Spa Marketing

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 »

We looked at the sales volume of a large group of our clients for the last few days before Christmas in 2006, which is represented hour-by-hour in the following graph. It is very interesting.

If you assume the average spa or salon is selling gift certificates from 8am to 8pm through the 24th, and is closed on the 25th, a full 33.4% of gift certificate sales occurs outside those normal business hours.

Ideas to help sell more gift certificates for this holiday season:

• The obvious — stay open as long as possible.
• If your phone is busy, what then? Do you have multiple lines and call-takers, and if a customer can't get through, does your call prompt tell your customer they can purchase "INSTANT Gift Certificates…" on your website "…perfect for last minute gift buying?"
• If you're one of our busier organizations, what does your car traffic flow look like? Is it possible your losing customers because they see a long queue in front of your store? Consider signage or banners that announce your web address, and make sure to say "Instant Gift Certificates" available.
• And, of course, if you're not using SpaBoom and just lurking on our blog, what are you waiting for??!?

Only instant gift certificates are going to enable you to capture these last minute sales.

Posted in Spa Marketing, General, Spa Gift Certificates • 5 Comments »

What do these seemingly, grossly different subjects have to do with one another??!? I'm glad you asked …

Last Friday, I attended a live show at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science's Planetarium, called First Friday Fractals here in Albuquerque, NM.

I'd be lying to you, if I didn't say that I was sort of expecting something analogous to the laser-light shows of the eighties — you know — the ones done to the tunes of Pink Floyd in a smoke-filled theater with partying rabble-rousers. (i.e. "Do you smell that??!? It doesn't smell like a normal cigarette …") The truth of the matter was, this show was anything but … it was impressive, educational and done "live" with Jonathan Wolfe, Ph.D., the organizer for event. To say that Dr. Wolfe really likes fractals would be like saying "supernovas go boom" … a significant understatement. This event, apparently, experienced it's 48th consecutive sold-out show. There was a line of people trying to get in (luckily we purchased our tickets in advance).

In this show, Dr. Wolfe didn't just parade successive "fractal zooms," as he called it. He explained in very simple terms what fractals are, and how they are represented in just about everything dealing with nature and human behaviors. He showed pictures of trees and flowers, and how they are comprised of repeating patterns, or fractals. He showed a closeup of tree bark, and showed how the cracks in the bark appear similar, no matter how close you look. He showed a high-level map of Paris, then of Phoenix (I think), clearly showing how our metropolitan areas are constructed of successively repeating smaller patterns.

Then he said it. He said, "It's really interesting how small changes in zoning laws have dramatic impacts on our cities and neighborhoods." He said this was an interesting phenomena of the Chaos Theory, which says "small changes in the initial conditions lead to drastic changes in the results."

We at SpaBoom have noticed this phenomena for quite some time (i.e. see Love is in the air), where small changes in a website have a profound impact in sales. For example, changing "gift certificates" on your website to "instant gift certificates" will increase your sales. Making your call-to-action highlighted text, versus a graphic banner, also increases sales. And, placing your call-to-action near the top of your page, versus the bottom, will also increase sales.

It appears anything that improves the visibility, accessibility or ease from which a customer can do business with you, will increase your sales. This is all a form of the Chaos Theory, and remembering the Chaos Theory (or fractals) as you make minor adjustments to your website and the way you do business, will help you reap long-term dividends.

Posted in Spa Marketing, General • 1 Comment »

The US Post Office recently posted their Holiday Shipping Calendar, as a special service to its customers for ensuring "cards and packages arrive by December 25th."

As spa and salon owners, it's good to take note of these dates to advise your gift certificate buying clients accordingly. For shipping in the US, the absolute last deadline to mail something — to be received by the 25th — is December 22nd using Express Mail.

We've found, after helping our spas and salons sell $12.3 million spread over 114,382 instant gift certificates, that nearly 50% of the gift certificate sales will occur within the last 48 hours of a holiday or event. So, if you utilize SpaBoom effectively, you can potentially double your instant gift certificate sales on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of December — dates the US Post Office cannot serve.

What are you doing to take advantage of your last-minute gift certificate buyers? Do you mind sharing your tips and tricks with other SpaBoomers?

Posted in Spa Marketing, General, Spa Gift Certificates • Comment »

Next to getting the client to walk through the door for the first appointment, the most important step is getting the client to come back.

I am simply amazed at how many salon and spa owners “miss the boat” on this easily applied marketing tool - The New Client Tour.

It may seem obvious, but you can’t imagine how many times I'm not given a tour or offered a brochure, when I visit a salon or spa for the first time. Oh, and if I am lucky enough to be given a tour, it's often hastily conducted, confusing or incomplete. I often feel like I'm imposing on the one giving the tour. Ever have this happen to you??!?

Because cultivating new clients involves a long lead time and expense; when you get them in the door use every opportunity to make them a client for life and to utilize more than one of your services!! Giving a well thought out and scripted tour is an integral part in increasing client retention and cross-selling your services.

