Wording for letter to accompany gift certif holiday promo

[Ninth Gate]

I am going to be sending this letter (or a revised version- with your help!) to my current clients with at least 2 certificates, and I'm going to send about 15-20 to two of my hair stylist clients/friends to pass on to their clients for a holiday "thank you"
(this way the stylist will look good- like they puchased gc's for gifts for their clients, and i get new bodies on my table)
This is my first version of the letter-

I am sending you these gift certificates in the hopes that you will share the gift of health this holiday season. They are good for a 30 minute massage, free, no strings attached! If the recipient wants to, they may upgrade to a longer session for a fee. This would be a great way to introduce someone to the benefits of Massage Therapy! Feel free to keep one of these gift certificates for yourself, for a free 30 minute massage, or add 30 minutes for free onto your regular massage time.
Please note that these certificates do have an expiration date on them, and are only valid until that date.

 

[all right giggity giggity]

anyone have thoughts?
Do you think this is even a good idea?
Has anyone done something like this in the past?

 

[Jesse Lame]

anyone have thoughts?
Do you think this is even a good idea?
Has anyone done something like this in the past?

I would just be afraid of getting very, very busy with non-paying clients! I do outcalls, though, so it would be much more difficult for me.

 

[Layna <3]

I guess I'm kind of afraid of that.. but I figure if I have a lot of people booking 30 min massages, I can spread them out a bit
The hope is that they would upgrade to an hour or tip me well.. but you just never know!

Giving these certif to my stylist friends will help to weed out weirdos and cheapies, i think. I'm going to ask my friends to give them to people who that they think would be good potential clients for me- Ones who already receive massages, stuff like that.

Hmmm.. maybe i could give one friend cards that say "free 30 min" and the other something like "get a 60 min for the price of a 30" and see which one gets more bites?

Just thinking out loud here.. .

 

[sunnySindhi]

Those are good ideas - especially trying both at once to see what brings in the most clients! Maybe you can track which brings in returning clients, too, and how many times/how often they return.

Sometimes you just need bodies on the table. Then you can take it from there.

 

[John de Witt]

I made up some business card sized "free 30 min. masssage" coupons to give out. I cant tell you how many I gave, with very little return. My only thought was that many some people didnt vaule my services if I was willing to GIVE it away. I did put on the card that they could upgrade to a full hour for a bit more. The few that did use them didnt want to rebook, they said they just wanted their free massage. I hope it works better for you, please let us know, maybe there was something I did wrong!!

 

[ARok5]

Well, I am going to have these look like actual gifts, not coupons, if that makes sense.
My stylist friends will be giving them out to their clients, perhaps in a holiday card, almost like the stylist purchased them for the client.. if that makes sense? So I think they might be more valued because the end recipient wont know that they were freebies.
They send a little something out year end as a little "thank you" anyway, so I thought that this would be the perfect add on

 

[Emad]

Well, I am going to have these look like actual gifts, not coupons, if that makes sense.
My stylist friends will be giving them out to their clients, perhaps in a holiday card, almost like the stylist purchased them for the client.. if that makes sense? So I think they might be more valued because the end recipient wont know that they were freebies.
They send a little something out year end as a little "thank you" anyway, so I thought that this would be the perfect add on

you know... i have all of my promotions made on the post cards through vista print. you can't beat 100 for free plus shipping - they have beautiful templates, although i always upload my own.

Those are good ideas - especially trying both at once to see what brings in the most clients! Maybe you can track which brings in returning clients, too, and how many times/how often they return.

i think this is a good idea. i tried this idea the first year i was in business, but it seemed awkward to me. i could never find the right 'wording' and so i couldn't explain it well without it sounding strange, so it didn't take off. hammering out the ideas here certainly will give you the opportunity to smooth it out. sounds like you're doing great!

 

[Mr. Football]

Well, I am going to have these look like actual gifts, not coupons, if that makes sense.
My stylist friends will be giving them out to their clients, perhaps in a holiday card, almost like the stylist purchased them for the client.. if that makes sense? So I think they might be more valued because the end recipient wont know that they were freebies.
They send a little something out year end as a little "thank you" anyway, so I thought that this would be the perfect add on

you know... i have all of my promotions made on the post cards through vista print. you can't beat 100 for free plus shipping - they have beautiful templates, although i always upload my own.

Those are good ideas - especially trying both at once to see what brings in the most clients! Maybe you can track which brings in returning clients, too, and how many times/how often they return.

i think this is a good idea. i tried this idea the first year i was in business, but it seemed awkward to me. i could never find the right 'wording' and so i couldn't explain it well without it sounding strange, so it didn't take off. hammering out the ideas here certainly will give you the opportunity to smooth it out. sounds like you're doing great!

I LOVE VistaPrint that's where I get all my stuff !!

Hopefully someone will have some advice on the wording. With all of us here.. I'm sure someone's tried something similar!!

 

[John N]

Don't hurt me, but I am not a fan of this idea. One thing I have noticed about gift certs is the clients tend to not tip (not a problem, just pointing out that since its a gift they don't often think of spending above and beyond) or upgrade and usually don't become repeat clients. I think its great that massage is given as a gift, but most people don't seem to really embrace it as a lifestyle change in my experience. Another thought is to give a coupon/gift cert paying for a 60 and getting a 90 min. That way you are not working completly for free. Kinda like the cruise ships do. Pay for an inside cabin and upgrade to a window cabin for free or virtualy free.
just my thoughts

 

[huggz]

I agree that freebies attract people who want freebies and nothing more. (No tip, no upgrade, and definitely no rebook.) It's discouraging, since you can meet some really nice people, ones who are very appreciative, but still don't value your work monetarily, and who you'll never see again! (Unless you send them another freebie...)

