Social Media

Thanks for joining us today and giving us an opportunity to show you how simple it is to create a sweepstakes on Facebook for your spa and manage the results for maximum impact. We hope it was a valuable webinar full of useful information to help drive your business strategy forward.

If you couldn't join us, no worries! All of the critical components of the webinar are available for you as our slide show download, and to get the full experience, watch our video of the webinar as it happened live. This is an engaging presentation and you'll finish feeling empowered and ready to create your own sweepstakes on Facebook.

Watch the Video: Create Your Own Sweepstakes on Facebook

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in General, Social Media, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

BoomTime Sweepstakes for Facebook, of course!

Now that social media has become a key component of online marketing campaigns, you're asking us at every turn how to grow your Facbook fan base. We hear it during webinars, in emails, via phone calls to our team – you're focusing on the right thing and we can help you out!

First a follow-up on my last post, where we were running a Sweepstakes for Joy of Spa. We ended up with 208 entries, and 962 fan invites. The person who won hadn't been invited, just entered the Sweepstakes on her own, so we ended up giving away one $100 Joy of Spa Gift Certificate. Had she been invited, the person who invited her would have also won, and we'd have given away two.

SpaBoom clients who have run Sweepstakes have all grown their fan bases. The Wellness Spa in Kelowna, BC went from 38 to 84 fans. Bodyworks Massage in Vernon, CT, went from 34 to 82. Spa Constantine in Downers Grove, IL, whose Sweepstakes ends later today, has gone from 439 to 529, and with luck will increase by a magic 100 before it's all over.

Relative increases differ, of course, based on your beginning fan base number. Doubling is awesome, particularly when you're just beginning to build it. Increasing by 25% is also great, especially when your beginning number is much higher.

How to encourage people to enter your Sweepstakes

Ask yourself what your most popular service is at the moment. Then offer that up, maybe with a small lovely add on, like a massage oil takeaway, or a neck massage with a salon service, or something that sweetens what you know is a well-loved service already.

Really, it's always ok to just ask yourself, 'What would make me enter a sweepstakes?', then trust your gut reaction. You already know what works!

Since you'll want to run a series of Sweepstakes to continue to grow your Facebook fan base over time, pay close attention to what's popular at any given moment and use that to design subsequent Sweepstakes offers. Being current really matters, and really works, and the good news is you'll always know exactly what's making your spa, salon or massage therapy clientele happy at any given point, so there's no guessing involved.

Not that we're against guessing, but you can save a lot of time and energy using what's already working, right?

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • 15 Comments »

Powerful sweepstakes made Easy with SpaBoom!

SpaBoom has made it easy to manage your own sweepstakes right from your spa's Facebook fan page, with powerful results. It allows you to reach fans across multiple platforms including social media, your spa website and build your email list too.

Join us as we show you how simple it is to create a sweepstakes on Facebook for your spa and manage the results for maximum impact.

Reserve your Webinar Seat Now!

Title: Create Your Own Sweepstakes on Facebook – Free Webinar
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

Posted in General, Social Media, SpaBoom Webinars • 2 Comments »

And the cool thing is, they're really easy to run! I know this because I set one up for Joy of Spa just last week, and it took less than 10 minutes… for my very first time!

Why you want to run Sweepstakes

Growing a FaceBook fan base is key to a thriving social media campaign, and we really encourage you to work to nurture your social media marketing. After all, it's where a lot of your audience is spending free time, and you need to engage them while they're out there.

You should see a bump in your fans with each sweepstakes. Adjusting your offer from Sweepstakes to Sweepstakes will help you figure out just what triggers your FaceBook audience to join so you can enjoy bigger and bigger increases in your fan base over time.

You can monitor the progress of each Sweepstakes as it's running by going back into Events and clicking on the Sweepstakes currently underway, and at the end the winners' names will also appear on the Sweepstakes record. As of this post, 170 of our fans have entered the Joy of Spa Spring Refresh Sweepstakes, and those entrants have invited 813 friends to join.

How much should you give away?

Offering up a giveaway that will cover a full treatment for spa, salon care, or massage therapy is where you should start. What does that look like for you? A range of between $75 and $100 is what we're seeing our businesses use as they begin adopting Sweepstakes, but the amount is entirely up to you.

We chose to give away a $100 Joy of Spa Gift Certificate this time, and if the winner was invited by another person who entered the Sweepstakes, the person who invited also wins, so in essence we could be giving away 2-$100 Joy of Spa Gift Certificates at the end of the contest.

How hard is it to set up?

If you can set up an Event in SpaBoom, you can set up a Sweepstakes. In fact, Sweepstakes are a type of Event.

