Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 3rd Quarter 2021 | Page 30

A strategic marketing and communications plan
Develop a solid social media plan and a strategy for communicating with your customers . Your existing customers are your foundation right now as well as your greatest potential evangelists . Stay connected with them and encourage referrals through incentive programs . If you have not seen some former regulars since COVID , now is a good time to launch win-back campaigns .
Consider a focus on add-ons and upsells as you move your marketing forward . These things add revenue on top of revenue , which is gold in these times .
Analyzing data collected by your software is an integral part of developing a good marketing strategy . Get to know your customer base and you ’ ll better understand how to connect with them .
Don ’ t treat marketing as an afterthought , but as part of a solid business strategy .
A revamped , simple menu
Now is a good time to go over your menu and think about a redesign , particularly if it ’ s a long , complex book of offerings . Do away with less popular items and add in some touchless options . A simple menu can help you improve business operations , streamline staffing , and organize inventory – all of which will make life easier going forward .
Kathryn Moore , Founder and Managing Director at Spa Connectors , told Spa Executive in 2020 , “ A well-designed and structured spa service menu can provide the essential flexibility to book services that maximize the spa ’ s bottom-line . For each treatment , understanding the range of labor costs and profit margin is critical .”
Look at your pricing . If you are incurring increased costs from added cleaning and sanitation measures , or other new expenses , consider increasing the cost of your services . This can be offset by adding small gifts or perks that add to the perceived value but don ’ t increase your own costs by much .
A solid retail strategy
For too long retail was treated as an afterthought in the spa space . Traditionally , retail makes up only 5 % to 6 % of the average spa ’ s revenue , which makes little sense , considering how wellpositioned spa staff is to make retail recommendations and the quality of the products spas have to offer . A good retail strategy can work wonders to shore up revenue .
There are many ways to get creative with retail but it begins with an inventory audit , a deep dive into your customer data ( again , collected by your software system ), and an understanding that retail takes real effort . It ’ s an art and even a science .
Kenneth Ryan , Vice President of Global Wellness , Spa , and Fitness Operations for Marriott International , told Spa Executive in March 2021 , “ I ’ ve learned that retail is very much a science . The more I work with the experts , the more I
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