DAYSPA is the business resource for spa & wellness professionals! Each issue covers the latest in skin care, spa treatments, wellness services and management strategies.
Issue link: https://dayspamagazine.epubxp.com/i/927093
[ 58 ] • # dayspamagazine • february 2018 plugged in by Barbara Diggs Lights, Camera, Action! How you can capitalize on live streaming to boost your business. © GETTY IMAGES J ust when day spa owners were fi nally embracing the idea of creating online videos for their businesses, along came internet marketers insisting that the hottest, most eff ective way to reach an audience is through live videos. Recent studies bear out the claim: According to a 2017 poll conducted by Livestream, 80 percent of American professionals prefer watching live videos to reading blogs, and 82 percent prefer live streams to social posts. Even more compelling? People are willing to watch live videos that are three times as long as pre-recorded ones. Live streaming means showing a video to your social media followers in real time. Those followers can like or comment as you stream. It can be a lucrative marketing tool, and because it's still relatively new in the spa industry, a live video is virtually guaranteed to help you stand out from the competition. "It's a way for a spa to show prospective clients its personality, competency and unique point of diff erence," says Valerie Smith-Malin, founder of Innovative Marketing in Westport, Connecticut. Live streaming also allows for overall increased visibility on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. "Businesses pay thousands of dollars to promote posts or ads, but live streams get priority exposure," says Nick Wolny, a fi tness and yoga marketer based in Houston. "They help you cut the line for free." Indeed, some spas that have taken the plunge report positive results. Susanne Allamong, owner of Velvet Skin Spa in Michigan City, Indiana, says that her live demonstration of a nanoneedling technique generated new likes, clients and interactive conversations with prospective customers. "The feedback was amazing," she enthuses. "I got a ton of requests for appointments." In fact, Allamong was so pleased with the results that she's planning a twice-monthly live series called "Skin-knowledgy," in which she'll discuss diff erent skincare topics. But there are a number of considerations to keep in mind if you want to maximize the results of a live video. Here, we've gathered some important tips to steer you down the right path.