You'll need to choose an image to accompany the Sweepstakes, use the Event content field to describe the Sweepstakes compellingly (after all, you want people to participate!), and then you can even send an Email out to your clients letting them know you're running a Sweepstakes.

The new "Add Email" task in Events makes it super easy to create an email campaign, and by default uses the copy you wrote to describe the Sweepstakes in the event, which you can add on to if you wish, or simply let fly verbatim.

Any additional Events you have running can be included in the email, too, so you have an additional opportunity to promote Events underway while you're announcing your current Sweepstakes.

Who gets to use BoomTime Sweepstakes for FaceBook?

If you currently have the SpaBoom Marketing Suite (all Spaboom Dynamic Websites are automatically included), then follow our simple steps to run Sweepstakes.

If you are currently an Instant Gift Certificates client, you will need to upgrade to the SpaBoom Marketing Suite to activate your Sweepstakes functionality. It's easy, and risk-free. Send us an or call us at 800.940.0458. We're here to help!

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • 3 Comments »

What impression is your website giving right now?

If you couldn't join us as we discussed the latest website design trends on Wednesday, fear not. All of the critical components to effective website design are still available for you as our slideshow download, and to get the full experience, watch our video of the webinar as it happened live. The presentation is always engaging by the duo of Seth and Janell and you'll leave feeling empowered and ready to revamp your site and your social media strategy for the spring holidays.

You won't hear the Q & A at the end, but feel free to call us and one of our folks can handle your questions from the nuts and bolts to "I am not a client yet but want to be". We love those calls! (It is 800-940-0458, if you've forgotten.)

Watch the Video: Secrets of Successful Websites

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Social Media, Spa Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Spa Website Design, SpaBoom Webinars • 4 Comments »

The spa industry is not alone in spending tons of time worrying about what clients are saying about their spa experiences on the Web. A bad review can cause a lot of concern, the need for a 'fix', and the hope that a happier client will then go back out and review how well their issue was addressed.

Sometimes a little humor is in order when it comes to reviews, though, as the reviewer may not always be on target or even providing relevant feedback. Derek Brown's blog post, A Field Guide to Yelp's Unhappy, Unhelpful Eaters on TheAtlantic.com puts it into perspective.

We hope you enjoy!

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media • 5 Comments »

There will be over 100 million people watching the Super Bowl this Sunday and it’s estimated that 15% will be on Facebook and post at least one time during the game. The average Facebook user has 130 friends, which adds up to about 1.9 BILLION potential impressions!

According to InsideFacebook:

So what does that mean to your local spa?

Valentine's Day is a week away and spa Instant Gift Certificate purchases are building, with a huge spike expected Valentine's weekend.

Promote your spa this Sunday on Facebook. Be the perfect gift solution for all those Super Bowl watchers. Get creative, give it a fresh angle, and tease all those men who haven't purchased a Valentine's Day gift yet. Make it fun and drive traffic to your spa website.

The best part of it? SpaBoom’s social media tool allows you to set up Facebook and Twitter posts right now, just schedule them for Sunday, during the game. Then you can relax and watch the game!

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Thanks to all who attended our really cool and experimental Roundtable Virtual Marketing Discussion webinar on Wednesday the 2nd by the vivacious Janell Loving and Seth Gardenswartz.

Tons of our clients took advantage of the unique opportunity to ask your burning questions to SpaBoom's online marketing experts. There was a fantastic virtual marketing discussion complete with a full 30 minutes of post-webinar Q&A – if you missed it, just enjoy the video and slideshow below!

Watch the Video: Roundtable Virtual Marketing

Download and follow along with our presentation [PDF]

Posted in Social Media, Spa Marketing, Spa Technology, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

Spa customers are online seeking information about your spa through their social networks and organic searches. Many will check out multiple spa websites along with Twitter and Facebook before they choose to enter a local spa. Online consumer behavior is evolving quickly, so it has never been more important to embrace SEO and social media to put the odds in your favor and effectively meet online demand.

There are some simple ways to increase your presence online and step up your game this year.

Claim your spa’s Google Place Listing

Google is placing an emphasis on local, meaning every local spa should claim, verify and enhance their Google Place Listing. For Google, it means they can provide more relevant and intelligent search results and ensures your spa will be included on the map now dominating local search results. Your spa can stand out by enhancing your listing with detailed information about the spa as well as photos, offers and video.

Increase reviews of your spa

Consumers are online, reviewing your spa and that means potential clients will absolutely read them. We know Google aggregates local business reviews online, so manage your reputation by asking happy clients to review your spa starting now. Cultivating reviews through a proactive, consistent effort is key as is monitoring them so you can resolve any issues that arise.

