10 Great Reasons to Make a Spa Visit.

I was doing some reading on some of my favorite sites today and came across Anitra Brown's post:

Top Ten Reasons To Go To A Spa

Get Healthy, Lose Weight...Or Indulge!

It's a great list that I couldn't agree more with.

Her top three are:

1. Get Healthy
2. Relax
3. Lose Weight

Of course she goes into detail on all ten. So swing over and check them out. And while you're there grab her RSS feed. She continues to be a great source of info for client and business owner.

But tell me. What reasons to you go to the spa?

And don't forget, if you're a spa or salon owner and are looking for a cost effective means to market yourself directly to customers in your area via eMail then check us out at MoreSpaTraffic.com. We can help you increase your business 15-20% and double your referrals.

Are you reaching your clients on a personal level?

In the spa business it is necessary for you to reach out and touch your clients. You must physically interact with them whether it's working out that knot pinching a nerve in their neck or giving a pedicure. So yes, you do interact with them.

The question though is, are you connecting with them on a personal level? Are you giving that extra little bit of effort that shows your client that, "Hey, I am so glad I know you"?

It's that extra little bits, whether it's asking about their family or giving them a foot massage before the pedicure, that connect them with you. And should in your conversations with your clients, you note something that you really want to remember so that you can ask them about it the next time you see them, make a note of it to reminder yourself, unless your blessed with an ironclad memory. It's definitely something you have to work and something that won't necessarily show immediate returns. Such things help to make your spa or salon more friendly and that is a step that opens up the doors to great client interaction and return business. You want and even need, after all things are said and done, clients who will tell their friends and family about you.

Which reminds me of something I came across a while ago. Though it doesn't deal with spas I think it is pertinent:

How Every Touch Counts

It gives a real world example of how, in this web enabled world, making a bad impression on a client can go a long way towards making business especially hard for a business owner.

Sure that might cause a bit of fear at first when you think about the negative possibilities of such connectedness. But, as the cliché goes, there is a flip side to that coin and the good thing is you have the power to flip the coin. Take advantage of the interconnectedness of the Internet. Set up a website and a blog for your Spa. Get a Twitter account running if you haven't gotten one yet. You don't have to update these things on a daily basis, though you may find yourself on Twitter quite a bit. Get your clients' email addresses.

You may even want to find out if they would like to hear from you occasionally via a Text on their cell phone. An easy way to find this out would be to give them your cell phone number so that they can text you if they want to check on an appointment or had any questions.

Make yourself available that way and I think it will lead to a growing business for you.

Remember desire to help you tap into and reward those loyal customers at MoreSpaTraffic.com.

Our progran will help you show them you appreciate them and will help you to discover new customers for your spa/salon.

Large Spas Failing, Smaller Spas Capitalizing

I was taking a look through some of the latest news and I noticed two interesting articles that popped out to me.

The first was this one:

The Spa Bath Bubble Has Burst

It's a great article about the writers experience at an ultraluxury spa and a growing problem for spas like that across the country in the form of dwindling clients.

Katherine Stewart writes:

The hospitality industry as a whole is reeling from the recession. PKF Consulting, a Georgia-based firm of industry specialists focusing on hospitality and tourism, titles its March report on the industry "How Much Do You Stand To Lose in 2009?" The firm reported a 5.3 percent decline in occupancy, coupled with a 2.7 percent fall in room rates, leading to a 14 percent decline in net operating income for the average U.S. hotel from 2008-09. But the luxury-destination end of the business—where nightly accommodation charges can start at $700, as at Pelican Hill, and guests might spend equivalent sums on pampering, sports activities, and haute cuisine—seems to be taking a much harder hit.

This of course is leading to some problems for the big resort spas and many in the industry are trying to figure out how to deal with it. In part it's not that the rich don't have any more money, but they are being very careful with the money as I think there is a sense of uncertainty for them. I imagine there is also a stigma that's been cast upon so many so widely by the likes of bad people like Madoff. It's a shame.

But on the flip side is the smaller more flexible spas and spa related products that are surviving and even flourishing.

Here's one example that I spotted:

A spa-cial day gone awry

Annie Tasker reports on the misfortune of a troop of Brownies who raised some money to experience a spa day at a large spa. Unfortunately the spa took their money and then closed it's doors for good before giving them their spa day.

Annie writes:

After hearing from Korchek, Serenity Day Spa and Wellness Center on Swamp Road stepped up Wednesday afternoon and offered the girls a Saturday afternoon session free of charge, so long as they leave a tip. The girls will learn about facial and nail care from two manicurists and four estheticians, then head home with some goodie bags, said Serenity co-owner Jennifer Wiegand.

That was very encouraging to me to hear.

And I continue to hear from others in the industry via sources like Twitter, that those making products and those smaller more leaner companies are finding ways to deal with the difficulties faced in this downturn.

If you haven't yet check us out, be sure to stop by MoreSpaTraffic for how we can help you with your spa and salon marketing. We can help you increase your customer loyalty by rewarding those great customers which will increase double your referrals. Check out our site and the video.

Interesting article and data on Hotel-Spas

Be sure to check out this article:

Hotel Spas - Therapy for Tough Times - By Robert Mandelbaum and Gabrielle Lerner

The dynamics of the spa industry enable it to persevere longer than other industries for several reasons: a large portion of its consumers are affluent, an increase in stress can further emphasize the importance of staying healthy, and in difficult times people tend to seek out experiences rather than material objects. Yet during such economic times, the spa industry inevitably suffers as consumers re-prioritize and cut back on luxuries.

I continue to note the positive data and attitude to people in the spa industry during these difficult times. This industry I think is positioned to with stand much of the downturn that people are experiencing if we can be creative and connect with our customers in real and reliable ways that benefit the customer.

Check out that full article and also be sure to click over the MoreSpaTraffic.com for how we can help you with your Spa and Salon business.

Example of How Every Touch Counts.

I ran across a rather intriguing blog post the other day that details the amazing power of the wonderful Internet social mediums like Facebook and Twitter.

The post is focused on an event that took place in a restaurant, but it's pertinent for spa and salon owners too. Really, it's pertinent for any business owner who works with the public.

Here's a snippet from, How Every Touch Counts:

A customer waiting for attention from the waiter instead decides to update his Facebook Status with the message that “I’m in The Mill Pub and can’t get service. Hate that”. This message then becomes visible to the customer’s network of hundreds or thousands of friends. Could this have a negative effect on perception and even on bookings? Potentially.

A similar incident became widely publicized in the US recently when the high profile wine blogger and internet celebrity Gary Vaynerchuk when he attended a recent conference in Miami. His poor experience in a high profile hotel affected him so much he video blogged about it, as did a few other high profile internet folks with the result that hundreds of thousands of people learned of their experience within 24 hours. The results were huge and the hotel went into fire-fighting mode to try and offset the negative publicity.

The bad publicity lost the hotel a lot of key business.

It's a great example of the need of business owners and managers to treat every customer like they are their only customer. Is it easy? My word, no! But it is necessary to succeed in this current economic climate where we must do everything we can within reason to keep our loyal customers and and make new ones.

It's also a great example of just how powerful this new medium is today and as business people we need to be actively involved in using the power of the Internet to connect with our customers and make new ones.

That's what we at MoreSpaTraffic.com are committed to doing with our spa marketing program for you. We can help you connect on the Internet with your loyal customers and others in your area with a cost effective program that will increase your business by 15-20% and help double your referrals.