SpaBoom New Features

Groupon and its many clones claim to expose your business to new customers by offering deeply discounted coupons for your business. But before you follow the masses and try a Groupon style deal, you might want to understand their economics.

First, Groupon will demand your deal be at least 50% off the regular price. Next, you have to pay Groupon 50% of the purchase price (unless your offer is less than $10 in which case Groupon keeps 100% of the revenue). So if you agree to sell a $100 Groupon for $50 after paying Groupon $25 you will have just $25 to pay wages, and overhead.

Lets figure the profit margin on this deal. If your direct cost of sales is 50%, each Groupon will cost you $25 in negative gross profit. If your deal is “successful” and you sell 500 units, your total loss will be $15,000.

Think you can make that up in new business generated from the promotion? Think again. The average net profit margin for most businesses is 5%, so you would have to sell $175,917 in full price treatments to make up the loss generated by your Groupon. However, Groupon’s own PR predicts that just 22% of Groupon users will become customers. That translates to just 132 new clients for a dismal $6,204 in net profit from your new Groupon clients. All in all, after your original loss and tiny profit from new clients, the Groupon will cost you $8,796.

If this makes Groupon sound like a ridiculous promotion for your business, we agree. Consider the alternative. If you do your own own Groupon-style deal, you can make a profit by carefully controlling the margins, the total number of sales and the people exposed to the offer.

First create your own package (something not on your menu) so you can still offer a great deal, without cheapening your brand or eviscerating your margin. If you can develop a high margin package, you may be able to get your direct costs down to 40%. By using BoomTime Deals to handle your deal mechanics, each sale will cost you 3% instead of 50%. And since we will not be targeting Groupon’s massive list of bottom-feeders, you'll sell a smaller number of units to gain a similar number of long term clients. The end result would be a $850 profit.

Sound too good to be true? Want to learn more? If you missed our free webinar you can now download, Roll your own Groupon-style deal, and follow along with the presentation. We show you how to strategize and create a plan to Roll your own flash sale and outline the four steps to intelligent discounting. Learn how to increase profits, establish new business and create brand awareness.

If you don't like the numbers we used, plug in your own! Try our group deal calculator to see what a Groupon brand (or clone) deal will cost your business.

Posted in General, Group Deals, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Webinars • 12 Comments »

We are excited to announce that a long-requested feature is here: comments on your SpaBoom blog posts!

You won't see a whole bunch of changes — your blog will look about the same, except that you can enable comments, which are then moderated before being published. This is very much like Reviews, so if you use Reviews, you'll already know how easy it is.

Your clients leave comments as themselves, or anonymously. And YOU have complete control over what is ultimately published, by approving, hiding, or even editing the comments as they come in (a quick word about blog comment moderation and ethics — to remain as open as possible, it is often recommended that you only hide spam or offensive comments so that your clients know that they can be open with you about their thoughts).

Here's how it works:

At the bottom of each of your individual blog post pages the reader will see a comment field – all they need to do is leave their thoughts, type in a CAPTCHA code to ensure they are a sentient being, then either use their existing client login with you, create a new client record, or simply remain anonymous:

If you have enabled email notifications for comments (in the Blogging Settings screen), you will receive an email that you have a comment to moderate. Otherwise, you'll see a handy little notice when you next login to SpaBoom (a similar notice will appear on your Blog Posts page in your account, as well):

Click on the notice to go right to your Blog Comments list, where you can approve each comment, or hide as appropriate. And that's pretty much it — enjoy, and blog happy!

Posted in SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials • 2 Comments »

Groupon has been wildly successful, which is a good thing. For Groupon. For small businesses, it is a horrible deal. They take 50% of an already discounted deal while degrading any chance at client loyalty. Join us as we show you how to Roll Your Own Groupon and discuss the five steps to intelligent discounting. Learn how to increase profits, bring in new business and maintain your local brand value.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

Title: Roll Your Own Groupon – Free Webinar
Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EDT

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Webinars • 1 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 »

Earlier this summer we mentioned a new feature we've been working on to let your clients get a little nudge when they have recently bought an Instant Gift Certificate or used SpaBoom to request an appointment and haven't yet left a review.

We call it "Review Reminders" and it works like this:

• If your client has not submitted a review in the last year, and they've requested an appointment OR redeemed a gift certificate in the last 3 days, we will send them a quick little email to see if they'd like to submit a review.
• We will NOT send them a "Request Review" email if they've received one in the last three months.

