Back to School Basics - Promoting Your Spa and Massage Practice

August can be the most challenging for spas, clinics, and wellness retailers because there are really no holidays to promote and budgets are allocated toward summer vacations and back-to-school. Here are a couple of ideas on stimulating business as kids, parents, and teachers get ready to head back to school:

• Teachers - Mail an offer such as "Save X percent on your skincare and make-up needs," to each teacher at school and have it waiting in their inboxes.


• Kids - Travel sized products are ideal for backpacks and lockers.  So stock travel sized versions of  "kid friendly" products.


• Moms - How about an "I survived the summer" promotion offering a spa escape or home spa products like The Scandle Body Massage Candle for stress relief? Send out people (family, friends, whatever!) to hand out coupons, flyers, etc. at bus stops or car pool lanes where moms congregate.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ideas to tie your sales/revenue into back to school dollars.  Have any of your own? Feel free to share below.:)

Attract More Customers with Pinterest

If you're using Pinterest to promote your spa, massage or holistic health practice one surefire way to optimize your pins for search and attract more traffic is by giving each one a targeted description that includes your relevant keywords in 500 characters or less. Here are some tips to writing Pinterest captions that will attract customers:

• Provide a Description - Clear, concise, and specific description of a pin can help pique a user's interest.  Don't leave it to their imagination as to why you pinned the image.

• Spell Out the Specifics - Simply saying, " These are really great product picks," say something more specific like, "These are are our top product picks for keeping your skin looking fabulous this summer!"

• Link to Your Website - You can add live links to the captions below your pins simply by adding a URL to a pin's description and clicking the red "Save Pin" button. This will add traffic to your website or blog.

• Include A Call to Action - Descriptions that contain a call to action (i.e. read more, book a free consultation, sign up online, etc.) see an 80 percent increase in engagement.

• Add Testimonials - Include a testimonial from a happy customer.

• Use Keywords - Inclusion of keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for.  This will also increase your Google search engine rankings.

What tips do you have for better pinning?  Share them here  and be sure to follow us on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/scandle!

Source:  "How Your Pinterest Descriptions Can Attract Customers," by Karen Leland, Entrepreneur Magazine

Stop Selling and Start Helping!

According to Jay Baer, a social media strategist, author, speaker and President of Convince and Convert, "Sell something and you make a customer today. Help someone and you create a customer for life.”

Baer explains a concept called “Youtility” where you provide valuable content for your readers and customers, to the point where your company becomes valued, trusted, and synonymous with being useful. So when the time comes to get that massage or lose those excess pounds, your company is the obvious choice!

So as you sit there stumped on what to blog about or share on your social media pages with your clients, here are 5 things to think about:

• What are your customer's needs?  If you specialize in nutrition, for example, share information on the latest foods that fight inflamation.  If you have a number of customers that are atheletes, share information on how to increase performance through supplementation.

• Feed Your Customer's Needs - When you determine what your customer's needs are create a variety of content that answers those questions. Write a series of blog posts, create a video on YouTube, make an info-graphic, or create an educational event at your spa or clinic. By creating a variety of content, you’re being useful, but also giving readers various ways to interact with and learn.

• Make "Youtility" a Process Not a Project - Helping your clients with useful content isn’t something you can put on your to-do list, and check off permanently. Why? Because our customers’ needs change.  Today they could be concerned about acne and cellulite and in another month...concerned about wrinkles how to get that summer tan!

So start helping your spa, massage, or wellness clients instead of trying to sell to them.  After all...the difference between helping and selling is just 2 letters!;)

Source:  "Start Helping and Stop Selling"  - Kim Stiglitz, Vertical Response

Marketing to Mothers to Be

Looking for a way to grow your spa business?  Targeting your products and services to expectant mothers can open up a world of opportunity! According to Stacy Denney, founder/CEO of Belly Friendly, a prenatal training program for spas based in Corte Madera, California, “There are 16,000 pregnant moms entering the market every day in the United States. Couple that with the forward momentum of the national wellness movement, and the time is ripe to cultivate the pregnancy market." Here are some key ways to market to expectant mothers to create fertile results!

• Make your spa a mother safe environment - Require therapist to get prenatal certification & continuing education.  To foster a pregnancy-friendly environment, every staff member should understand each trimester’s common aches and pains, as well as pregnancy myths, and emotional states.

