Marketing: Many Happy Returns

Kudos to the spa owners who send birthday wishes to clients; the rest may be overlooking a lucrative marketing opportunity. “Birthdays are the one time of year when people are expecting good stuff to arrive by mail—cards, letters from friends, even gifts,” says Jay Siff, marketing expert and president of the direct response firm Moving Targets. “Not only are they excited about receiving good news, but they’re also predisposed to respond to celebration opportunities.”

Birthday promotions make clients feel celebrated and special and, according to Siff, obligated to spend money in return for your gesture. The concept is nothing new, but small business owners are often intimidated by the time and diligence it takes to establish a client birthday list, especially as people become increasingly reluctant to share personal information. They wonder what list they’ll end up on. “When you say, ‘I want your address, phone number and birthday date,’ that connotes to people that you’re going to be bugging them,” Siff says. Therefore, your spa’s policies should reassure your clients that you wouldn’t share their information, nor contact them without their consent.

If you want to start a birthday promotion, hold a contest among staff to see who can collect the most birthdays during a given month. Siff suggests waiting to tell clients about the promotion until they’re checking out, when they feel calm and relaxed. “Most people will respond when you say you’d like to send them something special on their birthday,” he says.

Most importantly, be prepared to follow through, year after year. Returning clients will continue to expect birthday incentives.

Birthday promotions are also a great way to attract new clients. Siff recently established Birthday Connections, a direct mail service that sends a personalized birthday card or letter that includes a discounted offer to people who live near the business. Birthday Connections uses multiple databases to crosscheck correct addresses with birthdates. Siff says the program offers a 10% to 15% success rate, which is typical of direct response mailing programs. “It works because it combines the appeal of a birthday gift with the accuracy and efficiency of direct marketing,” he explains.

How much of a birthday gift is enough to woo new clients? Siff suggests offering a percentage or dollar amount off a purchase, with the amount based on what garners your spa the best response and earns the best profits. “In direct mail, the winning strategy is to test, test, test,” says Siff. “The beauty of direct response is that it’s measurable.” Establish a promotion, test it for a few months, and collect the results. Be prepared to invest about a year to test offers until you find one that yields optimal results.

—Sarah Colombo

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