Comments for SpaBoom Blog http://www.spaboomblog.com Online Marketing and Industry News for spas, salons and massage therapists Tue, 15 May 2012 19:36:51 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Comment on The Real Cost of Doing a Groupon by Groupon for Photographers: Madness or genius marketing? « Matt http://www.spaboomblog.com/2010/the-real-cost-of-doing-a-groupon/comment-page-1#comment-47742 Groupon for Photographers: Madness or genius marketing? « Matt Tue, 15 May 2012 19:36:51 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=2788#comment-47742 [...] SpaBloom Blog – The real cost of doing a Groupon – A must read for anyone considering Groupon to get business. [...] [...] SpaBloom Blog – The real cost of doing a Groupon – A must read for anyone considering Groupon to get business. [...]

]]> Comment on How to compete with Massage Envy, Part 2 by Mike http://www.spaboomblog.com/2010/how-to-compete-with-massage-envy-part-2/comment-page-1#comment-47739 Mike Tue, 15 May 2012 04:37:28 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=1393#comment-47739 I have found it very entertaining to read the posts. Some things I agree on and some it is very apparent that there is some "envy" in their comments. First ME does help even the competition due to the large amount of advertising in the market, there are many other than ME that benefit from this, the biggest challenge in this industry is to educate the market and all will win. Secondly I agree that it is hard to book at times , but would you rather go to a nice restaurant and be placed on the waiting list or the lesser restaurant and get right in... The areas I definitely disagree on is that ME only has new therapists, when in fact they have therapists with all kinds of experience, and with the amount they do instead of sitting on their hands for years, a therapist with six months of experience can have much more experience than an outside therapist with 3 plus years. Some comments about only caring about the money is the farthest from the truth. ME therapists have a much higher rate of therapists still in the business after 3 years than outside therapists. The massage industry had struggled for years with therapists not able to make a career out of their efforts. ME has over 20,000 therapist nationally and they are staying for a reason. One segment of the posts is very true, anyone that is talking negative is not doing themselves or anyone else a favor. What you can do is offer personal service to the highest quality and that ME therapists can do as well and have been very successful that is the reason there are over 1 million clients now ,if an outside therapist is successful taking care of their own business they would certainly be successful as well and would not even have a worry about ME other than they help them promote massages. In conclusion the numbers dont lie, ME is here to stay and yes they will be much bigger in the future than now. The number of clients prove this is no fluke, and the industry will continue to grow. I recommend all the negative comments to really take a look at their business and make it stronger if you do you will do great, if you elect to spend your time with envy and being negative, thats exactly where your business will go in the negative. I have found it very entertaining to read the posts. Some things I agree on and some it is very apparent that there is some "envy" in their comments. First ME does help even the competition due to the large amount of advertising in the market, there are many other than ME that benefit from this, the biggest challenge in this industry is to educate the market and all will win. Secondly I agree that it is hard to book at times , but would you rather go to a nice restaurant and be placed on the waiting list or the lesser restaurant and get right in…

The areas I definitely disagree on is that ME only has new therapists, when in fact they have therapists with all kinds of experience, and with the amount they do instead of sitting on their hands for years, a therapist with six months of experience can have much more experience than an outside therapist with 3 plus years. Some comments about only caring about the money is the farthest from the truth. ME therapists have a much higher rate of therapists still in the business after 3 years than outside therapists. The massage industry had struggled for years with therapists not able to make a career out of their efforts. ME has over 20,000 therapist nationally and they are staying for a reason.

One segment of the posts is very true, anyone that is talking negative is not doing themselves or anyone else a favor. What you can do is offer personal service to the highest quality and that ME therapists can do as well and have been very successful that is the reason there are over 1 million clients now ,if an outside therapist is successful taking care of their own business they would certainly be successful as well and would not even have a worry about ME other than they help them promote massages.

