Catherine Whittle
The rules of attraction W
Spa marketing consultant Catherine Whittle off ers 10 ways to make your spa stand out Be social online
ith such a huge array of spa facilities and deals now on offer, operators must use more creative marketing to establish what makes them unique in order to
attract and retain guests. As founder of Spa Partners, Catherine Whittle works with spas not just to make them different, but to make them more successful. Here are Catherine’s top 10 tips for better marketing.
Present good online images How your spa is portrayed on your website is one of the keys to attracting new guests. Investing in some quality lifestyle photography to appeal to your target audience will maximise your chances of being chosen over a competitor, compared to using generic images.
1
What is your USP? Highlight to your potential audience what it is about your spa that makes it different or better from the competition. If you have amazing views from the hot tub, then use pictures showing a customer appreciating them.
2 3 4 5 Encourage a ‘call to action’
Clearly display your phone number and promote spa day packages on your website. Around 50% of spa guests will book via third party and voucher sites; only a further 5% will book online, so the remaining 45% will want to pick up the phone and speak to someone, even if they have seen your website. Incentivise them to call by offering added extras for prior booking.
Training for success Quite simply, the spa that is best at handling enquiries will secure the most bookings, so sales training is crucial. Most spas rarely manage to close the sale on the fi rst call. At least get the potential client’s phone number to add to your database so that even if they do not book, you have a record of their enquiry.
Be the best at e-Marketing To fi nd new business, fi rst look to existing
customers, then to past customers and lastly, to new customers, as they are the most expensive to fi nd. Details of your guests should be on your database; their name, address, email address, mobile phone number and even birthdays. Divide them into groups or categories such as spa days, spa breaks, type of treatment etc, so you can target them with relevant and timely messages and incentives to return.
Show off your best assets 6 7
It’s third party time The four or fi ve biggest third-party spa booking websites send out between two million emails to their database of spa clientele every week – that is a lot of potential customers to draw in. Voucher sites like Groupon do the same except their clients are not specifi cally interested in buying a spa day or break. Spas need to have a strategy for working with selected third parties that will help them gain valuable distribution and awareness. If a booking comes through when the spa is busy, you can always say “no” – or better still refer guests to a quieter date.
8 9 Be sure to wow and woo
Spa days and treatments are still considered by many as a luxury or treat, so make every guest’s visit memorable. Give people a talking point to take away with them – if guests are made to feel that extra bit special, they will tell their friends. Provide something unique, different or perhaps unexpected, like a birthday treat. Customers respond well to a sense of exclusivity, freedom and defi nitely no hidden extras.
10 Benchmark your spa
A new benchmarking service called SpaPar allows spas in the UK to compare their fi nancial results against others. It measures treatment revenue and retail revenue per treatment room; retail revenue as a percentage of treatment revenue; the average selling price of treatments; and how well (or badly) spas perform in a mystery shop test call – generally an enquiry for a spa day. So now it is possible to know whether you are beating the competition or not.
Meet the expert
Catherine Whittle founded Spa Partners in 2011 to assist spas with sales, PR and marketing. She now off ers spa revenue benchmarking through SpaPar. European Spa magazine readers can gain a free one-hour consultation with Catherine, including the recording and scoring of a mystery shop phone call (usually £45 per call).
+44 (0) 777 616 2001
www.spapartners.co.uk
Social Media is one of the most effective ways to enable your customers to review and promote your spa online, share experiences with their friends and forward promotions to associates. Again, this needs a consistent and planned approach with incentives in place.
Press for attention You need to be visible to get noticed. Regular
stories, snippets, features, or competitions in your local press are a great way of building awareness and attracting new customers. Don’t forget the consumer and trade press too – a mention in magazines such as European Spa can echo throughout the industry and occasionally into the national press.
“Spas need to have a strategy for working with selected third parties that will help them gain valuable distribution
and awareness.” Catherine Whittle, founder, Spa Partners
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www.europeanspamagazine.com | european spa
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