• Watch your lingo - Marketing to mothers to be requires speaking their language.  Your marketing language should emphasize ways in which your specialized services and products can ease and enhance the overall pregnancy experience.

• Offer education and empathy - This can be done by offering a discount to first-time guests, a percentage off of a second service, and discounts around Mother’s Day and Pregnancy Awareness Month (May).  Consider designating a special “pregnancy section” in the retail area, featuring chemical-free products that are designed to make pregnancy easier such as Scandle Aromatherapy Lotion Candles to aid with stretch marks and relaxation.

• Host special programs and events - This can be done during the pregnancy and then events that focus on family after the pregnancy.

• Cross-promote with other businesses -Including local OB-GYNs, prenatal fitness, pregnancy retail outlets, or anywhere expectant mother's will be hanging out or shopping.

• Cater Your Presence to Moms Online - Use the web to get the word out about your pregnancy services.  Make sure your online channels reflect the appropriate professional, educational and nurturing environment, and make your site as informative about pregnancy and prenatal wellness as possible.

• Keep her on the appointment books - After your client gives birth, you want her to continue to come back your spa, so offer postpartum services for all her post-pregnancy needs.

Source:  "SPA MARKETING: The Pregnancy Market" by Tracy Morin - Day Spa Magazine

7 Quick Fixes For Your Email Blasts

If you send out regular email campaigns to your existing and future clients there are bound to be errors in the campaign from time to time. After all...you're only human, right?;) But errors in campaigns can cause you to lose valuable subscribers.

The best way to catch mistakes in your email marketing messages is by sending out test emails to a few people who can check for formatting, grammatical, and spelling mistakes. Also, look for these simple (yet common) email errors:

1.) Setting Up Personalization Correctly - How many times have you seen an email saying "Hello [First Name]"?

2.) Sending Emails to the Right People - Make sure you have your lists segmented correctly (i.e. current customers, potential customers, etc.) and select the right ones to send to.

3.)  Have a Unsubscribe Option - Forgetting to add this is big mistake!

4.)  Offer Text Versions of Your Email - Many mobile devices can't handle HTML so be sure to offer them the option to read it in text only.

5.)  Be Sure to Include Links - Link back to products, services, and down loadable content on your website.  Also make it easy for people to email you back with questions.

6.)  Include Social Share Buttons - Forgetting to add social share buttons to any of your marketing communications is like forgetting to add your company name or signature...nuff said!

7.)  Hiding or Not Including Contact Information - Make it super easy for people to contact you – via phone, email, mail, fax, carrier pigeon, etc.  Put this information front and center!

What other common email errors have you seen in campaigns you receive from others?  Share them here.

Source:  "7 Quick Fixes for Common Email Marketing Mistakes,"  Monica Jansen

Building Client Loyalty with Mobile Apps

With the 'what's in it for me?' generation, it's not enough for your spa, clinic, or wellness practice to sell products or services...you must also sell loyalty.  Loyalty programs have become increasingly popular, partly in response to the fact that today's consumers need incentives to continue purchasing a particular brand.

To be effective, a loyalty program must give those customers something that reflects the spirit of a brand.  Cash is nice...but it really doesn't reflect the experience that you want your spa to create.  The more you are able to weave  experiences into the daily lives of your clients -- through apps and push notifications, for instance -- the more effective they will be.

Envision your customer receiving a digital coupon on your mobile device for a free 15 minute stress buster, just as they're approaching your spa or practice?  How cool is that!:)

We all know that keeping existing customers is much less expensive than acquiring new ones.  So it's important to develop and maintain relationships with the customers you already have.

Loyal customers come with another benefit:  They market a business to their friends and relatives, via status posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. and that kind of word-of-mouth marketing is priceless!

So give loyalty building apps a try to develop long-lasting, relationship building with your most valued clients.

