Research shows it and you’ve probably experienced it yourself in your spa business: it’s much easier to book existing clients than to book potential clients. This comes as no surprise. Your existing customers already know you, trust you, and know they will get exceptional service in your spa.
On the other hand, getting first-time clients to rebook spa treatments is a bit more challenging. As a spa owner, you make sure to give them the finest customer experience and are left baffled when new clients don’t come again.
But your business’s success and growth depend on turning new customers into repeat customers. Repeat business is a major factor in your business growth, revenue, and bottom line.
Customer retention is much, much more profitable than acquisition. In fact, a staggering 80% of your future profit comes from 20% of your current clients, showing how valuable your existing customers are to your business.
Read on to learn seven efficient and cost-effective ways to increase repeat bookings in your spa.
1. Personalize the client experience
Personalized client experience lies at the core of any self-care business.
Take note of your clients’ preferences, past treatments, preferred treatment types and favorite products.
You can use this data to suggest treatments and offers based on your clients’ preferences, boosting both repeat bookings and their experience.
For example, if you introduce a new type of facial treatment, make a list of clients who have booked a facial with you before, and send them a special discount or early-bird offer. Your clients will receive appropriate messaging and an offer tailored to their preferences, which makes them more likely to book.
Additionally, you can add personal details of your clients or things you’ve discussed in their treatment records, such as their jobs, family, and other stuff that you discuss during the treatment, and can weave them into conversation on their next visit.
These little personal touches help build rapport and strengthen the client’s connection with your spa.
📁 Wondering how you could remember all clients’ preferences and interests? Spa management software like Pabau offers comprehensive client records that allow you to add treatment notes and preferences for each individual client.
By meeting and exceeding clients’ expectations and leveraging a powerful spa management tool like Pabau, you’ll increase increases online bookings, increase sales, and build stronger relationships with your clients.
2. Build a loyalty program
A loyalty program is an extra encouragement for your clients to book appointments regularly to earn points, discounts, or other incentives.
Loyalty programs not only drive repeat bookings but also increase the lifetime value of customers. Your clients feel valued and get rewarded for their loyalty, and your spa enjoys increased revenue and a boost in client profitability.
Clients who participate in a loyalty program tend to spend more over time. StampMe, a wellness card membership company, found that loyalty members spend 34% more per visit than non-members, while 76% of customers say they’d much rather book with businesses that offer great rewards.
Here’s how to implement a successful customer loyalty program:
- Set clear goals – Determine what you hope to achieve with the program, whether it’s increasing repeat bookings, improving customer retention, boosting revenue, or enhancing brand loyalty.
- Choose the right structure – Will you use a points-based system, a tiered membership model, or a punch card system? Consider what resonates most with your clients.
- Select rewards – Go for incentives that will motivate clients to participate in the loyalty program and encourage repeat bookings: discounts, complementary products or services, VIP access to events, priority booking, etc.
- Utilize technology – Invest in robust spa software that enables seamless management and tracking of your loyalty program.
- Promote the program – Use your website, social media platforms, email newsletters, and staff recommendations, or as a welcome package for new clients.
Speaking of robust spa management software, Pabau has an extensive loyalty program that allows you to manage multiple loyalty programs, offer rewards for different actions, and automatically add points to clients’ files, which they can immediately redeem.
You have complete control to set the rules and rewards to your and your client’s needs and track the program performance.
3. Automate your client recalls
Client recalls are essential for boosting client retention, encouraging repeat bookings and increasing customer engagement.
By actively reaching out and inviting clients to book their next treatments, you show you are committed to your client’s well-being and satisfaction. And it’s a savvy and business-smart approach as well.
Framing the recalls as reminders for clients, saying they are due for their top-up is much more customer-focused, rather than just inviting them to book their next appointment with you. It’s a nice way to show that you put their needs and expectations first.
An appointment scheduling feature with automated recalls allows spas to personalize their messages based on each client’s treatment history, preferences, and scheduling patterns.
Automated client recalls making it super convenient for clients to rebook their next treatment by including a booking button in the email or SMS. What’s easier than just clicking a button?
At Pabau, we perfectly understand how important flawless client communication and follow-up are. That’s why our automated recalls are specially designed with the flexibility to customize them to spa businesses’ needs.
With Pabau, you can:
✔️ Tailor the client recalls per service
✔️ Make them repeatable, so they go out every four or six weeks.