Create Content and Make it Social

Each day, millions of consumers read blogs and search for valuable content online. A spa business blog is a great way to increase visibility, engage customers, reward great ideas, educate and share best practices. A blog elevates your business as a thought leader and becomes a professional source of information on all things spa or salon. Make sure you blog consistently and keep your posts short and to the point. Share your blog posts on Facebook and Twitter to extend your online reach and encourage sharing of new content.

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing • 1 Comment »

Love makes people spend over $17 billion each year for Valentines Day. SpaBoom wants to help your spa get its share.

Set aside time for love and plan your most profitable Valentines Day ever. We will give you a comprehensive plan to satisfy the unrequited revenue needs of your spa and help people achieve relationship bliss.

Don't miss this great opportunity to rock your spa!

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

Title: Addicted to Love — Free Webinar
Date: Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EST

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • Comment »

Ready to make a significant increase in sales next year? Start 2011 with a bang, take the SpaBoom 3 Number Challenge and achieve your best sales growth to date.

Join us as we reveal the secrets to building a valuable list, increasing your fans and followers all while driving traffic to your website and spa. We will give you actionable tools to get the conversation started and increase revenue using the strategies behind these important numbers.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

Title: 3 Key Numbers for Revenue — Free Webinar — Free Webinar
Date: Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EST

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Webinars • 4 Comments »

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 »

A great post from Christina Warren of Mashable outlines the results of a study by Virtue, a social media management company. The study pinpointed specific times that users are “most active” on Facebook pages that are administered by businesses and brands.

Some highlights from the story:

• Largest user spikes occur on weekdays.
• Specifically, spikes occur at 11:00am, 3:00pm and 8:00pm ET.
• Weekday usage is steady overall, but peaks at 3:00pm ET.
• Morning posts are 39.7% more effective (user engagement) than those posted in the afternoon.
• Sunday was the least active day.
• Top of the hour (:0 to :15 minutes) gets the most interaction.
• Second half of the hour (:30 to :45 minutes) is second most popular for interaction.

Social media is a dynamic system, these insights will continue to morph over time as consumer behavior evolves, so take advantage of their immediate value. Leveraging information by timing posts in accordance with audience Facebook usage can improve your target audience's engagement with your spa or salon.

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing • 1 Comment »

Starting next year, several large phone companies will no longer deliver white pages to some residential customers. Why? Because no one uses them. They are just bound for a landfill. "Everyone goes online anyways," says New York City doorman Ramon Almanzar in a New York Times piece. He explains that “[w]e end up throwing them away,” which is exactly what you are doing with your money if you keep relying on old media to bring you new customers. Navin L. Johnson (Steve Martin's character in "The Jerk") may be the last person to want his name on dead trees.

The white pages are something phone companies have to provide but customers don't pay for. Therefore they have a vested interest saving the planet and ending the waste. However, it's interesting to note that the yellow pages is not going away as quickly.  That's because the phone companies are clever enough to convince many small businesses to pay for it. Don't be one of them. The people who are looking up phone numbers online use online directories to find business. There are better ways to spend your online marketing dollars.

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing • 3 Comments »

Spas of all sizes actively look for insight regarding how they can use Facebook effectively to promote their businesses and build a community of interested and active participants.

A recent article in Mashable, Understanding How and Why Facebook Users Interact with Brands, highlights some of the latest research regarding Facebook user's interactions with companies.

Researchers looked into specific activities and offer a breakdown of potential motivations for liking a brand and staying engaged over time. Their results create an opportunity to objectively evaluate current Facebook strategies and potentially adapt them to include a mix of spa education, limited-time spa treatment specials, insider information that can all together contribute toward continued interest on the part of Facebook users.

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing • Comment »

I can honestly say that it has been months, perhaps a year since I have forwarded an email. I just don’t share that way anymore. According to TechCrunch, I am just following the herd because sharing online via email is going down fast, approximately 7% since the beginning of the year. In stark contrast, social media and in particular Facebook has ramped up its sharing with startling speed. Twitter and Facebook are now responsible for 57% of all shared links. Why? It is just so easy and frankly it is more fun to share that way.

A recent TechCrunch article lays out this share shifting phenomenon in simple pie graph glory, thanks to great data from a new start up called ShareThis. They also point out very astutely that just because someone shares across their social graph doesn’t mean it always gets clicked on, we see that anecdotally every day. Social reach is that magic nugget and 44% of the shared social links are clicked on.