Get Focused! Three Diet Tips to Increase Productivity at Work

Raise your hands if skipping breakfast and going straight for the coffee is your morning ritual! As a business owner, I'm all too familiar with what it's like to be stressed out, sleepless, and making poor diet decisions. But working in an environment that sells and promotes products related to wellness and holistic health, I also know that what you eat can have an impact on your waistline and your health and your food choices can also have an impact on your energy and concentration at work. So, it's time to start practicing what I preach!;)

Weather you're a business owner or hard working employee, here's a few key nutritional habits that can boost your energy levels, keep your appetite and cravings under control, and help you feel more focused daily:

1.)  Eat breakfast.  (Gulp!)  Studies show that productivity drops a whopping 50 percent to 75 percent when you skip breakfast. But what you eat is also important. Starting your day with a balanced breakfast that includes protein will help keep you energized for about five to six hours as opposed to that donut that will only give you 1 to 2 hours of fuel.

2.)  Step away from the sugar. (Double Gulp!)  Sugar is cheap, tasty, and absolutely addicting drug for stress managment. When you experience stress, a dynamic is created in your brain in which dopamine is high and serotonin levels are low, creating an imbalance. To compensate, your brain makes you crave sugary foods for a quick burst of serotonin. Although that may sound like "zen"...it's not because the serotonin levels quickly come crashing down. Eventually, your stress levels and mood can become erratic, making it difficult to focus.  Try fruits, nuts, and veggies instead.

3.)  Don't drink coffee on an empty stomach. (Triple Gulp!)  A lot of us  use caffeine as our main fuel source.   The caffeine in coffee can deplete serotonin levels for up to eight hours!   As a result, this will increase your stress as well as increase your sugar cravings, which, will lead to more brain fog (vicious cycle).  If you gotta have your cup of Joe...make sure to eat something first to slow down the absorption of caffeine.

Just these little tweaks to your diet alone will increase your energy throughout the day, help you manage your stress better, and work more efficiently. What tips do you have for increasing productivity during your busy day?  Share them here.

Source:  "Can't Focus at Work?  Your Diet May be to Blame."  by Barbara Mendez, INC.com

Exfoliate Your Way to Healthier Skin

By now, the cold winter air has taken it's toll on your skin leaving in dull and lifeless. Here's a great skin treat get your glow back on until you can find the time and money to head out for that Spring Break Vacation on the beach!;)

Scandle Get Your Glow on Treatment: This is a simple, luxurious treatment that can be done at home or at one of our massage/spa service providers using The Scandle Body Lotion Candle/Scandle Shimmering Lotion Candle and Scandle's Turbinato Sugar Scrub or Scandle's Dead Sea Salt Scrub.

•  Light your Scandle Body Candle and allow to burn until oil pool reaches edge of refillable ceramic canister with pour spout.

•  Sprinkle  the salt/sugar on desired body area to be exfoliated and then pour the warm soothing melted Scandle oil on top of that in small amounts

• Massage in circular motions on the skin.

•  The other alternative is to place a small amt of salt or scrub in the palm of your hand and pour a small amount of Scandle oil either in your hand or on the desired body area and massage in.

•  When done either rinse off or take a warm, damp towel and removing any excess salt or sugar from the skin.

•  Follow with application of Scandle Body Candle or Scandle Shimmering Lotion Candle for extra moisturizing.  If you want a beautiful, sun kissed look you can also follow up with your favorite bronzer or sunless tanner.

If you own a spa or massage clinic, watch our Demos for this and other treatment ideas using The Scandle Body Candle!

5 Tips to Show Your Customers Some Love This Valentine's Day

Let's face it...love is a two way street!  People won't care about your spa, massage, or wellness practice until you show them how much you care about them.  Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to show them some love with these ideas:

• Use Facebook and Twitter to send 29 messages of affection to your customers.   Every day in February put blog and Facebook posts and Tweets out into the social media universe that conveys some measure of your affection for customers, a customer service promise or another customer care oriented message.  On February 14th create a special Valentine’s Day email to send to your contacts.

• Create your own Valentine’s Day love themed set of coupons.  You know how couples often create Valentines Day IOUs for back rubs and date nights? Create your own Valentine’s Day IOUs in the form of bounce back offers distributed at the point of sale, via email and social media redeemable for a gift with purchase, discount or add on the next time they buy from your business.
  
  


• Hold a 14 Days of Valentines contest or give away.   Every day from February 1-14, hold a contest or drawing to give away an inexpensive but desirable product.  Some of our customers have given away a Scandle Travel Sized Body Massage Candle, for instance.

• Don’t forget the singles! Check out our recent post on Valentine's Day promos for the "Uncoupled."