Why is a tour important?

The first appointment with the client is very important, and a tour is the single greatest way to welcome a new client to your business - to make them feel like a true guest, and that there is nothing greater for your business, than to serve this new client. This gives you an excellent opportunity to exceed the client's expectations.

Simply put: a tour is an outstanding educational tool, sales tool, and dramatically increases customer satisfaction and retention. It provides a wonderful opportunity to provide a soft-sales pitch for your business and its services. It gives the customer an opportunity to see the different parts of your business and how you stand apart from the competition. It also, gives them an understanding of the various services performed, why they might want certain treatments and a chance to ask questions they might not otherwise ask.

How to make a tour successful?

Don't think you have time or can't otherwise do it? Make it a part of your culture and business model. Don’t lose out on this opportunity for increased sales with excuses or obstacles. You must plan for it. Ask your new client to show up 15 minutes early. If you don't do a call-back to confirm the appointment, start doing so, and remind the new client to show up 15 minutes early.

An effective tour must be carefully scripted. Everyone on staff must know how to give one and what their role is in the tour. The greeter (often the receptionist or adviser) should be thought of as the sales and customer service force of your organization. During a tour, they become the tour-guide. Make this the most important thing they do, when they do it; and they can’t rush through it because they need to cover the front-desk or phone. When other staff sees a tour in progress, they must be especially friendly and helpful.

Don't conduct the tour in the hallway. Make sure to actually take the new guest into each and every room (as much as practical). Keeping a new client n the hallway is awkward, and fosters the perception of rushing. Standing in the hallway doesn't help him or her truly appreciate what each room (and the corresponding services) has to offer.

Don’t forget to give them a brochure.

When your clients are ready to leave your salon or spa, always give them a brochure. I convinced one of my clients to hand out laminated cards. The results have been wonderful. My client tells theirs, “We have had this card laminated because we want you to always have it. Even if you run this card through the washing machine, you will still have our number. We want you to know that if you have any questions about your service or products, or anything that you would like to do in the future, you can give us a call. From now on, we are your expert therapist, so if you have any questions, ever, about your skin/hair you can call us.”

Remember: It's expensive to get a new client into your door, so don't take that new client for granted. Reinforcing that you care about your clients, their questions, and their success, keeps them coming back and sending their friends and family.

With almost 10 years experience in new business start-ups and transformations, Ana Loiselle-Donahue is a specialist in finding new sources of revenue and growth for companies of all sizes. She founded theSECRET in 2004 to help businesses flourish through creative —and powerful —new solutions; including brand development, strategic financial planning and employee training. Mrs. Loiselle-Donahue can be reached at 866/288-7353 or at www.thesecretconsultant.com.

Posted in the SECRET, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • 3 Comments »

Part of my job at SpaBoom, simply put, is to increase our client base. One of our methods is to develop strategic relationships. This isn't as easy as it sounds. As I mentioned in a previous article: "It's absolutely critical to our success to partner with the right organizations. This takes work, research and luck. Partners not only have to have the right position in the marketplace, they must share our values, match our culture and offer complimentary products and/or services."

What does this have to do with the Day Spa Association? Well, we came across the Day Spa Association a couple of years ago, when we had very few clients, and were surprised at how friendly, helpful and thoughtful the folks at the DSA were. They made introductions for us, and gave us an outstanding forum from which to learn and partner with the movers-and-shakers in the spa industry. It didn't take us long to realize the DSA would make an ideal partner for SpaBoom.

I was so impressed with the folks behind the DSA, especially Hannelore Leavy and Skip Williams, that I offered to serve on the Advisory Board for the DSA, and I was really impressed with not just the people, but their intentions. Everyone — all exceptional folks — are trying to identify ways to add value to their membership through education, marketing and leadership.

Take a review of their Membership Benefits. It's chock-full of specials, discounts and free industry publications for its members.

Today, I'm proud to announce that SpaBoom customers receive a $30 discount for the 1st year membership (for new DSA members only) to the DSA (that is, $225 instead of $255). Just call them up (201-865-2065), and tell them you are a SpaBoom customer.

Posted in Spa Marketing, General • 1 Comment »

I nearly let out a holler when I realized that, as of tomorrow, the holiday season officially begins.

To help kick off the festivities to your clients, we've just uploaded a whole new set of Email Marketing campaigns and Events to highlight the season and entice your customers into the giving spirit.

The first holiday giving Email Campaign starts on 11/13, while the first seasonal Event shows up on 11/3. Here's all you do to take full advantage:

• Go to Setup, Events and click on "Give Thanks With an Instant Gift Certificate!" and select a couple of services that make fantastic gifts for holiday hosts and hostesses, family, and friends. This is the most important step!
• If you'd like to change your email campaign, go to Setup, Email Marketing and click on "Give Thanks with a Gift of Pampering". Your services that you've selected above will automatically be added to your email. Use "Send Test Email" to see exactly what it looks like. Adjust the colors to your liking, and see the changes on the bottom of your screen.
• Go to Setup, Instant POP and print out a mini-poster to promote Instant GCs in your retail location.

