Marketing: Staying at the Day Spa?

Staycation: It's the marketing catchphrase in a downturn economy. Day spas across the country are capitalizing on one of the few bright spots of restricted consumer spending. Clients may not be able to take European vacations or book extended stays at luxury resorts. But that doesn't mean that getting away from it all is out of the question. When compared with airfare and hotel accommodations, a day at the spa can seem downright affordable.

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Invite your clients to stay home for the holidays with these staycation marketing strategies:

• Send an Invitation
  Aquamedica Salon and Day Spa (www.aquamedicaspa.com) in Long Branch, New Jersey, discovered the benefits of marketing staycations by sending an e-mail blast. "We used the staycation idea to promote our various discounts and packages," says co-owner Anatoiy Chistov.
• Green Effect
  Appeal to clients' environmentalism by marketing staycations as an eco-friendly alternative to spending money on fuel and other non-sustainable resources.
• Join Forces
  During the summer, the state of Connecticut promoted staycations by encouraging businesses such as museums, restaurants and day spas to bundle discounts. Participating businesses included the Body and Soul Day Spa (www.bodyandsouldayspa.com) in Wallingford, which offered clients a free toe polish change with a facial treatment through the incentive program.
• A Worldly Affair
  Introduce a destination-themed treatment from another country as a part of your spa's staycation package. The idea is inspired by SpaFinder (www.spafinder.com), which hosts an annual Spa Experience Aspen in Aspen, Colorado. The two-day expo features more than 30 exhibitors from around the world. This year, visitors experienced free treatments from destination spas in Vietnam, France and Mexico. They also sampled spa cuisine, wines, and received skin analysis from participating manufacturer Pevonia Botanica.

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