When I think of the unprecedented growth of the med spa business in the last decade, it’s almost impossible to believe. It’s also difficult to comprehend how many things in the industry have evolved in a relatively short amount of time. Technological advances have been astounding—from radical improvements in laser and light-based equipment, to better and expanded ways of injecting dermal fillers, and of course, the explosion of social media. It’s certainly a different yet more exciting playing field than it was in the early 2000s.
But in our quest to chase the “new and improved,” we sometimes lose track of the fundamentals required for strong, long-term business performance. It’s important to revisit proven techniques for running a successful spa business. Let’s look at how we can effectively apply these basics in today’s ever-changing business climate.
WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT IN MARKETING? GENERATION X, Y OR REVENUE?
You guessed it—it’s revenue. Because no matter how many times a day you’re Tweeting about your business, posting specials on Facebook or selling Groupons, nothing really matters if clients aren’t walking in your door repeatedly to spend money on your services. Client relationships are crucial. Marketing is essential, and providing in-demand services is key. But all of these things are only relevant if they are in fact generating revenue.
Traditional marketing
There are many ways to improve revenue generation, both traditional and what’s called “guerilla.” Standard media channels typically work but can be prohibitively expensive: television, radio, print and online advertising. The good news is that there are now affordable versions of all of them.
• Television ads, while always expensive, are not limited to just a few large network conglomerates. There are many local startup cable and Internet channels with significantly lower advertising costs.
• Print advertising has also become easier, more affordable and even DIY, thanks to online printing services like Vistaprint, Shutterfly and moo.com. From business cards to letterheads, many web shops will not only help you design a logo (or let you use your own), they will also execute the mailing for a reasonable fee.
• Digital media is often less expensive than print and worth looking into as part of your total marketing budget.
Guerilla marketing
Aside from these traditional types of marketing, there’s also the opportunity for “guerilla marketing” to obtain clients using time and effort rather than dollars.
• Television, radio and print. You can work to establish yourself as an expert in your field to obtain interviews on these media channels. If you succeed at this, you will receive expensive media coverage and not have to pay for it. A five-minute interview with a local daily talk show host about the services you offer can gain you miles of exposure. Try calling a small radio station and ask them if there’s a spot for you. You might be surprised by the enthusiastic response you receive!
• Make your business mobile. For example, could you offer microdermabrasion at your local gym or doctor’s office?
• Loyalty programs, industry discounts, networking with colleagues are other forms of guerilla marketing.
The two most important questions to consider when determining the effectiveness of any marketing initiative are:
• Do I have the proper tracking in place?
• Have I given this enough time to work?
According to Ian Bowman, Spa Marketing Manager at National Laser Institute, “Most people need to hear something a minimum of three times before taking action.” He says you should be persistent but also realistic. “For example, you can’t launch a radio campaign and give up after a week because you didn’t get 1,000 calls. Depending on the platform used, four weeks is usually the minimum amount of time you want to give a campaign a trial-run.”
Bowman also advises using all of the tools in your arsenal to track results, such as a unique phone number assigned to a particular ad, or a unique landing page to track click-throughs. And don’t forget about communication, both with your front desk and your clients. Ensuring your staff consistently asks, “How did you hear about us?” will reveal valuable patterns to you about your customer.
Control Your Costs—or They’ll Control You
Keeping control over what you spend goes hand in hand with tracking to ensure you’re spending on the things that provide the biggest return. It’s easy to engage in frivolous spending when you get busy and consequently fail to check back on performance. Websites such as capterra.com provide all the information you need about small business software and tracking packages, and it has a category just for spas. Many software companies offer a free demo, and there are plenty of customer reviews to answer all of your questions.
Creating a sterling reputation
Establishing a great reputation for your business naturally means delivering both quality and consistency to your customer, but there’s a third element that’s perhaps even more important: going above and beyond what’s expected of you. There are so many ways to achieve this, big and small. Most don’t require a big budget and many won’t cost you a dime, just a passion for what you do, an eye for detail and the ability to anticipate your customer’s needs.
Here are some other examples of how businesses can create their own sterling reputations, which you can easily emulate or modify to make them your own:
• A valet who already has pulled the car around by the time you hand your ticket to them (the waiter has notified the valet via pager). They call you by name when they wish you a good evening. Can you communicate in a similar way with your front desk about products that the client may be interested in, follow-up treatments, etc. to suggest to them when they check out?
• Including a mini back massage and trimming your client’s eyebrows at no additional charge with a facial.
• Offering a complimentary paraffin treatment with a regular pedicure.
Building a virtual reputation
Gone are the days when “customer feedback” boxes were located somewhere near the actual point of sale. Today, we rely on social networking sites like Yelp to find out if customers are happy with our services. When they’re thrilled with our services, we’re thrilled with the subsequent good publicity. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you encounter a client who isn’t going to be satisfied. It happens. You can’t control what people write online. But if you always give your best (and reach out in a very professional way to an online complaint), you’re going to be fine in the long run.
As you continue to nurture your business and grow alongside it, always remember to ask yourself how you can add value to your client’s experience. How can you be unique, different and memorable? Consider this: If you were coming to your own business as a first-time customer, what would turn you into a customer for life? Revisiting the basics at least once a year will ensure that your business stays on track and continues to thrive.
The post Spa Business 101 appeared first on Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa – The Leading Magazine for Skin Care and Spa Professionals.