The setting is in the Marketing Tab, under Marketing Settings, and we'll be turning it on August 9th — no need to do anything to enable the reminders.

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • Comment »

Don't get us wrong, Instant Gift Certificates (IGC's) are a key component in an online marketing strategy, a revenue-driving, consumer-friendly, essential element. We've facilitated over $85M in online transactions for our clients since we brought SpaBoom to the market, so we get how powerful the revenue piece is to any strategy.

But there is so much more to the game than just IGC's. And we're going to show you what that looks like. Over the next few months we will be conducting a series of webinars in which we will outline and define what true online marketing looks like, and how you can conduct effective brand building and drive revenue in the virtual universe.

We'll cover all of the following topics, and probably a lot more, as we tend to get excited about this stuff — it's what we do, and we love to share that with you!

A great website and social media

A comprehensive, effective online marketing strategy should include having an awesome, SEO friendly, up-to-date website. Your website should garner online attention, meet the needs of your customers, and drive revenue in the process.

Special events should be easy to create, and when those events post they should update the website as well as create a social media post. Facebook and Twitter are no longer fringe elements in a marketing mix, they're now part of any well-balanced online strategy.

Menu of services

Your menu of services should always be up-to-date as well, and printable at your convenience. There is no reason, ever, to have an outdated menu of services on your website.

Email campaigns

You should be able to easily create and send emails to your clients. To different lists. For different reasons. Easily, quickly, and if you wish, with no creative effort at all of your own. SpaBoom includes default email campaigns that you may tailor to your needs or simply use as is. Your branding is everywhere, as you've come to expect, and emblazons every single email that goes out on your behalf.

Online Booking

Your clients should be able to book online with you. Doing so respects their desire for easy access to you, and streamlines managing your book.

National Exposure via Joy of Spa and Spa Emergency!

SpaBoom drives business to your spa via our online directories and with our Joy of Spa Gift Certificate. Not only will we help you strengthen your local brand, we'll send traffic your way with our ongoing national marketing!

Convenience for you

Time is of the essence. Imagine the ability to conduct all of your online marketing in one place -– your SpaBoom account. Imagine one login, one point of entry, for all of these functions. Then, get ready to embrace The New SpaBoom.

Keep watch for more on how easy it can and should be for you to be the boss of your online marketing, and still have time to do what it is that you love — manage your spa, salon or massage therapy practice!

As always, if you have questions, please give us a call at 800.940.0458 or send us an .

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Joy of Spa Gift Certificates, SpaBoom New Features • 1 Comment »

Instant Gift Certificates alone are not enough anymore. Your full online marketing suite must comprise a perpetually up-to-date website, revenue generation, social media, email marketing and online booking.

Join us for a Webinar on Wednesday, July 7th, as Janell demonstrates the tools you need to be effective in the highly competitive modern marketing environment.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat Now!

Title: The New SpaBoom — Your Online Marketing Edge
Date: Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Time: 1:00 pm — 2:00 pm EDT

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Website Design, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Webinars • 4 Comments »

Since we've rolled out the ability to post to Facebook from within SpaBoom, both automatically and any other time you'd like, we're thrilled with the feedback.

So, we're making it even better — now you can post a photo with your entries.  Feature your newly decorated massage room, your gorgeous flower arrangements, even your smiling staff — every little bit of personalization will bring the spa experience closer to your clients, both the regulars and the future devotees.

It's simple to use — there is a new checkbox available when you create a Social Media post.

All it says is "Include Photo" and is the same functionality as attaching photos to blog posts, events and email campaigns.

Simply enable it and then select a photo from your gallery.  If you have new photos to upload, add those first before you create your post, and they'll be ready for you in the gallery selection.

Once your Facebook post is published, you'll see the photo included:

Simple and lovely while building  your brand — that's what we like to do.

Posted in Social Media, SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials • 1 Comment »

I confess, I almost always forget to leave reviews for purchases from individual sellers on Amazon, for hotel stays, even *gasp* spa visits. Usually I'm a little rushed when I complete my purchase or am on my way out of the business, so I figure I will take care of it later.

Sound familiar?

