A signature color in all marketing materials makes your spa more memorable.
Strategic marketing is a key part of keeping any spa alive. While running a standard spa ad (showing a woman being pampered in some way) in local women's publications will help maintain people's awareness that the spa exists, a more unusual marketing campaign will attract attention--and customers. Just maintain a consistent "look" and tone among your various marketing efforts to keep your brand image stable. And remember that, according to a U.S. Small Business Administration article on marketing, "Marketing has many dimensions, including market research, customer service, advertising, targeting, packaging, pricing, e-marketing, and others."
Ticket to Bliss
Run an ad in a regional publication geared toward women, who constitute a majority of spa customers, designed to look like an old-fashioned railroad ticket. In large type, show the origin as the town where the spa is located and the destination (in extra-large type) as "Bliss." Include the name and contact information of the spa somewhere on the ticket, of course. A ticket-style advertisement reminds people that spa treatments can transport them to a state of advanced relaxation.
Spa Ambassadors Program
Sample-size lotions are evocative and useful promotional items.
Identify and partner with area businesses whose customer base overlaps the spa's base, creating a "spa ambassadors club," suggests a HospitalityNet article on spa marketing. Such businesses could include upscale restaurants, hair salons (as long as they don't offer competing services), wedding planners, and fashion boutiques. Cross-promote your services in specific ways. For example, create and display a simple brochure with local dining and shopping recommendations that spa clients can take. In exchange, the listed businesses offer baskets of spa-branded lotion samples in their restrooms or display spa brochures prominently in their waiting areas.
Local Heroines Award
Include a flattering shot of the winner in each press release packet.
Sponsor a contest in which people nominate women in their lives who deserve a day of pampering. Award such a day every month (or seasonally) to teachers, activists, nurses, research scientists, mothers, and other important but oft-unrecognized women, and issue a well-written press release packet every time. The packet should contain a press release, photos, and a "backgrounder" sheet giving history and statistics about the salon. Name the award the "City Name Everyday Heroines Woman of the Month." Create a page on the main spa website showing the names, photos, and biographies of each woman chosen.
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