Text marketing for salons and spas

Partner Series: How Textel Helps Meevo Clients Create Successful Text Message Campaigns

December 30, 2023

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Textel and Meevo Can Transform the Way You Communicate with Customers

Did you know that, according to studies from SinglePoint and Gallup, 95% of text messages are read within three minutes of being sent, and texting is the most used form of communication for American adults under 50*?

Technology has worked its way into the beauty and wellness industry like never before, and businesses have had to be open to these changes and new strategies to continue to attract and retain clients. One method growing in popularity across multiple industries, including beauty and wellness, is text message marketing.

While texting clients may sound unconventional, it’s proven to be a preferred and easy way to swiftly communicate with customers. But how can salons and spas get started with text message communications, and how can salon and spa software like Meevo help?

In this installment of our Millennium Partner Series, Victoria Vitarelli, VP of Marketing at Millennium Systems International, is joined by Michelle Steimann, Senior Director of Channel Development at Textel, to talk about how texting clients using the Textel integration with Meevo is transforming salon and spa marketing and operations.

1) What is Textel?

Textel is the premiere texting integration partner for Meevo, providing two-way, conversational SMS text messaging capabilities right inside of the software. Text marketing, external from Meevo, is another offer by Textel, which provides a way to efficiently reach guests the way they prefer—right in their pocket, on their cell phone, by text. Clients can find Textel integrations by visiting the MeevoXchange or by contacting the MSI sales team at (888) 813-2141.

2) SMS vs. MMS

SMS is text-only communication. MMS is long multimedia communication, also referred to as picture texting. Both SMS and MMS communication are available in the Textel integrations available in Meevo. Picture messaging is a great way for clients to send inspirational photos for their appointments and can allow for the salon to decide if they need to book more time for a balayage or to fix some box dye, for example. Salons and Spas can also use picture messaging to send special offers or coupons to their clients.

3) Confirmations and Reminders vs. Textel vs. Text Marketing

Confirmations, reminders, and notifications are sent out by Meevo on a phone number provided by Meevo and is not correlated with Textel.

Textel enables a salon to use its landline phone number for texting. This is awesome because customers recognize the salon or spa phone number and are always aware of who is contacting them!

Text marketing is recommended to come from a different number. This can be a rollover line, or Textel can provide you with a local area code number or a toll-free number, as well.

The reason it’s recommended to come from a different number is in the case of a customer deciding to opt-out of a salon’s text marketing, it would also opt them out of the ability to have a conversation by text with that guest. In order to keep that two-way communication unaffected, it’s best to have text marketing messages come from a different number.

4) How to Use These Tools

Confirmations and reminders are all handled and configured inside of Meevo, unrelated to Textel. These tools can all be seen right within Meevo.

Textel and Meevo collaborated on creating a way to have the Textel portal sit right inside of Meevo Messenger so an employee never has to leave the platform to check text messages. Even if Meevo Messenger isn’t open, a text message will push through and send a notification so a message from a client is never missed.

5) Creating a Text Message Marketing Strategy

Text Marketing can be used for promotions, announcements, last-minute closures due to inclement weather, and so much more, but there is a strategy to execute this properly.

Before sending any texts, a salon must ensure their clients have opted-in to receive these text messages. Then, creating segmented lists of clients will ensure that the right people are receiving information. For example, when sending a message about the latest skincare designed for women, male clients may begin to opt-out. Prevent that by sending specific messages to a targeted group of clients.

When sending a text, a salon, especially when using a toll-free number, should use a subject header in all capital letters and include the business name so the customer instantly knows where the message is coming from. This will help increase open and engagement rates!

Attaching images is a great way to make these promotions pop and really grab potential clients’ attention. It’s also important to emphasize that these promotions are exclusive to those opted-in to text messages only so they know that if they opt-out, they are not going to get that same deal on your website, social media, or anywhere else. That’s the trick to keep clients engaged and avoid high opt-out numbers (in addition to sending high-quality content!).

There also should always be a call to action at the end of the message to make sure the client takes advantage of the promotion. Lastly, the client must always have the option to opt-out.


5 Ways Mass Texting Improves Your Salon or Spa Marketing Strategy

1) Quick and Easy Communication

One of the main benefits of sending mass texts is how quick and efficient this form of communication can be. Research shows that text messages have around a 90% open rate, compared to 20% for emails.

Texting can be a fantastic channel to quickly notify all or some of your clients about business updates (such as reopening details or current service offerings), ongoing or upcoming promotions, giveaways, and much more. It’s as easy as uploading a Meevo client list to “Textel Blast”, crafting your message, and then clicking send.

And the results speak for themselves. “Every time we send a Textel Blast, our call and text call volume spike. Sales and appointment reservations increase as well,” Laura Ortmann, CEO of Ginger Bay Salon and Spa.

2) Personalize Your Texts

Not only can you send mass texts to clients, but you can also personalize them to match your audience. For example, you could upload a list of clients who routinely schedule the same service to notify them of a sale or new service option. Additionally, you can use Meevo to create client groups for each of your service providers, allowing you to send tailored texts to guests alerting them of updated availability or schedule changes.

Just about all forms of marketing are improved by personalization, and text messaging is no different!

3) Increase Engagement by Adding Photos

It’s well documented that adding visuals to communications, such as emails or social media posts, significantly increases engagement numbers. HubSpot’s study found that Facebook posts with an image saw 2.3 times more engagement than those without a photo.

Text messages are no exception to the rule, and many business owners have explored ways to add photos to their text communications. Textel Blast allows users to easily upload pictures to include in text messages, resulting in more engaging communications that help drive results. In-store pictures, coupons, breaking news, special promotions, and more can all be sent to clients as a photo using Meevo and mass texting.

4) Use Your Business Landline to Send Texts

One possible deterrent owners may have with group texting is thinking they need to use their personal cell phone number (or a Service Provider’s number) to send texts. However, Textel Blast lets you use your business’ landline number to contact your clients.

Not only does this prevent you from having to use a personal number, but your clients will also receive texts from a number that they will instantly recognize, only increasing the likelihood of high open and engagement rates.

5) Schedule Texts for the Perfect Time

Automation has been an integral part of marketing for years, helping marketers schedule content to be sent or go-live at the optimal time. For salon and spa owners, Textel Blast allows you to schedule mass texts to be sent at any point in the future, ensuring you reach your clients on the perfect date and time.

Being able to schedule client communications ahead of time can help improve your texts’ efficiency and effectiveness, leading to higher engagement and more interactions with your spa scheduling software.

Text Message Marketing On the Rise

Text messaging isn’t going anywhere, so it only makes sense for a salon or spa to start implementing this way of communication into their regular marketing efforts. To learn more about Textel and Meevo, visit the MeevoXchange, contact the MSI Sales team at (888) 813-2141, or visit this site and get ready to increase FOV, revenue, and client relationships with text messaging capabilities!

* Textel “10 Statistics that Prove Texting is for Businesses

 

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