As Summer shifts into Fall, you may notice an increase in appointments and new clients at your med spa. Why is this? Summer tends to be the slowest season for business in the med spa industry. Most people would prefer to spend their summers on vacation and avoid treatments that require longer recovery or prevent them from being out in the sun. Holidays and travel also impede treatments that require multiple visits and maintenance.
We typically see that September through December is the busiest season for medical spas Patient treatment needs change as seasons change and the holiday season ramps up. With Fall comes more inside events, work commitments, and family visits. More social obligations tend to increase appointments as people become concerned about how they look and present themselves. Fall and Winter are also better times to have procedures and treatments that require longer recovery time as it is a period where more time is spent at home and covered up due to less desirable weather.
This makes early Fall an ideal time to adjust for the holiday season within your practice. This can be done in many ways: handling employment needs, ramping up marketing strategies, and increasing your procedure menu before the holiday season. This is also a great time to address upcoming vacations, staffing and hiring needs , and employee performance evaluations. With the forthcoming increase in business, you’ll want to ensure you’re adequately staffed with competent team members who will help your business succeed. Depending on the need, hiring additional holiday staff for the season may also be a good idea to help carry the load. Coordinating vacation time is also crucial to ensure no gaps in your ability to offer your most popular, high-demand treatments.
In addition to the above, you’ll also want to ensure that all vendor payments are up to date, check your equipment to ensure it is in good working order, and place advance orders for necessary inventory to ensure continued operation during this period. If you’ve been considering offering a new treatment, this could be a great time to test the waters and provide a soft opening to see if there is a demand for it in your area.
At this time of year, marketing is essential. Below are some great marketing strategies you can utilize as the holidays progress.
Great Holiday Marketing Strategies:
Giving the Gift of Self-Care: While the holidays are often about gift-giving, your target customers will seek ways to treat themselves or invest in themselves. Leverage a marketing message focused on self-care, confidence, and personal bests.
Escape from Holiday Stress: Holidays are a time of year that can be incredibly stressful. The increased number of work and social commitments, busier work schedules, and holiday shopping can overwhelm just about anyone. A trip to the spa is always a great way to destress, and adjusting your social media strategy to capitalize on this is a great option to draw in new and returning clients.
Gift Options: Gifts are a big part of the holiday season. Promoting gift cards, treatment vouchers, and holiday specials on your social media and website at this time of year is a great way to increase sales.
Product or Procedure Bundles: Everyone loves a good deal. Offering treatment sets of a few different starter treatments or a discounted treatment package requiring multiple visits is ideal for creating repeat customers. Offering bundles for products is also great for generating additional revenue. People love to try new things, and getting a deal on them increases desirability.
New Patient Discounts: This is best utilized for treatments that require follow-ups. While offering coupons for potentially single-visit treatments like facials is excellent, the idea is to create new repeat patients. Offering deals on botox or laser hair removal makes greater options for retention.
Social Media and In-Person Marketing: These are great ways to increase business and customer retention. However, they’re all useless if the public isn’t aware of them. Promoting these deals, sales, and gift options on your social media accounts, website, and even in physical pamphlets around your spa are great ways to gain awareness. . Social media helps connect you with current customers and followers and reach a wider audience. . You can also achieve this by promoting deals inside your spa or in windows to advertise to passersbys who may not have tried your clinic before.
The increase in business this time of year is both exciting and stressful. We at Lengea are here to help. We offer business plans, contract review and negotiation strategies, compliance assistance, treatment consents, and more. Whether you’re an established med spa or just getting started, we can assist you with navigating the busiest time of year.