MEMBER PERSPECTIVES
CONTINUED
“ The newsletter is not our most aggressive sales tool . The newsletter is a way to build community , to impart useful knowledge and remind our guests of this wonderful place that they enjoyed so much .”
— ROMA MAXWELL , director of sales & marketing , Rancho La Puerta edge and remind our guests of this wonderful place that they enjoyed so much .”
This guest-centered approach served Rancho La Puerta well in the early stages of the pandemic , when , as Maxwell puts it , guests “ needed to hear from a place that was comforting , a place that they could trust . They needed a sense of balance , peace of mind , hope — messaging that was uplifting in small and meaningful ways . In that time , it was more about serving not only our guests , but the community , humanity at large , because everybody needed ways and useful tips on how to feel connected , how to feel healthier , how to feel less anxious . So we were giving up that information because we felt it served a much higher purpose ,” Maxwell says . After the ranch had been reopened for a while , the marketing team shifted gears slightly , highlighting guest testimonials to “ convey trust , to convey reassurance and to convey the sheer delight and love of being back at the ranch .”
Ultimately , these shifts in messaging come down to evaluating the relationship a spa has to its audience and determining how the spa can provide guests something they lack . “ If you understand [ your guests ’ pain points ], then you know how to offer a solution ,” Maxwell says . She also urges spa leaders to keep in mind how savvy customers are , especially when it comes to filtering the endless stream of items that land in their inboxes .“ There so much competition out there . Everybody has multiple options , so they ’ re not going to you if you don ’ t set yourself apart .”
A One-Stop Shop
At Be Medispa in Lexington , Kentucky , the pandemic gave Dr . Paul Hester and his team an opportunity to evaluate their relationship with their patients and , after doing so , adjust how they communicated in a major way . “ We
Rancho La Puerta strives to maintain its commitment to authenticity in its monthly newsletter .
34 PULSE ■ JUNE 2021