In conclusion the numbers dont lie, ME is here to stay and yes they will be much bigger in the future than now. The number of clients prove this is no fluke, and the industry will continue to grow. I recommend all the negative comments to really take a look at their business and make it stronger if you do you will do great, if you elect to spend your time with envy and being negative, thats exactly where your business will go in the negative.

]]> Comment on Must Do: New Mother's Day GC Designs plus Graduation Email Design by Joanna http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/new-gc-designs-and-graduation-email-template/comment-page-1#comment-47607 Joanna Sun, 06 May 2012 13:48:27 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8159#comment-47607 The new spa certificates look great! The new spa certificates look great!

]]> Comment on Why No One Likes You on Facebook by Seth Gardenswartz http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/why-no-one-likes-you-on-facebook/comment-page-1#comment-47403 Seth Gardenswartz Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:54:22 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8080#comment-47403 Alan raises an important point in that social media is more marketing than advertizing. Knowing your client base is critical to using social media effectively. I completely agree that what works for one spa will not necessarily be effective for another. "Noise" is generally not worth liking. Alan raises an important point in that social media is more marketing than advertizing. Knowing your client base is critical to using social media effectively. I completely agree that what works for one spa will not necessarily be effective for another. "Noise" is generally not worth liking.

]]> Comment on Why No One Likes You on Facebook by Alan http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/why-no-one-likes-you-on-facebook/comment-page-1#comment-47402 Alan Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:35:48 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8080#comment-47402 Facebook is in my opinion extraordinarily tricky to use for marketing. Not bad, not good, just very tricky. The first rule is, know your clientele. We have a large population of *very* social media-savvy clients. (Probably around 60% of our clientele are students from nearby universities.) So because of that, we are, with each Facebook post we make, weighing whether the post is really worthwhile. And even if it is worthwhile, it might not get posted if we feel we've already hit our limit for the day/week/month -- that is, we just have a sense that if we post too often on Facebook, EVEN GOOD STUFF, our clients are going to get turned off simply because there is already so much 'crap' (aka noise) out there on Facebook. In my opinion it honestly also depends on what your business' approach is to wellness. We are not a large high-end spa; we have 5 treatment rooms and offer mainly massage therapy, at affordable prices. Our atmosphere is very quiet and serene. We constantly keep that in mind, as well as the fact that a lot of the time our clients are coming to us *to get away from* 'noises' in their life, like the all-consuming Facebook etc. The last thing I'll say is that our motto is to really respect the idea of having minimal intrusion into our clients' lives when they are not with us. This is simply a matter of respecting them enough to know we don't have to beat them over the head with every new form of communication in order for them to want to return to us. This works for us, but might not work for large, high-end spas. The Bella Sante facebook page is *awesome* but would likely not work for us, just because of our approach to wellness and what our clients expect from us along those lines. Facebook is in my opinion extraordinarily tricky to use for marketing. Not bad, not good, just very tricky. The first rule is, know your clientele. We have a large population of *very* social media-savvy clients. (Probably around 60% of our clientele are students from nearby universities.) So because of that, we are, with each Facebook post we make, weighing whether the post is really worthwhile. And even if it is worthwhile, it might not get posted if we feel we've already hit our limit for the day/week/month — that is, we just have a sense that if we post too often on Facebook, EVEN GOOD STUFF, our clients are going to get turned off simply because there is already so much 'crap' (aka noise) out there on Facebook. In my opinion it honestly also depends on what your business' approach is to wellness. We are not a large high-end spa; we have 5 treatment rooms and offer mainly massage therapy, at affordable prices. Our atmosphere is very quiet and serene. We constantly keep that in mind, as well as the fact that a lot of the time our clients are coming to us *to get away from* 'noises' in their life, like the all-consuming Facebook etc. The last thing I'll say is that our motto is to really respect the idea of having minimal intrusion into our clients' lives when they are not with us. This is simply a matter of respecting them enough to know we don't have to beat them over the head with every new form of communication in order for them to want to return to us. This works for us, but might not work for large, high-end spas. The Bella Sante facebook page is *awesome* but would likely not work for us, just because of our approach to wellness and what our clients expect from us along those lines.

