Table of contents
Opening a spa? Trying to grow your business? Or looking to broaden your customer base? Whether you’re just starting out or you’re already well established, take a look at these spa promotion ideas to help get more customers through the door and boost your bookings.
1. Give your website a health check
Your website is one of the main ways your customers can find you, and without one you may struggle to get new business. If you don’t already have one, build an online store easily and for free, with Square Online.
Make sure your website is simple to use, is visually appealing and lets potential clients know exactly what you offer. Focus on search engine optimisation (SEO) will help make sure you rank at the top of the page in Google results for your target audience. This basically means using the right keywords to attract the right customers, having good meta descriptions (the bit of text that pop up under a site in the Google results pages), having a website that works across different computers, mobiles and tablets and enabling Google reviews. If you’re new to SEO take a look at our complete SEO guide to get started.
2. Hire a professional photographer
A fantastic picture can be the difference between a lucrative sale or a customer who goes elsewhere, so don’t scrimp on the photography. Keep your site up to date with fresh images that showcase what you do, and if necessary, hire a professional photographer to really make it pop. Take day-to-day images yourself, but read our tips on how to take great product photos to make sure they do your brand justice.
3. Ramp up your social media
The spa and beauty industry is visual, and social media is the perfect place to showcase what you do, especially as 87.2% of Aussies use some form of social media every day.
It’s also a great way to build a loyal following for your spa or salon, hone your brand and reveal the human side of your business with candid shots and behind-the-scenes footage. There are lots of platforms to choose from and you don’t need to be on every single one – simply pick the ones you prefer and where your target audience hangs out.
Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram, under the umbrella of Meta, are like the big daddies of the social media sphere, with more than 17 million and 10 million active Australian users respectively, according to Social Media News.
In fact, 47% of customers use social media to interact with a stylist or salon while another 19% book an appointment this way. More than 70% of appointments booked on Instagram through Square Appointments come from new customers.
Both platforms offer an array of business features and opportunities to interact with users. You can also create a business page, post to both platforms through Meta Business Suite, and upload pictures and videos of what’s happening at your spa. Customers can also leave reviews so prospective clients get a genuine feel for your establishment.
TikTok
TikTok exploded into the social media arena during Covid-19 when people were stuck in lockdown with nothing better to do than create dance trends and lip-sync videos. But it’s now a key player in social media marketing, particularly if you want to attract a younger audience.
Just because it’s full of silly clips doesn’t mean you have to go down that route too. Its video-only platform lends itself to great before-and-afters, and as long as you stick to storytelling which fits with your brand, rather than traditional-style marketing which can be a little too sales-pitchy, it’s a great way to market to a new audience.
Twitter is great for starting conversations with potential clients and chatting with your target audience in a more relaxed and spontaneous way. It’s also an ideal place to pop last-minute spa promotions online linking back to your website, or get ideas from other spa owners.
4. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing has mushroomed, thanks to platforms like Instagram where online celebrities with large followings promote your product or service to their followers for a fee. If someone like Tammy Hembrow uses your spa and then posts about it to her 15 million followers, there’s a high chance some of those will become customers too.
Make sure you do your research first and partner with someone who has high engagement, not just a high number of followers. Also pick someone who aligns with your brand and has the same target audience you’re trying to reach.
5. First-time visitor offer
It’s hard to resist when a business offers you $10 off your first visit or a 20% discount with your initial order. Even if you do summon the willpower to say no, that business lodges in your mind, and there’s a high chance you’ll go back to them another time.
A first-time visitor offer is the perfect sweetener to get new customers through the door, so keep them coming back by offering them a credit if they return. For example, a further 20% off when you book another spa treatment within a month of your last visit.
6. Partner with local businesses
Think about the places your ideal customers visit regularly – the gym, hair salons, grocery stores …These are great places to promote your services so it’s well worth networking with other local businesses to extend your marketing reach.
Aside from swapping marketing materials, create joint promotions with businesses that align with your brand. For example, if you don’t sell leisure wear but you know a brand that does, then cross-promote each other’s services.
7. Host events
Hosting an event is a wonderful way to build strong community links and grow your brand as well as gaining new customers. There are 101 possibilities to raise your profile – seasonal events, Valentine’s spa days, charity fundraisers, makeover parties or even wine tasting.
Any event helps get your name out there and lets you network with potential customers and business partners.
8. Offer online appointment booking
Clients want to be able to book quickly and securely with you, so offering online appointment booking is a must. It makes booking easily available, even when you’re closed for the night.
Display your spa packages and your availability, and automatically accept, decline or block out dates when you don’t want to take bookings. You can also accept payment online and integrate it with your email marketing software, which makes the process much more user-friendly.
9. Introduce a customer loyalty scheme
Customers love a freebie, so why not reward their regular visits with a free service or gift along the way? With a customer loyalty programme they collect points at each visit which translate into money off, gifts or other exclusive promotional offers.
Such a loyalty scheme lets you collect data and track customer habits to provide a more personalised experience.
10. Offer first-class customer service
A recommendation from a trusted friend or family member is worth far more than a fancy advert could ever be. So, if you want your customers to recommend your services, give them something to shout about! Going above and beyond for your clients, and providing all those extra little touches which really make a visit memorable, lead to plenty of new customers eager to try the services they’ve heard so much about.
11. Create a referral scheme
Take recommendations one step further by offering a formal referral scheme. For example, if a customer sends their best friend your way, give both of them $20 off their first/next treatment.
12. Send a feedback survey
Sending feedback forms through your email marketing software is perfect for finding out what your clients really think about your spa. Not only does it give you valuable information about the services you’re offering, but it also sparks ideas for new services and ways to improve. It also shows you care about what your clients really think and is an additional way to promote other services to them.
13. Give money off future services
Offering money off a future visit is the perfect way to persuade people to come back a second time. They already know what you offer and they already like it. Offering a small future incentive is the little push they need to become a loyal, regular customer.
14. Have an annual membership option
Introducing an annual, quarterly or monthly membership builds loyalty and also leads to a regular income for your business. With a subscription service, you know what revenue is coming in each month, and this helps even out those seasonal peaks and troughs.
From a customer perspective, spa packages and treatments may work out cheaper if they pay a flat fee monthly or annually, incentivising them to sign up and visit more regularly.
15. Create unique spa packages
You don’t need to create new services – just package the ones you already offer into enticing combinations. Use the results of your feedback surveys to group together your most popular treatments and rename them according to what benefits they offer. Use Square Customer Directory to segment your audience further and attribute different spa packages to them, even crafting personalised ones based on your clients’ preferences.
16. Use video to promote your spa
Video, whether you use it on your own website, YouTube or as reels and clips on social media, is one of the best ways to directly promote your spa business. It’s not just about showcasing the services you offer – go much further and give clients a real look behind the scenes.
Virtual tours show them exactly what your establishment is like, while behind-the-scenes clips delve into the human side of the business and give you an opportunity to prove how much you care. Introducing your team and singing their praises gives face-to-face recognition and lets clients know exactly who they’ll be interacting with, while also boosting staff morale. You can also leverage reviews by having existing customers talk about their experience to camera.
Whether you choose one tip, just a few or all of them, these promotion ideas will help boost your salon’s reputation and reach, leading to greater sales and more of the types of customer you really want.
