Roll call, spa start ups! Getting started with digital marketing for your spa? 

Then start here.

Here at Kirsten Foss Coaching, we usually speak to our community of seasoned spa owners… but that doesn’t mean we want to leave newbies out of the discussions! That’s why we’ve dedicated this blog entirely to spa owners who are feeling a little “green” in the industry and need some expert advice to get you going in the right direction.

If you’re looking for a so-called magic bullet that will whip your spa business startup into shape ASAP, let’s say this upfront: it doesn’t exist! As much as we all wish there was a magic wand you could wave to turn your proverbial pumpkin into a Cinderella carriage, it’s just simply not the case. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t marketing opportunities that you’re overlooking that could quickly convert into more cash (and convenience!)

Plus, don’t skip this if you’ve been in the biz for years! Since we tend to get locked into our own individual line of thinking, you can easily be skipping out on big marketing opportunities that are right under your nose.

Let’s dive right in:

Firstly, What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is defined as, “The promotion of brands to connect with both existing and potential customers using the Internet and other forms of digital communication. This commonly comes in the form of email, social media, web-based advertising, and SMS marketing messages.”

When we speak with new spa digital marketing clients, we frequently see that spa owners aren’t seeing the full picture of what digital marketing is. Oftentimes, spa owners like you come to us wanting to focus on only social media marketing, or only SEO through consistent blogging… without realizing that that’s like treating acne in-spa without consulting clients on their home-care routine!

Consistency is crucial. And so is understanding that, by only focusing on one facet of digital marketing, you’re missing out on multiple opportunities to communicate with consumers and clients. 

Instead, we advocate for multi-channel marketing: that means putting the puzzle pieces of email marketing, blogs and podcasts, in-spa marketing and conversations, a high-functioning website, and social media advertising to form the complete picture of what digital marketing and entails and how it can benefit your spa start up.

Pro tip: We love multi-channel marketing because you can tailor your content to fit each of these channels! Whether it be repurposing your email blast idea to speak to consumers on social, using your blog calendar as talking point inspiration for your podcast, or so much more, investing in just one digital marketing channel means you have endless content opportunities for all of the other ones.

Where Should Spas Start With Digital Marketing?

So now that you know the meaning and value of digital marketing, how should you start leveraging it?

We’ve broken that down into manageable steps.

#1: Define Your Ideal Spa Client and Where They Hang Out Online

For spa industry clients, they mainly frequent the following online platforms:

• Instagram: Because of its emphasis on visual content, the bulk of spa clients frequent Instagram as a source of inspiration for their homecare routines, looking for new products, or searching for results of in-spa treatments that they are interested in
• Facebook: Thanks to Facebook’s blend of both visual and text-based content, spa clients typically use Facebook to search up nearby businesses that offer services or products that they are interested in. Paid advertising via Facebook is also a common way for spa owners to get the word out about their offers and increase overall brand awareness
• Blogs: Blogs are a fantastic way for spa clients to debunk common skincare myths, learn more about services or products they think would solve their current skin concerns, or learn more about your spa’s specific approach to skincare 
• Podcasts: Spa clients who are seeking a deep-dive into certain skincare topics or are seeking to learn more about your spa’s skincare philosophy will oftentimes turn to podcasts for a more personalized way to receive the info they’re looking for 
• Websites: Websites are your hub for contact information, product and service information, and overall company information. Both existing and potential clients use it as such! That’s why it’s crucial that, when investing in any digital marketing channel, the emphasis is always on pointing customers back to your website. That’s where the conversions happen!

Pro tip: Before jumping into any digital marketing channel, define your ideal customer’s pain points. That will work to narrow down which platforms to focus on, what types of content to create, what visuals will resonate the most with them, and, of course, what types of calls-to-action will prompt them to check out your website and complete their purchase or booking.

#2: Get Your Spa Branding Down Pat

Once your market research is done, you need to solidify your branding before moving on to publish any digital marketing content.

The non-negotiables for successful branding are:

• Identifiable colours that reflect your brand’s core values and messaging
• A logo that is both eye-catching and reflective of your offers and personality
• Distinctive fonts that differ from your competitors 
• Imagery that cohesively ties into your given brand colors, fonts, and logo
• Consistent language (are you scientific? Cheeky? Maternal? Make sure your language is consistent with whatever angle you’re going for!)

Pro tip: The goal is to have your branding be so recognizable that customers or clients can remember your brand without even seeing its logo. The more you stick out in their memory, the more frequently they’ll think of you for their skincare needs!

#3: Decide Which Digital Marketing Channels Give You the Most Bang For Your Buck

If you’re scribbling notes down like a madwoman thinking that we’re telling you to go publish content on every available platform…

Breathe in. Now breathe out. And understand that we are not suggesting you go out and try to master all channels at once. That much pressure right away will just be discouraging!

Instead, use this guide to narrow down which channels you should focus on first. They’re listed from most important to least important!

• Investing in your website provides you with:
• SEO opportunities, which makes it so your website is recognized by search engines and is bumped up on the “priority list” of search results (we all want to be on the first page of Google for keywords related to our biz!)
• Branded copywriting that instills trust in both existing and potential customers and clients
• Lead generation to get clients on your email list so that you can market to them more in the future
  
  
• Investing in your social media provides you with:
• Organic brand awareness 
• Opportunities to reach out to your community in a personalized way
• Showcase more of your spa start up’s unique personality and approach to skincare to set you apart from competitors
  
  
• Investing in blogging provides you with:
• Better searchability and search engine results thanks to its big SEO benefit
• Enhances the know/like/trust factor by displaying you and/or your team’s expertise in your given niche
  
  
• Investing in email marketing provides you with:
• The opportunity to communicate with existing clients and leverage your history with them to boost your sales 
• Keeping your business top-of-mind with those clients
• Steering clients towards opt-ins
  
  
• Investing in paid advertising provides you with:
• Building brand awareness more rapidly than organic social media efforts
• (Detriment: There’s a lot of data to understand and you need an extra budget to play with! Keep this at the bottom of your list when starting out)

And if you’re seeking out info on which platforms worked best for other spas just like yours? Check out Spa Business Mastery, a private spa-owners only Facebook forum to bounce ideas and questions off of others in the industry!

Get Started With Digital Marketing for Your Spa Today

This is a list of prioritized action steps for spa start ups.

However, we know how overwhelming digital marketing can be… especially when you’re already juggling running a spa!

Kirsten Foss Coaching is currently full for taking on new social media clients, but we do offer an in-depth Marketing VIP Day to get the following figured out:

• Your ideal client & where they hang out online
• An assessment & strategy to ensure your market positioning is strong & clear for consumers 
• An organized digital marketing system (that we provide you with!)
• High-level spa marketing strategy for one calendar year; part done-with-you, part done-for-you 
• Easy to follow spreadsheets for keeping track & implementing your monthly marketing plan
• Email marketing templates to follow
• Protocols for creating social media content more efficiently
• Follow up support from your marketing coach for any lingering questions

The result? Feeling organized, understanding the direction of where your marketing should go, and a huge sense of relief that a whole year’s worth of marketing is done and dusted in just one day! 

Book your VIP Day today.