When marketing your spa offerings, it can be easy to create high expectations on the back of overpromising. Whilst it is wise to highlight your unique selling points to attract clients, overpromising but underdelivering can have the opposite effect. To avoid such a scenario, we have outlined five areas where you can curb overpromises and why it’s best to deliver exactly what you offer.
Overpromising in your marketing messages
It isn’t uncommon to see marketing that showcases a representation of what’s being offered. However, it is crucial that your messaging is clear in what you’re offering for prices, treatments, products and more. This is particularly important in the UK, where The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations outline that businesses cannot include deceptive messages or leave out important information to clients and customers. Failure to do this could result in a hefty fine.
Overpromising using marketing imagery
Imagery is perhaps the easiest place to create a false impression through overpromising. Botox, for example, is a particularly popular treatment that many images falsify the results of. This creates a level of disappointment for many clients, which could be remedied through an image of the actual results. A realistic, but still positive, image in your email marketing creates an expectation that can be met by your team.
Focus on the benefits, not false possibilities
As a society, we often favour potential and possibility over the benefits of the here and now. Similarly, your spa marketing should sing the praises of your unique selling points in a realistic light. Do you have unique facilities such as an immersive natural environment or hydrotherapy pool? If so, outline the benefits in your marketing such as the environment helping to calm the mind or the pool jets helping to ease muscle tension, rather than they absolutely will or potential benefits.
Overpromising skincare results
It can be easy to overpromise the effects of a skincare treatment on social media, especially when it isn’t clear that the results are often from an extended period of treatments. Due to this, many clients feel misled when the results aren’t immediate. It’s therefore important to make this clear in your marketing, as well as from staff on-site. Taking picture records after each treatment may and attaching them to each client record can also help in the long-term, providing a timeline of treatment results.
Clarity over natural products
Do you know the difference between natural and organic products? Many individuals don’t, which is why it is vital to communicate the right details in your treatment menu and products so that clients understand what they’re getting.
A natural product is one that uses a high volume of natural ingredients, such as from plants, animals or minerals. Organic products are those that use ingredients from organic farming – that means no pesticides or artificial fertilisers. This can go a stage further with vegan products, which don’t contain animal produce. Make sure this is communicated clearly to clients and make sure you’re not overpromising results or providing the wrong type of product, especially when organic skincare treatments are helpful to spa clients with cancer, specifically.
Overpromising is a result of wanting what’s best for clients, but can backfire in ways that can break client trust and create poor reputation for your business. (Core by) Premier Software can help manage the right message through email marketing, setting your spa treatments, packages, offers, managing client expectations and more. To discover Premier Software, book a free presentation below.
