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Whether you’re looking to bring in more clientele or you’re opening up a new location, promotional marketing can have numerous benefits for your spa business: renewed client interest, increased brand awareness, and more bookings — which contribute to increased revenue. We’ve got some great spa promotion ideas to help you get started.
1. Audit your website
You can grow your business online by opening your own Square online store for free. The discoverability of your business depends on it. Without an online presence, it’s difficult to compete with other businesses. A strong website, in addition to showing up on social media, can help improve your ranking in Google results.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, should also be a focus as you build your website to ensure being discovered by your target clientele. It’s helpful to understand SEO tactics — such as ranking for relevant industry keywords, meta descriptions, page load speeds, and mobile-friendly design — to help your website appear in the top results on Google.
Here you can find some top features to consider, from booking buttons to sections for specific services.
2. Offer online appointment booking
Nowadays, most clients prefer to book their services themselves online. Having the capability of online bookings for your spa can drive up the total number of bookings. It makes booking more accessible to those who are either too busy to call in or those who’d rather not have to talk to a receptionist.
With Square Appointments, your clients can easily book when it’s most convenient for them. Square makes it accessible for everyone to create a free customizable booking website that features your services.
Automatically display the services offered and what your estheticians’ or massage therapists’ availability is for the upcoming months, right on your site. You can even accept or decline appointments automatically or at your own convenience, and block out personal or vacation time when needed. Your availability is immediately updated across all devices signed in to your Square account for any clients or other employees to see. No more double-booking issues or physical appointment books needed!
3. Launch a Google Business profile
Once your website is built out and you’ve worked on your site’s SEO, it’s time to launch a Google Business Profile. A Google Business Profile allows you to provide photos, location, services, products, and contact information for your spa. With Square Appointments, you can even set up Reserve with Google to allow current and future clients to book directly from your Google Business profile.
This free profile is the best way to boost your discoverability in both a normal Google search and a Google Maps search, as well as improve your local SEO advantage among your competitors. Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most trustworthy and cost-effective forms of marketing. Your Google My Business listing also allows clients to leave reviews, to entice other potential customers to book with you instead of your competitors.
4. Use social media
It’s important to show up on social media for your business. Social media channels are no longer just places for individuals to interact and engage. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook have become incredible tools to build your brand and grow your potential client base. In fact, 47% of customers surveyed used social media to interact with their spa, salon or stylist, and 19% of customers booked appointments through social media. Among millennial and Gen Z clients, that figured jumped to 38%.
Facebook and Instagram
Facebook, which owns Instagram, offers business pages where you can share a summary about your spa, location, services, open hours, and contact info. You can add pictures of your spa so your customers know exactly what type of atmosphere to expect when they first walk in. And your current clients can leave reviews here, just like on your Google Business Profile, for others to read when trying to find a new spa to visit.
A newer feature Facebook released is the Q&A session. These sessions allow you to lead real-time question and answer discussions to answer anything your clients or potential customers may want to know about your business or services offered.
When you’re ready to create an Instagram profile, you can create a business profile that links to your business page on Facebook. Both social media channels offer different benefits and most likely slightly different audience demographics. Social media is an incredible opportunity to be discovered and get bookings from directly where your clients spend most of their time. In fact, we found that 70% of appointments booked on Instagram are new customers.
Be sure to review your analytics on both channels before creating content to ensure you are speaking to the right audience. Another great feature of Square Appointments is that you can accept bookings right from your Instagram or Facebook business profiles. It’s as simple as a “Book Now” button right on your profile or page, allowing your clients to instantly book without even leaving their Instagram or Facebook apps.
Twitter is a great way to start conversations with your target audience in real time. With thousands of tweets being sent every minute, there are always conversations to jump into that could be relevant to your business or industry. Follow like-minded individuals and brands that fit your aesthetic.
Offer tips or promotions through Twitter to get people to interact with your brand. Twitter is also a great place to offer giveaways for your spa, enticing people to share your brand with their audience as well.
Not sure what type of promotions you want to offer and looking to get the creative juices flowing? Have live audio conversations directly on Twitter Spaces. You can join beauty and spa Spaces to brainstorm with other spa owners for ideas on how to further boost your bookings.
Influencer marketing
Partnering with influencers can be a great strategy when it comes to boosting bookings and future spa promotions. Influencers often have an extensive audience base that trusts their judgment for reviews of products, services, or locations. It’s like elevated word-of-mouth marketing.
However, it’s important to do your research before working with an influencer. Be sure that the influencer you’re interested in working with has a good engagement rate and not just a high number of followers. You’ll want to be sure that the influencer’s aesthetic fits with what you want your spa to be associated with. Once you find an influencer to work with, communicate thoroughly and often to make sure you are both aligned with the goals of the campaign you’ll be working on together.
5. Reward loyal customers
Whether you’re trying to bring in new clientele or adding a new location, it’s important not to forget about those loyal customers. They’re the ones that you can rely on for repeat visits, good reviews, and referrals, so treat them as your VIPs. Over 70% of consumers said that customer loyalty programs make them more likely to continue doing business with a brand.
Thank these regular and returning customers with a loyalty program. Programs offering a discount or free service on their birthday, memberships, frequent visitor cards, or referral programs can be great ways to show your appreciation to your loyal clientele. Not only can programs like this make your frequent clients feel like they matter, but it increases their number of visits and potential for referrals to their friends and family.