• Reward your best customers.  Double loyalty points or rewards for all purchases, your most loyal customers, club members or double up rewards or points when customers purchase specific products or services in February. Extend a special offer such as a free or reduced-price add on,  like a Scandle Massage Candle with certificate purchase, with purchase or another incentive to your best customers or loyalty reward members.

Have any other ideas that you use to show your customers some lovin for Valentine's Day or year round?  Share them here!

Need More Sales? Add A Little Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the easiest way to offer your clients the opportunity to enhance their face and body massage services. By selecting an aromatic product, spa & massage practice owners can incorporate them into specific treatments that answer specific needs (relaxation, detoxification, rejuvination, etc.) and be able to charge more for the service, which ultimately leads to additional revenue.

The most affordable way to incorporate aromatherapy into your sessions is through the use of Aromatherapy Massage Candles like our Scandle Essentials in your treatment rooms and retail area.

We suggest you read up on Essential Oils and their benefits to be able to offer their positive attributes to your clients.

Used wisely aromatherapy products and essential oils are some of the most cost-effective and theraputic ways to wellness and aromatherapy-blended retail can help aid in producing retail revenue.

Check out our entire line of Scandle Essentials Aromatherapy Body Candles and Products.

Spa Valentine's Day Promos for Singles

We've all been there...celebrating "The Day of Love" alone instead of with a significant other.  Spas, massage and wellness practices everywhere will be doing promos to entice couples to show eachother love by promoting couples treatments.  So, why not make your business stand out from the rest and do something special and fun for the singles among your clients and prospects?  Here are some ideas:

1.)  Create special “Love Yourself” promotions around your most pampering services and retail products (like Scandle Massage Lotion Candles), or gift free private label products with retail purchases to clients.

2.)  Make it easy for your customers to envision your products and gift certificates as "gifts" by pre-packaging gift baskets and displaying them along with gift certificates or gift cards for your spa or massage clinic.

3.)   Hold a contest in February and have a drawing to award one Scandle Body Candle gift basket plus gift card to a winner.  Utilize entries to help build your email marketing contact database, and extend a special offer in March to all participants.

4.)  Partner with a local restaurant, wine shop or bar to host a singles mixer. Just what it sounds like, this is a chance for clients to bring a non-date but great guy or girl out to a mixer at a local destination so they can both meet other great singles in the area. Collect contact information from all attendees and hold a drawing for a prize package to be awarded at the end of the evening.  Create promotional offers for pre or post makeover bookings and provide private label items available for sale or as gifts for booking at your event.

5.)  Did you know that February 8-14th is ‘Dump Your Significant Jerk Week'? lol  It's the perfect week to hold you a singles mixer!   If this event is a hit, make plans to have a similar event during June’s wedding season as a ‘best-person- I-never-married’ social event!

So show your single clients that sometimes being single doesn't have to suck! ;)

Source:   Elizabeth Kraus "February Valentines Day Promos for the Uncoupled"

5 Ways to Get Your Wellness Biz Into Shape for 2013!

Welcome to 2013! Just as everyone is making resolutions get into physical shape for the year ahead, now is also the perfect time to take stock of your business and get your business into shape for an even better year ahead!

Here are five simple things you can do to start the year off right:

1. Retool Your Pricing and Packages - Let's face it, as a business owner, no one is responsible for giving you a raise but YOU!  Possibly, it's time to  enact a rate increase effective January 2013 for all new clients?  To give enough notice for your existing clients, it may be wise to offer them a special deal or incentive to continue working with you. For example when I raised my rates a couple years back, I immediately applied it to new clients but let existing clients continue working with me at my old rate for 3 months longer.

2. Revive Your Workspace - If you can’t get to your desk without knocking over a pile of papers, your workspace could use some sprucing up.  Also, if you want to spruce things up visually in your spa or practice...try adding artwork, color and greenery!

3.  Get Your Books in Order - No one goes into business because they enjoy administrative tasks but it's a necessary evil!  Think about which aspects of your financial books caused you the biggest headache last year, and get a new tool to solve it. The right tool will free up your time and benefit your business’ financial health.

4.  Set Trackable Goals - Come January 1, 2013, everyone is keen to set a goal or two. Unfortunately, only a few weeks into the year, these goals are long forgotten.  Here are two types of goals to set:  1.)  Define one or two aspirations or goals, representing where you’d like your business to be in the coming years and 2.)  Define smaller, bite-sized goals that feel into your aspirational goals that can be tracked on a quarterly basis.

