The 5 Best Spa Promotion Ideas for Driving Business

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Sometimes we need an excuse to try something new. A smart promotion can be the push we need to break out of our routines and venture into the unknown. If you’ve ever tried a new restaurant because it offered a free appetizer or went shopping to make use of a coupon you got in the mail, you’ve experienced the power of a good promo first-hand. You can promote your spa by the same token, experimenting with limited time offers, coupons, giveaways, and more. If approached strategically, these spa promotion ideas could be the perfect nudge to get customers in the door.

Get started with these spa promotion ideas

The list below should help get you inspired, but before jumping in, take some time to get clear on your goals. What do you want this promotion to do for your business? One promo may be better suited to attracting brand new customers, for example, while others serve to bring back lapsed customers or encourage repeat business.

Also, decide how you will measure success early on. Spa owners often get so caught up in the creation and launch of a promotion that they forget to track its performance. That’s a big mistake. The data you collect about your promotions’ performance is a vital part of your ongoing marketing strategy. Be sure to keep data on where each of your spa promotion ideas ran (social media, your spa’s site, neighborhood bulletin boards), how long they lasted, how many responses you received, and so on. 

Mix and match from the following list based on the boost your spa needs most:

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1. Try a first visit offer

A first visit offer is a great place to start if you’ve never used any promotion to market your spa. It’s perhaps the most flexible spa promotion idea in your toolbox. There’s no shortage of ways you can incentivize a new customer to commit to that first spa visit, but a straightforward discount is a safe bet. Everyone loves saving money, and a sale makes it easier to try something new. You can discount by percentage or specific dollar amount, or get even more creative and offer both! (The catch is that the customer has to use one of the discounts on their next visit.) 

2. Explore co-promotion opportunities

A customer who visits your spa is likely to patronize other local businesses. Reach out to your neighbors to form promotional partnerships that will benefit you both. Be strategic and put yourself in the mind of your customer. Save them time or save them money — if possible, do both. Perhaps a visit to your spa nets someone a discount on lunch at a local bistro, adding up to a lovely Saturday afternoon out. That auto repair shop down the street can be changing your client’s oil while you give them a massage. An intentionally crafted partnership will be most effective.

3. Offer gift certificates and bundles

Gift certificates are win-win-wins: They help the person buying the gift, the person receiving it, and your business. They’re also another highly flexible spa promotion idea. You can make them for a set dollar amount, the price of a specific service, or a package that bundles products and services together. 

Holidays are ideal times to offer gift certificates as your customers find themselves stuck for ideas about what to give the people in their lives. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day are also obvious choices but don’t neglect other yearly opportunities. How about a mid-winter tanning package or patriotic nail art to flash at your Fourth of July bash? Remember, gift certificates don’t always need to be lavish. Encourage your customers to use smaller amounts as little ‘thank you’s’ throughout the year. 

4. Run an online contest

Not all spa promotion ideas are meant to increase profits or book new clients. The purpose of an online contest is twofold. First, it increases baseline awareness that your spa exists. Secondly, everyone who enters is a lead for future services. It’s safe to assume that if they’re entering a contest where the prize is a free massage or pedicure, those services are of interest to them and would be worth adding to your marketing lead database. 

Their contest entry could require their email address and basic demographic information. It could even include more specific questions, like how often they visit a spa. You can use any or all of the information you gather to craft marketing emails targeted to different customer segments. The contest itself just needs to be something with a low barrier to entry. You could use your social channels to ask people to send in a picture of what “self-care” means to them, or challenge them to make as many words as possible out of the letters in “pedicure.” Whatever you do, be sure to follow up on those same social channels with pictures or video of the lucky winner claiming their prize. 

5. Host an event

Getting someone to walk through your door is often all you need to turn a stranger into a customer. Hosting an event can give people a reason to visit, even if spa treatments aren’t on their minds. You could host an ice cream social in the summertime, do gift wrapping at the holidays, or teach dads how to braid their kids’ hair. If your spa doesn’t have enough space for you to host the event yourself, have a presence at larger events. A bridal show is an excellent opportunity to attract attention by doing facials, massages, or hair and makeup demonstrations. 

If you live in a region with social distancing protocols in place, you could consider hosting a virtual event through Zoom or another streaming platform. You could demonstrate how to make a DIY facemask, or host a calming meditation. To close the session, you could invite attendees to purchase a gift card for when your business reopens.

It’s wise to plan for a few spa promotion ideas over the year, but don’t forget to have a clear idea of what you hope to achieve before you start. Foot traffic, increased revenue, marketing leads, and stronger local partnerships can make your business stronger, so choose the best promotion for your current needs. Get creative, have fun, and your customers will thank you for it!