But later on, I get that tiny nudge in the form of an email, and usually at that point I can find the time to do the review.  I know my input can be helpful for other consumers, and it gives the business good feedback.  But I need the reminder — most times.

Now, SpaBoom can remind your clients, too.  If you use reviews as a means to track how you're doing, this is a perfect chance to gather more from your clients.

Because your IGC purchasers are already asked, when they complete their transaction, if they'd like to review the experience, we're taking that hint just one step further.  Here's what will happen (only if you have email marketing turned on):  if your client has not submitted a review in the last year, and they've requested an appointment OR redeemed a gift certificate in the last 3 days, we will send them a quick little email to see if they'd like to submit a review.

So that they'll not feel bombarded, we will NOT send them a "Request Review" email if they've received one in the last three months — you won't catch Amazon being that unobtrusive!

To simplify:  has your client interacted with you in the last 3 days via gift certificate or appointment?  If yes, have we emailed them in the last 3 months?  If no, have they submitted a review in the last year?  If no, we send them that review reminder.  Simple, easy.

The setting is in the Marketing Tab, under Marketing Settings, if you need to disable it in the future.

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Online Booking • 2 Comments »

My analytical mindset always gets excited when we expand the capabilities of our built-in Reports.

As you build up your momentum for the spring holidays, you can ponder your previous sales peaks and valleys and manage your online bookings with ease.  Here's a roundup of our changes:

1. All reports now have "remember" ability – the last view you had of any report is the view you'll come back to.  I like to group my IGCs by Month for the current year, so that's how I will always first see that report.  Perfect!
2. IGC Analysis report – take a quick peek at your trends and client behavior – how many GCs are mailed, which are existing clients . . . all kinds of great information.  This is a detailed version of the snapshot you see in your Dashboard.
3. Booking With Confirmation – this brand new report shows you tons of statistics on your success in booking clients for appointments, from existing client percentages to the dollar amounts represented.   Below is a screenshot of our new Booking report.

Let us know if you have any questions, and happy analyzing!

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Online Booking • Comment »

SpaBoom has just unleashed another tool that will increase your visibility to the world, one IGC at a time:  Facebooking at the time of IGC pickup.

This is a client-driven feature, and specifically, a recipient-driven activity:

Read all about how it works from your clients' perspective in our help topic, and begin to spread the love!

Posted in Creating Customers, Social Media, Spa Search Engine Optimization (SEO), SpaBoom New Features • 3 Comments »

We hope you love our new feature to create referral codes for your clients.

Now we've added a new wrinkle to our referral code ability — "one time referrals."  This means you can send out a tweet or an email with your referral code and mention that it is only good for the first 5 takers… or 2… or one!

You choose your promotion, whether it's dollar-off IGCs or percentage discount, set up your built-in limitations and a date range, if you'd like, and start promoting it like crazy!

For all the gritty details, see our help topic and let us know how you plan to use this cool feature.

Posted in SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials • 5 Comments »

By now, we have probably convinced you of the utility of social media in building your client relationships and strengthening your brand.  Twitter is still a handy way to reach out to the world in just a few short phrases, while Facebook is a destination site for your fans to hear your latest news and talk amongst themselves as a community.

Still haven't started yet?  No problem!  Today is the perfect time to take the leap — we've just made it even easier to keep your followers and fans in the know: automatic posts of your Events — including your announcements, specials, et cetera — from your SpaBoom account, both to Twitter and Facebook.

To get started, go to your Marketing tab and click on Social Media in the left-hand column.  You'll see the introductory screen, prompting you to provide your credentials for Twitter and/or Facebook:

To learn how to set up both accounts, see our step-by-step help files for both Twitter and Facebook.  [You do not need to set up both, but we definitely recommend it for the most consistent branding.  Twitter is the faster of the two to get started on, so at least dip your toes in Tweeting and let's continue...]

Once you're ready, go to your Events from the left column in Marketing, and choose an upcoming event from your list. You'll notice there is a new option — "Send to Social Media" is the checkbox to look for.

Once you check it, click Update, and then you'll be able to specify the date to make the initial post, and an optional follow-up date

You should check the content for clarity — click on the "content" link — don't forget about Twitter's 140 character limit, but we'll count for you and let you know how much space is remaining just below the text.  By default, your posts will go to the social media accounts you have configured — whether you have set up both or just one or the other.  This way your message stays consistent.

