Give before you get.
Creating a membership programs for your med spa isn’t just about making money, it’s about creating a group of loyal clients you know will show up – even during slow months.
A membership program brings mutual benefits to your med spa. For you, there’s improved revenue, client retention rate, and a competitive advantage. For your clients, there’s value for money – and a sense of exclusivity that comes from being a member.
Simply put, a membership program for your clients is like joining an exclusive golf club. They gain cool perks and benefits for being a loyal member, and they don’t have to play golf 😉
All these benefits sound irresistible, so let’s dig deeper and find out more about membership programs, how they can benefit your med spa, and how you can make them successful.
What is a membership program?
A membership program is a way of enabling clients to “subscribe” to your med spa which will, in return, provide them with a lot of perks and benefits.
Clients with a membership program pay a monthly fee each month and use it to enjoy your services at discounted rates, get access to priority booking, skip on paying deposits, and various other conveniences that you decide to include in the membership program.
How do membership programs work?
When it comes to membership programs, you can customize them as you wish.
You can set up different membership plans that will cater to different client’s needs, preferences, and, of course, budgets. These can be monthly, quarterly, and even annual membership plans.
To make membership programs work for all clients and budgets, it makes sense to create different membership tiers.
According to this survey, aside from free discounts, the most important membership benefits for clients are early access to sales (60.1%), early access to new products (50.8%), and tailored recommendations (38.9%).
Creating a tiered membership
- Bronze Membership — Positioned as the most economical option, this program should provide access to basic benefits with a limited range of perks.
- Silver Membership — Striking a balance between affordability and value, this program should offer a sweet spot with moderate pricing and a selection of appealing perks.
- Gold Membership — Reflecting a higher price point, this program should deliver enhanced value, accompanied by a suite of impressive perks.
- Platinum Membership — This program should represent the ultimate membership experience, boasting unparalleled value and an array of unlimited perks.
Simply put, the pricier the membership program, the bigger the value should be.
Here’s a rough example of how annual memberships would look like:
There’s also another way to create a membership program!
You can create your own membership program where clients can add credit each month, and then spend it on services in your med spa. This works like a trust fund for your clients’ med spa treatments, and it can be fantastic way for med spas to grow their business…
“Offering monthly payment for patients to build up credit on their account has driven my business further forward.”
Amish Patel introduced monthly membership packages to his clients at Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic, allowing them to make regular payments and bank credit on their accounts.
Each month, a payment is automatically deducted and credited to the client’s treatment card. This process eliminates the need for manual checks, providing Amish with a more efficient and automated system to track client payments and credit.
Why you should use med spa memberships?
Think about it — would you rather buy movies every night and risk watching something you don’t enjoy, or subscribe to streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, giving you the choice of thousands of movies and TV shows whenever you want?
Opting for a monthly or annual membership just makes sense, and that’s why this approach has gained so much popularity in recent years — more than 90% of companies have some sort of loyalty program.
Med spa membership programs are also great, and the reason why many top-notch med spas swear by membership programs is because they’re both practical and profitable.
Imagine you have some regulars who love treating themselves to facials every month. While their loyalty is great for you, it can add up cost-wise for them and they can decide to visit your med spa less.
Med spa membership program will let them enjoy their bi-weekly or monthly facials at a discounted rate, and have some additional perks, too.
And here’s the sweetener for you: a med spa membership ensures a steady monthly income, regardless of whether clients use their perks. You get those membership payments rolling in like clockwork, providing consistency for your business. So, it’s a triple win — savings for your clients, a consistently filled appointment book, and a reliable stream of monthly revenue.
Talk about a beauty of a deal! Let’s look at a few more benefits…
7 benefits of using membership programs in your med spa
1. Membership programs can make you extra cash
Memberships keep clients around because of the extra perks they’ll have. This will tempt them to treat themselves a bit more and try out new services in your med spa.
Plus, clients who have enrolled in membership programs will notice and enjoy the special treatment they get and will keep coming back for more.
2. A membership program means steady and predictable income for your med spa
Unpredictable income is a nightmare for private businesses, especially small ones.
With membership programs, though, you’ll get rid of this headache. Members pay a recurring fee each month or year, which means you’ll have a predictable stream of revenue you can count on.
This will bring you stability and can help you better manage your cash flow for the future.
3. Med spa memberships will boost client experience
Members will enjoy exclusive benefits and discounts that regular clients don’t get.
This promotes a sense of value and appreciation and your clients will have a positive perception of your business, contributing to increased client satisfaction.
For example, you can allow members to book services without having to pay deposits, or offer them a freebie every time they book a service, or simply offer exclusive offers to them that you wouldn’t offer to clients who aren’t members.
Plus, a membership program will help you build stronger relationships with your clients which may help you gather feedback and suggestions to improve your business. This valuable input will help you tailor your membership offerings to better meet the specific needs of your clients.
4. Membership programs = more loyal clients
Med spa membership programs are a fantastic motivator for clients to become regular visitors to your spa. When you offer exclusive perks like discounted services, priority booking, or special member-only events, you’ll make your clients feel like VIPs.
Client retention is one of the most important things for any business, and a membership program will make sure your clients come back.
