Smart Ways to Expand Your Spa Business

Growing your spa business

Whether you have just begun your spa/salon business or have been an owner for a few years or even a few decades, you are likely looking forward to growing it for years to come. However, deciding on what to focus on and what is the most effective growth strategy is a big part of a successful expansion plan. To help you have a smoother growth experience and get the best results possible quickly, here are great ways to expand your spa biz without breaking the bank.

Carry Business Cards with You

The opportunity to network with important stakeholders could happen today, tomorrow, or another time. The reality is that you never know when you might meet someone who could help you with the business. You could be shopping at the mall, picking up a few items at the grocery store, or even dining at a restaurant when you meet potential vendors or suppliers. Thus, it’s important to keep business cards in your purse or briefcase to hand out when you get the opportunity. In addition to meeting professional contacts to help you with the expansion, you might also make a few new customers this way. I like to carry a dozen in a business card case or my wallet to be prepared.

Get on Social Media, such as Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook

In addition to the in-person networking tip above, you’ll also want to create profiles on the leading social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Rather than randomly posting now and then on Twitter, develop a posting schedule and make an effort to post and comment regularly on Facebook and Instagram to reach wider audiences. To simplify the Instagram planning process, I like to use the Instagram theme planner Planoly so I can see the entire Instagram grid for the week as well as schedule posts in advance.

A strong social media strategy and presence can help more people get to know your brand, and the more people who know about you, the higher the annual revenue you can have as a spa/salon business. You can use automation tools such as Hootsuite or Buffer to set up your social media posts on Facebook and Twitter for the week so you’re not at the mercy of posting every day. These automation tools help simplify your social media strategy execution. While it takes time and energy, these investments in social media can help your organization grow and prosper.

Make Booking Easier

When you look at your website, does the process of making an appointment at your salon or spa seem intuitive? Is the website easy to navigate? Or does the visitor have to press a lot of buttons to get to that particular page?

Make online booking simple to do so that you don’t lose out on potential clients who have found your website. Often, people will prefer to fill out a small form rather than making a phone call to book an appointment, so now is the time to add that booking form, if you haven’t already. Make the booking form prominent on your website. You may even want to add it to the navigation bar to eliminate useless clicks and increase the overall click-through rate.

Provide a Referral Program

A great way to keep customers and get them buying from you again, which increases sales, is to offer a referral program. Doing so can turn someone into a loyal customer and bring new business your way. The idea of getting a discount excites a lot of people, so this makes sense. You might, for example, offer your existing client treatment for half price when they bring someone new in with them.

Improve the Spa Experience

Make the spa or salon more inviting for your customers or create custom touches to increase their level of comfort while they are an appointment. For example, you might offer them a cup of tea or a glass of cold water with fresh lime in it when they are sitting in the waiting area. Have a variety of reading materials there too. You may also want to offer free wifi so customers can use their smartphones or tablets while waiting for their appointments. The more relaxing you can make the environment, the more customers will enjoy frequenting your business.

Growing Your Spa Business

The tips above can help your organization to expand and enjoy more sales, as well as grow a loyal customer base. When you have a spa that makes people happy and has regular clients, that makes for a win-win situation.

TOP FOUR MARKETING SKILLS ALL ENTREPRENEURS MUST HAVE TO COMPETE

When it comes to being a successful brand or business today, it's critical you have basic online marketing skills. But with so many tools and platforms available, how do you know what skills will be most helpful? Here are the four top skills you should have to make your business a success.

1). Facebook Advertising - Having a branded Facebook.com page is no longer enough. If you'd like to generate interest, traffic, and even sales to your website, you should know how to create an ad, refine your target audience, and how to run split tests to determine which ad generates the best response.

As someone who uses Facebook.com advertising regularly for my own businesses as well as my clients' businesses, I can tell which ad/offer will perform the best after about 200 clicks (or $150.00 ad spend). This is a great marketing tactic for brands that are on a low budget.

2). Social Media Marketing - If you don't understand social media marketing and don't have a strategy in place for your brand or business, then it's going to be difficult for you to build your name. Instagram.com, Pinterest.com, and Facebook.com accounts are must-haves for any visual business. Not only are they free to join, they're great ways to connect with prospective and existing customers, approach influencers, and increase search engine visibility.

3). Email Marketing - Although many marketing experts say email marketing is "dead", it's not. This strategy is an effective and low-cost way to generate additional revenue.

Running new promotions or product announcements is also a great way to stay in touch with your customers. You might also want to consider adding a "top tips" or editorial-like section to your emails. Check out the BobbiBrownCosmetics.com and Gilt.com email newsletters for ideas. Also, make sure your emails are optimized for smartphone and tablets.

4). Video - Video marketing has become a huge part of the digital space today. Brands such as Gucci.com and Chanel.com have mastered video marketing and you should too.

However, if you're a startup, then your brand most likely doesn't have the resources to allocate to commercial video production. Luckily, Instagram.com StoriesSnapChat.com and Periscope.com allow you to create real videos from your smartphone. These platforms are perfect for behind-the-scenes runway shows and photo shoots.