Millennials are simultaneously gaining buying power in today’s marketplace and rising through the ranks as they age, potentially becoming a more popular target client base for your office. Born between 1980 and 1999, today’s millennials are seeking anything from fewer facial wrinkles and fuller lips, to a breast augmentation coupled with a Brazilian butt lift. So how do you entice this growing market into your location?

Strengthen your social media presence.

Make sure you’re utilizing a strong, personalized social media presence. This includes video and personally taken pictures, not generic stock images of laughing millennials with a cup of coffee next to a succulent – on both your posts and stories. There is a time and place for those pictures, sure – your website being one of them - but social media should be a place where you’re socializing with clients. Include behind-the-scenes pictures of your team doing what they do best. Include client before and after photos from your location and not from vendors. Make sure you always have your clients’ consent in writing before posting these. Include daily tips or videos with millennials’ frequently asked questions and utilize interactive polls. Respond to questions, comments, and direct messages in a timely manner. Ultimately, just be social.

Utilize #Hashtags

Be sure to utilize relevant hashtags in your social media to make yourself found. This includes geographic hashtags, like #Philly and industry hashtags like #facial. Consistent research is key, as certain hashtags and images do get shadow banned (meaning they won’t show up in a search) from time to time as algorithms change.

Reconsider your “Influencer” strategy

We’re not saying you shouldn’t work with influencers and we’re not saying you should. What we are saying is that you need to create a strategy. Include the number of leads you wish to get and what your desired client base looks like. In other words, are you looking for millennials who are in college or millennials in their early thirties with children? The generation is broad, so be crystal clear on that. Are you looking for men or women? In addition, create a plan to track the success of your influencer strategy, and include every desired deliverable in their contract, from the number of posts and desired content to copies of the pictures and what the influencer can and cannot post. If you don’t have the time to work through all of these details, an influencer relationship isn’t going to yield you the desired results.

Show your desired audience through marketing

As mentioned above, if you’re marketing to young moms, show them. Marketing to single men? Show them. Marketing to a culturally and ethnically diverse audience with a variety of body types? Show them. Stock art has come a long way, but if you’re not seeing what you need, consider a photoshoot of your own for your spa’s marketing.

Marketing is more than just social media and a website

Sure, those are great pieces, but the classics aren’t completely dead. Make sure your strategy includes e-mail marketing, as well. This includes asking each client who walks through the door for their e-mail address each time they visit the spa. Looking to strengthen your online reviews or hosting a client appreciation party in your office? Consider printing postcards to hand out to clients when they check out. Each team member should have a set of business cards to hand out on a moment’s notice to their friends and family. Keep a few business cards in your wallet so you always have them on hand. Put up marketing materials inside your office to promote the services most enticing to millennials, like a custom canvas or a customized before and after book. Some classics never go out of style.

Make their lives as easy as possible

Millennials communicate differently than previous generations. Most would rather type than pick up the phone. Rather than be frustrated by this or attempt to change a generation, implement tools that play this game. For instance, online chat functions for your website, online stores for your products, and online scheduling for their appointments can all be implemented at a fairly inexpensive rate. In addition, make sure you’re utilizing automated appointment reminders that text, e-mail, and call existing clients to remind them of upcoming appointments and overdue retreatments. Automation is key.

Great customer service from start to finish is key. Some things hold true regardless of the generation. With a social media generation, poor customer service experiences can spread faster than ever before.

Jay A. Shorr, BA, MBM-C, CAC I-XIV is the founder and managing partner of Shorr Solutions, a Florida-based medical practice consulting firm assisting practices with their operational, administrative, and financial health. He served as the vice president of operations and practice administrator for a leading board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon and held partnerships in two leading South Florida plastic surgery centers. Shorr has served as a professional motivational speaker for nearly a dozen industry organizations. He is a certified medical business manager (CMBM) from Florida Atlantic University, a certified aesthetic consultant (Levels I-XIV) at The Aesthetic Show and The Aesthetic Academy, and a member of The Aesthetic Show’s 2019 Scientific Advisory Board.

Mara Shorr, BS, CAC II-XIV, is a partner and vice president of marketing and business development for Shorr Solutions, bringing more than a decade of marketing and communications experience to Shorr Solutions’ clients. She is a Level II through XIV certified aesthetic consultant utilizing knowledge and skills from her previous positions in marketing for two separate leading dermatology, cosmetic, and plastic surgery practices located in South Florida. Focusing on both internal and client strategies in traditional and new media, she is a public speaker and has written for a number of industry publications.