If you want to customize your marketing for the next couple of months, you can — we've already set up a few Holiday items in Events, Email Marketing and Instant POP, so go to it!

Here's a list of the promotions we've set up (even into 2008):

Events
Give Thanks With an Instant Gift Certificate!, launch date 11/3/07
Perfect Holiday Gift Choice!, launch date 11/22/07
New Year Cheer with Instant Gift Certificates!, launch date 12/27/07
Help Cupid Shoot His Arrow!, launch date 1/14/07

Email Newsletters
Give Thanks with a Gift of Pampering, launch date 11/14/07
The Gift of Holiday Present, launch date 11/23/07
Last Minute Holiday Gifts, launch date 12/20/07
Happy New Year!, launch date 12/27/07

Instant POP
Holidays
Holiday Gift
Happy New Year

As always, we value your feedback. Let us know how we can help your spa sell more!

Posted in Spa Marketing • 8 Comments »

I'm so frustrated. I can't believe all the spa and salon owners I come across, who simply fail to appreciate, understand or execute on what I believe are absolute "no brainers," to making more money and becoming more successful.

Let me tell you a bit about my background. I'm one of the few that "made it" in this industry. I started my own spa and salon from scratch, making it a Salon Today "Top 200 Salon" two years in a row, and eventually sold it for a tidy profit three years ago. That salon and spa still exists, and is doing well. It is Anna Luis Salon and Day Spa in Michigan. Since then, I've been a consultant working on startup and turnaround spas and salons all across the nation. I work hard to help these owners realize their dreams: Opening and maintaining a healthy and growing business.

My clients, like the clients of other consultants in this industry, have a leg up on their competition: They made the difficult decision of hiring a consultant. They realize that engaging an expert provides valuable input, a second pair of eyes, and raises difficult questions that ultimately have one goal in mind: Success.

There are scores of spa and salon owners who are having trouble staying out of the red, bringing in business, keeping their employees, maintaining outstanding service levels, etc, yet steadfastly refuse to hire a consultant. Worse, they refuse to implement what I believe are absolute no brainers. Over the rest of this year, I'm going to post a number of no-brainers. These no brainers are easy, inexpensive and absolutely critical to your success.

No Brainer #1: Get a Professional Logo.

How do you feel, when you try to do business with someone with a crappy logo? Did you have low expectations about that company? Did it leave you feeling a bit anxious about their product or service?

Every business needs a professional logo to help the customer feel comfortable and identify the promise of the goods or services they are about to receive. Professional means that it doesn't look like a photograph, business card or plain text. It must exemplify and promote your brand (i.e. The promise you want to make to everyone about what they will experience when they do business with you). It must be easy to recognize and read at any size (large or small).

For an experiment, go to Spa Emergency and type in your zip code or metro area. Quickly scan the logos. What catches your eye? What looks the most professional? Now search for "Michigan," and scan that list. Notice the logo for Grande Med Spa (one of my clients)? How does that logo look in comparison to the competition?

The Grande Med Spa logo highlights several important issues:

• It's professional and stands out amongst the rest.
• We know they are targeting men and women.
• We know it's a medical spa.
• We feel comfortable that it's a quality establishment (i.e. It forms a high expectation of the potential experience).

By the way for you SpaBoomers: The Grande Med Spa logo also takes advantage of SpaBoom's "transparent" logo capability, which allows the logo to "float" above the background image. This makes for really beautiful gift certificates. Check out SpaBoom's help for logos, for more information.

I really recommend spending the money to hire a spa consultant (who understands branding concepts) to come up with a logo for you (Of course, I'm biased on this ). If you're the "hands-on" type and REALLY have some creative, artistic skills; then I'd suggest checking out Logo Maker. You build it yourself and spend approximately $40. Word of caution: Make sure you get at least five of your friends to review and give you a thumbs up before etching your new logo in glass!

Some additional tips to consider when coming up with a logo include:

• Build it to last - It should never have to be redesigned.
• Don't make a photograph your logo - Make sure it looks good in black-and-white (i.e. newspaper advertisement), and can be reduced in size to look great on a business card.
• Make sure it can be adapted to work on other products, marketing and sales collateral.
• It must work with your overall marketing strategy.
• Use a combination of your company name and emblem.

It's been said before, but this is one proverb that bears repeating: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. If you don't have a logo, or you have a crappy logo, make this your top priority. It's a no brainer.

With almost 10 years experience in new business start-ups and transformations, Ana Loiselle-Donahue is a specialist in finding new sources of revenue and growth for companies of all sizes. She founded theSECRET in 2004 to help businesses flourish through creative —and powerful —new solutions; including brand development, strategic financial planning and employee training. Mrs. Loiselle-Donahue can be reached at 866/288-7353 or at www.thesecretconsultant.com.