6. Set up a referral system
When it comes to creative spa promotion ideas, a referral system can be a great option to offer your frequent customers. Empowering these customers to share their satisfaction and experience at your spa through referral benefits is a surefire way to grow a stronger client base.
Recently, Square partnered with Groupon to offer further referral benefits from directly within the Square app. With this partnership, you as the business owner can leverage your Square app to create marketing and referral campaigns on Groupon and allow any new clients who purchase a Groupon to book directly with your business. This partnership allows for a more seamless and branded Groupon transaction.
7. Use personalized email campaigns
Email marketing is a low-cost and effective way to offer new spa promotions to your online audience. It’s not just about sending the same email to everyone. Personalizing your email campaigns can add an extra level of engagement with your clientele.
With Square Customer Directory, you can segment your audience by the type of services they receive, frequency of visits, and many other factors. Try segmenting your audience and dedicating email campaigns that will feel more personal to them. Sending different promotions to different segments — such as facial promotions to those that frequently come to your spa for facials or a massage discount promotion for those that love to visit for a massage every month — can increase click-throughs and bookings through content that’s relevant to each consumer.
With Square Marketing, you can design, automate, and send email campaigns of all types, including spa promotion ideas, newsletters, and announcements, all from your dashboard. Your client email addresses are saved right within your Square account, templates are there and ready for you to send, and all your analytics are in one place, making email marketing a breeze.
8. Use SMS marketing
Another way to reach your audience in the palm of their hand is to use SMS, or text message, marketing. With Square, you can send booking reminders, limited-time offers, and even special offer announcements right to your clients’ phones.
SMS marketing not only pushes your spa promotion straight to the top of the client’s list, but it also makes that promotion easy to access when they come into your spa for their service. You can also use SMS marketing to include a direct link to your booking options, making it easier for your client and increasing the likelihood of them booking right there and then.
9. Offer a yearly membership
One spa promotion idea that will keep your clients coming back is a yearly membership. You can offer a monthly or one-time fee that gives your client access to a specific amount or type of service you offer. A membership like this can create a sense of loyalty to your spa while giving your top clients a VIP treatment.
10. Use video marketing
We’ve all seen it. Video, especially in short form, is taking over. With platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, consumers are more and more interested in consuming content through video. Don’t be afraid to jump into video marketing.
You can use content you already have in hand to create fun and engaging videos. Customer testimonials, tips and tutorials, or even teasers of new products or services are all strong ideas for short-form videos that can make your spa stand out among your competition and position you as a trustworthy leader in your industry.
11. Partner with other businesses in your area
We’re all about self-care here! Experiment with partnering with other self-care-focused businesses in your area to expand your reach. Businesses such as gyms, naturopathic clinics, and yoga/pilates studios have a similar clientele that you may be hoping to target. Use these partnerships to promote each other’s services and products.
12. Offer gift certificates
Gift certificates are a proven way of boosting bookings. Whether it’s a gift for a current client or a gift from a current client to someone new, it gives the recipient an immediate reason to book with you.
Square Gift Cards allow you to set up and sell gift cards right from your POS. With eGift cards, your clients can easily purchase digital gift cards to send to their family and friends with no fuss. They’re a great last-minute gift option to offer on your website and in your email newsletters.
13. New service/client promotions
Whenever your spa offers a new service, it’s a great promotion idea to send an email or SMS message with a coupon or discount for those who book that new service within a certain amount of time. Not only does it boost bookings, but it can increase awareness of your newest service offering. For any of these future services or gifts for their loved ones, you can add gift cards to your Square Online site as well.
This tactic can also work with any new clients. With Square Marketing, you can create an email template that goes out to customers after they first fill out a contact form or booking. In this email, you can offer a percentage off to those who book their first service with you.
14. Provide seasonal offers
Seasonal offers can be used to drive traffic and bookings during times of the year that may be slower for you. Send a new facial offer during back to school to target your clientele; this can be a good refresh before getting back to the grind during the fall. Offer a massage discount around New Year’s or during seasonal breaks to kickstart your clients’ relaxation.
Get creative with your promotions for different seasons. You can even use specific events in your area and build promotions around them. For example, if you’re in an area with a large summer music festival, structure spa promotions around the festival season and make your spa a destination stop for festival attendees.
15. Provide holiday spa promotions
This works with specific holidays as well. Loop in those digital gift cards and offer promotions centered around holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Black Friday. These holidays are historically seen as high purchasing times, so capitalize on that and give your online audience a reason to buy from you, even if they aren’t looking to book immediately.
Remember that these holidays come with a lot of content competition. Other businesses in the area and in your industry will be sharing promotions via email marketing and social media. Make the effort to stand out among the rest and experiment with different types of promotions that show off your brand. Square customers have been especially creative in the past and have seen some great returns on their efforts.
16. Offer special spa packages
Possibly the single-best spa promotion idea that really boosts bookings: spa packages. Combining your popular services for a discounted rate or a 2-for-1 deal has proven to be a great way to upsell your customers and increase their average purchasing total. It’s also a great selling point for new customers who would like to get a taste of some of your offerings all at once.
In addition to the upsell of another service, a spa package promotion gives your returning customers the chance to experience a service they may have otherwise not opted for. No one can resist a great deal, especially when it comes to pampering themselves.
Have some fun experimenting with new ways to bring in clients and keep them coming back. With these spa promotion ideas and the right set of tools for easily implementing them, you can grow your brand and your bookings.
