Busy at the spa is good.

Busy at the spa when you also need to stay on top of the marketing? A lesson in futility.

When there isn’t enough time in the day for months...it can be a recipe for disaster for marketing when September hits and the schedule is eerily quiet.

Our business is cyclical. You know this, yet most of you throw your hands in the air in exasperation every summer when the schedule is full, and your marketing is overdue. “I can’t do it all!” you’re saying.

True, but you do need to manage it all. This only means you need a plan, steps to implement, and a strategy for how you'll stay accountable...well in advance (which is not your usual M.O. #amiright).

The concept is to have it set up so that all you have to do during those busy months is press GO to activate implementation.

"Think of the big companies...do you, for a minute, believe they would start their July marketing on June 1st? Not a chance."

 

So how do you do that? Use a 12-week plan. Keep it short. Keep it prioritized. Keep your eye on the prize.

Here are 7 ways to kick your planning into high gear and implementation on point.

1. Planning - Start with deciding what you’re goals are at the end of the 12 weeks you’ll be busy.

2. Planning - For each goal, make a list of action steps PLUS their due date. Need your email marketing to be consistent while you’re busy? Write the content early and schedule the email to automatically go out on the date you want. No one will know you did it months in advance and your marketing stays consistent! Email systems like MailChimp or Constant Contact have scheduling features that make this step super easy. You need easy. But you need to be organized, k?

3. Planning - Be sure to include any support you’ll need to action these items out. NO ONE is great at every aspect of their business, so expect to farm out some of your action steps. Need a graphic designer to manage the creative images you’ll need for 2 months of social media & in spa advertising? Set it up now, so you have your marketing materials on time. Need help with writing your marketing copy? Hire a copywriter by the hour to review your email, website or FB ads. It's not as expensive as you think and it’s their area of genius.

4. Planning - Don’t forget to use those extra “brains” you have at the spa! If you have a team, encourage them to become an active part of the creative process of your marketing. It’s common for entrepreneurs to think they’re the only ones that can do it right. But clear boundaries, communication and TIME to create can bring up fantastic opportunities of support...that in turn, feed your company culture. Just don’t make this request when everyone's run off their feet. Schedule a team meeting this month to brainstorm your summer marketing, map out a plan & recruit team members who want to participate in actioning out the steps. Don’t forget to communicate due dates for all your action items!

5. Implementation - You’re connecting with more people naturally at this time. Does your team know what to talk about to keep the sales ringing? Maybe you need to coach your team on topics that naturally shift into services or retail opportunities by implementing the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time they should be talking about spa/beauty/wellness related topics, 20% can be personal. You know staff ends up focusing way too heavily on personal convos. It’s an easy habit to slip into but dilutes your marketing efforts.

6. Implementation - The busy season is the best time to step up your referral program because you have more clients through the door! What need polishing: the program itself or communicating it consistently?

7. Implementation - Commit to daily huddles to make sure your guest services & service provider teams are on the same page & work together to manage and support daily sales goals, marketing focus, tight schedules, and any issues that need to be handled (sick staff, problem client, low stock, etc.).

To keep your marketing consistent during your busy season, the bottom line is you need to start you planning much earlier than you’re used to.

Think of the big companies...do you, for a minute, believe they would start their July marketing on June 1st? Not a chance.

One month is not enough time to create the goals, map out the strategy, create the tactics, connect with those people critical to the plan plus implement for best ROI. Quite possibly, two months isn't even enough in some situations. AND I know you’re working in your spa during that time, so you already have other obligations that need your time.

You need to give yourself more time to map out your marketing during the busy season in order to have more clients booking in the slower months.  

Your Action Step to Manage The Marketing in Your Busy Season:

Block off 3 hrs of undisrupted time this week (or split it up into 2 x 90 min blocks) to make your 12-week Marketing Goals + tactics for June, July & August.