While most of us tend to stick to tried and tested waters, where the least risk lies, Adnan Syed was an exception to the rule. He wanted to try out new things and the more varied these were, the better it was for him. That’s why he dabbled in Spa Marketing: something brand new for him.
Now Digital Marketing Manager at O2 Spa, Adnan was first introduced to the world of social media at Ricom technologies. It got him acquainted with all the basics of Digital and Social Media Marketing. Moreover, being exposed to clients from the USA, the UK and Australia, gave him global exposure, strengthening the importance of branding. Armed with the power of knowledge, he made his next foray into the Health and Wellness Industry.
Learning about the spa marketing industry:
After joining O2 Spa, Adnan wanted to get acquainted with the wellness industry better. He began by doing a basic market research on the wellness industry. He started networking, attending wellness marketing events and it wasn’t long before he figured out how the industry works. Once he had gained sufficient knowledge about the industry, he went about planning a Spa Marketing strategy for O2 Spa.
Identifying the problem:
To fix the issue, Adnan had to find out what the problem was. He started listing out the problem areas one by one and began solving them one by one.
Making their website more user-friendly
The first thing that came to Adnan’s attention was the website. It was a one page website, listing the features of the spa and looked more like a brochure. Under his guidance, the website changed to an interactive interface, driving traffic as well as engagement. He also introduced the concept of being able to book their spa services online, similar to BookMyShow.
Increasing their visibility:
The spa had very limited exposure in the online space. Hence, the next mission was to make sure that their visibility grew more and more.
PPC Ads:
Though O2 spa had a small amount of advertising going on, it wasn’t sufficient to increase the customer base. Therefore, Adnan initiated Ad campaigns on Google AdWords and Facebook, focused on driving traffic to their website
Social Media Presence:
The next thing he did was to increase the Social Media presence of O2 Spa. A Facebook page that ran regular offers, as well as sent out timely emphasis on the importance of relaxation and making yourself stress free was a sure win (Notice how the Book Now button, mentioned before, is on the page as well). Dedicated social media managers as well as graphic designers were hired, with a specific agenda of doing social media well.
Quantifying the efforts:
Though leads were coming in because of Adnan’s digital marketing efforts, the sources were not easy to identify. As a result, he was unable to gauge the value of a particular marketing channel. He wanted to know the ROI of each channel he was investing in. He realized that trying to calculate returns with an ambiguous medium such as social media might not be possible. But, trying to figure out the KPI of each of the media was important, so that he could direct his marketing efforts wisely.
In order to achieve this, he began using a Marketing Automation tool (LeadSquared) which helped him not only capture leads from all the different channels, but account for each penny spent on them as well.
( If you want to duplicate Adnan’s hard work, sign up for a demo right here!)
Converting the collected leads:
Now that Adnan had secured the pathway for a steady flow of leads, the next step was to make sure that these leads converted. He made sure that the leads were nurtured right from the moment they exhibited interest.
Reducing the response time:
Previously, the leads that came into the system were being followed up by an in-house call center. A general delay of 5-6 hours, or even a day, was commonplace. This was not an ideal situation, and hence this task was outsourced. A remarkable drop in call delay, as low as 10 mins, made sure the customer was contacted before he lost interest.
Getting to know the reason for non-conversion
Another problem that caught Adnan’s attention was that, though there were, say, a 1000 leads pouring in; only about 20 of them seemed to convert. What happened to the remaining 980? He set about finding it out. He sent out surveys, regular emails and SMS requesting feedback. He discovered the following:
- The outlet recommended was too far for the customer
- The offer they required was not valid anymore.
- The outlet was under renovation or hadn’t begun operations yet.
- The offer was not available on the day that the customer requested.
This feedback helped them figure out the little problems that prevented the prospect from purchasing their services. Figuring it out made solving these problems easier for O2 Spa.
Experimenting with communication channels:
True to his nature, Adnan did not stick to conventional channels. He started to try out new ones, and something that worked out immensely well was Chat.
The introduction of a chat option in the website allowed visitors to interact immediately with someone from the spa, thereby speeding the conversion process. Also, it did not hurt that it served as yet another source of leads.
Making sure they visit again:
Now, the power of repetitive and loyal customers has been well established. Hence, Adnan made sure his digital marketing game was on point in this aspect as well.
Making use of feedback:
The feedback collected (as mentioned above), was not only from his leads, but also from customers who had used the product/ service. Regular feedback helped O2 Spa in identifying their errors and making sure that the mistakes were not repeated again.
Giving them reason to visit again:
They had various other nurturing channels as well. Timely offers sent over email and SMS for customers, who hadn’t turned up for more than 6 months. Replying to good as well as bad reviews, on websites such as TripAdvisor, with a promise of making the experience better the next time around, in the case of the latter.
Adnan found that his efforts worked and that a considerable amount of lost customers kept coming back.
Learning from failures:
All we touch may not turn to gold. So was the case with O2 Spa. They learnt from the mistakes they made and only moved forward stronger. One example of the mistakes that Adnan looks back on is investing in SEM for the spa. He realized that outsourcing it did not yield the expected results. Hence, he stopped putting his coins there and instead chose other channels that worked better for him.
The Results:
Though they have not yet completely come out of the challenges and are still looking for improvement, O2 Spa has come a long way in the past two and a half years, since they went digital.
They already enjoy a huge differentiating factor. They are the only Spa chain to be located in retail outlets, such as airports, malls, and hotels. You might not always walk into a spa if you cross one on the street. But, what if your flight is delayed. Or its raining too hard outside to go exploring and you are stuck in your hotel. Or your feet are worn out by the day-long shopping tour in the mall? Maybe, then a relaxing, rejuvenating massage sounds like heaven.
(The above is an image of O2 Spa at Marriott Hyderabad)
That’s what O2 Spa counts as its differentiating element. Adnan also delights in the fact that, in the digital marketing space, O2 Spa is the only chain that has its own Digital Marketing team as well as Customer Support.
Now, they have expanded into the UAE as well and have plans of further international expansion in the near future. They have also successfully launched their own App.
Adnan admits that they are yet to achieve perfection in Spa Marketing, but they definitely are on the path to it.