]]> Comment on Why No One Likes You on Facebook by Seth Gardenswartz http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/why-no-one-likes-you-on-facebook/comment-page-1#comment-47363 Seth Gardenswartz Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:56:19 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8080#comment-47363 Sandra-- I can't comment about the odd-quotient in your social graph but I also think your 70% there, but can benefit from a few tweaks. One thing I always like to do is look at a Facebook page that is getting what you want in terms of engagement. One of my favorite examples is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bellasante" rel="nofollow">Bella Sante</a> in Boston. It is a big spa in a major market and has a different voice than your business, but they have clearly invested the time and effort to find a program that works. The fact that you are looking for a two-way conversation bodes well for your use of Facebook this year. Keep experimenting and feel free to call us if you have any specific questions. Love to hear from some more spas about their successes and frustrations with Facebook. Sandra– I can't comment about the odd-quotient in your social graph but I also think your 70% there, but can benefit from a few tweaks. One thing I always like to do is look at a Facebook page that is getting what you want in terms of engagement. One of my favorite examples is Bella Sante in Boston. It is a big spa in a major market and has a different voice than your business, but they have clearly invested the time and effort to find a program that works. The fact that you are looking for a two-way conversation bodes well for your use of Facebook this year. Keep experimenting and feel free to call us if you have any specific questions. Love to hear from some more spas about their successes and frustrations with Facebook.

]]> Comment on Why No One Likes You on Facebook by sandra wiendels http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/why-no-one-likes-you-on-facebook/comment-page-1#comment-47355 sandra wiendels Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:17:50 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8080#comment-47355 Hi-- I post once or twice a week with promos or articles related to health,massage and do ads to promote specials in Facebook. I have a large amount of followers but most are not even in the state we do business in and many seem quite odd people. Rarely we get any comments although I have offered discounts for customers making suggestions on how to improve our services or suggestions on new promotions they would like to see. It feels like a one way communication which is very frustrating. Hi– I post once or twice a week with promos or articles related to health,massage and do ads to promote specials in Facebook. I have a large amount of followers but most are not even in the state we do business in and many seem quite odd people. Rarely we get any comments although I have offered discounts for customers making suggestions on how to improve our services or suggestions on new promotions they would like to see. It feels like a one way communication which is very frustrating.

]]> Comment on Reward Those Repeat Customers You Love and Appreciate by Stephany Toman http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/reward-those-repeat-customers-you-love-and-appreciate/comment-page-1#comment-47344 Stephany Toman Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:35:51 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8106#comment-47344 Hi Joanne- Rewards are redeemed in the spa/salon in whatever manner the spa/salon has set up. For example, they might have 100 points worth $10 off a service. At checkout, the 100 points would be redeemed in the SpaBoom system and they would deduct $10 from the service cost in their point of sale system. We are adding functionality to allow clients to receive their point information via email and online. We don't have a specific date when that will be available at this time, but watch for it soon! If you have additional questions, please feel free to also contact customer support at 800.940.0458. We're happy to chat and help you there, as well! Thanks for your comment! Hi Joanne- Rewards are redeemed in the spa/salon in whatever manner the spa/salon has set up. For example, they might have 100 points worth $10 off a service. At checkout, the 100 points would be redeemed in the SpaBoom system and they would deduct $10 from the service cost in their point of sale system.

We are adding functionality to allow clients to receive their point information via email and online. We don't have a specific date when that will be available at this time, but watch for it soon!

If you have additional questions, please feel free to also contact customer support at 800.940.0458. We're happy to chat and help you there, as well!

Thanks for your comment!

