SEVEN TIPS TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR Q4 MARKETING GOALS

Tracey Stapleton offers advice on how to go about pumping up your business’s presence and ultimately its profits through targeted end-of-year campaigns

The final quarter of the year is no time to sit back, it’s an opportunity to reach and even exceed those targets that you set last year and sprint successfully into 2023.

Many retail brands pump the majority of their annual marketing budget into the festive season, which includes running a series of campaigns that reach their core customers at different touchpoints. With demand for spa gift vouchers and experiences increasing year on year, we can take valuable lessons from this and reap the benefits.

What’s more, in my many years of working in spa PR and marketing, I’ve learnt that planning takes the stress out of everything and delivers much better results, so here are seven tips to help you.

1. Understand your customer spending habits

The more you know about your customers, the easier it will be to predict their spending habits and create products and services that they desire and need.

Some of the most successful online retailers and tech companies still get their customers on the phone on a regular basis to help them dive deeper into their needs and challenges.

Christmas gift buying can be quite predictable, comprising early shoppers versus last-minute buyers. Research shows that December is still the most popular time for gift buying, with a large proportion of men shopping in the last few days before Christmas.

The key is to start seeding early through your e-marketing, PR and social channels. It can take someone 15 times to see something before they commit to purchasing, so you want to be showing up again and again... and again.

2. Revisit your goals. Are they smart enough for this period?

Are you focusing enough on the segments of your business that can achieve your goals for this quarter? Revisit your messaging, evaluate your data and, if you have budget remaining, review how this could be best spent to achieve the biggest rewards, taking into account this period but also with an eye on giving yourself a strong start to 2023.

After a decade and a half in consumer public relations, 16 years ago Tracey Stapleton began to specialise in spa and wellbeing. Now managingdirector of The Spa PR Company, she offers a targeted range of PR andmarketing services to spa and hotel operators as well as beauty andwellbeing product brands and services.

Stay relevant by using Google trends to see what people are searching for around the topic of ‘spa’. I looked at the past five years to see when searches for ‘spa breaks’ peaked, and while January saw the highest demand, early October is very popular too.

3. Make the most of every occasion during the season

Aside from the festive season, the last quarter of the year offers a whole host of awareness days and celebrations for spas to piggy-back onto.

There is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Menopause Month (very topical this year with lots of celebrity support) and Halloween in October, as well as Diwali, Bonfire Night, Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November.

Review the packages, treatments and offers you have planned to ensure you’re maximising your visibility during these times.

4. Add some festive sparkle

Encourage repeat bookings/purchases and attract new customers by making the season as magical and memorable as possible. Add some festive branding and messaging to customer emails, receipts, product packaging and communications with suppliers (they’re potential customers too).

Create your own Christmas advert and reward your loyal customers. Spas are in a great position to be that fairy godmother and make dreams come true!

5. Hit the headlines with PR

Many seasonal campaigns make great PR stories, thereby generating significant awareness around your spa brand, reinforcing positioning and driving valuable word of mouth. For example, last year spa booking agency SpaSeekers launched the Mulled Wine Spa Day, where guests could wallow in a hot tub of mulled wine, and many spas incorporate other seasonal ingredients such as pumpkin, gold and frankincense to make their treatments more relevant and newsworthy.

Supporting local charities, providing expert comment on wellbeing and newsjacking popular trends and stories can all help your spa to stand out from the crowd.

6. Introduce special multi-visit packages to your spa

It’s not unusual for some spas to run special six-week spa memberships for their local market in the summer season. So why not fill up your December bookings by introducing a Festive Holidays membership that comprises spa entry only, with treatments and food and beverage added on top?

7. Involve your staff and make them happy

Achieving a successful final quarter is a team effort so identify your activators and incentivise them to help you achieve your business goals together.

Getting them involved from the start of a campaign gives them a sense of ownership and these employee brand advocates will then find novel and effective ways to reach customers and build a connection with them.

Internal communications are as important as external, as research shows that engaged employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company, driving it to greater success.

www.thespaprcompany.com