These past two weeks, I’ve been dedicating my Thursday Spa Business Breaks to why spas need to be upping their email marketing game (whether they’ve reopened or not!) and why the key differences between email marketing and newsletters are more crucial than most spa owners think.

Now that I’ve toggled from specifically COVID-19 topics and niched in on email as one of the most overlooked (yet profitable!) marketing platforms available to spa owners, especially because, in the wake of COVID-19 closures, spa owners should be switching gears in order to work smarter, not harder, I wanted to detail exactly how and why you need to be using email to mine existing client opportunities as a spa business owner.

Why Do I LOVE Email Marketing As a Main Focus For Spas?

“Wait, Kirsten,” you may be thinking, “now that spas are reopening, why should I bother with email marketing? The best success I’ve had with promotions is by pitching them in the treatment room!” 

While I hear you that the majority of spa owners prefer face-to-face as their method of communication, hasn’t COVID-19 taught us that that can’t be our only (or even primary) communication method? Even if you are open (and successfully stay open until a COVID-19 vaccination is found and administered, which may take years) only communicating with clients when they are in your brick-and-mortar business severely limits your communication… and leaves oodles of money on the table!

One of the many joys of email marketing? In the time that you can connect with one client face-to-face, email marketing can send that same conversation out to hundreds or even thousands of clients; it also provides you with the opportunity to deliver varied content that is a mix of educational, informational, and promotional, as well as allowing you to nurture new clients that you may have received via opt-ins. 

For example, think if you were new to a spa, opted-in to one of their promotions on their website (you know where you enter your name & email to receive a promo?), and then received periodic information that ranged from education on the spa’s expertise to exciting new promotions coming down the pipeline— even though you hadn’t been in yet you’d subconsciously trust them far more than if you had to physically go in to the spa business to glean information about them, right? Right! The same goes for pre-existing clients; fostering that relationship long-term is crucial, so don’t let it fall to the wayside because you rely on in-person communication! Email marketing can be the difference between having a client come in twice a year and that same client coming in every two months. Increasing the number of appointments per year, per client can exponentially increase your spa revenues! 

So what are the five types of emails you can integrate into your email marketing to mine existing client opportunities? Bookmark this page: trust me, you’ll want it saved for future reference!

Email #1: The Monthly Update Email

Focused more on informational or educational content rather than promotional, the monthly update/info email (or multiple emails!) is the best way to get you into the swing of scheduling regular emails. Monthly email updates are perfect for coaching your clients into expecting these emails on a periodic basis on relying on them as a way to hear what’s happening at the spa, which will boost your open rates; plus, as a former spa business owner myself, we get chatty in the treatment room about non-spa related updates, right? And post-COVID I know spa owners will be excited to hear all about you personally, which may mean that there won’t be time to squeeze in that promotion you’ve been meaning to tell them about! Email marketing is a way to circumnavigate that.

Email #2: The Promotional Email

The quintessential promotional email is a way to spotlight that new product, service, or special that’s either ongoing or on the horizon. If you’re a spa owner who also feels shy or uncomfortable pitching promotions in-person, presenting it in an email can feel more natural. (Plus, you can nurture it either via the phone or in-person the next time you connect!)

Email #3: The Confirmation Email

If you don’t already have this email in your email marketing toolbox, spa owners, you are missing out! Don’t just set your confirmation email and forget about it. Instead, use it as a golden opportunity to link to an online Client Intake form, which is something I have done for many of my social media marketing clients, a note about what clients should expect post-COVID in the spa, or prompt a service add-on if you have a special running. Confirmation emails don’t just need to include a confirmation! Spice yours up by including more value.

Email #4: The Thank-You Email

Ah yes, your after-service thank-you email. Similarly to your confirmation email, don’t turn your back on the opportunities this email provides; buff it up with a link to your social media platforms and/or Google My Business and prompt for reviews, or give the opportunity for the client to share if part of the service was less than satisfactory. This allows you to gather social proof while giving clients the opportunity to privately come to you with potential grievances rather than airing them on Google reviews or social media, as well as giving yourself the opportunity to positively turn around your relationship with the client.

Email #5: The Re-engagement Email

The last email you can utilize to mine your existing client opportunities via email marketing is the re-engagement email, which is used when a client hasn’t booked in a certain period of time; for me, my re-engagement protocol is if a client is unresponsive for 3-6 months. Many email marketing platforms widely used by spa business owners include pre-programmed re-engagement email templates that prompt clients into re-engaging by giving them a deal to encourage their business to come back, as well as the opportunity to share if a negative experience caused them to no longer book services with your spa. My recommendation? Send out these emails quarterly!

Which Email Marketing Tactic Are YOU Going to Start With When Mining Your Existing Client Opportunities?

When it comes to leveraging communication with your clientele, bolstering your sales, and growing your spa business, email marketing is high on the ladder. Even if you don’t integrate all five of these emails, I highly, highly suggest that you pick at least one per quarter to include— and if it’s overwhelming? Don’t worry! Reach out today for outsourcing options or join my free private spa owners-only Facebook page, Spa Business Mastery, to get email marketing integration ideas from spa owners just like you.