Technology is moving at a rapid pace and is changing the customer experience in so many ways, from the way that spas can attract them, to their interactions, and rewarding them for their loyalty.
In this article, we explore some of the ways technology can be used to attract clients to your spa.
Email Marketing
Most business owners may have heard of email marketing and may be adopting it to some extent in their business. By collecting email addresses when customers pay for their treatment, you can start to connect with them regularly enough to remain in their mind and keep coming back. You may need to offer an incentive in return for their email address, such as a discount off their next visit.
Remember to comply with the laws around email communication in your local area, such as GDPR in the UK and Canada’s Anti-Spam Law.
Cloud-based Software
By using a software that is based in the cloud, your customers and staff will be able to view and manage appointments and make reservations from anywhere in the world – 24 hours a day. Most cloud-based software also provides reporting tools and inventory management. By viewing the reports that the software can provide, spa owners can personalise their marketing to customers through social media, email and text to improve relationships and customer retention.
“Having the ability to book appointments online also reduces the workload on your reception, so that the staff there can focus on serving those customers who are already in the spa”, says Scott Taylor, a tech manager at DraftBeyond and Research Papers UK. “When choosing an online scheduling system, make sure that you can integrate it with the other business apps that you use, so that you can get a full picture of your customer’s interactions”.
Payment Methods
Most spa customers want to use a variety of payment methods in store and online, such as cash, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Venmo. By having an advanced point-of-sale (POS) system, you can offer options to suit each individual customer.
Reminders
In our busy world, it is easy for customers to forget appointments, but it can be time-consuming to send individual messages every day. New technologies, like business SMS platforms, enable spa owners to be able to automate the sending of SMS communications. For example, reception can schedule a message the day before appointments to remind the customer, or the day after to ask them if they were happy and to leave a review.
Rewards
Having an easy-to-use rewards program can be a great way to keep customers coming back. Technology can really help with this. Software, like Square, gives points automatically when they checkout and notifies customers when they reach certain points levels.
Social Media
Most marketing campaigns these days should include an element of social media, since 70% of Americans now use it. Customers use social media sites to find reviews before choosing a spa to visit. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest can be useful tools for getting in touch with new customers and getting feedback from existing ones. YouTube is now the second biggest search engine, behind Google, and posting videos regularly on there will boost your ratings.
“Try to publish content that really matches your ideal customer and reward followers with deals and discounts,” says Margaret Bonner, marketer at Writinity and LastMinuteWriting. “You can then monitor engagement to find out which posts are the most popular. If you do it right, social engagement can drive brand awareness and bring more customers in through the door.”
Reviews
The modern customer loves to read reviews before choosing a spa. In fact, 91% of people read online reviews. If you are trying to improve your online presence, you make want to start by asking your existing clients to share what they love about you online. Technology can help you to keep an eye on reviews as soon as they are published and feedback if necessary. It can help you to show that you care about the experience your customers have in your spa.
Keep feedback light and friendly and try to personalise messages if possible. It is important to keep replies professional though and make sure that your grammar and spelling is correct.
As a professional writer for Lucky Assignments and Gum Essays, Ashley Halsey has been involved in a number of projects across the US. When she is not working or being a mother to her to children, she likes to travel, read and attend business training courses.
