Marketing

Let us assume for this paper that we have a spa in a hotel or a destination resort.

There is not a golden set of rules for all spas; they are all very individual units. This with Depend on;. Position, History, Reputation, Team members, Treatments available, Internet presence, your presentation, Price and cost. A market analysis can change from season to season right up to day to day, be prepared to change your spa menu according to the season. Always be flexible, be there for the guest you have right now.

 

Go back to the very basics

 

Talk to the guests you have now, ask them what they want to see in the spa REALLY TAKE NOTICE. Listen to the guests you want to have come to you… give them what they want this might necessitate in a spa sales person talk to your market?

Where did my last guest come from?

How did they know about the spa?

Why are they coming back?

We did it once.. Can we do it many more times?

Know your market place and have your market know you

Who do you want to come to your spa?

Who is available on site right now?

Fix a goal and build on that goal

I want 10 treatments today. Start with the first and build on that.

 

If this is an “in house” spa there is no real competition so don't become obsessed with it. 90% of in house guests won't go out side to visit other spas if you provide an equal service. Concentrate on what you have right now available. After you can top up with what might be available. People join companies and leave managers, therefore create an atmosphere, where people will talk and come back.

Have a web page and a news letter, but make it live constantly updating it. Answer all e mails as soon as possible. You will find you will soon have a virtual community that will come back and visit you also recommend you to others. Remember we all like to gossip. Its up to you weather its good or bad feed back.

 

As you can see I am not a web page expert…but you are reading it now

 

Lets look at the swot system good and bad points

SWOT analysis Definition:

SWOT is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

 

SWOT analysis is an important tool for auditing the overall strategic position of a business and its environment. Once key strategic issues have been identified, they feed into business objectives, particularly marketing objectives. SWOT analysis can be used in conjunction with other tools for audit and analysis, such as PEST analysis and Porter's Five-Forces analysis. It is also a very popular tool with business and marketing students because it is quick and easy to learn. BUT there is never a substitute for an experienced spa directors experience and advice.

Strengths and weaknesses are Internal factors. For example, a strength could be your specialist marketing expertise. Major strength you are on hand hotel spa, no other competition is going to come in. A weakness could be the lack of a new product. Or failure to inform guests your are there or what you can do.

Opportunities and threats are external factors. For example, an opportunity could be a developing distribution channel such as the Internet, or changing consumer lifestyles that potentially increase demand for a company's products. A threat could be a new competitor in an important existing market or a technological change that makes existing products potentially obsolete. With an in house spa threats are uncommon. Opportunities are immense.

it is worth pointing out that SWOT analysis can be very subjective - two people rarely come-up with the same version of a SWOT analysis even when given the same information about the same business and its environment. Accordingly, SWOT analysis is best used as a guide and not a prescription. Adding and weighting criteria to each factor increases the validity of the analysis.

Take the spa director out to lunch and talk to him…..