Five marketing trends influencing client decisions in 2019

Just as trends in healthcare change from year to year, so do trends in marketing as companies and brands seek better ways to reach clients and prospects. Here are five trends in on and off-line marketing gleaned from across the web that you’ll want to incorporate into your planning to attract and retain spa or massage practice clients.

Content continues to be king: Looking to engage with clients? Look no further than content. Your clients and prospects want to be educated, informed, entertained and updated with relevant, interesting content. Still the overarching goal of content is to enable a two-way conversation. Clients don’t want to be talked at; they want to engage with your spa or massage practice so that you “hear” about their needs and preferences. The goal of your content marketing program is to build trust and two-way communication. If you tell them about a new ingredient, such as CBD, then enable them to respond with questions and concerns that you readily address online.

Thought leadership pays dividends: Clients are looking for expert opinions on trends, products, treatment protocols, health tips and more. Thought leaders can help clients cut through the noise by offering sound, expert opinions on issues that are impacting health and spa and massage treatments. Leverage your expertise in online content, speaking engagements and even interviews with local media to build client confidence in your professional expertise.

Focus on Gen Z: Move over Millennials; here comes Gen Z. Born between mid- 1990s to mid-2000s, this generation has known nothing besides a connection to a digital device.  As described by contributor Deep Patel in Entrepreneur, “they seek authenticity, and they prefer socially responsible businesses. They’re growing up in a scary world and a struggling economy, so they’re more likely to turn to companies that make the world a better place.” Your spa or massage practice can be the place that’s making a contribution to the betterment of the world and its inhabitants.

It’s about the experience:  In today’s economy, clients are seeking experiences in their pursuit of products and services. The experiences need to be personalized to fit a client’s exact needs at exactly the right time. And it’s not only offline that clients seek unique, lasting experiences; they want online experiences to be equally satisfying in meeting personal preferences and needs.  Offline, clients want treatments and retail products with ingredients that help further healing, soothing and beautifying to suit their wants and expectations. Online, clients want recommendations, purchasing of retail product purchases and booking of appointments to be easy across a range of mobile devices. They also want to be able to ask questions and get answers and advice or transition to a call or text seamlessly.

Honesty:  Vents Magazine says that today’s consumers are crazy about “brutal honesty.” They don’t want you to sugarcoat the benefits of products and services. They want to know the good and the shortcomings of your offerings.  That’s why reviews are so important to buyers.  According to Vents, “the honesty translates to brand integrity. In hand that leads to trust and sales.”

These aren’t the only trends impacting marketing this year. But they are critical to meeting evolving client needs. It pays to look at how you can apply them to your spa or massage practice.

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