✔️ Select which customers receive the recalls by filtering your client base
✔️ Get granular in the data in terms of client behaviors and preferences
– which is not something that you often find in other solutions.
4. Collect customer feedback and publish stellar reviews
Customer feedback allows you to see how your clients really feel about your spa service and experience.
It gives you valuable insights, allowing you to understand what aspects of their service are working well and where you may have blind spots.
This client-centric approach can help to create a sense of trust and loyalty among your spa and your customers, increasing the likelihood of repeat bookings and long-term relationships.
Plus, reviews also serve as social proof of your spa’s quality and credibility. But sharing great reviews on your website and social media is even more important.
Data shows that the wellness industry is one of the top ten most affected industries by online reviews. When prospective clients see glowing reviews from past clients, they’re more likely to choose your spa for their wellness needs, driving new bookings.
There are different ways you can collect feedback and share stellar reviews from clients:
- Send out post-appointment surveys via email or SMS
- Customize when your review requests are sent so they arrive at the optimal time for the treatment
- Automatically nudge clients to leave reviews on popular online platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, or TripAdvisor
- Showcase positive testimonials and reviews on your website
- Share positive reviews on social media
5. Establish package deals and seasonal promotions
Implementing package deals and seasonal promotions is an effective spa marketing tactic to encourage repeat bookings, attract new clients, and maximize revenue overall.
The secret ingredient in seasonal offers is the sense of urgency which makes it more appealing for potential clients and first-time visitors to try out your spa’s discounted services.
By offering an attractive season promotion, you also encourage your existing clients to return for follow-up appointments and try out different treatments from what they usually book, which positively impacts client retention and your bottom line.
Booking a package at a discounted rate instead of individual treatments makes your clients feel like they’re getting more for their money. As a result, they are more likely to spend money when they feel they are getting a good deal.
💡 Spring seasonal promotion idea: Offer a special package including a seasonal facial, a body scrub, and a manicure or pedicure in vibrant spring colors that saves clients 20% in total compared to booking each treatment separately.
💌 Pabau offers the tools to get you all set up for your packages and seasonal promotions. Your clients can easily book packages online and promote season promotions with beautiful pre-built email templates for season promotions.
6. Implement targeted marketing strategies
Targeted marketing strategies help your spa increase brand awareness and effectively reach the desired target audience.
When you understand your clients’ particulars and unique treatment needs, you can create targeted marketing campaigns that deliver the right promo when clients are most likely to book.
You can use different marketing tools like email marketing, social media platforms, and SMS marketing – each tool plays a specific role in your overall marketing strategy.
Use email marketing to send personalized messages with promotions, new service announcements, and valuable content like spa tips and product recommendations.
Your special media is the place to engage with your audience, showcase your services with before and after photos and client testimonials, and offer exclusive deals.
While SMS is great for appointment reminders, recalls and last-minute booking opportunities.
7. Centralize your spa marketing efforts into one platform
Having all marketing tools under one roof helps you take your marketing efforts up a few notches.
An all-in-one spa software allows you to centralize all marketing activities in one place: from email campaigns to loyalty programs, reviews management to client communications and appointment scheduling. Even saving a few minutes on minor marketing tasks can have a big effect on productivity downstream and more repeat bookings.
But this is where the real magic happens: automation. The best spa software offers automation features that allow spas to automate repetitive marketing tasks such as email follow-ups, appointment reminders, and client recalls.
Pabau is a spa management software that helps spas operate at peak efficiency, with features that take care of every aspect of your spa business. It has everything from robust client cards, to built-in customizable forms, advanced marketing tools, inventory management, POS (point of sale), and more.
What to look for in a spa marketing platform
When shopping for a spa marketing platform, make sure it offers the following core features:
- Robust client cards
- Loyalty program
- Automated client recalls
- Reviews and reputation management
- Packages and bundles
- Email marketing and SMS
- Built-in email templates
Boost your spa's repeat bookings effortlessly with Pabau
Getting repeat bookings in your spa depends on many factors, including your quality of service, client satisfaction, effective marketing strategies, and providing personalized treatments that leave your clients feeling refreshed, relaxed, and ready to rebook without a second thought.
Trusting a robust spa management software like Pabau to pick up the slack with marketing and operations tasks puts you ahead of the pack. In the end, your clients will be grateful, and that’s most important.
Ready to spend less time on manual tasks and more time on making clients happy? Make the change today!
