’Tis the season to be jolly, for sure—and an ideal time to generate goodwill while enticing new clients directly to your spa door. Typically, day spas offer promotions for gift cards, treatments and other perks during the holidays. It’s a time-honored tactic, but it can start to feel a little timeworn. Why not try a more imaginative approach, treating clients to something new and different? Here are four ways you can amp up your holiday promotion and stand out from the competition:
1. Throw a Client Appreciation Event
Who doesn’t love a party, especially at this celebratory time of year? Instead of overtly inviting clients to purchase more from you during the holidays, thank them for the purchases they make all year long. Think of it as a promotional tactic wrapped in particularly festive packaging.
Strategy. Plan the client appreciation event for a convenient weeknight or weekend, inviting attendees from your client database and asking for RSVPs so you’ll have a rough idea of numbers. Offer complimentary snacks, beverages, mini-services…and most importantly “one night only” discounts on products and services, along with those ever-popular gift cards.
Client benefit. Clients will enjoy feeling special, taking advantage of services and capitalizing on special deals.
Spa benefit. You’re taking care of your clients, so they’ll be likely to support you all year long.
2. Initiate a Food Drive and Raffle
It’s a departure from what people expect from a day spa, and that’s part of the appeal. Kicking off a holiday food drive underscores your commitment to the community, helping you realize the goal of doing well by doing good.
Strategy. Invite clients to bring in some needed food items to benefit a local charity, and establish a raffle as incentive. Instead of selling raffle tickets for cash, patrons earn those tickets with food donations. Create a tiered system such as the following:
- A turkey=5 raffle tickets,
- Four canned goods=2 tickets,
- Two boxed goods=1 ticket,
and so on.
Client benefit. The owner of the winning raffle ticket(s) receives a valuable service from your spa—such as an injection, facial or $50 toward a treatment of their choice.
Spa benefit. You’ll benefit by boosting your benevolent profile among clients. You will also increase traffic to your spa, which translates to more opportunity for you to sell goods and services.
3. Plant A Giving Tree
Put up a special holiday tree in your spa, decorated with an abundance of colorful ornaments. Make these ornaments with a purpose: each one is marked with a bonus, such as a discount (or even a freebie) a client can receive with her next purchase.
Strategy. The strategy is that every time a client buys something in your spa—a product or a service—she is entitled to take an ornament off the giving tree.
Client benefit. Clients will feel rewarded for their purchase, and everyone likes to feel rewarded.
Spa benefit. Clients will have an extra incentive to come to your front desk and make purchases, a no-fail way to boost your bottom line.
4. Thank Your Big Spenders
Your best clients—those who regularly spend ample amounts at your spa—deserve special treatment during the holidays. So, let your benevolence show. Now’s the perfect time initiate an elite program for your best clients.
Strategy. Those who spend, say $3000+ in the past year get three $100 gift certificates to your spa, 10% off retail products and 10% off upgrades, for example.
Client and spa benefit. Clients will have extra motivation to spend big in the upcoming 12 months—a great way to ensure a happy, beauty-filled New Year for all.
Think Strategically
Every day spa can encounter unexpected challenges, but the holidays are notoriously predictable on the calendar—a familiar combination of festivity and frenzy. The end-of-year season can also mean a welcome uptick in your bottom line: clients need everything from “splurge” treatments ensuring they’ll look their holiday best to gifts for everyone on their list. You want your business to stand above the rest—an ever-present challenge any time of year. Start by thinking strategically.
Plan a client appreciation night with drinks and mini services.
Alexis Ufland is the owner of spa consultancy firm Lexi Design. She has brought her signature to the development of premier spas and fitness centers all across Europe, Asia and the United States.