Also check out some of the new social vocabulary that is sprouting up including, but not limited to share velocity, social engagement and social reach index. As long as someone else is performing that statistical analysis I will fascinated by the results and the new insight it will glean.

Right now spas are very effective communicating with customers via email but to actually spread your social influence and extend your reach, Facebook and Twitter are the natural complement. At SpaBoom we believe in a comprehensive online approach to social sharing that integrates fresh content, email, events and automated posts to Facebook and Twitter.

Posted in General, Social Media, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • Comment »

Have you seen a Facebook post or a Tweet where a friend says, "Hey, I've checked in at Tony's Pizza!"? Perhaps you use these services yourself to make notes about travel or just share the things you love to do with your social circle.

Just yesterday Facebook launched into the location-friendly world with Facebook Places.  We'll save you some time (though their full FAQ is worth reading) and show you how to use Places – and why you should.

Facebook users can only "check in" at your business using their mobile phone once Facebook has a Place page for you, so let's get started!

(Do step "0″ first and make sure Facebook knows about you!)

0. Create your Facebook Page. If you haven't already created a Page for your business – there is no time like the present, and we have lots of reasons why it's a great idea!
1. Create your Place. If someone has not already added your business, you can do so by using the "check in" button on your Facebook iPhone app (or at http://touch.facebook.com), then click on "Add" to get started.
2. Check In! Go ahead and check in and start the ball rolling on your visibility. Encourage your iPhone-wielding clients to do the same, and in short order your Place could have a greatly increased online presence for your city.
3. Formally Claim your Place. Once your Place is listed, you can claim it to have access to it's information like address and other details. Just search for your business name in Facebook and once you see the Place listing, look near the bottom for the "Is this your business?" link and click away to claim your Place. You'll need to verify using a business license or other form of electronic legal document, but once you have the file, uploading it is quick and easy.

Posted in Social Media, Spa Marketing, Spa Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Tutorials • Comment »

Spas and salons that are most prepared online this holiday will win the revenue game.

Join us for a webinar on Monday, August 23rd that is designed to give you actionable tools to maximize holiday sales. Online synergy and success demands that your website, social media and email marketing work smarter 24/7. Learn to streamline online traffic and prepare for the holiday rush so you can be in the best position to help your business.

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

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

This webinar is Free. Space is limited so reserve your seat today!

Title: Get Ready for a Billion Dollar Online Day — Free Webinar
Date: Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EDT

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Product Sales • 2 Comments »

Everyone, including your clients, is involved in monetizing social media for your business. A big picture look can reveal the path to increasing revenue via social media, but it takes microscopic analysis of each interaction with intent to truly take advantage of the revenue potential.

Spas listen and engage with their clients every day. That intimate one-on-one experience, where the client is center means servicing them based on their individual needs in a given moment. Great relationships are built on conversations, which creates the possibility for amazing connections long-term. Understanding the value of these connections and managing the relationships can take on added strength when extend online using social media. Every interaction that occurs with clients fits along a social continuum and if they are managed with intent, they can be monetized to increase revenue and strengthen your spa brand.

For instance, your website is an extension of your spa or salon and reflects the unique differences that set you apart from the competition. It is a place to engage, connect and hopefully make your clients lives easier by allowing them to book appointments online, learn about the latest treatments and in-spa promotional offers and to purchase an Instant Gift Certificate for someone special.

Giving clients easy access to Facebook and Twitter from your website allows them to be part of your community and creates the opportunity for social referrals. Events and in-spa promotions that are disseminated via social media have the possibility of traveling to new social networks. This creates the opportunity for new clients, increased revenue and widening connections.

Take a look at the social piece of your spa business. Each component, from the front desk, therapist and product purchases to your spa website, email campaigns, events and social outreach on Facebook and Twitter plays a part in monetizing social for your spa.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing, Spa Website Design • Comment »

Don’t let the social media wave pass you by!

Join us for a webinar on August 11th. In one hour, Neil Ducoff of Strategies will join Seth Gardenswartz of SpaBoom and teach you how to leverage the most powerful force in media to drive more business into your salon or spa.

We will demystify the social media phenomenon, outline a straightforward strategy for using Facebook and Twitter, while highlighting powerful tips and common mistakes you can easily avoid. This webinar will help you spread your online influence quickly with fresh and timely advice you won’t find anywhere else.

This webinar is Free. Space is limited so reserve your seat today!

Click to Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

Space is limited.

Title: Social Media Crash Course – A Free Webinar to Ignite Sales
Date: Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Time: 1:00 pm — 2:00 pm EDT

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Marketing, Spa Product Sales, Spa Technology, SpaBoom Webinars, Strategies • 2 Comments »