-crowd status to the lovely Lavender design.

Perfect!  Christine at our demo spa decided to go ahead and do the same thing for two more designs, hiding old ones and revealing two new designs, "Waves" from All Occasions and "Sincere" in the brand new Sorry category. Her GC page just was transformed from this:

To this:

When we decide to go all the way with her page to leave some room for seasonal designs and use the "Restore Defaults" link, her Instant Gift Certificate page will now end up like this, all nice and clean:

This was a long tutorial, but it should make all of the steps clear and give you a boost of confidence in customizing your offering to your clients — now go out there and have fun!

Posted in Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Gift Certificates, SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials • 3 Comments »

Holiday Promotion Brief:

• Background (situation Analysis).
• Target Audience.
• Measurable sales goal.
• Strategy.
• Tactics.
• Budget.

If you are like other small businesses out there your holiday budget may be getting squeezed. Savvy spas can benefit from their ability to adapt advertising plans to make the most of every dollar this holiday.

Take full advantage of the free SpaBoom email and newsletter marketing services, and be sure to check out our blog, to gather advertising ideas to make this holiday successful for your spa. Additionally, SpaBoom offers free POP downloads to highlight in-store holiday promotions. These all represent zero-cost resources already at your disposal!

Spa clients will be looking for ways to save this holiday. Stand out by developing an email offer for your best customers. It could be a spa treatment promotion that includes product or it could be associated with a holiday event. It is also easy to email clients and provide an incentive for booking treatments during slow periods. This creates a benefit for flexible clients and helps your bottom line.

Make sure you know how much your holiday promotions are costing you this year. It will give you the power to control expenditures and serve as a spending guide for 2009.

In this challenging economy ingenuity and tenacity will take your business further than advertising dollars. There are opportunities in this dynamic marketplace and the winners will enjoy rewards in seeing an opportunity and putting their own creativity, sweat and muscle behind them.

Posted in General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Holiday Promotion Brief:

• Background (situation Analysis).
• Target Audience.
• Measurable sales goal.
• Strategy.
• Tactics.
• Budget.

Once a holiday promotions strategy is developed it is important to convert that strategy into implementable tactics or steps.

These tactics should be specialized, employed to carry out a specific strategy in an organized fashion. Some of these tactics will naturally come to life, an intuitive process born of the strategy conceived. Others will require a methodical approach to crank out.

Think about the 4 P's: Product, Price, Promotion and place (spa). Take each piece and think about what you need to execute the product, price, promotion and spa location components of the promotion.

Timing is important — it defines the nature of the promotion and its time limitations. Incorporating, “For a Limited Time Only” in any promotional offer should compel the consumer to take advantage of the valuable offer immediately. It is the fun and nature of promotion.

Timing is also very important in advertising when you are considering the lead-time for each element of the holiday promotion. If you plan to incorporate email communications to existing customers, make sure your email address list is ready. Then add as many addresses as you can before you send out your first email.

Using the SpaBoom email marketing tool is easy. You can write your copy for the email message and add it to the scheduler right now, today. All email communications can be ready to send out well before the holiday.

We wish you all the success this holiday season. It’s been a rough summer, I think just about everyone could use a spa day this holiday!

Posted in General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Holiday Promotion Brief:

• Background (situation Analysis).
• Target Audience.
• Measurable sales goal.
• Strategy.
  
• Tactics.
• Budget.

Developing a promotions strategy provides an outline of what will be communicated to target customers and how it will be communicated.

A promotions strategy is a plan of action developed to meet specific quantitative and qualitative objectives. It defines the process that will be implemented to meet a specific set of objectives.

The holiday promotion may involve developing a specific product/service package that provides value to the consumer and compels them to act and make a reservation. In this case you want to define the package, the "call to action" and then determine the appropriate method of communication to reach consumers with the offer.

There are a variety of advertising methods that can be used to reach target customers:

• Email marketing.
• Holiday Newsletter.
• Direct Mail.
• In-store promotion display.
• Traditional advertising, media.
• Public relations.

Developing a promotions strategy for the holiday will create a plan of action to meet set objectives and define a clear message to the consumer.

Posted in General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing • 2 Comments »

Let me be upfront right now. There is a reason I majored in marketing in college and not accounting. I just don’t have the patience for all those formulas that give you a sense of a business's bottom line. I know it is important but it lacks the excitement of my side of the business equation. That said, when it comes to advertising and holiday promotions I love to measure everything. It’s fun and there is nothing better than seeing a direct revenue jump from a planned holiday promotion that exceeds expectations. It just gives you a warm holiday feeling inside.