Posted in the SECRET, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • 7 Comments »

Or, Where Form and Function Meet on Your Website

Spas and salons adopt the current feeling of their industry as a matter of course. You probably wouldn't choose to decorate with a retro interior if your audience clearly preferred a warmer and more nurturing look and feel–earth tones, sage green and lots of creamy colors would likely be your pick. Many of you have moved to more botanical-based products and away from the traditional higher-tech but less natural products of yore. Some of you have even ventured further into the organic realm, and offer only products that meet that standard.

You're sensitive to the needs of your clientele, and you adjust. You hone your professional skills with classes designed to update on new techniques and products, and as a result you stay ahead of clients' expectations. After all, you want to give them what they want, while practicing the arts of bodywork, esthetics and haircare with expertise and professionalism. The environments you've created reflect your passion and your hard-won knowledge of how best to relax and treat your lucky clients.

Your website should do the same.

Your style should extend to your website. I know, I know, we're always telling you about usability and conversion (of visitors to appointments or Instant GC buyers–and that's a constant), so you're probably a little skittish when it comes to extending your unique, and yes differentiating style, to your website. But this is where form and function can meet, and nicely coexist.

If you're using one of our Dynamic Websites you've already heard about how we've designed our sites to be customizable from a content, color palette and graphics standpoint, and how easy they are to update. We make sure the fundamentals are designed in for you, minimizing the effort you need to expend when you choose a new site.

If you're using an existing website that you've had created elsewhere, don't worry, but do consider some things.

First, be sure you keep your content fresh. If this means adding a new paragraph to your home page and shipping it over to your web master on a monthly basis, go ahead and make it part of your routine. Content needs to be fresh to be interesting to keep your clients coming back for more about you.

Second, consider changing out graphics on occasion. Have you updated your spa or salon look and feel lately? Maybe changed the color palette or brought in new furniture or a new product line? Be sure pictures of your changes show up on your website. People like pictures–they paint a thousand words about how you're working with your business.

Third, and admittedly I've repeated this tons of times during the last few years but here we go again, decide what makes you different and show that on your website. If it's a unique theme to bodywraps or massage style, a special product line that speaks to your overall esthetic philosophy, or a preference for a particular haircutting technique, be certain you've shown that on your site.

You need to stand out from the rest of the sites out there to be noticed anymore. Bamboo is beautiful, pictures of water are relaxing, photos of people receiving massages are nice, and while they convey the overall intended relaxing, nurturing experience, they're rather generic and may not tell what YOU do, and do so well.

It's possible to mix form and function, so get with it, take a look at your website as an outsider would (yes, we like you to play the role of the visitor, don't we?) and determine if it's serving your business best. If it's not, it may be time to adjust its look and feel to best reflect what you do better or differently than anyone else out there.

Posted in Spa Marketing • 2 Comments »

Can you feel it?

When I was a child — shamelessly naive to the worries of being a homeowner — I delighted in the calm before the storm. The sky looked different. The wind still. Animals nervous. There seemed to be electricity in the air.

Today, I have that same feeling. It's hard to shake. At SpaBoom, this time of year is typically slow for new spa sign-ups of our Instant Gift Certificate functionality. We use this time as an excuse to work hard on initiatives that will increase our customer base, as well as help our clients become more effective at selling gift certificates. Well, we're finishing up on a number of very exciting initiatives and will start making a number of significant announcements shortly. It's very exciting, and I truly feel like we at SpaBoom are in the calm before the storm.

For our spa and salon clients, you have approximately three months before the holidays are upon us. The calm before the storm. What you do — right now this very moment — will dictate the intensity of that storm. The results are so significant, so predictable; it's stunning. The key is to start early, and not wait until the holidays are already upon you. What do you need to do? Read our Spa Marketing Guide. It has everything you need.

Posted in Spa Marketing, General • 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):

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 »

While doing some research I came across a promotional video from a spa company that sells franchises. The information they provided was solid and in alignment with what I had read in other materials. They stated that 17% of Americans received massages in 2004, which means the industry performed 117 million massages in 2004, and the day spa segment generated approximately $6 billion in sales. They also stated that Spa goers want: the ability to make appointments in the spur of the moment, Spa locations to be in high traffic central areas (preferably near other stores), and reasonable prices. This got me thinking about Spa customers and what it is that they really, really want from a Spa visit.

According to the most recent statistics published by the International Spa Association (ISPA) in 2006 we had; 13,757 Spas throughout the USA, with 131 million spa visits in 2005, and $9.7 billion in revenue generated by the Spa industry. These numbers simply continue to prove that the Day Spa Industry is growing and that we will continue to see new day spas opening near us. It also made me wonder about the level of services that is being provided. In a recent article published by The New York Times, what most consumers complained about was the inconsistency of the level of service in the treatment room.