5.  Focus on Your Customers and Clients - A successful spa/massage/wellness business hinges on happy customers. Therefore, the most important step toward a successful 2013 is to continue putting your customer’s needs at the forefront of everything you do.

Tell us your New Year's Resolutions for getting your spa/massage practice in shape for 2013?

*Source - Small Business Trends "5 Ways to Get Your Business Into Shape for 2013."

The Waiting Game

Lines. You see them everywhere, especially this time of year. You wait in line at the mall. You wait in line at the grocery store. You wait in line to see Santa Claus.

As a retailer, you don’t like to keep anyone waiting. But if you are successful, then waiting will be inevitable. The best thing you can do is keep customers from feeling like they are just waiting.

One of the key rules of the waiting game is to keep people occupied.  Filled time passes more quickly than unoccupied time...they say!  And probably one of the most frustrating line is the "invisible line" that the customer can't see.  This typically happens on customer service phone calls.

An effective way to manage callers’ expectations and wait times is with effective on-hold messaging. An on-hold message allows your spa or wellness practice to project its brand in a positive way while also encouraging callers to remain on the line until a customer service representative can take their call.  Studies show how callers with messages on hold will stay on the line up to 3 minutes longer than with silence on hold.

But an on-hold message does more than occupy a caller’s time. Effective hold messages add value to customers:  informing the about your spas/massage clinic's products and services, special promotions and other company news. Other uses include promoting a company’s website and social media channels and answering some frequently asked questions.

So be a winner at "The Waiting Game" today and provide an effective means for managing invisible lines during the holiday rush and beyond!:)

Source:  B2C - Managing Visible and Invisible Lines of Customers

Grabbing Last Minute Holiday Sales with Gift Certificates

According to statistics, 37% of gift certificates sold at spas in 2011 were purchased in December. Over 49% of those gift certificates were sold in the week leading up to Christmas. That's right people, we're only a week away from Christmas and it's your last opportunity to grab those last minute sales! Here are 4 tips:

1.) Integrate Online Gift Certificates with Your Website - Give your customers 24/7 convenience & save your staff time!

2.) Reflect Holiday Spirit with Effective Gift Certificate Designs - It’s never too late to brand your gift certificates with your logo and customize them with holiday designs. Holiday themed designs are more enticing to purchase.

3.) Embrace the Power of Social Media to Sell More Gift Certificates - This can be done on Facebook , Twitter, etc.

4.) Entice Customers to Purchase with Holiday Promotions - Many spas use a gift with purchase incentives. For instance, "Purchase a gift certificate in X amount and receive a free Scandle Massage Lotion Candle!"

What other tips do you have to encourage last minute holiday sales? Share them here!

Source:  SpaTrade - Top 5 Tips to Increase Holiday Sales

Year-end Tips for Reducing Your Tax Bill

With only a few more weeks left in 2012, there is limited time to implement ideas that will result in tax savings for the year. But until the New Year's bell tolls, here are a few last minute things you can do to make your 2012 tax bill a little easier to cope with...

1.) Section 179 Expensing: Furniture, equipment, software, vehicles and capital assets are normally subject to a write off over their useful life.

2.) Startup Expenses: Did you know that you may write off the expenses you incur in the investigatory or startup phase of your business? This deduction works once the business is operational, so if you are still in startup mode on Dec. 31, you must defer the deduction to 2013. The IRS defines an operating business as one that has opened its doors or is accepting transactions.

3.) Set up or Fund your Retirement Plan: Contributions made to retirement plans reduce your taxable income.

4.) Holiday Parties provided for your employees are 100% deductible. Parties for clients and associates are 50% deductible. But there are rules. You must have a business purpose and that consists of more than just promoting goodwill or networking and the expense cannot be lavish or extravagant.

5.) Expense Account Reimbursements: Gather together all those receipts for business expenditures you paid out of personal funds and have your business reimburse you before year end.

6.)  Charitable Contributions : Check with your tax pro to find out if you should be giving personally or if it’s better for gifts to be made from business funds. And don’t forget to get those acknowledgment letters. The IRS has been auditing and disallowing contributions without that backup document. A cancelled check is not enough substantiation.

