Last week I taught a 90-minute webinar about what works and what’s changing when it comes to social media ROI for spas.

So it may surprise you when I say, although social media marketing has been a brilliant opportunity for spas to increase their visibility, I would never advocate to put your eggs all in one basket and ONLY use social as your marketing plan.

Why?

Because social media marketing takes a long time to gain momentum for (organic/unpaid) ROI.

If you’re new to the spa business gig and post to any of the esthetic Facebook groups looking for ways to increase your spa traffic stat, you’ll see a long list of “social media!!” answers in your thread.

But if you believe social media should be your only marketing strategy, you are in a terrifying place as a spa entrepreneur; you obviously don’t know what you don’t know about...

The Time & Trust Gap

We’re in the personal service industry, and prospective new clients need to feel confident they can trust their bodies and self-worth with us before they press the “book now” button. It will take posting consistent spa massages, education, inspiration, and entertainment to help your prospect begin to trust you.

However, due to social media algorithms, it takes a very long time to grow a large organic, loyal and engaged following.

Even if you pick up the slack on your social pages by posting better content more regularly, you’ll still experience The Time & Trust Gap that happens when spas rely on social media as their primary marketing strategy.

Unless you invest in paid ads (and definitely with help from a Facebook ads expert!), it will simply take much more time than you expect to build a large enough social following in which the numbers game will work in your favor. The bottom line is organic social media growth is slow.

Fast visibility is pay-to-play.

You’ve probably noticed your own social media news feed is exceptionally cluttered with other businesses wanting your business.

There’s a lot of noise on social and not only has it become difficult to be “heard” by your Ideal Clients, even paid ads are becoming (and will continue to be) more expensive as Facebook and Instagram try to declutter the news feed.

If you need visibility fast, it’s pay to play. But make sure you have a significant budget and strategy for social ads, or you’ll be lighting a match to your hard earned dollars!

You’re a spa owner, not a Social Media Marketer.

As a spa owner, you wear many hats. And if you’re desperate for more clients, you feel the most important one you wear is your social media marketing hat.

Which is exactly the problem.

You’re not a Social Media Marketer; you don’t spend 40 hrs a week on your computer learning, testing and tweaking the latest social media tech and tactics for your 10-step sales funnel that started with a sponsored post of your blog. Spa business is different than digital business, and not all aspects of digital marketing will apply to you, your business model or budget.

And no, you don’t need a 10-step sales funnel - you just need a simple, diversified marketing system that works for brick & mortar businesses like spas.

Don’t put all your eggs all in one basket.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally believe in the power of social media for small businesses. It gives you a platform to share your ideas for free; letting your community know you’re here and creating an educational and inspirational resource for your niche.

So don’t you dare use this message as an excuse to ditch your social media marketing planning.

"Social changes quickly and you can’t always work with your social media marketing hat on as a spa owner, you have a shit ton of other to-do's before you dive into that crazy, overwhelming pool." - Kirsten Foss

Besides, hacks that work today are quickly figured out and closed by Facebook, and their fearless leader Mr. Z is committed to the FB user experience, not your business reach. Social media marketing is like trying to hit a target that moves every six months.

Diversify your social media with spa marketing fundamentals.

I’m the first to admit; it’s way more fun to try new social media tips & tricks than to look at the classic methods of marketing. It’s human nature to be attracted to shiny new things, but it can steer you wrong if you’re not aware of your habit and can't differentiate between a great idea and a waste of time. Proven beats fun when it comes to marketing ROI.

What should you do instead? Diversify your marketing to include the fundamentals, so that when social media marketing changes (and it will), you’ll have a well-rounded strategy to capture sales opportunities more often, and with more success.

What does a diversified spa marketing plan include?

1. * Ideal Client Study - If you still aren’t clear who this person is, how can you possibly attract and communicate clearly in any of your marketing?

2. * Copywriting Study - If you want to sound as confident in your marketing as you are in the treatment room, you need to know how to write compelling service descriptions, product recommendations, emails, in-spa ads and social media posts so your Ideal Client can “hear” you.

3. * Email Marketing - Everyone on your email list knows, likes and trusts you because they’ve already been to your spa! This list is so much easier and profitable to engage with than any social media post! If you don’t have an email system yet, you’re leaving money behind.

4. * Website Marketing - Did you create your website? Chances are it’s more of a passive online brochure than the marketing assistant it should be. That needs to change, asap.

5. Referral Marketing - You may already have a referral system, but how well is it working? Maybe it needs freshening up and a re-commitment from you to keep it front-of-mind for guests.

6. In-Spa Conversations - I bet you didn’t realize this was part of your marketing system! Is it a personal gab-fest in the treatment room or are there strategic conversations being guided by your staff? It makes a huge difference to your bottom line if you’re focusing on the latter.

7. Networking - I’m not a fan of networking either, but I do love making authentic personal connections with the women in my community. Networking doesn’t have to be awkward, exhausting or time-consuming.

8. Spa Events - I see spa events as extra special opportunities for deepening my connection with my tribe. You already have a great bond with your guests; in-house events are a fantastic way to energize and leverage your service and retail sales.

What does your spa marketing system look like right now?

Heavy on social, light on fundamentals?

If you plan to market DIY style, then the above list should help you get started on which marketing systems you need to add to your spa business. But a word of advice so you don’t end up down the rabbit hole by lonely and lost...pick ONLY one system as a project to create and implement this fall or you'll find yourself overwhelmed and not finishing any of it.

If you want spa-specific guidance from someone who can keep you focused, walk you through the steps and help you put it together in a simple to implement the 12-week plan...then you need to join us for The Simplified Spa Marketing Solution.

In this 5-week eCourse you'll learn the first 4 strategies I've outlined above (*Ideal Client Study, *Copywriting for Spas, *Email Marketing & *Website Marketing) plus how to put it together in a 12-week spa marketing plan to implement for Oct-Dec 2017 and finish the year strong.

We start Wednesday, September 20th.

All the details are here...classes are recorded, extra weekly coaching, and lifetime access.