Make This Mother’s Day Hands Down the Best Yet

Mom and apple pie may be all American but honoring moms is global: [1]

·         104 countries celebrate Mother’s Day.

·         77 of these countries observe it in May, another 13 observe the holiday in March, and 14 during other months.

• An impressive number of 200 million people enjoy a day off during this holiday.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. We owe the American version of Mother’s Day to Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia who before the Civil War helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs" to teach local women how to properly care for their children. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Following the death of her mother in 1905, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way to honor the sacrifices mothers made for their children. The first event was held in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914 thanks to President Wilson who signed a bill that year making the second Sunday in May our official day to celebrate moms.[2]

Today, Mother’s Day ranks as one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year. Last year, Americans were expected to spend $33.5 billion on Mother’s Day, the second highest in the history of the National Retail Federation annual consumer survey, with one-third of those dollars spent on “an experience.” This year should be no different, so you want to make sure your spa or massage practice makes the most of this special day for moms to boost their spirits and your bottom line.[3]

Get your spa or massage practice ready

Make sure your spa or massage business delights your special guests from the minute they walk through your door. Take time to critique every aspect of your business from the look of your retail section to the attitude and responsiveness of the staff. Plan to have fresh flowers on hand as well as special coffee and tea drinks and pastries to add a welcoming touch to the day.

Promote the day

Send out a specially crafted email: Send an email reminder to clients and prospects about your Mother’s Day spa packages and massage treatments and retail items. Include website links to your Mother’s Day spa specials and massage promotions and the link for online bookings, if you offer that.

Promote your Gift Card Offering: Promote your spa gift card that allows moms to choose a Mother’s Day spa package or massage of her choice. Display gift cards at your checkout area to give clients a quick, easy Mother’s Day gift option, and place a few in your front shop window to remind passers-bys to stop in and buy a gift for mom.

Recommend gift ideas on social media: Post photos of some of your retail items as well as your gift cards on your social media channels. Also do a blog post on last minute Mother’s Day gift suggestions.

Answer callers with a Mother’s Day message: Create a short greeting about Mother’s Day for your receptionist to use as you get closer to the holiday.  If you use an answering machine to take calls after hours, make sure to record a message about your Mother’s Day special spa packages and massage treatments on there as well.

Offer Mother/Daughter Discounts: A mother/daughter discount will be appreciated by moms who look forward to spending time on Mother’s Day with their children. Incorporate extra touches into your offerings, such as complimentary champagne or a 75-minute massage for the price of a 60-minute massage.

Text last minute offers: Text last-minute special Mother’s Day spa specials and massage treatments to select clients if they have not already booked an appointment. If they have an appointment, offer them a reduction on a retail item.

Promote in the neighborhood: If you have someone with good graphics skills, get them to create an attractive flyer and print them to post at other businesses in the neighborhood. For example, if you and your team frequent a nearby coffee shop, ask if you can put up a flier on their bulletin board about your Mother’s Day spa packages or massages or leave copies at the counter. If there’s a woman’s wear store nearby, see if they would put out some fliers. You can return the favor by putting out materials on their Mother’s Day or future holiday specials.

Post Mother’s Day trivia on Facebook: Share some fun facts about Mother’s Day on your social media channels. Tie in the trivia with your offerings, if possible.

Be mobile friendly: Ensure that your website is mobile friendly for the growing number of mobile shoppers. Mobile friendly means pages are quick to load, and the user interface (UI) should require as few taps as possible for someone to get needed information. Buttons and calls to action need to be large enough so that that they are easy to find and “tap.” And to make it easy for consumers to get information on the go, the emphasis should be on visual content versus text.

Turn first timers into repeat customers

Don’t let moms go home empty handed. Give them something to remember the wonderful experience they had at your spa or massage business. Think about a special gift to send home with mom, such as a sample of one of the products used in your special Mother’s Day spa package or massage treatment. Even a small bottle of champagne, a rose and chocolates make a lovely reminder of her day of pampering and relaxation.

Encourage clients to pamper mom this Mother’s Day and be sure your spa or massage practice plays a big part.