As a spa owner or manager, you should always be looking for ways to grow your bottom line by better serving clients. One sure-fire way to harvest more golden apples from your money tree is to offer great products and services that appeal to a broader spectrum of potential customers in the local community.

Our use of social media has allowed data mining companies to learn about our individual preferences, and businesses have begun using them to market to us. As consumers, we now expect personalized products and service offerings. What this means to you is that to grow your business, you need to successfully market to a diverse group of potential clients.

Your standard menu of product and service offerings is no longer sufficient to meet the diverse needs of this population. Let’s look at how you can reach a broader spectrum of clients and provide the type of services they are looking for.

A DIVERSE CLIENTELE

Realize that the face of America is changing – literally. In the near future, the majority of the United States’ population will no longer have white skin. Instead, there will be a beautiful mix of skin colors. For the spa, this means offering products and services that are specifically created for skin of color. In addition to skin colors, there will be an ever-increasing range of personalities, body shapes, and gender identities. Your future clients will come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and types. If you want to take your spa to the next level, you need to successfully market to a diverse group of potential clients who want immediate results and convenient hours. You must be prepared to deliver outstanding products and services to these diverse individuals. This means creating a menu that offers options specifically suited for these individuals and marketing to them in an appropriate manner.

EMBRACE DIVERSITY

Let’s tackle the marketing aspect, first. To successfully reach a diverse group of clients, you must deliver a message that is authentic and not tone-deaf to the sensitivities of the consumers you are trying to target. The best way to do this is to embrace cultural diversity. Ideally, your staff will reflect the diversity of the community you are trying to attract. At the very least, you should employ a culturally diverse creative team to assist you in developing your products and service offerings marketing campaign.

UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE

To create a successful campaign, it is critical to understand your audience and their needs. Gather feedback from those you are trying to reach by using focus groups or simply asking for input from clients across the target group. If you encourage them to be brutally honest and to voice their true opinions, they will help you understand the nuances of their needs – ethnically, socially, and culturally. Besides getting these attributes correct, your advertising and in-house environment must be authentic. Ethnic markets have their own media which reach them, but few others. They tend to extend loyalty to those who reach out to them with respect and cultural sensitivity. Use models of different sizes, shapes, and ethnicities in your marketing collateral. Employ staff that reflect the diversity of the community. Offer products and services that match the needs and wants of the clients in an environment that is welcoming to all.

Creating a service and product menu that appeals to clients of all ethnicities is vital to your future success. Begin by researching the different needs presented by different skin color. Provide marketing collateral and shelf talkers which focus on products and solutions specifically developed for ethnic clients’ skin. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that all skin types and sensitivities are the same, no matter the color.

CONTINUALLY UPDATE

Stay abreast of new developments in the industry and out-pace the competition. Continually update your menu to reflect the current trends. Offer new and exciting products and procedures. Consider offering energy-based devices to provide aesthetic services as part of a holistic approach. Just be certain that the energy devices you offer are modified for use on various skin colors. Offer non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures, such as microneedling and radio frequency treatments.

EXPAND OFFERINGS

Expand offerings to attract clients from other growing market segments, such as Millennials, Generation X, and males. Consider offering skin rejuvenation, tattoo removal, acne treatments, and post-surgical and acne scar treatments. Don’t forget to offer options targeting healthy, clean aging and that focus on the LBGTQ market. These population segments comprise a virtually untapped market, especially for antiaging and non-surgical rejuvenation treatment options.

Do your research. Make informed choices and appropriate modifications to serve your customer base. By taking the time and making the necessary investment, your business will grow and your money tree will flourish, providing more golden apples on the bottom line.

Internationally recognized aesthetic business development expert, Cheryl Whitman is founder and CEO of Beautiful Forever. She is a sought-after speaker and industry marketing specialist. With her seasoned team of professionals at Beautiful Forever, Whitman assists physicians and medical spas in creating new profit center, developing profitable private label product lines, ghost writing articles and e-books, and identifying and executing new business strategies aimed at improving their bottom line. A celebrated author Whitman’s “Aesthetic Medical Success System,” a turnkey educational system, has assisted clients in opening or jumpstarting their current businesses. Her second book, “Beautifully Profitable, Forever Profitable,” provides solid, practical information on how to create, launch, and grow successful aesthetic medical practices and related businesses. 561-299-3909 or cheryl@beautifulforever.com