As consumers we are bombarded by email promotions, fliers, newspaper ads, magazine ads, and local TV ads to entice us to try the newest Day Spa or the existing Day Spa in our community. Unless you are still in an area where you do not have any competition in a 40 mile radius, we are all competing for the same client; the one that is shopping in the same mall we are located at, or the one that resides only a few miles away from our business. We think we know what they want; we have extensive menus of services, we create excellent seasonal promotions, we cater to their needs, we keep their birthday dates and anniversary dates on file and we want to make sure they stay as our client for ever and ever. Yet, sometimes we forget the most important aspect of what we are supposed to be offering; I hear about expectations not being met, appointment times not being available, service not being equal to the last visit, etc. etc.

When we think of promotional practices we tend to think of specials, treatment series, gift certificates and discounts, which are typical sales strategies for all kinds of businesses. I submit to you, that in addition to the above you also have to consider the experience that all these customers will be receiving. Don't over promise and under deliver, because you will never see them again, and they will tell ten more people about their negative experience.

Everyone has competitors and just implementing something that is working at the Spa a block away will not insure increased sales or customer satisfaction. Service is the number ONE factor that contributes to a customer's overall satisfaction; it is the total experience what will have them coming back to you time after time. We all want to provide excellent customer service; we want 100% customer satisfaction. Then every action, every word, every gesture, every day, plays a part in the overall service experience. This includes any telephone interaction your client has with your spa; it includes the state of the facilities when they visit, was the changing area clean, were there enough towels, was Suzy at the Reception area efficient, pleasant and effective?

EVERYTHING counts! The promotion, advertisement, or special service might bring them in once, but it will NOT keep them coming if they do not leave feeling 100% satisfied. Marketing research data tells us that if a customer has a complaint, 54-70% of those customers will do business with you again. However if the complaint is resolved then 94% will give you another chance if it is resolved quickly, immediately on the spot. Complaints could happen daily and if not dealt with correctly, empathetically and with true care it will cause you to lose business.

I repeat: there is a lot of competition out there, it is not about offering the latest service, the latest product, the most advanced, and it is not about having the most expensively decorated facility with all the amenities imaginable. It is about offering the highest quality service for the best price. To meet these expectations and to rise above competition, it is up to you to ensure that every single team member at your location provides that 100% excellent customer service all day, every day, without fail. Our job as owners and/or managers is a never ending story, we have to want to do this every single day to be successful, it will not happen on its own. If we don't take the time to set up the foundation in our business, with the right employee selection, recruitment, training and follow-up, we will not be able to provide this level of service in a way that will have our clients coming back for more.

Let's continuously put ourselves in our customers' shoes and look at our services, our facility and our staff interactions from their perspective. If we do this every day and make the necessary adjustments to how we do business, we will be a step ahead of our competition. Here at Resources & Development we believe in excellence in customer service. Helping you to achieve greater customer service is part of who we are and why we exist. Let's roll up our sleeves and work together.

Zahira J. Coll is a Human Resources Executive, Executive Spa Director and business owner with over fourteen years (14) of experience in the hospitality industry. Ms. Coll has a unique combination of talents, expertise and experience. She began her career in Human Resources Management, and for the past eight years she has been involved in Hotel-Spa operations at an Executive level. She has participated in numerous projects as a Consultant, designing and implementing all the aspects of opening and operating a Spa, Hotel, Casino and Retail center. Ms. Coll is also Founder & CEO of Resources and Development.

Posted in Resources and Development, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management • 1 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 »

Got your posters printed out of SpaBoom and prominently hung so all can see the coolness and beauty of your Instant Gift Certificates? Forgot how? Just login to SpaBoom, go into Setup, Instant POP and see what's all set up for you. Feel free to tailor at will, then preview to be sure that color of text you chose/message you wrote looks good in poster format. Once you've done that, print out and find a push pin or tape and let people know you think Dads rock, too!

Have you checked your email newsletter to be sure it's ready? We've set up one to launch automatically on June 2nd. You can get into it via Setup, Email Marketing, and selecting the Father's Day Gift Solution newsletter. Send a test email to see what it looks like now, and if you make changes, once you've made changes to be sure it looks right. If you don't want to use it, please go into Setup, Email Marketing and delete the Father's Day Gift Solution newsletter from your list. If you simply wish to adjust the date of launch from the 2nd, to maybe the 5th, you can do that in Setup, Email Marketing, too.

At the risk of repeating myself (I tend to do this a lot — I'm not sure if it's age or confusion setting in, but please bear with me), remember to tell clients that you offer Instant Gift Certificates — your voicemail and front desk should be sure to include mention of the gift giving option. Show them how cool they are by displaying samples, and by including samples in your retail bags.

Reminding your clientele of how hip and with it you are by offering the perfect gift solution — available online and instantly — is a great and simple way to boost your Father's Day GC sales!