[A caveat -- if your Tweets automatically post to Facebook, OR your Facebook posts are automatically sent to Twitter, you should disable that integration to make sure there is little risk of double posts.]

That's pretty much it! Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend posting away, and let us know how you are using social media — we'd love to hear your stories!

Posted in Social Media, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials • 5 Comments »

You've asked us for the ability to reward select groups of clients using referral (or promotion) codes, and, just in time for your spring marketing strategy, it's here!

I'll run through a quick tutorial on how to create and use referral codes, and this guide is also available as a Help Topic, or just search Help for "referral".

Here's how to create your first Referral Code:

1. Go into your Marketing tab and choose Events from the left sidebar.
2. Create a new Event, and select the brand-new type "referral code" from the drop-down list.

   

3. Type in a name, description, and the code you'd like to use.  That code is what you can give to your clients.  If you're sending via email or the web, a weblink is also created in the textbox below, ready to copy & paste.

   

4. Choose your date range by typing in the date, or using the pop-up calendar

   

5. Now, just select the type of special you'd like to extend to your clients – Featured Services, Buy One Get One, or Percentage Off – and just set those up like you normally would.

   In this case, we're taking the usual $75 massage and offering it for just $62, as you'll see:

   

6. Distribute the code in any number of ways – cards at your front desk, email marketing (through your SpaBoom account or your 3rd party solution – all you need is the link!), flyers you drop into purchase bags, your Twitter account – any way you'd like!  Be creative and have fun with the codes.  You could even link to it on your website, giving the perk to anyone who visits your site often.

IGC Purchases With Referral Codes

With the referral code link, when they click on the link it will send them directly to your IGC page with the type of GC you are promoting already up on the screen, ready for them to choose it:

With the code only, the purchaser will be prompted for their code on the 3rd screen in the checkout process:

Notes About Purchase Options

1. Tax, if you add tax to your GC purchases, will be calculated on the discounted price.
2. Gratuity, if you feature that option, will be calculated on the NON-discounted price.
3. Mail delivery option fees are assessed as normally configured.
4. The IGC after purchase – just like with any other special – shows only the full value or name of the service to the recipient.   If the promotion is a Buy One, Get One, your purchaser will receive their bonus GC just like normal.

Let us know what you think and how you plan to use your Referral Codes this holiday or all spring long!

Posted in Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials • Comment »

Stop by the booth for the scoop on all the newest and coolest we're up to, as well as some Blissful chocolate!

Janell and I will be happy to give you effective tips and tricks for your holiday marketing, and to share simple ideas to get the most out of your SpaBoom service!

Event details:

• Dates: November 7–8, 2009.
• Venue: Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County Convention Center

Show hours:

• Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
• Sunday, November 8, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • 2 Comments »

Your front desk is a busy place and a critical touch point for most spa clients as they enter and leave your spa. The attention and service the front staff provides to spa clients in those pivotal moments is critical to your success. If the front staff can focus on your spa clients to rebook appointments, sell products, and tackling issues as they arise, your customers get better service and you make more money.

Move Spa Reservations Away from Front Desk

A ringing phone pulls your staff’s attention away from current clients to speak to potentials clients. The ideal solution is to completely move appointments to a call center away from the front desk, but many small spas don’t have the budget to accomplish it. Alternatively, many spa clients utilize SpaBoom's Online Booking, which reduces the need for the front desk to address reservation requests via phone. It increases your staff’s efficiency and revenue by allowing them to take care of current clients, rebook and sell retail product.

The SpaBoom booking program collects all the information your spa needs to book an appointment including credit card information. The SpaBoom platform is secure and PCI compliant so you don’t need to worry about having clients share their credit card information. It puts the control in your hands and fits the needs of your spa.

Online consumers expect ease and simplicity when it comes to making a spa reservation. Utilizing the SpaBoom online booking program makes it easy and simple to book a reservation and it will keep your customers coming back again and again. SpaBoom booking allows clients to interact with your spa the way they want every time they visit your spa website.

Free is a beautiful thing especially when you receive an online tool proven to build your business. Existing SpaBoom booking clients tell us that moving reservations away from the front desk has a dramatic improvement on rebooking rates and ultimately increases the spa’s revenue. Did I mention it is FREE?

Posted in General, Spa Business Management, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Online Booking • 1 Comment »

Do you know about the new features you have available at your fingertips? SpaBoom's newest additions make successful online marketing a nearly effortless extension of your in-house efforts!

