Guests can’t take advantage of your classes, excursions, and cabana packages if they don’t know these things are available. These marketing tips will help.
NB: This is an article from Book4Time
Effective marketing is a crucial aspect of business success across all industries, including the hospitality and spa industry. However, due to competing priorities, marketing efforts for spas and ancillary revenue services around hotels and resorts are often neglected.
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This is a mistake because no matter how outstanding your features and offerings may be, customers won’t know about them if they’re not marketed properly.
Most spas don’t have the luxury of dedicated marketing teams, so managers and directors who are already stretched thin must take on the responsibility of building the brand. Even for spas within larger organizations, like hotels or resorts, marketing budgets can be limited, if they exist at all. Fortunately, in today’s digital age, social channels and online platforms offer multiple free or low-cost marketing opportunities, eliminating the need to purchase expensive ad space. By leveraging social media, spas can raise brand awareness, market their services, and maintain connections with guests even after they leave.
Similarly, hotels offering classes, workshops, and activities may not always get the word about these things out there as much as they would like. Guests can’t take advantage of your classes, excursions, and cabana packages if they don’t know these things are available. These marketing tips will help.
1. Leverage online booking for your spa, classes, activities, and more
The software that manages all of your ancillary revenue operations should help with your marketing. An online booking site that makes it easy for guests to book things like spa appointments, activities, cabanas, and tennis and pickleball courts is a must-have for any property.
For example, Josh Fraser, Health club and Recreation Manager at Fairmont Chateau Whistler, uses Book4Time’s online booking platform. Between July 2022, when the Chateau started using the system, and December 31, 2022, a stunning 75% of sign-ups for the resort’s classes and activities came through the new online booking system. Fraser said, “The online usage is also great for our marketing. It means guests can actually see everything available to them, whereas in the past, they may not have been aware of what was on offer.”
2. Use QR codes
Fairmont Jasper Park has seen similar benefits with an online booking site that is accessible through a QR code placed throughout the hotel, leading guests directly to all of their offerings.
Awareness of what the hotel has to offer has increased, and as a result, so have bookings, resulting in a better ROI for the hotel’s activity program spend. The hotel’s Recreation Manager, Spencer Martin, says, “Book4Time has increased the awareness of our activities to guests, which has led to the money we spend on our activities being a better investment.”
3. Use Facebook or Instagram ads
While we are always trying to reduce spending, don’t discount the possibility of paid ads. Google ads can be effective but can also be expensive. Social media advertising can be more affordable and also a powerful way of raising brand awareness and attracting customers, and some spa owners are really happy with the results. You can play with demographics and target audiences and set your spending limits to see if these ads work for you without breaking the budget.
4. Teach, don’t sell
When it comes to content, that content should provide value to a target audience wherever possible. Today’s consumers are weary of being sold to and tend to block out online ads, marketing, and sales content, but they do respond to educational content that provides information they can actually use to make their lives easier. Rather than hitting people over the head with the message that you want them to buy your product or service, give them something they can use. This allows you to showcase your brand and position yourself as a trustworthy and valuable source of information.
This doesn’t mean you can never just post about a product or service you want to sell. But try to keep the balance tipping towards teaching over selling.