Posted in Spa Marketing • Comment »

Every year, thousands of salon and spa businesses fail. No business owner plans to fail, but they fail all the same. One of the main reasons for the high failure rate is an over reliance on getting new clients.

Marketing isn't about the medium; it's about getting and keeping customers. In order to succeed, every salon or spa must have brochures and other forms of printed sales literature to hand out to customers and prospects. Brochures can help, but only if you use it in conjunction with other tools.

A salon or spa needs printed marketing literature for two reasons:

Credibility - People expect a "real" company to have printed sales literature. Anyone can spend $60 on business cards and letterhead and call themselves a company. But if you want people to know you mean business, you need a brochure.

Time - People want printed material to take home and read at their leisure. Brochures also support other advertising, direct mail, and online promotions. In short, a good brochure sells.

Here are 12 tips on writing a brochure that will support your marketing efforts and increase your sales.

1. Know what your reader wants - Write your brochure from the customer's point of view. What are your customers' concerns? What do they need to know before they come in for a service or make a purchase? Try writing down all the questions you hear from your customers and try and answer them in your collateral.
2. Motivate your reader to look inside - The first page your reader will see is the front cover. Get it wrong and you will likely lose the sale. Start with the benefits of your product, or use thought-provoking statements that motivate the reader to pick up the brochure and open it. Tell the reader there's something inside just for them — an exclusive invitation, a free report, a special discount, or advance notice of sales. Don't put just your company logo or product name on the front. That will not work.
3. List the contents - In brochures of eight pages or more, a table of contents is essential. Design it so that the table of contents stands out from the rest of the text. Use the contents to sell the brochure. Don't use mind-numbing words like "Introduction" or "Services." Use your key sales points in your headings.
4. List your product's benefits - Purchasers care about benefits, not features. To develop a list of benefits, draw up a list of service features and add the words "which means that…" after each point. For example, "This treatment includes a foot massage, which means that…it feels o-so-good." Or, "This facial has an exfoliation component, which means… your skin will glow." Benefits are what sell products.
5. Make the brochure a keeper - Putting helpful information in your brochure will encourage the reader to keep it, refer to it often, or pass it on to other people. If you are selling skin care products, you can give your readers tips on how to combat pimples, dry skin, fine lines, and wrinkles.
6. Alter the shape - Who says a brochure has to be 8 ½ by 11? If you are selling massage, design a brochure in the shape of a person’s body. Hair coloring services? Design it in the shape of a paint brush. Use your imagination to come up with an original, eye-catching piece. Try tall and slim, square, oblong, whatever you like. The only limitation is your imagination, and, of course, your budget.
7. Make it personal - An experienced speaker talking to a large audience will pick out someone in the crowd, and talk directly to him or her. This connection allows the speaker to make the talk more personal. In a similar fashion, write your brochure with an imaginary person in mind. Why? Because writing in a direct "I'm-talking-only-to-you" style will increase response.
8. Add atmosphere - You don't want your brochure to sound aloof. Let your reader share your feelings. A description about a body treatment does not need to go into the ins and outs of how the body treatment is performed. Instead let your words show them how warm, snug and relaxed they'll be when they get one of your body treatments.
9. Start selling right away - Not everyone needs to know about every aspect of your product or service. Don't waste their time telling them about things that don't convey a benefit.
10. Address your reader's needs - Don't get carried away with your own interests. Talk about your reader, not yourself.
11. Give directions - Organize your brochure so readers can flip through the pages and easily find what they want. Provide clear signposts or headlines throughout the brochure and make sure each one says "Hey, pay attention to me!"
12. Ask for action - Regardless of how you organize your brochure, there's only one way to end it. Ask for action. If you want your reader to come to your salon or spa and get a service or purchase products, include an 800 number, gift with purchase offer, or some form of response mechanism. In fact, to increase your brochure's selling power, include your offer and a response mechanism on every page.

Ana Loiselle, President of the Secret Salon and Spa by Design in Royal Oak, Michigan. A former salon and spa owner, Ms. Loiselle can be reached at 248/546-4312 or at www.thesecretconsultant.com.

Posted in the SECRET, Spa Marketing, General • 3 Comments »

I'm on the board of directors for the New Mexico Spa Association and at our past few conferences, Massage Envy has been mentioned or brought up. In every conversation there are basically two points of view about Massage Envy. The first relates to some level of anxiety and concern about their business model, and how that might erode already modest (if any) profits. The second relates to how Massage Envy isn't a threat, because they don't want customers who shop by price anyway, and prefer the customers who are paying for the experience.

After obtaining a massage from Massage Envy, I don't believe either position is quite right.

Let me explain.

As a vendor to spas and salons, I do my best to visit and pay for services from those spas and salons who are SpaBoom clients. I'm located in Albuquerque, and have visited quite a few of our clients located here (and there's still many more to visit). Every experience has been enjoyable, but different.

I visited Massage Envy last week, and have to say the experience was also enjoyable — who doesn't like to receive a massage — but different.