]]> Comment on Why No One Likes You on Facebook by Seth Gardenswartz http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/why-no-one-likes-you-on-facebook/comment-page-1#comment-47343 Seth Gardenswartz Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:33:13 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8080#comment-47343 Jessica-- I think you are right on track! You can "promote" your Facebook page and get lots of new "likes" with programs like Sweepstakes, and other strategies but as with any promotion you are ultimately responsible for the engagement yielded from those new prospects. The good news is every post you make is "graded" by your fans (and by the Facebook algorithm called "<a href="http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/12/27/edgerank-and-graph-rank-defined/" rel="nofollow">edgerank</a>." I don't mean to suggest a spa use chocolate chip cookies for engagement. But it I was selling cookies i would want people to think about them as a gift in unique ways. To take that example to the spa market lets think about spring fever. An early spring has put allergies on everyone's mind but few consumers seem to know about the wonders of a sinus massage. A post like "Get a sinus massage as my spa!" is just an ad and won't work without engagement even if you have convinced hundreds of people to like you. However, a conversation about sinus, allergies and <em>information</em> about alternative treatments for seasonal allergies (like local honey), might get the engagement necessary. What you are really doing is promoting yourself as an expert and connecting with your community. I would love to know what you have learned about frequency. Most of the 48% of small businesses who say they use Facebook (I don't believe that number) post less than once a month and half post three times a year or less. Jessica– I think you are right on track! You can "promote" your Facebook page and get lots of new "likes" with programs like Sweepstakes, and other strategies but as with any promotion you are ultimately responsible for the engagement yielded from those new prospects. The good news is every post you make is "graded" by your fans (and by the Facebook algorithm called "edgerank." I don't mean to suggest a spa use chocolate chip cookies for engagement. But it I was selling cookies i would want people to think about them as a gift in unique ways. To take that example to the spa market lets think about spring fever. An early spring has put allergies on everyone's mind but few consumers seem to know about the wonders of a sinus massage. A post like "Get a sinus massage as my spa!" is just an ad and won't work without engagement even if you have convinced hundreds of people to like you. However, a conversation about sinus, allergies and information about alternative treatments for seasonal allergies (like local honey), might get the engagement necessary. What you are really doing is promoting yourself as an expert and connecting with your community. I would love to know what you have learned about frequency. Most of the 48% of small businesses who say they use Facebook (I don't believe that number) post less than once a month and half post three times a year or less.

]]> Comment on Why No One Likes You on Facebook by Jessica http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/why-no-one-likes-you-on-facebook/comment-page-1#comment-47342 Jessica Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:00:39 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8080#comment-47342 I think this makes sense... somewhat. At the same time, number of likes isn't truly as important as how your word is spread. & if it's spread. You could have hundreds of fans and no activity. We found that sweepstakes mostly built up superficially. I agree about the engaging content & what we may think of as engaging may not be engaging to our clients or prospective ones. We try to mix things up... to not always promote ourselves, but also wellness tips, cool yet related images or YouTube videos. By having a diverse mix of postings we hope it is more interesting and we can see what is most "engaging" to our subscribers. I understand the cookie thing, but truly if I did that exactly... it wouldn't be perinabt. I also have tracked how frequently I post to see what is most effective. I would be interested in others comments too! I think this makes sense… somewhat. At the same time, number of likes isn't truly as important as how your word is spread. & if it's spread. You could have hundreds of fans and no activity. We found that sweepstakes mostly built up superficially. I agree about the engaging content & what we may think of as engaging may not be engaging to our clients or prospective ones. We try to mix things up… to not always promote ourselves, but also wellness tips, cool yet related images or YouTube videos. By having a diverse mix of postings we hope it is more interesting and we can see what is most "engaging" to our subscribers. I understand the cookie thing, but truly if I did that exactly… it wouldn't be perinabt. I also have tracked how frequently I post to see what is most effective. I would be interested in others comments too!

]]> Comment on Reward Those Repeat Customers You Love and Appreciate by joanne graves http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/reward-those-repeat-customers-you-love-and-appreciate/comment-page-1#comment-47294 joanne graves Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:43:58 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8106#comment-47294 How are the rewards redeemed by the client? Is there a way for the client to track their points? Thank you, Joanne How are the rewards redeemed by the client? Is there a way for the client to track their points?