Join Seth & Janell on June 2nd, 1-2 EDT, as they provide a tour of the latest features & functions available to help you to further increase your online revenue potential and keep in close touch with your existing clients.

The webinar will cover:

Online Booking — w/Confirmation and

Online Booking — Automatic (coming out next month)

Blissful Marketing

• Offers — create loyalty and add additional value to your services
• Collateral — create comment cards and email sign up cards
• Twitter — tweet your latest events & specials right from SpaBoom

Joy of Spa — National online magazine for women who love to spa, and a website with online directory

We will plan about 30 minutes to present these features, 15 minutes for questions, and another 15 minutes for general questions.

This webinar is FREE to all SpaBoom clients, so be sure to join in and learn!

How do I join?

Reserve your Webinar Seat NOW!

Space is limited.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

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

Joy of Spa, the national online magazine for women that love to spa, is up and online!

Additionally, we've created the Joy of Spa email newsletter, beginning just in time for Mother's Day! We'll publish four editions a year, beginning with this Mother's Day (set to launch on May 7th). The Joy of Spa newsletter is branded with your spa's logo and when your client clicks to read more, the website is branded with your logo, too!

If you're not already signed up, there's still time to get the first edition of the Joy of Spa News out to your clients in time for Mother's Day, but you need to hurry — it's set to launch the morning of Thursday, May 7th!

To take advantage of this Mother's Day communication opportunity, go to Setup, Basics in the Email Marketing section to put Joy of Spa to work for your spa! Get ready to send the first edition of a beautiful, branded newsletter to your clients!

Visit the Joy of Spa website, and as always, if you have questions, please give us a call at 800.940.0458.

Posted in General, Joy of Spa, Joy of Spa News, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • Comment »

Instantly update your website, no matter who maintains it! At SpaBoom we are always trying to come up with useful tools for our clients and we have an instant winner — the SpaBoom Event widget.

What’s our widget? The free SpaBoom Event widget is a mini program we developed for our linked Instant Gift Certificate spas. It allows your online spa clients to see the specials and promotions you create in your SpaBoom account.

The Event widget is specifically designed for Instant Gift Certificate customers who do not have a SpaBoom Dynamic website. The Event widget solves a problem by allowing you to enter spa specials and promotions in your SpaBoom administrative account thru Events and have them appear on your website’s homepage. This eliminates all the fiddling required to change out promotions and specials and the need to wait on your website designer to update information on your homepage.

Having the Event widget on your home page means inquisitive customers will keep coming back to your spa website to look for new spa packages and specials.

As an added bonus the Event widget is a great tool to build on your existing email list. Whether you use the SpaBoom Email Marketing program or an external email management tool, you can add new email addresses to your existing list in SpaBoom. If you do not already have an email sign up link on your website the event widget makes it possible for you to start collecting email addresses.

This free Event widget will have a huge impact on your spa business. Good things do come in small packages!

Sign up today! Call 800.940.0458 or us, and a SpaBoom representative will contact you.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Spa Business Management, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • 3 Comments »

Drum roll, please…

Joy of Spa, the national online magazine for women that love to spa, is nearly ready for prime time! We'll let you know when it's ready for you to explore, but in the meantime we need to share some additional, great news — we're creating the Joy of Spa email newsletter, beginning just in time for Mother's Day! Your feedback and positive response to SpaFinder Lifestyle, which has been placed on indefinite hiatus, made us realize you really really like having a great newsletter to share with your clients.

Those of you who enjoyed sharing SpaFinder Lifestyle with your clients will really love what we're doing with Joy of Spa! We'll publish four editions a year, beginning with this Mother's Day (set to launch on May 8th). The Joy of Spa newsletter is branded with your spa's logo and when your client clicks to read more, the website is branded with your logo, too!

If you participated in the SpaFinder Lifestyle, you're already signed up for the Joy of Spa.

If you hadn't yet signed up to send a beautiful, branded newsletter to your clients on a regular basis, now is your time to get onboard! Go to Setup, Basics to put Joy of Spa to work for your spa!

Stay tuned for more information, and for a peek at the Joy of Spa website — coming shortly!

Posted in Joy of Spa, Joy of Spa News, SpaBoom New Features • 1 Comment »