What this means is, Massage Envy has successfully created a niche for themselves, by offering low-cost, moderate-quality massage for the non-discriminating client. If a spa has a Massage Envy in its neck of the woods, and they don't have a strong, obvious differentiator, I do believe they will need to compete on price to remain competitive against Massage Envy.

You may disagree with me, but do yourself a favor: Go clandestine and pay the $39 introductory price for a massage at Massage Envy.

Then, go back to your spa. Really think about the type of clients you have, your differentiators, your quality of service, and the availability of potential clients in your region that your differentiators appeal to. Do you have a winning mix? If not, reformulate. Work harder at marketing. Provide incentives for client referrals.

Make it clear what your differentiators are. This is tough. Unlike the car business, your prospects cannot "kick the tires" of a massage. So, if your differentiator is experiential based, come up with methods that allow potential customers to experience your difference. Here's a suggestion: Have a "free massage" day, once a month or once a quarter. Or, make some PR for yourself, and invite the local police and fire departments to come in for a free massage.

Don't suffer "Massage Envy envy." Don't become anxious and give up. But… don't sit on your laurels and pretend that everything is the same, either.

Posted in Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • 178 Comments »

Understanding the Differences Between a Day Spa and a Resort Spa

Sometimes we get caught up in the fact that we are all part of one big industry performing many of the same tasks and trying to do the best that we can within a new and burgeoning marketplace. Sometimes we are so close to our day to day operations that we fail to see the forest through the trees. It is easy to draw similarities between Day Spas and Resort Spas, because we do the same type of work. What is harder to see is how different we are through our Clients’/Guests’ eyes, and how they have quite different expectations from each type of Spa. As a Consultant, I find that often my Clients do not always have a clear picture of these differences, and consequently end up offering the wrong menu of services to their Client/Guest or worse yet, building the wrong facility.

For example: You are a savvy traveler; you have been to some of the finest Resorts in the world. You sometimes wish that you had such a Spa in your backyard and you figure that others wish for the same thing. So you plan to build a Day Spa that is reminiscent of these fine Resort Spas that you have been to. However, if you understood the dynamics of why Day Spas are different and what makes them successful, you wouldn't be so confident in your decision to build this Spa.

In a Resort Spa we call our customers “Guests” in a Day Spa we call them “Clients”, that says a lot about the difference doesn’t it? Resorts are successful when they sell a “Spa Package” because they need to sell as much as they can during the Guest’s short stay, while Day Spas need to sell in “Series” because they need the Client to come back time after time, to create a desired habit, and the Day Spa makes its money over months and years of Client loyalty. Because Resort Spa Guests are “getting away” often for romantic or family vacations, they go to the Spa with someone else more often than when they go to a Day Spa. They are also more “experimental” and looking for a Spa visit that is more “experiential”.

When they visit a Day Spa it is usually alone and looking for results, be it beauty or wellness, it is more about results than the experience, it is usually for maintenance, not about relaxation or pampering. That is not to say that relaxation and pampering can’t happen in a Day Spa, or that results can’t happen in a Resort Spa. However those are not the core reasons for the Spa Goers’ visit, it is a bonus they may receive.

I like to think of the Day Spa like a good Café, a place you eat at weekly. You go there because you are hungry, they serve good food, and they deliver what you would expect. On the other hand, the Resort Spa is like a Fine Dining restaurant, you don’t go there because you are hungry, you go there for the experience, and usually only on special occasions.

The Café counts on loyalty and many future return visits, it could not afford to offer high end Fine Dining service or experience, and you could not afford it on a regular basis if they provided it. So it would be a mistake for a Café to try to emulate a Fine Dining restaurant, in much the same way it would be a mistake for a Day Spa to emulate either the facility or amenities of a Resort Spa as well as its menu of services.

I know we always talk about “the customer experience” and it is important indeed, however, there is a big difference in selling “an experience” vs. selling “results”. People will buy an experience once, but it becomes harder and harder to sell the same experience over and over to the same neighborhood, and if you try you will only sell Spa services on a special occasions.

A Resort can sell “the experience” because they know that statistics say that only a very low percentage of Guests will ever return (even if the experience was perfect), and almost none will return within a 12 month period. Conversely, a Day Spa would starve if most of its Clients never returned or only returned once a year.

So the difference between Resort and Day Spas from the consumers point of view (even if it is more intuitive than analytical) is; “give me a wide variety of services that focus less on results and more on ‘the experience’ when I am away from home, and give me a very narrow focus of specialties that can deliver incredible results each time when I am at home.”

Day Spas should NOT try to be everything to everybody, the most successful ones are the ones that focus on one or two specialties and become better at them than anyone else in town, that is how they build a reputation in their community, not by being a “one stop shop”.