Thank you,
Joanne

]]> Comment on Reward Those Repeat Customers You Love and Appreciate by Andrea Feucht http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/reward-those-repeat-customers-you-love-and-appreciate/comment-page-1#comment-47290 Andrea Feucht Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:42:15 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8106#comment-47290 Elizabeth, thanks for your comment. I'll have someone get in touch about the marketing suite. Take care! Elizabeth, thanks for your comment. I'll have someone get in touch about the marketing suite. Take care!

]]> Comment on Reward Those Repeat Customers You Love and Appreciate by Elizabeth Taylor http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/reward-those-repeat-customers-you-love-and-appreciate/comment-page-1#comment-47124 Elizabeth Taylor Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:14:48 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=8106#comment-47124 Hello, I am a SpaBoomer but do not seem to have a Rewards Tab under Marketing. Please call me to discuss my options. Thanks, Elizabeth Hello,

I am a SpaBoomer but do not seem to have a Rewards Tab under Marketing. Please call me to discuss my options.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

]]> Comment on Groupon Grasping for Growth by Victoria http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/groupon-grasping-for-growth/comment-page-1#comment-47117 Victoria Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:56:27 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=7954#comment-47117 I did three Living Social deals in 2011 and had a 7% return rate. A lot of work for such a low return. I collected all email addresses and have marketed to them as well on my own and still very little return. Despite the fact they gave me excellent reviews on LS. Will not do daily deals again accept for maybe smaller ones. I think it attracts the penny pinchers for the most part. I did three Living Social deals in 2011 and had a 7% return rate. A lot of work for such a low return. I collected all email addresses and have marketed to them as well on my own and still very little return. Despite the fact they gave me excellent reviews on LS. Will not do daily deals again accept for maybe smaller ones. I think it attracts the penny pinchers for the most part.

]]> Comment on How to compete with Massage Envy, Part 1 by Julie http://www.spaboomblog.com/2010/how-to-compete-with-massage-envy-part-1/comment-page-1#comment-47097 Julie Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:55:54 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=1383#comment-47097 If you can't beat them join them! I offer my clients our own membership club. $69 a month for a facial or massage and the additional services up to 4 are only $59. I have about 60-70 members which generates an automatic $4500 in revenue on day 1. It's not too many that we can't ever get them in. We've been doing it for about 3 years and most people only do the one service. Some come weekly and some book 2 services in the same day. My next goal is how to get the membership people in to enjoy more of what we have to offer! BTW my regular massage is $85 and facial is $75. If you can't beat them join them! I offer my clients our own membership club. $69 a month for a facial or massage and the additional services up to 4 are only $59. I have about 60-70 members which generates an automatic $4500 in revenue on day 1. It's not too many that we can't ever get them in. We've been doing it for about 3 years and most people only do the one service. Some come weekly and some book 2 services in the same day. My next goal is how to get the membership people in to enjoy more of what we have to offer! BTW my regular massage is $85 and facial is $75.

]]> Comment on Groupon Grasping for Growth by Tracey http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/groupon-grasping-for-growth/comment-page-1#comment-47094 Tracey Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:21:11 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=7954#comment-47094 I agree 100% with Michael. I have also run several groupons w/ a negotiated split and it was very successful! We have generated 1500 new clients and 91% positive ratings. I paid my staff the 50%, so with tips from $10-$20 they were making approx. $27.50-$37.50 per hr. I agree 100% with Michael. I have also run several groupons w/ a negotiated split and it was very successful! We have generated 1500 new clients and 91% positive ratings. I paid my staff the 50%, so with tips from $10-$20 they were making approx. $27.50-$37.50 per hr.

