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dayspamagazine.com/freeinfo dayspamagazine.com • may 2017 • [ 75 ] It's equally important, says Rafati, to outline expectations before the guest arrives at the spa. "You might off er a spa treatment in exchange for one blog post, one Instagram post, one tweet and one Facebook post, or whatever combination you prefer," she says. Rafati relies on an honor system, and doesn't always make the infl uencer or writer sign a contract. However, having the agreement in writing—even just within an email exchange—can be helpful if the infl uencer or writer doesn't deliver as promised, or to establish a procedure in case the visit doesn't go as planned. Indeed, how do you ensure an optimum experience for the invitee? Some spas place the media personality with their best stylist or therapist, or gift them product goodie bags. But what if, despite your best eff orts, they still have a bad experience? For starters, apologize and ask for specifi c feedback. "I would invite them in again for a second chance," says Rafati, who adds that thankfully that has never happened at her spa. "If they don't want to come back, then I'd suggest you just let it go." She says that if a writer has a negative experience, it may be best not to ask them to write about it. "It's preferable that they post nothing rather than post something negative," she opines. A Worthwhile Expenditure At the Oxford Club Spa, Gerber's staff keeps a lead source report. "Our spa concierge team asks every client how they heard about us, and they often answer that they read about us in Denver Life. We keep track of guests' responses to analyze the revenue we've seen as a result of coverage in a certain publication," she explains. Fuller notes, however, that it can be diffi cult to quantify the return on such an investment. "It's hard to tell exactly when the guest made the decision that our spa was the one they wanted to visit. It might be our location, our price point © GETTY IMAGES or a testimonial—or a combination of all three," she says. Another potential way to track these clients is by giving a social infl uencer a coupon code for their readers to use, suggests Rafati, which can then be monitored. "To have an exact quantifi able amount in terms of how much revenue was produced from that one visit is extremely diffi cult," she says. Regardless, Rafati believes that the value of having journalists and infl uencers write and post about your spa is practically priceless. "I can't stress how important it is to integrate top infl uencers into a marketing plan," she says. "When you create that digital awareness, people really will start reaching out to you." u