It’s easy for details to take over, and your plans to expand your client base can get lost in the shuffle. To keep your spa an ideal retreat from common distractions, you must prioritise customer service along with additional strategies to remain competitive in today’s market.
This article ‘Massage Business Ideas Tips to Get and Retain Clients,’ will help set you down the path toward success by focusing on increasing retention rates while working little by little toward growth.
Prioritise Customer Service
If customer service is essential to you, it should be important to everyone who works at your establishment. You know your clients want their privacy and personal space respected, but the employees they interact with also need to provide a sense of security.
A clean environment and professional appearance in your team are critical to the emotional atmosphere of the spa, and it’s equally important that everyone understands how they contribute to that feeling.
In addition, your clients want convenience. They want care from someone easy to access, so streamlining scheduling will increase return visits. Regularly advertising promotions for new clients can get them through your door faster than if you wait until a current client has been coming for months without encouraging repeat business from loyal patrons.
That being said, not every new person who comes into your spa needs to become a regular. You still have to retain the people who are already coming to you!
Optimise Your Environment
Touch is the first of five senses that you can use to massage your way into patrons’ hearts. Your facility should be clean, comfortable, and inviting for clients who may not even get undressed during the session.
A spa environment goes beyond how towels smell or what music plays in the background. It’s also about making sure people feel like they’re enjoying themselves when they step through your front door.
If you offer more than one service such as hair removal or waxing in addition to massage, make sure there are enough amenities for each type of client, so they don’t have to wait around too long after arriving before getting started.
Taste is next on our list of senses to experience, but taste is less about how you prepare your food than it is about what you offer. If you serve anything, ensure that it’s complimentary, either served simultaneously as the massage or provided afterward. It should also be good enough for people to ask for seconds!
Cookies are a great option if you’re looking for some variety that makes new clients feel welcome and wanted without making current ones feel like they’re missing out on something special.
Fresh juices are another popular choice among spa-goers who want tasty snacks with their service without worrying about breaking the bank on an entire meal.
Sight is where many spas get carried away to make their business ultra-luxurious. We suggest that you go all out by adding beautiful artwork or other décor, but the key is to seem elegant without being overly extravagant.
When furnishing your space for sight, let nature be your guide. Fresh flowers are a simple perk for everyone who comes in. They smell good and look nice.
Sound should also follow this concept of simplicity while still creating an atmosphere conducive to relaxation. If you play loud music during your sessions, it’s likely to annoy some clients who want peace, while others might not enjoy the idea of listening to what sounds like waves crashing on a beach when they’re trying to get work done.
Consider whether or not you want any music at all! If so, think about using an instrumental track that doesn’t need to be turned up too loud to fill the room. Simple tracks with acoustic instruments are also reasonably easy on the ears, depending upon your clients’ preferences.
Smell is another factor of aromatherapy that will make people feel relaxed when they enter your facility. After all, who wants to stay in a stuffy environment when you can go somewhere fresher?
Lavender and other floral scents have a long history of soothing people’s nerves, making them perfect for a place where tension is released physically through massage.
However, there are many other options if these scents aren’t what people enjoy most. Light aromas such as lemon water or fruit are great for stimulating the appetite without being too overpowering.
Beef Up Your Marketing
Financial incentives are just one way to set yourself apart from other massage therapists in your community. For example, you might offer free services or discounts to people who refer their friends and family members to you. Still, this strategy is likely most effective when done online rather than with paper flyers that clutter up everyone’s mailboxes.
If you have a website, advertise there. It doesn’t need to be fancy so long as it provides brief information about what you do alongside links where people can send questions or schedule appointments.
Make sure to have a mobile-friendly site that can be easily accessed on mobile devices.
You can also improve your marketing by crafting a unique loyalty program for your business. For example, reward people who come back frequently with discounts or coupons that are only available after they’ve visited five times in a row.
This strategy helps keep clientele coming back again and again, and it also encourages them to tell their friends about your services by sharing the deals they receive.
Finally, you’ll notice that many of these methods involve using email. We say this because so much business is conducted electronically these days. When people search for massages, they likely turn to the web first to find out what’s available nearby and which services might be best suited for them.
Massage Matches
The only exception is when evident physical problems make it outright dangerous for someone to receive a massage. If you’re not sure, always err on the side of caution and refer them elsewhere if necessary. Excuses are unacceptable when you’re in this business because, ultimately, everyone has the right to feel good!
That being said, there is something called “massage matching,” where you can pair your clients up with therapists who have the right skill sets.
For example, if someone comes in complaining about back pain but has issues with lower back muscles that need to be addressed, you might ask what they think would work best and then refer them to another therapist who specialises in this area.
You could also help clients to schedule their sessions with the help of easy to use massage booking software.
Build Rapport
Although some clients may want to chat, others prefer their appointments to be more of a “get in and get out” experience. Since the latter group is usually larger than the former, you can use rapport-building strategies accordingly.
For some people, this might mean ending sessions with words of encouragement, while others appreciate it if you give them space right after the session.
Conclusion
Massage therapy establishments need to focus on new ways to retain customers and keep their employees happy. While massage therapists are making themselves available at all times during business hours, owners should consider additional incentives (such as financial benefits) that would make their businesses stand out among the rest.
Ways of improving marketing strategies include customer loyalty programs, mobile-friendly websites, and emails sent to past customers. Customers also appreciate when therapists utilise massage matching in their work.
In closing, business owners should also focus on building rapport with their clients so they are more inclined to return for future sessions.
