Is walk-in traffic a big part of your spa or massage therapy business? Depending on your location, a considerable amount of your new business may come from people in the area for another reason. Still, in a very competitive market, you need to be looking for leads all the time and from several sources. Unlike a faucet, you turn on and off; lead generation efforts should be on all the time.
As you build your checklist of lead generation activities, be sure the following are on it:
REFERRALS
Referrals are among the best way to get leads. Generate referrals by joining local business associations or get involved in community efforts to meet other business leaders. LinkedIn is steadily becoming a great place online for business owners to connect and build relationships that lead to referrals. While you can join one of the spas or professional massage therapy groups, find a group whose members offer complementary services -- physical therapists or chiropractors, for example. Get to know members in the group who live in your community and offer to get together to learn more about each other for referral leads.
CO-MARKETING
Co-marketing is a logical next step to business referrals. You may find another business owner looking for a co-marketing partner among your LinkedIn groups or through your other business networking. When done properly and with the right partner, your spa or massage business stands to gain a lot more leads than you might be going it alone. Just be sure whoever you partner with has the same goals, resources, financial or workforce, and same business ethics as you. Work against a plan with agreed-upon deliverables and measurements.
DIRECT MAIL
A simple postcard is a great way to generate leads. Make the offer compelling by offering a specially priced skin treatment or massage or special retail product offer for first-time customers. Plan an open house and send invitations to a prospect list you’ve been accumulating over the years or invite your clients to attend and bring a guest.
EMAIL MARKETING
I’ve written before how effective email marketing continues to be. Email marketing is a low cost, and the click-through rate tells you immediately how effective your message is so you can make changes if something isn't working. Make sure to have a compelling call to action and a design that stands out to attract leads.
WEBSITE
Your online presence starts with your website and should include searchable terms so that prospects in your community will find you. Have a strong landing page so that whoever lands there is motivated to provide their contact information for a callback or email from your staff. Also, have great content on your site – a podcast, articles, or video – that visitors access by providing their name, email, and phone number. Keep content fresh to attract new visitors to keep building your list.
PICK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
I’ve talked about social media quite a bit in my blog posts. Whatever works best for you, keep it active. Facebook is pretty much a given these days, and Pinterest keeps gaining followers. Consider starting a blog if you don’t have one already. Just make sure your content is compelling and sharable.
Don’t leave anything to chance or luck. Put a lead generation program in high gear and keep it that way.