 

[hnmmnhm?]

Don't hurt me, but I am not a fan of this idea. One thing I have noticed about gift certs is the clients tend to not tip (not a problem, just pointing out that since its a gift they don't often think of spending above and beyond) or upgrade and usually don't become repeat clients. I think its great that massage is given as a gift, but most people don't seem to really embrace it as a lifestyle change in my experience. Another thought is to give a coupon/gift cert paying for a 60 and getting a 90 min. That way you are not working completly for free. Kinda like the cruise ships do. Pay for an inside cabin and upgrade to a window cabin for free or virtualy free.
just my thoughts

Not hurting you for your opinion
Something I dont think I did explain here- the ones givign these certifs out, my stlyist friends/clients- I would tell them to only give them to the clients they have that they know already receive regular massages, or who used to receive regular ones in the past but have gotten out of the habit of going in.
So, I wouldnt be trying to get them to do the whole lifestyle change thing, just kind of steering them my way, or re-introducing them to something that they already have done.
If that makes sense. It's only 6:30 a.m. right now.. so my brain and my typing might not match up, haha

 

[diamondflower]

SOMETIMES I am all for giving work away, deep discounts etc..and sometimes not..so depending on the day I'll have different advice.
Today:
I would limit the FREEBIE gift certificate to a small number of your contacts - ONE each. Let them know that they can purchase more for ___$ off. Ex: can buy a 60 min massage gc for half or even a 1/4 of full price. Do this to a SMALL number of your contacts. You'll get a handle on whether it will work for you or not. After the initial freebie you will at least be getting paid for your work.

Keep in mind that many clients shop around for the freebie only to never return.

You also will come across those gems who will return over and over...and bring referrals.

Try a lot of different things. Good luck to you.

Robyn

 

[Jedimaster]

Like Seattle Sunshine, I am not a fan of this idea either. Please don't hurt me.
I agree that GC's are less likely to tip so you will be working for free.
Plus, for me personally it's a busy season when I can to be massaging paying clients AND selling gift certificates.
I did something similar once. I did 12 Days of Xmas when I said I would be doing free 15 minute chair massages for a fitness studio next door. People had to make an appointment etc. so it was like booking a regular massage. It was 3 years ago and I vowed to never do it again. NONE of them came back. Only 1 person tipped. I had 6 of them on the day before Xmas Eve b/c they were expiring that day and people rushed in to use their freebie! I was so exhausted I had a migraine the next day (yes, Xmas Eve). It was my first year in business and a memory I want to forget
I learned my lesson since and I plan better and do different promotions.
Perhaps you can do something different? I do a lot of "added value" promos. I may not get as much volume but these people do come back and they tip.
Maybe "Purchase a gift certificate - receive a chair massage for yourself for free"?

 

[Iyan]

Also not a fan of the card. Way to work around this. Ask your stylist friend if you could set up a day where you came to their place and do 10-15 min. chair massages before the hair appt. Set up the day and have the stylist offer the service to people that day. It's two fold. You get your hands on people (your best advertising and the stylist is giving an added value that day. If you have some down time you could work on other stylists in the salon. They love to talk. Good luck.
If you go this route, start today. People are already booking appt for hair for the upcoming holidays.

 

[Celine]

I agree with most people here about wording being critical. When I first read your post I found myself put off a little by the word 'free'. For me it conjures up an image of crazed ladies at the bargain basement sale, ready and willing to do physical harm to bag their discount item. Scary, but maybe that's just me
Maybe there is another word that can be used to convey the value of this amazing service so that it occurs as less of a 'freebie' and more of an opportunity not to be missed out on. I really think it's smart that you ask the stylists to give these cards to people who already know about massage.

Once a long time ago in a land far, far away, I worked as an IC for a small entrepreneurial massage company. These people set up fish bowls at gyms and other such places that potential clients could drop their name into, in hopes of winning a free massage in the drawing. Oh boy! Well, every name in that fishbowl was called to congratulate them on winning their free massage, which was of course booked with the ICs, not the owners. The ICs didn't get paid for these free massages, and right, the clients who got it for free did not rebook. It's not a bad way to get people in the door, but someone ends up paying the price in the long run.

How is it working for you, what have you decided on? I do think the direction of your ideas is really good, and sometimes I wonder if simply the fact that we put energy into the creative thought process of building our business creates a response from the universe.

 

[pjamies]

How is it working for you, what have you decided on? I do think the direction of your ideas is really good, and sometimes I wonder if simply the fact that we put energy into the creative thought process of building our business creates a response from the universe.

I've decided against the totally free massage. I printed up postcards that have the deal- either $20 off an hour or longer massage, or a 20 extra minutes on any massage.

Thank you everybody for your input!
I'll keep you all posted as to what kind of people book (only there for the deal vs re-bookers)

 

[Ryan Stanford]

I think that whether you use this system or not depends on where you are in your business. It is at the core of one of Bodywork Biz's courses. As someone said, sometimes you just need to get people on your table.

If you are early in your practice or it just hasn't developed well yet, give away hundreds of gift certificates. Most will not be redeemed. It is important to make sure they are reaching your target market.

Make it a sweet deal to upgrade to one hour or 90 minutes.

However, if you are reasonably well-established and just want to round out your practice, I would not give away lots of gift certificates for free massage. The idea of a free upgrade is more appealing (for you!) then. And if you have been in business for a while, think about contacting your old clientele first with some sort of offer - 90 minutes for the cost of 60, or 25% free time if booked before XXX (that's only 15 minutes added to an hour but it sounds more!) - and do give a deadline.

Just a few thoughts, Marion

 

[Suzanne]

Wording for letter to accompany gift certif holiday promo

So, Moose-goose, what ever happened with this promo idea? Any updates for us, over 2 years later?