It is time to become market driven with a series of exciting new client retention marketing strategies. We all know that one of the two best ways to build your business is by bringing in and keeping new clients. The other basic strategy for skin care clinics, salons, day spas, laser treatment centers, and medical spas is to build new business through your regular clients by selling them more services and products as well as to get them to refer their friends, co-workers, and family to you. With that said, it is time to explore how to sharpen your pencil on both ends to facilitate a new marketing plan that will take advantage of all opportunities. New Client Referral Programs Begin by creating a professionally designed and printed device to promote all of your services and products. It really is fine to hand out business cards asking for referrals, yet that does not work very well. Today, you must be more direct and much more creative. With this special program, you will need to give each new first-time client an extra incentive to try your skin care and spa services. While your best regular clients will become your new client ambassadors within the community, you will also need to give these valued regulars the same incentives for each new client that visits you. Begin with a basic marketing device that will share at least four to six extraordinary discounts or freebies for new first-time clients. These can be printed on an 8.5” x 11” flier with a series of small gift certificates. Keep it upscale, so it looks valuable. Do not make the offers look like coupons! Some of the potential special offers and values may include options like these: FREE – First-Time Facial Treatment with Any Other Salon or Spa Service – $85 Value FREE – First-Time Massage Treatment with Any Other Spa Service – 60 Minutes – $85 Value FREE – First-Time Skin Care Analysis with Any Other Salon or Spa Service – $65 Value FREE – Haircut & Style with Any First-Time Haircolor or Texturizing Service – $75 Value FREE – Eyebrow Arch with Any First-Time Massage or Facial Treatment Service – $25 Value FREE – Lip Hair Removal Treatment with Any Other Spa Service – 60 Minutes – $85 Value $10 OFF – Any First-Time Microdermabrasion Treatment – Regular $100 Value $10 OFF – Any First-Time Signature Facial Treatment – Minimum $85 Value $10 OFF – Any First-Time Swedish Massage Therapy Treatment – Regular $85 Value The top of the page or the front cover of your New Client Referral Program booklet needs to have a title, like: Your Spa Logo – New Referral Rewards Your Spa Logo – New Client Referral Program Your Spa Logo – New Client Referral Rewards Program Inside the booklet on the first page or under the title as noted above, you need to explain the basics of your program, with copy like these two examples: We appreciate having you as part of our "Your Spa Name" family! We would love to be introduced to your friends, family, and co-workers while sharing valuable gift offers with all of you. We invite you to participate in our New Client Referral Program. Share this presentation with a friend who has never been to our spa before. New first-time clients will receive these special offers. Simply fill out your names on the back of each certificate before turning them in, so we may reward you both. Once these certificates are redeemed, we will share the same valuable offers with you – our regular client. Feel free to help us promote all of our spa services, so you may enjoy them as well! At "Your Spa Name" – we appreciate you! We understand the value of renewal and rewards for both our valued regular clients and our new first-time clients. We really do want to reward you both. These gift certificate specials are valid for any new first-time clients, as a special introduction to our spa. Once you redeem your certificates, you will receive the same rewards as the friend you referred. Simply fill out the back of each redeemed certificate to receive your value gift offer. Inside the booklet and/or on the back of each certificate show: Your Company Logo Name of Referring Client: Phone Number of Regular Client: New Client’s Name: New Client’s E-mail Address: New Client’s Telephone: Date of Issue: One certificate per person. No double discounts. Valid for 90 days from date of issue. Preferred Client ~ Loyalty and Membership Programs You should also consider how to keep and reward your very best regular clients to keep them coming in more often, while also introducing them to your new services and products. It is also important to develop marketing strategies to help your regulars discover services that they have not tried before at your spa or skin care center. There are many ways to capture your clients with retention-based marketing strategies. The best way is to offer them rewards, much like the frequent flier programs the airlines utilize. Consider announcing a new Preferred Client Loyalty Program with a point system, whereby your regulars can earn points for each visit, each spa service, and/or each dollar they spend at your facility. To facilitate a program like this, you need to professionally print up colorful brochures and membership cards to share the specific benefits of your Loyalty Programs. For example, Brittany’s Spa Salon also offers a discount incentive program for regulars. For every 10 earned points, her clients earn $5 off their next service. By pre-booking their next appointments, clients can easily earn five points, while they attempt to re-book timely massage, haircolor re-touch, nail care, and facial treatments. Clients also earn one Loyalty Program Reward Point for every $10 spent on services or retail products. Bonus points are also promoted, they use postcards, in-spa signs, posters, and e-mail blasts to aggressively promote this program. The results have successfully kept client retention high, with shorter times between salon visits. Series Packages This special marketing strategy is the best way to keep your clients motivated to keep coming in more often. You can also use it as a method to cross market your clients into new services. For example, you can promote: Buy 5 Massage Therapy Treatments – Get a Signature Facial Treatment – FREE! Buy 5 Facial Treatments – Get a Swedish Massage – FREE! Buy 5 Microdermabrasion Treatments – Get a FREE Vichy Shower Body Treatment! Buy 5 Haircolor Highlight Services – Get a Manicure and Pedicure – FREE! The best part of Series Marketing strategies is that you have all of their money upfront, so your clients will be anxious to come in quicker and more often, to take advantage of what they have already paid for. Series packages are also perfect to promote as special Gift Certificate packages at Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Year-End Holidays. V.I.P. Programs Treat your very best clients with extra surprises, e-mail newsletters, special events, as well as introductory discounts on new services and products. Collect their e-mail addresses, send them monthly updates, birthday gift cards, host little parties for them, and celebrate their loyalty by making them feel extra special. Client Retention Strategies It remains vitally important to create an annual marketing program with advertising, promotions, special events, and media relations to promote all of your skin care and spa care services. It is also critically important to build staff and client recruitment and retention marketing strategies, to help your salon profitably grow. Now is the time to expand your business by promoting new client referral programs, loyalty programs, and series packages. Larry H. Oskin is president of Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing, advertising, graphic design, media relations, and consulting services agency specializing in the professional beauty business. Clients include salons, day spas, medical clinics, manufacturers, and associations from across North America. 703-359-6000, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , www.mktgsols.comWant to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.