]]> Comment on Groupon Grasping for Growth by Randy Marks http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/groupon-grasping-for-growth/comment-page-1#comment-47077 Randy Marks Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:49:06 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=7954#comment-47077 We think Bill's take on this has been spot on from the outset. It's not a "Daily Deal". It's a once a year deal and it is the highest cost of customer acquisition with the lowest conversion rate of any marketing program. But that's not the biggest shortcoming. The only reason to do this is to capture a new customer. No daily deal provider gives the practitioner the customer data. Groupon et all sees these people as their customer, not the merchants. When our practitioners scan our vouchers, the customer data drops instantly into the practitioner's unique data base on our cloud-based application. http://mbpartnerships.com/portal We think Bill's take on this has been spot on from the outset. It's not a "Daily Deal". It's a once a year deal and it is the highest cost of customer acquisition with the lowest conversion rate of any marketing program. But that's not the biggest shortcoming. The only reason to do this is to capture a new customer. No daily deal provider gives the practitioner the customer data. Groupon et all sees these people as their customer, not the merchants. When our practitioners scan our vouchers, the customer data drops instantly into the practitioner's unique data base on our cloud-based application. http://mbpartnerships.com/portal

]]> Comment on 77% Want Promotional Offers via Email by Spa Kat http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/77-want-promotional-offers-via-email/comment-page-1#comment-46859 Spa Kat Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:04:23 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=7971#comment-46859 Nikki, Groupon's most valuable asset is their email list (as admitted in an <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20110825/exclusive-groupons-mason-tells-troops-in-feisty-internal-memo-it-looks-good/" rel="nofollow">accidentally leaked memo</a>) the real answer is that you will need to develop your own good list of subscribers. Without a good list, you'll have to rent Groupons, which is extremely expensive and generally unprofitable. Please check out our extensive <a href="http://www.spaboomblog.com/2011/yelp-rating-increases-bottom-line-unless-you-groupon" rel="nofollow">blog coverage of Groupon</a> and why we think its a really bad deal for most businesses. Nikki,
Groupon's most valuable asset is their email list (as admitted in an accidentally leaked memo) the real answer is that you will need to develop your own good list of subscribers. Without a good list, you'll have to rent Groupons, which is extremely expensive and generally unprofitable. Please check out our extensive blog coverage of Groupon and why we think its a really bad deal for most businesses.

]]> Comment on 77% Want Promotional Offers via Email by Nikki http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/77-want-promotional-offers-via-email/comment-page-1#comment-46857 Nikki Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:16:08 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=7971#comment-46857 This is really good to know! I've seen a lot of spas using Groupon and other 'social deals.' Do you know if e-mail promotion is more effective than something like that? This is really good to know! I've seen a lot of spas using Groupon and other 'social deals.' Do you know if e-mail promotion is more effective than something like that?

]]> Comment on Groupon Grasping for Growth by Michael http://www.spaboomblog.com/2012/groupon-grasping-for-growth/comment-page-1#comment-46848 Michael Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:17:33 +0000 http://www.spaboomblog.com/?p=7954#comment-46848 I've run 4 Groupons over the last 18 mos and it has worked very successful. We have generated over 700 new clients. My staff believes that if they provide a 1st class service, (we already have a 1st class salon), then a good percentage will come back. We have a 60% retention of Groupon clients and a 91% positive rating return. We also have negotiated a greater than 50% commission from Groupon. We basically break even on the deal as my staff is willing to be paid hourly for groupon work knowing the real intention is to obtain a new client for long term. Think out of the box and long term. It can work if your staff is On board. I've run 4 Groupons over the last 18 mos and it has worked very successful.
We have generated over 700 new clients. My staff believes that if they provide a 1st class service, (we already have a 1st class salon), then a good percentage will come back. We have a 60% retention of Groupon clients and a 91% positive rating return.
We also have negotiated a greater than 50% commission from Groupon.
We basically break even on the deal as my staff is willing to be paid hourly for groupon work knowing the real intention is to obtain a new client for long term.
Think out of the box and long term. It can work if your staff is On board.

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