Your ability to measure your success based on original objectives also creates a benchmark for the future. If the promotion is successful, look for ways to improve and expand your holiday promotion next year and increase your budget accordingly. It will give you the confidence to build and grow your advertising plans.

Holiday Promotion Brief:

• Background (situation Analysis).
• Target Audience.
• Measurable sales goal.
• Strategy.
• Tactics.
• Budget.

Hit the mark this year by knowing what you want from your promotion before you put it in motion. The objective is to increase sales/margins over a particular time period based on previous years. It is a projection, a forecast and serves to guide future marketing investments.

It is critical to know how much your promotion costs, so add up all the expenses associated with the promotion. It is also important to try to identify the sales that result from the promotion over a specific time period. A concrete ROI (return on investment) will make your accountant sing.

Beyond quantitative there are the qualitative objectives that you hope to reach through your holiday promotion. Here are some favorites; you can add your own.

• Build awareness of your spa business and the services offered.
• Boost target customer traffic to your spa and business website.
• Increase the number of new customers utilizing your services.
• Encourage existing customer loyalty.

By understanding exactly what you want before you launch your holiday promotion you will be ready to meet success head on.

Posted in General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing • Comment »

I hover at the mailbox during the holiday because I love the catalogs I receive in the mail. I haul them in the house and go through them one by one, amazed at all the wonderful items that seem to fit my needs like a glove. After the glow fades, and the shame of my environmental blunder creeps into my brain, I reassess. Of course these catalogs are tailored to my particular consumer needs, I am their target audience and they have successfully reached me. I am hooked.

Anytime you plan to advertise your spa for the holiday you must consider your target audience. These are the people who most likely fit your customer profile. When you develop a holiday promotion you want to make sure it appeals to your target audience.

Companies conduct complex and in-depth market analysis to determine their target audience. You can perform a less formal market analysis by asking some basic questions.

Holiday Promotion Brief:

• Background (situation Analysis).
• Target Audience.
• Measurable sales goal.
• Strategy.
• Tactics.
• Budget.

Target Audience Questions:

• Who are your spa/salon customers now?
• Age
• Income
• Male/female?
• Where do they live?
• Do they come to the spa/salon from home or work?
• Do you get vacation traffic into the salon?
• Are your existing customers loyal and do they keep coming back?
• What keeps them coming back?

Knowing and understanding your target audience is critical to your business’s success. There are so many variables that can influence who will walk into your spa. Understanding those variables and looking for ways to optimize your business based on them can give your spa an edge. At the end of the day customers create your success. The better you understand them the easier you make it for them to use your spa services.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Holiday Promotion Brief • 3 Comments »

In Spa's best holiday ever — Part 3, I espoused the benefits of developing an advertising brief to help organize and frame your holiday promotions. Companies large and small use this tool to keep their focus where it needs to be especially when things get hectic.

Let’s talk about the first component of a Brief, the Background or Situation Analysis. It is valuable to take some time to think about where you stand and where you want to go for the holidays.

Holiday Promotion Brief:

• Background (situation Analysis).
• Target Audience.
• Measurable sales goal.
• Strategy.
• Tactics.
• Budget.

Background (Situation Analysis):

This is an opportunity to describe your spa business as it is today. This is time well spent because a “this is where we are” statement creates a benchmark for future improvements.

• Describe your spa's services and products.
• Explain the spa's current holiday challenges and opportunities:
• Holiday Promotion Challenges:
• Getting the spa's message through the holiday clutter to reach target customers.
• Manpower/time restrictions in developing and executing a spa holiday promotion.
• The current economy.
• Holiday Promotion Opportunities:
  • A spa's existing customers are the best customers.
  • Take advantage of opportunities to get your spa's holiday message to existing customers starting right now.
  • 50% of gift buyers wait until the last 48 hours to purchase their gifts. Your spa sells gift certificates on-line; this is a huge opportunity for last minute gift purchases.
  • More than ever consumers will be shopping online this holiday.
  • SpaBoom online gift certificates benefits:
  • No shipping costs for instant spa gift certificates.
  • Gift certificates can go directly to the recipient.
  • No Shipping deadlines, consumers can purchase gifts on Christmas Day!
  • Don't have to get in your car to purchase a gift.
  • Buy a gift certificate 24/7 and on Christmas Day.
  • It is never too late to buy an instant gift certificate.

In the next blog post we will be talking about understanding a target audience and how spas can take advantage of relationships with existing customers to increase sales over the holidays.

Posted in General, Holiday Promotion Brief, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »