Monday, March 21, 2011

12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa

12 Months of Marketing for Salon and SpaSome salons have seen female clients extend the time between routine services by two weeks or more, and an increasing number of women are doing their own hair color and purchasing care and treatment products formerly purchased in the salon or spa from retail stores. Clients need lower cost hair cutting services and families have to make every dollar count. In the spa and luxury services segment of the industry the disparity between the old normal and the new normal is even greater. Some spa clients have stopped coming altogether; others who used to visit weekly are now just coming once a month or once a quarter.

How much can you allow business to slow before you have to take on a second job or leave the industry altogether? What are you doing to create a new normal of your own that transcends economic factors? What are you doing to take back control of your business, growth of your client base, retail sales and income?

Salon and spas are natural settings for themed event and promotions. You have the ability to tailor packages, products and incentives for nearly every holiday and major life event - from new jobs to new babies to graduations to weddings to anniversaries to 'girlfriend' outings or dates. You see clients at a frequency to easily provide them with ever-changing merchandising displays and seasonal and personal gift suggestions.

When it comes to defining growth and success in the salon and spa, we have oversimplified the answers. Traditional thinking suggests that there are only two ways to be more profitable: Get new clients into the salon (or spa) or increase sales of products and services to existing clients once they are there. That is limited thinking.

There are many ways to build business beyond the simplicity of these two concepts, but you have to learn to think without the old limitations. Yes, you can and should go after new clients and yes, you have to sell products and services to existing clients.

But there are more ways to get clients into the chair than to wait, hoping they will call for an appointment, and there are more opportunities to sell products, services and add-on services than only those times when the client is in the chair. In the same way that the internet's social media web sites have blurred the lines between business and personal, you can evolve your business into a social, tribal site for your clients that blurs the lines between their service appointments and their social, professional and family lives.

Filling the books, engendering client loyalty, creating buzz worthy, well-attended customer events, crafting memorable client experiences and selling through retail promotions and products takes work on your part. Getting outside of your own walls, engaging in more frequent print and e-mail communication, utilizing more channels for marketing in the salon, in the community, through the press and online, making new contacts, networking, creating meaningful business co-marketing opportunities - these are the kind of activities that 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa is meant to stimulate.

Create a bigger, more influential role for your business in the lives of your clients!

Price: $24.95


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Sunday, March 20, 2011

12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa: Ideas, Events and Promotions for Salon and Spa

12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa: Ideas, Events and Promotions for Salon and SpaWith the economic downturn of the past few years and continued slow consumer spending projected to last for the foreseeable future, beauty industry professionals have seen clients extend the time between routine salon services by an additional two weeks (or more) and an increasing number of clients are doing their own hair color and purchasing more hair and skin care products from retail stores. In the spa segment the disparity between the old normal and the new normal is even greater. * How can new stylists and estheticians carve out clientele as they launch their career? * What can industry professionals at any stage of their career do to create a new normal that transcends economic factors? * What should they be doing to take control of their business, growth of their client base, retail sales and income? With so few books available specifically written for this industry, 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa is especially relevant to the owner, manager or individual professionals within the industry whether they want to revitalize their business or are just launching their career. The health and future of salon and spa professionals depends upon reinstating their role as experts, creating a bigger role for themselves in the lives of their clients, and a more present, influential role for their business within their communities. You can evolve the salon or spa into a social, tribal site for clients that blurs the lines between their service appointments and their social, professional and family lives.

Price: $29.95


Click here to buy from Amazon

How To Start Your Own Day Spa

How To Start Your Own Day SpaThe Start Your Own Day Spa eBook teaches you everything that you need to know to
start your own successful day spa!
You'll start off with an introduction to the basics of setting up and running a day spa
and then move on to the planning stage.
You'll learn about planning your equipment list and how to get it without going broke
before you even open your doors.
Also covered is the choice and acquisition of products that you need to stock your
spa with for your customers.
You will also learn about choosing a location that will cultivate your growing business
for years to come.
One great thing you are going to discover is how to setup a business plan that sets
you up for success!
You'll also learn how to generate buzz about your new shops opening and turn that
buzz into a shop full of paying customers!
Everything you need to know about opening your own day spa is covered in great
detail so you can get started fast!

Price: $1.99


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How To Start A Hair Salon

Sales Letter For My Book How Anyone Can Start A Hair Salon In 90 Days.


Check it out!

Understanding the Global Spa Industry: Spa Management

Understanding the Global Spa Industry: Spa ManagementThe spa industry is currently the fastest growing segment of the hospitality and leisure industry with revenues exceeding those from amusement parks, box office receipts, vacation ownership gross sales and ski resort ticket sales.

Understanding the Global Spa Industry is the first book to examine management practices in this industry and offers a groundbreaking and comprehensive approach to global spa management, covering everything from the beginnings of the industry through to contemporary management and social and ethical issues.

With contributions from internationally renowned business leaders, practitioners and academics, this unique book is packed with case studies, examples and advice for all those working in, and studying, the international spa industry.

Understanding the Global Spa Industry brings an analytic lens to the spa movement, examining past, current and future trends and the potential for shaping wellness and health services in the 21st century.

. Spa services and the development of the spa business from its historical beginnings to the size of the market today.
. Business development and planning, spa operations and business models.
. Spa products and technologies, retailing and the application of branding and marketing strategies.
. Infrastructure, design and environmental issues including sustainability and social and environmental benchmarking.
. Human resources issues from education and training to professional and regulatory issues and professional and corporate ethics and values.

Price: $56.95


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Spa Business Strategies: A Plan for Success

Spa Business Strategies: A Plan for SuccessSPA BUSINESS STRATEGIES: A PLAN FOR SUCCESS uses thought-provoking questionnaires, practical examples and targeted worksheets guiding the reader through each facet of business development. It covers important business topics such as the need to develop a clear vision and solid business plan; understanding demographics and identifying their target market; finding the best location or purchasing an existing spa business; planning the physical space or the architecture and design of their spa; purchasing products and equipment; technology and computer systems; developing key marketing tools and strategies; analyzing sales and productivity data; promoting retail and service sales, developing excellent communication and customer service skills, managing customer and employee relations; using financial management tools and compensation strategies that will help them to maintain their business and manage day to day operations at maximum efficiency.

Price: $75.95


Click here to buy from Amazon

Beauty Salon Secrets

Ebook - How To Start A Beauty Salon, Spa or Barber Shop


Check it out!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

How to Start A Beauty Salon Guide

How to Start a Your Own Hair Salon in 30 days. 60+ page Step by Step guide with tons of Bonus Materials. Converts Off Tons of Free Long Tail Keywords Great for Bum Marketing And Internet Newbies(Earn 70%). Our Site Converts 8-12% openingabeautysalon.com


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Email Marketing For Salons and Spas

Email Success Strategies to Explode Your Salon or Spa Profits


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How to Grow a Massage Therapy Business Marketing Video on DVD - Ralph Stephens

How to Grow a Massage Therapy Business Marketing Video on DVD - Ralph StephensSUMMARY: Many skilled, well trained therapists struggle to become successful and prosperous because they lack the skills to promote themselves effectively, either to the public or to employers. By popular request, Ralph Stephens has made this DVD to help you create a successful, abundant, massage therapy business. Utilize this information and you can become successful, prosperous, and fulfilled, in your practice as well as all areas of your life. 'I have produced many excellent techniques videos. If you don't already have them, then you should consider picking them up. Yet, the best clinician will struggle financially if they cannot effectively market their skills. This DVD shares the secrets to becoming successful. - Ralph' OVERVIEW: The proper mindset and beliefs to ethically grow your practice.
How to assess your desires and fulfill them. Better communication skills to reach your target market. The strengths of each advertising medium. Sources of free advertising that are more effective than any you can buy. The best ways to get referrals and keep existing clients. Taught By: Ralph Stephens, Format: DVD, Length: 1 Hour 12 Minutes. About Instructor Ralph Stephens: Massage Therapy Hall of Fame, 2008 Inductee, Ralph is an internationally recognized instructor of medical massage that shares his 20 plus years of experience in a way that makes learning easy and fun, and is one of the few hands-on instructors that come across effectively on video. He has produced 17 training videos, a textbook, and has contributed to many magazines, textbooks, and journals. A popular presenter at state, regional and national meetings, he participates in 30+ such weekends each year - bringing medical, sports, and chair massage to the masses in a comprehensive, yet easily understood way.

Price: $29.95


Click here to buy from Amazon

Nail Salon Success

Earn 75% on each sale. There are 75,000 nail salons in my county alone, how many in yours? Customers will discover the most advanced methods of getting leads, converting leads to customers, customer retention, and many other key business activities.


Check it out!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Why Are Social Media Sites So Liked?

Why Are Social Media Sites So Liked?

You will find countless social networking, and social media websites on the internet and you may register as a member with many of them. (i.e. Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Buzz, LinkedIn, etc.) Is it a craze? Many people point out this isn’t so because it’s the easiest way at this time for connecting individuals with an equal or related interests no matter how old you are and/ or gender.

Connecting with individuals is accomplished by putting yourself out there. Therefore creating a free account and revealing a bit about yourself which is like presenting yourself in front of a Chamber of Commerce meeting. Along with other capabilities like blog tools, posting pictures, video clips and audio files, becoming a member of forums and publishing comments, you get to individualize it and inform individuals much more about who you are and what you do which can be something which many people appreciate. Social Media, social networking

However possibly one more reason why social media sites are so well received and still have thousands of members is the fact it’s totally FREE. You are able to post almost anything on the internet provided it’s not too risky…! Although, there is a place for that online as well.

Social media sites are becoming much more popular amongst day spa, hair salon, medical spa, beauty salon and massage practice owners since they’re able to utilize it to market their businesses and services. Nevertheless, there are other ways to do that, why shell out the dough when you’re able to market for free while you’re a member of a social media site.

To push the point, one study implies that 41% of the people of a certain social media & social networking site are Spa and Salon professionals. They utilize it to achieve business connections and to obtain information about the industry.

It’s very similar to how day spa and salon owners want to increase new clients. They will no longer need to do high priced advertising to produce a sale or new customer and other methods to get similar results. One example is somebody who joins a social networking site (say; Facebook), joins a discussion, recognizes an opportunity, and promotes their salon services. If that member was able to offer quality service, other folks will probably be interested in obtaining precisely the same services as well.

Salon and Day Spa owners have also discovered far better ways to use the social networks since it permits them to find the appropriate stylists and staff anytime there’s a job opening. Rather than waiting for a job candidate to deliver their resume after submitting an ad within a local newspaper, they are able to obtain recommendations with people who are generally qualified to consider the job without the need of shelling out any money.

There are several who say the interest in social media networks will ultimately kill internet searching. But professionals in the industry state this isn’t feasible simply because Google which is one of the primary search engines around and has huge market share will not allow that to happen.

Even though there could be additional features in these social networking sites in the foreseeable future, individuals will still need to use search engines like Yahoo and Google whenever they require information and facts.

Social media sites are not going anywhere soon simply because apart from preserving connections with current friends and making new ones, there are many things that members are able to do by using it. It merely requires someone to think outside the box to discover more effective ways to use them which is welcomed by the public.

What’s more , it shows that the imagination of 1 individual offers fresh ideas. Social media is a great technology, we should be using on a daily basis to enhance both our social and business connections.


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Learn How To Investigate The Media You Buy

Learn How To Investigate The Media You Buy… Before You Buy It

There are two basic ways to make sure you make good media buys: The first is by asking your customers which media they pay attention to and the second way is by doing a little investigative work.

First of all, ask your clients. It’s really simple; all you have to do is ask them basic questions like… what magazines they read, what radio stations do they listen to, do they read the newspaper, and if so, what sections do they read.

You can ask them if they use the Internet, if they’ve got e-mail, if they attend seminars, if they read books, if they read faxes, if they look in the yellow pages… and anything else that would be helpful in your particular situation.

I know it sounds simple, but many day spa, hair salon owners and advertisers don’t do it… they would rather gamble their budget on their own personal opinion about what their customers will respond to.

Personally, I’d rather deal with facts. Listen closely: JUST ASK THE CLIENT!

Now, one warning or point of clarification when it comes to asking your clients: If you are asking YOUR customers what they respond to, don’t automatically assume if they say they WON’T respond to a certain medium that the medium WON’T work.

Let me give you an example. We take surveys at our marketing seminars to find out these kinds of things for our own business. We ask what radio stations they listen to, what newspapers they read, and on and on. We found a high percentage of our seminar attendees say they DO NOT read the local business journals. About 10 to 15% say they never read them.

So here’s the question: Does that mean if I run an ad for my marketing seminars in a business journal it won’t work? Answer: Maybe, maybe not. Maybe the way I’ve generated leads in the past (via certain other mediums) didn’t get me the crowd of people who read business journals. Now if 80% of the attendees said they read it every week that would be a good indicator. But here’s the point: asking is a great way to find out what will and won’t work… but you’ve got to do more. You’ve got to do some investigative work too.

Here are a couple of ideas: First, call other businesses currently advertising in the medium you are considering and ASK how it’s going for them. If you’re planning on running radio ads on a certain station, call some of the advertisers currently on that station and ask them how it’s going. Same thing for newspaper or yellow pages or anything else.

Here are some questions to ask them: How long have you been advertising here? Does the investment pay for itself? How many inquires or leads or sales do you generate from your ads? How long do you plan on staying with this particular medium? You don’t need to talk to all of the advertisers. Some of them won’t want to give up that information. But enough will so you can get the real scoop on the performance of the medium.

One way you can gather information on a particular medium is to call the people who already use it and interview them about their results. Another way to investigate is to check the history of the medium and see how long their advertisers have been with them.

This is easiest if it’s a printed medium like magazines, newspapers, or the yellow pages. Just save the back issues or
research them… maybe at the library or at the local university. If it’s TV or radio, you can still find out by ASKING the sales rep. If the sales rep knows the true facts might cost him a sale, he may not be very willing to deliver this kind of information. Take this as a negative sign. If the sales rep does give up favourable information relatively easily, that’s a good sign.

Researching the media you are thinking about buying probably seems pretty obvious. But the fact is most people just don’t go through the effort to do it right. Then they wonder why it feels like they’re throwing their advertising money down the toilet.

You’ll find that these little tips will tell you with a great degree of certainty what has worked and what hasn’t worked for
other day spa, hair salon, beauty salon, medical spa and massage practice owners before you. So be a sleuth… and do a little investigative work before you plunk down your cash.

Dedicated To Multiplying Your Revenues,

John Uhrig


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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Word of Mouth Marketing – 5 Essential Tips

We all know that economic times are tough. I always suggest that businesses (day spas, hair salons salons, medical spas, beauty salons, chiropractic & massage practices) NOT pull their marketing budget. Not all businesses listen, regrettably.

That’s why I want to share with you a few tips that’ll help you generate word of mouth marketing for your spa and salon industry related business.

Word-of-Mouth marketing is the most difficult to measure, but it’s also the most cost effective, because it costs you nothing.

Your clients & patients are the best vehicle for positive word-of-mouth marketing, but how can you get them to talk about you?

1. Ask them to try your products, services & treatments:
If you want consumers to talk about your services and treatments, ask them to try and then to tell others about them, especially if it’s a new offering. This is an effective way to build excitement and genuine recommendations.

2. Find ways to make your clients & patients feel like company insiders:
Involve them, ask their opinion, survey them and then listen. Make them feel like their feedback and opinion matters. Create an ‘Insiders ONLY‘ list that shares with them upcoming events, products, treatments, promotions or specials that are coming up.

3. Provide a forum for your best clients to have a conversation on behalf of your day spa, hair salon, beauty salon or medical spa:
Give ‘best clients‘ a forum to share their opinion and feedback. This could be a company sponsored cocktail party, client appreciation night or as simply as an online forum for select clients only.

4. Provide quality service and treat every client with respect:
This goes without saying… give your customer something good to talk about. Show them quality in service and treat every client with respect. Do you think Starbucks became popular because of their $4.50 coffee? No they became popular because they made an effort to be known as the ‘third place‘ (home, work, Starbucks!). They provide quality and mainly experience, that’s why customers pay $4.50 for a coffee. Unfortunately they’ve gotten a little lax on the ‘experience’ concept, although in the beginning they had it down to a science. Perhaps if they were to focus on it again they might see a brighter economic future in these tough times.

5. Stay in touch w/ clients; provide them specials they want to talk about:
Put your clients & patients in the know. Inform them of specials, send them vouchers, send them Christmas cards, Birthday cards, holiday cards, letters, faxes and by all means stay in touch. A consent
flow of communication is key! One of my all time marketing mentors touches his clients & prospects (sends them stuff) no less than 200 times per year. All done with a combination of email, fax, direct mail, postcards, letters, telephone, packages, newsletters, conference calls, tele-seminars and conferences! Who do you think I go to when it comes to buying marketing strategies…? The person who communicates the most with me… they have my trust. This will not only increase your clients visits, but get them talking about you.

Fulfilling Dreams with Smarter Marketing…

John Uhrig
Monochrome Marketing Solutions!

P.S. Why not sign-up for our unique marketing newsletter sent weekly via email and find out more on Word of Mouth Marketing?


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What on earth is Blogging: A Great Type of Social Media

What on earth is Blogging: A Great Type of Social Media

Ever ask yourself why nearly all of the teenagers these days tend to be dependent on the internet? Clearly it offers almost everything a young discovering mind requires. From surfing around the internet for information, shopping, baking, video gaming, chat, plus a whole bunch of stuff that website’s have to offer.

Yep, most of these including one private section of a teen’s lifestyle which is their diary. Don’t believe me? Then look at connecting on the web today and see just how much there’s available.

Apart from being a windowpane for the audience to find out what’s on the author’s mind, a blog site allows him or her to elaborate on information or chicken scratch out whatever concept that jumps out of his head. A blog site is really a basic term for “web blog” a fresh era for writing and submitting articles, documents, information and the like.

It’s generally made up of messages and / or quite often photos and multi-media subjects. If you’re fed up with jotting down each and every detail of one’s life’s worth on paper, test the popular trend of blogging which is writing a blog. Writing a blog basically means sharing a opinion of life through the world wide web.

It’s an up-to-date resource. A series of events. An ageless display of creativity and style. An outlet for one’s self.

The popularity of a blog will come in various areas. Anybody can easily write whatever comes out of his or her head. Whether a stroll on a sunlit day or perhaps a dip into Florida’s wild waters, it can serve as a journal and is easily updated. What’s excellent about running a blog is that it’s not bounded by editing and it’s inexpensive.

The business velocity of your blog depends upon a writer’s thought to produce a worthy article. Both formative or informative, logical or illogical, provided the readers can easily picture what the writer has published… your blog’s a hit.

Technical expertise and knowledge, are not essential. All that is required is for you to have a amusing mind, a want to discuss ideas and a bit of knowledge on a subject you’d like to share on the internet. Grammatical mistakes are welcome. No publishers and writing companies to please. Blogging without having rules or guidelines to adhere to and what’s ideal is the fact that visitors can submit a comment or be motivated to write one too.

Running a blog is not difficult if you’ve got the right formulas. Not just a simple-text article, a blog site could be enhanced or changed into other forms such as an audio blog or a video blog. Today, blogs tend to be more advanced and innovative. A blog begins with a great and interesting headline right down to the author’s individual user profile.

A buddy of mine is a blogger. He would entertain himself by posting information on his web page on subjects he was passionate about. He informed me running a blog can be an advantage for him, he’s able to speak out on issues and subjects he’s passionate on! I quote, “I’m an online junkie. I’m not a huge fan of journalism or any type of writing.

However it all changed once the blogging fever struck internet culture. I valued the Internet more when I felt everything that’s been published from people is genuine and not simply a compulsory decoy to deliver information. Right then, I became part of a greater picture.”

Caught inside a world of undesirable opinions, blogging is really a advantage. However everything has a unique consequence. Blogs and forums are much tougher to control compared to broadcast mass media. In politically sensitive matters, blogs can be viewed as being a political misfit.

Nevertheless, blogging is still available on the market. So if you’re the sort who has the snap for crafting articles, give blogging a go. Who knows just how much it might contribute to society and to your pocketbook. Yes you can make money from your passion!

Comment below… and let us now if you’ve used Blogging in the past or plan to in the future?


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So You Want To Be An Expert Marketer?

Develop These Five Critical Traits… And Marketing Success Will Surely Follow.

Being general business sales and marketing consultants for several years (with our main niche and expertise being within the the salon & spa industries) allows us the opportunity to encounter almost every business situation imaginable. We regularly consult at least 15 businesses a month from over 160 different industries.

These businesses vary from start-ups to turnarounds to already highly profitable businesses.

We deal with people who are sharp as tacks and with people who ought to be banned for life from business for their foolishness. We’ve designed and implemented marketing programs for dentists, chiropractors, retail of all kinds, internet marketers, realtors, day spas, hair salons, beauty salons, medical spas, personal development coaches, massage practices, manufactures, private colleges and anything else you can think of. In one year alone we looked at, consulted with or implemented marketing for no fewer than 210 different organizations.

Which makes me laugh when I get asked the inevitable question: “you’re a fairly young guy, yet you can walk into my business that you’ve never seen before and figure out a detailed strategy in just 9 minutes. How in the world do you do this?”

The answer is simple: The marketing function for every single business or organization – plus or minus 5% - is exactly the same.

My company is not so smart. We just know how to do a few key things anyone can do with a minimal amount of training. That’s why it was relatively easy for us to put together a “specific” marketing program designed for day spas, hair salons, medical spas, beauty salons, massage practices and even Chiropractors. (Or for any type of spa/salon facility for that matter)

Here are the six traits to mastering marketing revealed for the first time ever. (Don’t be disappointed that you’ve heard everything here before. I already told you that we’re not smart. This stuff is Eeeeeeeeee-Z.)

Trait #1: Notice Your Own Buying Strategies: Pay closer attention to what everyone else in the world is doing to try to sell you something.

You’ll find there are already lots of good ideas out there you don’t have to invent again. I don’t watch TV for the programs; I channel surf for commercials. I turn the station if music comes on the radio. I get on every mailing list I can to see what kind of “junk” will show up in my mailbox. I interview those annoying telemarketers that interrupt my dinner to see how well their pitch is working with other prospects. I love junk fax. I read all billboards. I subscribe online to newsletters and offers. I go shopping just to see how the sales clerks treat me. I read the paper and magazines for advertisements and then if I have time, I read the articles. I read the yellow pages for fun (even though 99.99% of the ads stink). I respond to every “free” offer under the sun. Then I check to see how well the company follows up.

“But you’re a marketing consultant! I would expect you to behave this way! I just run a Day Spa, Salon, Medical Spa or Beauty Salon… what does all that have to do with me?”

My business is about making money. Period. What’s yours? If you ask me, it’s also about making money. I don’t care what you do.

You are in the business of marketing something in an effort to make money.

If you will constantly monitor what turns you on, what ads keep appearing week after week, what makes you like something or hate something, you will start to find things you can incorporate into your business/ day spa/ salon/ beauty salon or massage practice. Then we can talk about Trait #2…

Trait #2: The Ability To Cross-Pollinate Ideas: This isn’t a botany lesson. To cross-pollinate an idea means to take an idea that works well in one industry and use it in another. If you get a chance, go to the shoe store called Just For Feet. See if you notice anything that could be adapted to an upscale day spa catering to affluent business individuals.

Sound like a tough assignment? Basketball shoes and expensive spa treatments just don’t match, do they? Quit using your brain to worry about all the details and start to use it to look at things in more general terms. When you walk into Just for Feet, you’ll immediately notice the music is very loud and geared toward young people. There’s a huge video screen that either has music videos or live sporting events. There’s an indoor basketball court that always has at least a half a dozen people waiting to play. They have a snack bar and free popcorn. It is a FUN place to be.

So what can you, as an expert marketer, take out of Just for Feet and inject into the high-end day spa catering to affluent individuals? Just for Feet made their stores a place where their target market (young people) wanted to be. They added elements of FUN none of their competitors have. They are killing their competition. The high-end day spa needs to make their facility THE PLACE to be for affluent people. How? By asking affluent business people what they want.

This was a real situation. Here’s what one day spa did:

Put in a cappuccino machine, fruit drinks, and healthy snacks the individuals can have for free without having to ask.Provided a nice conference room for individuals to entertain important clients, delegates, or for business functions.Provided free and discounted rates for related services such as image consulting and concierge services.Provided limousine pickup and drop off services.

This stuff all sounds simple, but there is one fact you might not realize: Not all spas (and businesses) will implement this stuff.

Borrow ideas from everywhere. Sell grand pianos the way most car dealers sell cars… by giving away a huge package of free stuff with every purchase. We sell foundation repair and plumbing the way
a realtor sells houses… with a metal sign in a yard with a “take one” tube on top. We sell small business loans the same way we sell cellular phones… by advertising via SMS. Get yourself out of your paradigm of “what you do” and realize that as long as it’s legal, moral, ethical and a given idea makes money, it’s worth pursuing.

Trait #3: Be Specific: I don’t want to go into my entire discourse about how people in general are lazy communicators. Just suffice it to say, 99% of what’s said in marketing and advertising is useless, non-compelling, non-specific, non-definitive, amorphous FLUFF. You probably say things like highest quality, multiple locations, luxurious spa treatments, professional stylists, best service, relax, rejuvenate and pamper yourself. But think about the impact of these types of statements on your prospects.

Your prospects fully expect you to claim you’re great. Who ever heard of a promotion that said, “Our prices are high, our service is terrible, and our quality is marginal at best!” To set yourself apart from the competition, you must quantify all claims made in specific, compelling terms.

Instead of saying largest selection, say “15,400 square feet divided into 5 showrooms, with over 5,220 items from 327 manufacturers, in 2,022 styles and 460 colours, in price ranges from $.99 to $27,000.” Which do you believe?

Instead of saying professional staff, say “Most day spa facilities have one or two certified massage therapists. We have 11 certified therapists on staff with an average of 16 years experience… including 3 registered massage therapists who have more than 2000 hours of continuing education and two who are educators for the College of Massage Therapies Relaxation/Spa Technician Program.” Where would you rather go for spa services and treatments?

Traits #4 & #5: Innovation & Systematization: Unfortunately, we’re almost out of space. But we’ll touch briefly on these before we quit. Innovation is simply creating a business that offers the customer “THE BEST DEAL.” It’s about creating a business so perfect that the client knows he’d be a fool if he/ she shopped anywhere else.

Systematization is the process of making decisions about your marketing in advance so you’re always doing what you need to be doing – as opposed to trying to create everything as you go. Or flying by the seat of your pants. Or wondering what to do next…

For more information on our Day Spa & Salon Marketing programs and service visit our starter-pack website at: SpaMarketingTools.com

Fulfilling Dreams with Smarter Marketing…

John Uhrig
Monochrome Marketing Solutions!

P.S. Why not visit our starter-pack site for our unique marketing strategies for your business? SpaMarketingTools.com

Marketing


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Why SMS Marketing Is Practical for Day Spas & Salons

Why SMS Marketing Is Practical for Day Spas & Salons

Mobile SMS marketing and texting may seem like “ancient news” in terms of new technologies are involved. After all, we were able to send each other texts well before our mobile devices even had colour displays. Whilst the Western world has centered on smartphones and fancy apps which allow you to play games, find information and make fart noises, SMS marketing continues to be a remarkably essential part of our mobile lives.

Although smartphone adoption may be slower than anticipated, virtually every mobile phone user inside the U.S. is capable of sending and receiving text messages. Furthermore, SMS is becoming increasingly important in developing nations where penetration of feature phones far exceed smartphones.

Day spas, hair salons, beauty salons, medical spa or even massage practices who can nail down their SMS marketing strategy, particularly when space continues to be vine ripened for modernization, can throw open a number of opportunities. Following is some tips, advice and insights on the way to include SMS in your marketing and business strategy.

If you’re going to provide some sort of customer support capacity on mobile phones, you really need to reach as much of the population as possible. Though it may seem like SMS marketing is just for large, international companies… you’d be completely wrong, day spas, hair salons, beauty salons, medical spa as well as massage practice owners can also jump in. The secret is to send info as well as promotions inside your niche, something you’re informed about and work it from there. Particularly in market segments where mobile phone access is more common than landlines or even access to the Internet. The cell phone can offer open access to the outside world.

It’s one thing to say there are opportunities for your day spa or salon in SMS mobile texting. It is another thing to create a strategy and set it into motion. An effective strategy is all about intimacy and immediacy: To offer the right info for the best person and at the best time.

Concentrate on taking advantage of the closeness of the smart phone. The mobile phone is easily the most personal type of technology there is, with the exception to hearing aids and various other healthcare technology. Instead of broadcasting a text blast, start treating your messages as being a conversation with the client while offering them value: You should offer clients a preliminary benefit as the major reason behind having a mobile relationship with you.

Obviously, SMS marketing isn’t all merely sunshine and rainbows. There are a few crucial limitations to consider before leaping in. First, SMS is consequently limited by its character limit. Within the U.S., text messages are limited by 160 characters – which can be fine if you’re checking in with buddies however more challenging when you’re attempting to interact with or push special offers to clients. The limit further varies based on country. While parts of Asia are nearer to 70 characters, their individual characters will often have more meaning than Western letters.

There’s additionally the issue of getting your communication to its desired destination. Not everybody has premium messaging or limitless texts! Texts might be expensive for your customers, so ensure there’s value to really make it worthwhile.

Set up SMS marketing with clients currently living in your community or do your research to ensure you know what times during the day individuals are most social or what type of information is going to be more effective.

One hesitation businesses have in terms of SMS marketing is figuring out if it is a dying variety of marketing, particularly when faced with smartphones… like the iPhone and its app store. While SMS has greater reach, it also has less interaction; it’s really not a great user experience.

Anybody concerned about text messaging vanishing as a marketing strategy should consider 2008 was the 1st year text messages outnumbered phone calls. A recent study notes mobile text notifications are received seven times more than they used to with feature telephones. Text can be an actual type of interface. SMS text is going to be around for a LONG time.

There are plenty of ways to deal with SMS marketing, regardless of whether you’re a large medical spa or perhaps a small hair salon aiming to branch out in the local community. There are simple tips such as offering your clients genuine value, focusing on intimacy, and being conscientious of personal time.

What number of people is your mobile strategy likely to touch? Have you ever collected cell phone numbers out of your list of clients? Employ a strategy and discover how many people you’re going to be able to reach when providing marketing promotions, products and services for your client list.

The best advice… simply get started! As a hair salon or day spa owner you’re thinking you might want to do text, it’s by no means too soon to gather numbers for the opt-in lists. There are various approaches to do it. You don’t need to have everything in place. By the point you do begin, you’ll have a head start.

The smart phone is truly the first piece of technology individuals began carrying with them on a regular basis. We use it to locate our friends, check-in with Foursqaure, search Google Places or find information on a regular basis. The personal proximity and its particular social capability allow us to have an intimate connection with our mobile phones and what they can do. SMS is definitely an immediate method to capitalize on those qualities. SMS marketing, when completed correctly, is an efficient method to reach clients both in your area and across the country.

Comment below… and let us now if you’ve used SMS Marketing in the past or plan to in the future?


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4 Steps to Successful Prize Draws

There are many diverse ways to market your day spa, salon, massage practice, medical spa or beauty salon, each influential to your success.

One of these being prize drawings. Not only does having a prize draw bring mindfulness to you and your spa/ salon products, treatments and services, but also brings you more leads.

Step 1 – Choosing the Draw Location (other businesses)

To get started, you will need to first determine where you will place your draw box. Make a list of a few local businesses that your target customers visit. When you approach the business owner, be sure they know “what’s in it for them” W.I.I.F.M.

Offer their customers a chance to not only win something FREE from you, but also from the place of business you will have your box located in (you will be buying this, of course). You should also put up flyers advertising the drawing, and let the business owner you approach know this. You’ll be doing joint advertising and this will come off favourably with the local business owner.

Step 2 – Creating the Prize Box

Once you have the place and particulars in order, the next step is to make or buy the draw box. You can easily create a draw box by cutting a slot out in the top of a regular box then printing a flyer off explaining what the draw is for and tape it on the side. (I’d side with purchasing one… just looks more professional) Entry slips can also be easily created within Microsoft Word. Be sure to include and ask for their name, address, phone number and email address, so you can market to them with email and direct mail on a on-going basis.

The key here is to do effective and continues spa marketing, salon marketing, beauty salon marketing and massage marketing.

Step 3 – Setting Up the Prize Draw

Now you are all set to have your contest. Set the box up in an area both you and the business owner have decided on. Don’t forget to set out your spa/ salon business cards and pens (preferably pens with your logo on them). Check the box several times a week to make sure everything is still in order. The contest should last no longer than 6 weeks, so that no one forgets they entered when you follow up later.

Step 4 – The Spa Marketing & Salon Marketing Follow Ups

The real work comes after the drawing when you follow up with all the names you have collected. Since you have phone numbers, you can call them offering free treatments, services or product samples. Make sure you introduce yourself as the spa/ salon owner or director and point out they entered the drawing you held at the local business. If you are not ready to talk with them on the phone, you can mail them a spa promotion or treatment discount first a voucher toward beauty services the list goes on…, and then follow up a week later.

A prize draw is an excellent way to meet and obtain new clients, but there are numerous more ways to do spa marketing & salon marketing and build a loyal following of clients…

For more information on our Day Spa & Salon Business Marketing Toolkit & ‘Inner Circle’ Membership Program visit our website at: Complete Toolkit -’ Inner Circle’ – Program

Fulfilling Dreams with Smarter Marketing…

John Uhrig
Monochrome Marketing Solutions!

P.S. Click Here if you are undecided about ordering my program.

Prize Draws


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Holiday Greetings and Gratitude

Holiday Greetings and Gratitude

With Christmas and New Year’s upon us, it is time again to reflect on what’s been a most incredible and rewarding journey.

It’s almost hard to believe that I am about to start my 8th year as an online entrepreneur, internet marketer and business coach. Plus, providing advice & marketing to the day spa and salon industries since 2004.

But that achievement would have been impossible without YOU… – my readers, students, clients and customers.

So, to all those who have followed me throughout the years, asking questions that inspired me to pursue greater knowledge to share, I say a great big THANK YOU!

With heartfelt gratitude, I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Cheers,

John Uhrig


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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Secrets Spa Owners use to Make Spa Products

Secrets Spa Owners use to Make Spa Products

I wanted to thank you for visiting our site. I really enjoy everything about the topic of marketing especially within the spa & salon industries, that’s why I’m here.

Since I have a huge passion for it, I get a lot of information and things sent my way. If I get something that comes across my computer that I think will be of interest to you and new visitors – I’ll be sure to post it for your review.

Here’s something that just came in involving spa products… Enjoy!

CLICK BELOW!

Here’s How to Create a Firm Foundation of Spa Products!


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Twitter in Your Day Spa, Salon, Medical Spa, Beauty Salon or Massage Practice

Another really great way to generate new business from existing clients and a NEW way to generate prospective clients ONLINE is via a social networking service called Twitter! Your day spa, hair salon, chiropractic or massage practice, beauty salon and medical spa will benefit greatly!

Lots of businesses have turned to Twitter for customer support, loyalty-building, promotions and some marketing campaigns.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS text messaging, RSS feeds, or email. For SMS, four gateway numbers are currently available: short codes for the United States, Canada, and India, as well as a United Kingdom-based number for international use. Several third parties offer posting and receiving updates via email.

You can use the account to respond directly to questions, solve problems, post updates, new staff and offer special deals on products, services and treatments. For example… on October 11 a day spa client of ours, through its Twitter feed posted a discounted treatment package offer for Tweeters only, and 23 people have signed up so far.

Day spas, salons, medical spas and massage practices… YOUR target audience is becoming more and more familiar with the power of the Internet and are a natural fit for Twitter. For example after just a few short weeks our Spa & Salon Marketing Twitter feed has around 3,500 followers on any given day, though that number fluctuates based on the information and marketing strategies posted.

Follow Me On Twitter

I see Twitter becoming an essential part of all spa marketing, salon marketing and massage marketing – eventually. I’m always surprised at how slow the day spa & salon industries can be. They’ve been slow to put the Internet to its best use, so I am not sure when Twitter will be widespread. As times get tougher and advertising goes down, and they need to be very smart with the money they spend, day spas, medical spas, beauty salons and hair salons need to expose their services, products and treatments and make sure buyers like them.

Going forward, really smart day spas, medical spas and beauty salons will not only use Twitter to dispense news, but to offer discounts, promotions and deals! It’s easy; it doesn’t cost any money, and in the end sales happen!

Use Twitter to include a “Deal of the Day” Tweet, featuring discounts or offers at your business… doesn’t get any easier than that!

John, for more information on our Day Spa & Salon Marketing programs and services visit our website at: Twitter & Social Media Marketing

Fulfilling Dreams with Smarter Marketing…

John Uhrig
Monochrome Marketing Solutions!

P.S. Why not sign-up for our unique marketing tips sent weekly via fax?
www.SpaMarketingTools.com/FaxTips.html

P.P.S. To learn more about Twitter visit our site at Follow Me On Twitter
Get our latest updates, happenings and news via Twitter!


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