Dayspa

JUN 2014

DAYSPA is the magazine of spa management. Spa owners and spa managers turn to DAYSPA for spa management trends, spa management tips and more.

Issue link: https://dayspamagazine.epubxp.com/i/311523

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 108 of 140

106 DAYSPA | JUNE 2014 MARKETING SAVVY automatically entered to win beauty products. A winner is picked at random and both she and her friend win the prize. "When you enable both people to be winners, it's more of an incentive for followers to participate, and it's a win-win for them," explains De Young, adding, "This is something that any spa can do." To help spread the word that it had joined Insta- gram, The Dragontree Spa ran a photo contest. The copy read: "The Dragontree Spa March Instagram Photo Contest. Show us how you relax to win a $50 Gift Card! Just tag your Instagram photos with #relax and #TheDragontreeSpa to be entered to win." The spa's phone number and website address were includ- ed at the end. "This was the one example in which we were really promoting the spa because we were new to Instagram and wanted to get our name out there," notes Grant. "We asked our staff to promote the con- test on their pages and share it with their friends so we could start growing our audience. But in general, we really try to think of images to post that will inspire people to live well, go for a hike or eat healthily—not necessarily go to the spa. We're about creating a visual dialogue on health and wellness." INSTA-GROWING THE AUDIENCE Gaining followers—and subsequently, more clients—is your ultimate goal with Instagram. Using hashtags wisely, getting your clients to post photos from your spa and following your business neighbors (and lik- ing, reposting and commenting on their posts) are the most effective ways to do this. Gloss Nail Spa's Nguyen largely credits her 6,000- plus followers to customers who share photos of their freshly painted nails on Instagram. "We always take a photo of clients' fi nished nails and post it, and then they post their own photos as well and hashtag us— that's how our audience is growing so quickly," she says. "Many new clients come in because of photos they saw on Instagram—they show me one of our photos and say, 'That's the design I want.'" Rancho Valencia's picturesque resort has lent itself to spontaneous posting by guests, and this, says market- ing manager Robbins, accounts for the rising number of followers on the spa's Instagram account. It has also been helpful to have journalists visit and post photos to their users. "We had a well-known blogger stay here and after she posted photos of her stay, we gained a very nice chunk of new followers," she reports. Another useful tactic: follow your business neighbors to tap into their client base. "Target specifi c local com- panies, like an organic food store or restaurant, with whom your vision aligns," suggests The Dragontree's Grant. "Repost their photos to create a relationship, repost their followers' photos as well and credit them." The social world is an ever-growing beast and keep- ing up on the latest options can seem like a full-time job. However, once you get the hang of apps like Insta- gram, you realize that they have nearly limitless poten- tial. Some fi nal advice from Robbins: "Just remember to have fun, be creative and share things that fi t your brand. And don't just sell!" Carrie Borzillo is a freelance journalist and author in Los Angeles. #SmartMarketing The right hashtag can serve as a springboard for lasting promotion power. Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in Rancho Santa Fe, California, came up with a hashtag it uses successfully year round to encourage user participation. The spa posted a word-board that read, "Why do you Rancho? Do tell. Tag #25REASONSTORANCHO on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. We'll be sharing our favorites!" "We started this for our 25th anniversary, but we use it a lot because it really has legs," shares marketing manager Diana Robbins. "We've used the hashtag in photos of our food, our drinks, and parts of the property. Our guests take photos while they're here and use the hashtag too. It isn't a contest, but it's good for participation, engagement and creating a cool community." ▲ Giveaways like Live Love Spa's Freebie Friendship Fridays are a good bet for drumming up activity. For Gloss Nail Spa, Instagram pictures speak much louder than words. M k g t S a v v y 6 1 4 . i n d d 1 0 6 Mkgt Savvy 614.indd 106 5 / 1 / 1 4 3 : 4 6 P M 5/1/14 3:46 PM

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Dayspa - JUN 2014