5 marketing strategies to attract first-timers

Getting new people into your spa isn’t necessarily the challenge. After all, word of mouth through friends and family is a big help along with a good public relations and social media strategy. The real challenge is reaching those that have never been to the spa before. How do you convince the newbie spa-goer that the spa is for them? Here are five marketing strategies to attract the first-timers to your spa.

Collaboration Is Key

Collaborating with the right people in your community is the key to attracting the new spa-goer. Think about partnerships with your local health food stores, gyms, hair salons, and even realtors. Collaborating with businesses that have a like-minded approach to health and wellness works well, but so does thinking outside the box to get your spa in front of a new demographic. These types of joint ventures should be mutually beneficial to both businesses.

Community Outreach

Community outreach can be a great way to catch the attention of potential spa clients. Local charity events through the hospital foundation, children’s charities or other personal fundraising efforts can work well by way of prize donation. Back up your spa’s involvement by having a member of your staff attend to add a networking component. Being human and social is a great way to educate people on the benefits of the spa.

Host Events

Build events into your marketing strategy to not only reward current spa clients but also to attract the new ones. Events can often be done in collaboration with the skin care brands you carry and reps from these lines are often more than happy to come out to give demonstrations in support. Wine and cheese nights, collaborations with a local juice bar, and inviting a nutritionist or naturopath to speak can also be a draw and a win/win for both you and your partner.

Offer A Special Promotion For First Timers

Incentivize the first-time spa-goer. After all, how many times have you purchased something because it was on sale? You need to look at this a little differently though as you don’t want to discount your services so much that they look cheap. You also don’t want to attract those only looking for a deal. This is your opportunity to add value. Go ahead and offer the discount by percentage or dollar value but do this as a credit toward a purchase or future service on account. You could also do this by way of additional services such as booking a specific facial and adding a mini manicure, foot treatment or mask, and stating the value. 

Savvy Social Media

If you’re posting once a week on Facebook, sending out the occasional tweet or are lurking on Instagram, it’s time to get savvy with your social media. Social media is not just an add-on to your marketing and PR plans, it should be fully integrated. This is an opportunity to educate those who are new to the spa on the benefits of various treatments. Having a proper plan in place will help guide you and your team to strategically attract new people online. Instagram is truly a hot spot for the spa and beauty industry as a whole. Leverage the skills of a good photographer to build up your content by way of descriptions of spa services, stunning product photography and candids. Remember that people are visual and love to see images of real people. 

You may offer the best spa services in town but if you can’t communicate those services to potential clients then you won’t get far. Be sure to start with a plan and build out from there. You can add monthly themes and weekly ideas to a calendar to hold you accountable and have your team ready to support you with clear visual guidelines. When you work smart, and implement these strategies, you’ll be greeting those first-time spa-goers in no time.