Mother’s Day is on the way.
Celebrating the woman who raised you with some pampering at a spa or salon is a time-honoured tradition of children everywhere.
And celebrating the woman who raised you with some pampering at a spa or salon is a time-honoured tradition of children everywhere.
Is your spa geared up to stand out at this important time of year? From promotion to follow up, here is a step-by-step guide to winning new customers this Mother’s Day – and keeping them coming back.
Offer added value, not discounts.
There are myriad reasons not to discount your products and services. These include reducing your brand value and setting unrealistic expectations for future purchases.
Instead, add value by offering additional products and services like upgrades, multi-treatment spa day packages, or mother-daughter/mother-son packages (get with the times and don’t assume men don’t want to spend the day with their moms at a spa). Bundle three to five treatments together for $500 and allow customers to choose from a fixed price menu online. Offer cocktails, champagne, or wine with macarons, and/or take-home gifts like tea, face cream, or body scrubs. And don’t forget the extra loyalty points. (You run a spa, get creative with your offerings) Ensure that you have gift cards or promotional codes specific to these packages to avoid confusion and last-minute changes.
Go over the top with the little things that create a truly indulgent experience to remember.
Note that if you do not have online booking or gift card sales you are likely missing out on easy revenue through last-minute and remote purchases. Research conducted last year found that more than a third (38%) of shoppers were planning to purchase their Mother’s Day gifts online.
Be generous.
Get philanthropic and consider donating parts of your Mother’s Day promotion proceeds to a mom-related charity. Millennials are conscious consumers, and research shows they are more likely to buy from companies that give to charity and to recommend those companies to their peers.
Do your marketing.
People won’t purchase your amazing products or services if they don’t know about them.
Email and text your customers to let them know about your offers, and promote them on social media. Run a Facebook contest in which entrants take a selfie with mom and write a haiku about her (check the contest laws in your geographical region, though, and do not assume you can just run a giveaway. Many companies doing that these days are running afoul of the law). Use your blog to create content around your promotion like an inspiring post about mothers or about your chosen charity. Post that blog on social media. Piggyback on already existing or trending hashtags like #mothersday and #mothersday2017.
Now is also the time to promote your gift cards. A third to half of American moms say they would appreciate or prefer gift cards as gifts. Also, for the kids who live in different cities from their moms, buying a spa or salon gift cards online is one of the easiest possible options. Make sure yours is front and centre.
Follow up! Follow up immediately with a genuine thank you and a survey. Offer an incentive – loyalty points, service upgrades – for filling out the survey and for sending referrals.
If you do the proper prep and promotion, Mother’s Day will pretty much hand you free new customers on a silver platter (filled with champagne and macarons!). It’s then up to you to turn them into repeat and referring clients.
Don’t miss out.