Square footage and the use of the space are important in both types of Spas. It goes without saying that a common mistake for a Spa is having too much amenity space and not enough revenue space. That mistake is even more critical in a Day Spa environment where the price points are lower and the rent and advertising expenses (unlike a Resort Spa) need to be factored in. It is for that reason that “waterfall Jacuzzis”, Steam, Sauna, and other amenities that take copious space are often inadvisable in a Day Spa environment, while completely acceptable at a Resort Spa.

Spa Management for Resort Spas have to be concerned with the overall Guest Experience even outside the Spa, as the goal is just as much about “putting heads on beds” as it is about making budget in the Spa.

To conclude, understand what you are and who your market is. Specialize if you’re a Day Spa, have a wide offering if you’re a Resort. Keep the amenities to a minimum when you’re a Day Spa, and don’t get carried away with amenities when you’re a Resort Spa. Understand the goals of your business and don’t try to be something you are not (or should not) be. Have a focused niche when you’re a Day Spa, have a broad menu of services when you’re a Resort Spa. “Results” is the watch word for Day Spas, “Experience” is the goal for Resorts.

I hope that this little article will help you to think through what is appropriate for your Spa. It isn’t always easy to stay focused on “The Mission”, it is easy to try to be more than we are, but understanding your Guests’/Clients’ needs as well as your own strengths and weaknesses are paramount in making your Spa a success.

Skip Williams, the author of “The Reluctant Spa Director and the Mission Dream”, is a recognized speaker and author in the spa arena, recently voted “Spa Person of the Year”, with over thirteen (13) years of experience in the Management, Financial Development & Operational fields, in the Spa and Hospitality Industry as Spa Director, Controller and Business project Consultant. He brings his previous years of analytical business experience in a broad variety of manufacturing, retail and service businesses to studying Resort Spas, Day Spas, Medical Spas, Wellness Centers, and Salons: their profitability, how they operate, and what makes them successful. Skip is also Vice President of Resources and Development.

Posted in Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management • 4 Comments »

Or, never dial 1-411 again…

There's really no reason to ever pay the phone company for a 411 call again:

• 1-800-Free-411 works like a 411 call, but plays a short ad before giving you the requested phone number. If you ask for the local pizza joint's number, you may hear an ad for Domino's first, and get the option to connect to either one. Anyone want to see if this advertising works for spas?
• 1-800-GOOG-411 is Google's version. It uses voice recognition to figure out whose number you want, and there's no advertising.

Google uses its own local search information, so this is another good reason to look your spa up on Google Local and update your information.

As for those old fashioned 411 calls, here's how TechCrunch puts it:

Posted in Spa Marketing • 2 Comments »

Mother's Day represents an enormous Instant Gift Certificate sales event, one that deserves a little up front work to reap its fullest potential. We've set up promotions to help you focus your online efforts this year, with an Event, two Marketing Emails and an Instant POP out there for you to customize at will.

And those of you who add featured services for Mother's Day in Events will definitely make life easier for your GC buyers as well as increase your revenues to boot. Gift buyers love to see services tailored for special holidays, so put some together and make life better for everyone!

The Mother's Day campaign begins 4/13. Here’s all you do to take full advantage:

• Go to Setup, Events and click on “Mother's Day Gift Idea” and select a couple of services that make great Mother's Day gifts. This is by far the most important step!
• If you’d like to change your email campaign, go to Setup, Email Marketing and click on “Mother's Day Gift” and "Perfect Mother's Day Gift". Your services that you selected above will automatically be added to your email. Use “Send Test Email” to see exactly what it looks like.
• Go to Setup, Instant POP and print out a mini-poster to promote Instant GCs in your retail location.

We’ve already set up Graduation and Father’s Day items in Events, Email Marketing and Instant POP, so if you want to get ahead of the planning game go ahead and customize them while you're at it!

Here’s a list of the promotions we’ve set up:

Events
Mother’s Day Gift Idea!, launch date 4/13/07
Graduation Made Easy, launch date 5/18/07
Father’s Day Gift Solution!, launch date 6/1/07

Email Newsletters
Mother’s Day Gift, launch date 4/13/07
Perfect Mother’s Day Gift (last minute), launch date 5/11/07
Graduation Gift Perfection, launch date 5/18/07
Father’s Day Gift Solution, launch date 6/2/07

Instant POP
Mother’s Day Gift Idea!
Father’s Day Gift Solution!

A few minutes setting up services to go with events will pay dividends, so make sure you line your ducks up before the Mother's Day rumpus starts!

Posted in Spa Marketing, General • Comment »

SpaTrade has a new article today, Making Online Review Sites Work For You, by Peggy Wynne Borgman:

Borgman goes on to give great advice about how to make online review sites work for you. It's well worth the read, along with a more indepth version in American Spa.

Borgman calls Yelp the "fastest growing and arguably most influential online review site," which is true in some metro areas, but CitySearch is still the granddaddy. The best thing is to find the local review sites with the most activity for your area. A great tactic is to do a search on Google Local for “category: Spas Beauty & Day” and your city, and see where it's getting reviews for spas.

Posted in Spa Marketing • Comment »