What other last minute tax saving tips do you have?  Share them!

 

Source:  Fox News - Year End Tax Tips for Small Business Owners

5 Tips for Dealing with Cranky Clients

Unreasonable customers are always a pain, but they're especially prevalent and stressful during the holiday season!  But keep your cool and resist the urge to "tenderize" your clients during their massage sessions with the following tips:

1.)  Remember: The customer is always right - I know this is probably the hardest to accept, but customer service experts have long said that a happy customer tells one or two friends, while an unhappy customer tells several--or in the age of social media, hundreds of his closest strangers. And these statistics can be magnified by the emotions related to the stress of the holiday season.

2.)   Train employees to cope with problem customers - Hold staff meetings between the end of October and Thanksgiving to do scenario training and discuss best practices for dealing with nightmare customers.

3.)  Hire enough holiday help to minimize customer frustration - Staffing up adequately during the holidays can prevent a lot of aggravation for both customers and employees. If someone is already upset and then has to wait a long time on line or on hold, this will only add fuel to the fire.  Also overworked employees also may mishandle customers.

4.) Don't promise what you can't deliver - Promising your clients the sun, moon and stars is great but not so great when you can't deliver.  If you say you're going to try to do it and you don't do it, their problem becomes your problem. You always try to please your customer, but don't give them a reason to heap blame on you.

5.)  As a last resort, be willing to lose the customer and the sale - If you offer your best plan for resolving a problem and the customer is still being difficult, it's okay to part company and refund the purchase price.

Winning by Pinning

Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, YouTube...seems like everyday there is another social network to keep up with? The newest of theses networks...Pinterest. You may be thinking this isn't the network for your spa or clinic because your business is not Pinterest-appropriate, right? Think again! Companies that would not classify as visually stimulating are using the site.   For day spas, it’s a slam dunk, as images relating to wellness and relaxation are some of the most frequently pinned (or most popular) on Pinterest.

Here are some expert approved tips and tools for gaining a presence on this new social network:

• Why Pin?  It's free publicity!  Pinboards and re-pinning functions facilitate virtual word-of-mouth marketing for your business.  It’s also a great way to boost your spa’s SEO (search engine optimization). The more content your spa or clinic puts out into the web, the more hits it is likely to get in a web search.

• What's Pin-worthy?  Remember all that money you dumped into fancy photography for your spa or clinic?  Here's some catagories you can put them in on your Pinterest profile:
  
  
  
  • Products we Love
  
  
  • Tricks of the Trade
  
  
  • Fan Favorites
  
  
  • Service Specials
  
  
  
  

• Pinning Practice Makes Perfect!  To successfully market your business via Pinterest, spa/clinic owners must go beyond simply creating pinboards and posting beautiful images. Offer key information about your spa:  your website, physical and email addresses,  and phone number, for instance.  Also try these tips:
  
  
  
  • Watermark your images. Include your URL at the bottom, so that when the image is re-pinned, audiences know that it’s originally from your spa.
  
  
  • Use hashtags (#) to increase exposure
  
  
  • Use other social media platforms to cross-promote your Pinterest page.
  
  
  • Keep your page fresh and up to date
  
  
  
  

Make sure to follow Scandle on Pinterest for in-spa-ration!:)  Also share your pinterest page here and let's all get pinning!:)

Source:  Winning With Pinning - DaySpaMagazine.com

Holiday Spa Treats for Fufilling Holiday Sales

‘Tis the season for the holiday hustle and bustle!  With all the upcoming festivities, who couldn't use a little holiday break to ease some tension and get some Christmas shopping out of the way? The holidays offer your clients the perfect opportunity to take some time out for themselves at your spa or clinic, while providing them with great pampering gift ideas that they can't find at "big box" retailers.  Here are a few of our favorite Holiday Treat-ments that are sure to warm your clients up and give them some in-spa-ration for stress-free holiday gift giving:

• Winter Refresh Pedicure -Enjoy the classic elements of a pedicure paired with the invigorating winter scent of peppermint. This pedicure features The Scandle Lotion Candle in Silent Night (providing aromatherapy effects of lavender and mint) along with your choice of Scandle's Dead Sea Salt or Turbinato Sugar Scrub.  Simply light The Scandle Candle (or use The Scandle Lamp) to melt The Scandle Candle.  Then, combine some of the soothing warm oil along withThe Scandle Salt or Sugar Scrub and follow with a hydrating Scandle Lotion Candle  moisturizing foot massage.   Recommended gifts for customer purchase:  Scandle Spa Trio.

