It is important to have a strong presence online for any spa. Stephanie Smith, CEO of Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics, during the 2025 iSPA Conference Spa directors and operators who want to increase their online visibility will find valuable strategies and insights.
Balancing Marketing and Operations
Many spa professionals have difficulty finding the balance between marketing and operational tasks. This problem is compounded by budget constraints or a budget which could be better aligned to priorities. To effectively use available resources, it’s crucial to create a marketing plan that includes concrete steps.
Understanding the market and demand for spas
Marketing strategies that are based on accurate market research will be more effective. Marketing tools like Google Trends Can provide valuable insight into search behavior using terms like “massage close by” and “spa close by”, revealing fluctuations in the demand and emerging trends. Recent trends suggest that head therapy, scalp massages, and head spa treatments are gaining in popularity. Also, the demand for services such as massage therapy, body scrubs, wraps, face treatments, medical/cosmetic procedures, and facial treatments is expected to continue growing.
Source: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/spa-market
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Five Steps to Creating a Strategic Marketing Plan
Here are five steps to developing a marketing plan.
Audience Segmentation
- Know Who You Are
- Effective marketing requires a clear understanding of the spa’s identity and target market. Answer the question, “Why Your Spa?”
- Gather Data
- Utilise data available in reservation systems, CRMs and other technology.
- Data on clients’ booking patterns, demographics and service preferences will help you identify key segments.
- Align messaging and offerings with the audience’s needs and expectations.
- Data-driven goals are the best way to achieve your goals
- Ensure your goals are specific, achievable, realistic and time bound.
- Establish short-term and longer-term goals in order to create a roadmap and make adjustments as you go.
Shopping Behavior
- Patterns for Profit
- Take into consideration the customer journey and align marketing efforts to customer preferences.
- Marketing should target the 5% of consumers who are in the buying phase, as well as the 95% still researching and considering.
- Different booking patterns can be observed for different customer segments or spa types, e.g. a hotel spa versus a freestanding spa.
- Aligning Offers with Market Demand
- By analyzing the data, spas can identify underutilized and unfilled services and tailor promotions and offers to meet customer demand.
- Bookings can be encouraged during slow periods by using strategic pricing and promotions. This will not negatively impact profitability.
Boosting visibility:
- Create a strong online profile across multiple platforms. This is essential for attracting clients.
- Consistency in URLs for website, name, phone number, and address (UNAP), across all listings online is important to search engine optimization.
- Optimize Google My Business listings by claiming ownership and completing all sections. Encourage reviews.
- To ensure accurate navigation, verify and correct the spa information in various GPS sources, such as Uber, Lyft or Bing Maps.
- Consider listing your spa on industry and local blogs to gain more visibility in competitive markets.
- Use clear messaging, high quality photos and videos and customer testimonials in order to attract your target market.
- Manage and solicit online customer reviews actively, as these have a major impact on the search rankings.
Marketing Strategies and Investments
Test out small marketing strategies to find the best ones.
- Social Media Marketing
- Facebook and Instagram are cost-effective platforms for reaching target audiences with targeted advertising.
- Encouragement of user-generated content can help to expand reach.
Read about how to run a Facebook ad campaign.
- Google Adwords
- Google Ads is a great way to reach customers who are actively looking for spa services near them.
- Display and programmatic advertising:
- These strategies are a great way to increase awareness. They target potential customers by using their online behaviors and location data.
- Remarketing Campaigns
- Through targeted advertising and communications, these tactics encourage customers to return and nurture their existing relationships.
Collaboration and Partnerships
To maximize effectiveness, collaboration is essential, both with partners external to the hotel (for spas in hotels) and within the hotel. This includes:
- Strategic Alliances
- Partnerships with online platforms, local businesses, and agencies (e.g. SpaFinder, ResortPass) to increase reach and attract new clients.
- Data Sharing and Communications:
- For a spa to maximize its marketing efforts, it is essential that the spa communicate with its partners and share data.
You should ask your team these questions:
Spa Marketing Case Studies
Implementing these strategies, and analyzing their results constantly, spa directors and business operators can boost growth by attracting more clients online. This customized approach can produce lasting and meaningful results. For example, our Teacher Tuesday Discount Promo generated over $12K incremental sales, by targeting periods of low demand, while offering a charitable donation to the community. Or, The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe’s Exclusive Locals Card, which increased monthly appointments by 30 percent. The right approach can help you not only increase customer engagement, but also brand loyalty and long-term success.
