on Jul 12th, 2008If I Was Going To Start Up A Day Spa
For several years, I dreamt of opening my day spa. I would spend hours in my 10×10 cubicle planning the service menu, the decor, the marketing theme, the perfect location. I spent zero hours thinking of managing staff, bookkeeping, dealing with plumbing issues.
BUT if I was going to start up a spa, I would do these things to create the best marketing strategy and plan:
I would visit every competitor — day spas, medical spas, salons with spas, solo practitioner, and hotel spa — in a 15 mile radius of my target location. I’d get their brochures, inquire about “what are you known for” with the front desk, schedule an appointment and go home and cancel my appointment. This would give me a wonderful view of my competition on the inside, how they view “what makes them special” what type of service they give to prospective new clients and whether they ever call me again to try to get me to come in again. While the service treatments are highly important, they do not help attracting new clients in a startup — is mainly it the external view of your business that attracts new clients.
I would use professional help. While creating a website or designing your logo yourself can be done…the time it takes you figure out the applications, fiddle with things, change your mind again, etc. is really best spent doing more strategic things that only you can do. So I would definitely get a graphic artist, web designer, interior designer, a general contractor, a lawyer, an accountant, a spa consultant and a publicist to advise me on the best way to achieve my goals. Granted, my dream is about a fairly large spa … in reality we all have to make tradeoffs with startup costs and which trusted advisor is the most critical to your success. And you can make shortcuts with college interns or new businesses getting started, but the key is that you don’t get stuck doing everything yourself. If you look at the most successful spas — they do have a team of trusted advisor’s in place.
I would write my marketing plan for the year even before I opened. Using my competitive research I would make sure my business stood apart — in colors, words, concept and services. I want to have a unique angle. Not unique to the world, just unique to my local competition. Then I would determine what marketing and publicity activities I’d do every month to communicate that uniqueness over and over again.
I would have a website and service menu that sell for me. I don’t want to have to be there in person to be the reason someone schedules an appointment. Automation is my friend. Automated email capture, online scheduling, online gift certificates and product sales, automated website tracking and reports..all good things.
I would train my staff in customer service and referral building as much, or maybe more than, my technical training. [Notice I said staff, I would not hire independent contractors in my dream spa.] Marketing is not just ads and post cards, it is also a part of the daily protocols, service levels, tone, attitude and emotional feel of the spa. Those are all things controlled by the staff; they are the things that clients remember about their experience and how they felt. Those are the things that keep clients coming back.
I would partner with a nearby business or charity for joint publicity. I would rather make a splash in the press than pay for passive advertising. Publicity has the added value of creating credibility and the intangible “buzz.”
I would give away information. Whether in free informational classes, teleseminars or online tips or e-mail newsletters, giving something of value at no cost deepens your relationship with existing and prospective clients.
I did say it was a dream. Even if I did 80% of this list I’d still be ahead of the pack in terms of having a fighting chance to reserve a spot in my clients mind.
So, do you think I’m just dreaming? Would it be possible to do all this in your experience?
Heather Gallegos spent 12 years in marketing, communications and operation roles in the high-tech industry before becoming a consultant to the wellness industry. President of Spa Clientéle Solutions (http://www.spaclientele.com), her unique perspective as a salon and day spa client, strong marketing and business background, and affiliation with Preston Spa Business Solutions (http://www.prestoninc.net) complement one another to provide a powerhouse of practical and straightforward solutions. She has helped day spas, medical spas and salons create their brand and marketing plans, monthly e-newsletters, private label skincare lines, customer appreciation events and local PR buzz. Published in Dermascope magazine, Heather is also an active blogger about practical and helpful marketing ideas for salons, day spas and medical spas at http://blog.spaclientele.com