• Holiday Spirit Massage - Treat clients to a full-body custom pressure massage that uses the warm scents of our Limited Edition Holiday Spirit Massage Candle (with notes of cranberries and orange zest). This massage increases circulation, soothes tired muscles and creates an overall sense of relaxation. Recommended gifts for customer purchase:  Scandle Massage Experience.

• Mint Delight Scrub - The invigorating scent of peppermint accentuates this luxurious full body gentle exfoliation.  By combining the warm oil of our Limited Edition Silent Night Scandle Body Candle along with The Scandle Salt or Sugar Scrub, this warm tempting treat is designed to stimulate circulation and reveal soft healthy skin.  Recommended gifts for customer purchase:  Scandle's Get Your Glow On.

We're sure these treatment and gift ideas will give you're clients the holiday warmth they need during this time of year and help them enjoy the season, stress-free!:) Happy Holidays!

Ready, set, sell!

The biggest holiday shopping season of the year is quickly approaching!  Do you have all your proverbial "ducks in a row" at your spa, clinic, or wellness facility to make it your most profitable?  Here are some easy-to-implement, high impact sales stimulation that you can use both in-store and online:

• BOGO – Buy One Get One – offers are potent draws for almost any business. It doesn’t have to be “buy one get one free”. 50% off the second item is very powerful and equates to a 25% discount on the total sale.

• Print compelling short-term offers – good for one week, for example – on customer receipts. An offer that’s good for a limited time will bring customers back quickly with almost no advertising expense incurred.

• Advertise a same-day or next-day sale. The sale may be limited to a few hours with special “doorbusters”, say from 7am-11am, to attract customers at a time that is normally a slow period at your establishment.

With so much going on in social media, you can create great “buzz” for your business and generate huge sales at almost no cost. Create a special promotion your followers can take advantage of – and share with their friends! Want a few examples? Try these!

• “Like” Us on Facebook and get 15% off your next purchase.

• Post a unique picture on Facebook. Offer customers who post a comment $5 off their next purchase.

• Have a special keyword phrase known only to your online followers or website visitors, giving people who provide the phrase at checkout a promotional item with your company logo – a pen, a shopping bag, a travel mug, etc. – with a minimum purchase of your choosing.

Be imaginative and watch your holiday sales skyrocket!  Happy Holidays!:)

Boost Business While Giving Back...

One of the best ways to give back to the community that supports your business is by getting involved in charitable activities and The Holidays are the best time to do it since everyone’s in a generous frame of mind!:)  Not only does giving back to your community raise your spa or practice's profile in the community, it makes clients and prospective clients feel better about your business—and more inclined to spend money with you.

How do you start a giving program? Here are some steps to get going:

1.)  Choose A Cause - Your cause should be one that relates to your business, your community and your customers.  Since most of your clients are most likely from the local community, you’ll also want to pick an organization that’s locally based.

2.)  Do Your Homework - Check the background of any group you’re working with. Sadly, lots of scams are out there that appear legitimate. Even if an organization is legitimate, you’ll want to know how much of the money they collect goes to their clients as opposed to being used for overhead.  A good source is CharityNavigator.

3.)  Figure Out How You Will Help - The amount of time you have to spare vs. the amount of money you have to spare will be key to this decision.  If you have time to spare, you or your employees may want to volunteer for the organization.  If you have money to spare, you might just want to donate funds. You could also consider having special events where part of your sales on that day go to the organization, or giving the organization your net profits from the sale of a certain product (for some inspiration, check out Scandle Body Massage Candle's partnership with The Arbor Day Foundation for Earth Month).

4.)  Get the Word Out - Let your customers, community, and local media know that you’re involved with this organization by spotlighting it in your marketing materials and on your website, in social media and in signage in your store. Show customers how they can get involved and help too, whether by purchasing a product that supports the cause, donating money or shopping on a certain day.

What organizations/causes has your spa or clinic partnered with?  Please share below!

Source - "How Your Small Business Can Give Back This Holiday Season" on Network Solutions