According to a survey, 84% of clients say they’re more likely to stick with a business that offers a loyalty program.
5. Med spa memberships will give you a competitive advantage
Many med spas offer similar services and in today’s crowded market competition can be overwhelming. However, implementing a membership program as a distinctive selling point that can set your business apart from competitors.
When clients see they’re getting more value, unlocking exclusive rewards and benefits, and having more flexibility in terms of payment options and savings, why wouldn’t they choose your clinic over the competition?
6. Members can become brand advocates for your med spa
Membership programs often encourage clients to be more engaged and connected to your brand. They make your clients feel like VIPs and that their business truly matters to you.
And the great news is, clients who are engaged are more likely to promote your posts on social media and express their satisfaction to friends, family, and even online friends.
7. Memberships can aid in improved revenue forecasting and future planning
Having a membership program helps you predict your income better and plan for the future. With a steady income, you can make more accurate guesses about how much money you’ll have and plan your marketing and operational strategies accordingly.
It can also inform your strategy going forward. You can look at the information from previous membership programs to see if there are any trends or patterns in how clients behave. This can help you decide better on what services or products to offer and how much to charge for them.
How to start a successful membership program
There’s no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to crafting membership programs. Every med spa is different and has a different clientele, who will value different things.
That’s why before you implement memberships at your med spa, take some time to plan out a membership that can be equally beneficial to your clients and business.
Here are 5 crucial steps you can follow to create a successful membership program:
1. Understand your target clients
By taking the time to understand who your clients are, you’ll be able to create a membership program that will resonate with them and offer them something they will value.
You should ask yourself: What do my clients seek in a med spa?
Are personalized services, convenience, or affordability their top priorities?
Do they want the newest skincare trend on TikTok, or do they prefer classic treatments?
Gathering answers to these questions will guide you in developing a membership program that aligns with your clients’ needs and preferences — discounts, freebies, perks such as priority booking, no deposits, or whatever you choose to include in your membership program — which increases the likelihood of them staying loyal to your med spa.
2. Determine and map out YOUR goals
When creating memberships, it’s crucial to establish your goals too.
What are you aiming to accomplish?
Do you aim to generate recurring revenue, enhance appointment frequency, increase customer loyalty and create a competitive advantage, or perhaps achieve all three?
Once your goals are clearly identified, you can then design a program specifically tailored to achieve those objectives.
For instance, if your goal is to increase appointment frequency, you might design a membership program offering services that require more treatment sessions to achieve the desired results.
Similarly, to optimize staff utilization, you could include add-on treatments to extend service and visit duration.
Ultimately, your membership programs need to make financial sense. So do the math or ask an accountant to crunch the numbers for you. There’s no point in having a membership if they don’t make sense financially.
3. Choose a payment structure for your membership programs
One of the reasons memberships are so attractive is the ability to tailor them to your specific needs, including the payment options.
So, if your clients are uncertain about committing regularly to their membership, you can come up with alternative options that will suit your clients but also generate a stable income.
Whether is a membership with a one-time upfront payment, monthly membership, or a membership where clients can bank credit at their own pace, that’s completely up to you to choose. But remember to choose wisely.
4. Present and promote the membership programs the right way
The success of your memberships also depends on how your staff will present them to your clients. So, take the time to introduce to your staff how memberships work and how they can benefit the clients.
Train your staff on how to present them the right way so they can encourage clients to take a shot at becoming a member of your med spa.
Once you train your staff, it’s time to develop a marketing strategy to promote your membership program.
Apart from implementing in-store promotions, don’t forget to leverage all your social media channels to spread the news wide and clear. Also, keep your clients informed by sending direct emails highlighting the membership offer.
5. Monitor the results of your membership programs and adjust them accordingly
By monitoring metrics like sign-ups, retention rate, and revenue generated from members, you can assess the program’s effectiveness and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Through consistent monitoring and analysis of the program’s performance, you can make data-driven decisions and align your program with the needs and preferences of your clients.
Tracking the data and having up-to-date information at all times can be tricky if you don’t have a system that will do it automatically for you. So, creating memberships within your practice management software can be really beneficial for the success of your membership programs.
Why using practice management software is the best choice for creating membership programs?
Because you will be more in control and won’t miss any important details that will be crucial to your membership program’s success.
Picking a practice management software that is created specifically for med spas and with flexibility in mind, like Pabau, is the best choice you can make if you want the creation, issuing, and maintenance of membership programs to go smoothly.
- Within the Pabau platform, you can effortlessly create and manage your membership programs, tailoring them to the specific requirements and preferences of both your clients and your med spa.
- Even if you manage med spas across multiple locations, Pabau’s flexibility ensures that you can create and oversee membership programs from the system, no matter where you are. All you need is access to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
- Pabau provides convenient visibility into membership history and balances. With just a few clicks, you can generate reports to track the progress of your membership program.
- Directly from the client card, monitor and manage memberships, tracking when clients joined, their chosen pricing tier, and the expiration of their membership. This allows you to offer timely promotions and enhances the overall client experience.
- Pabau will handle automatic monthly charges for your clients’ programs, making the entire process easy to handle, all within a single, user-friendly platform.
Find out Pabau’s 5 amazing automations that will boost revenue in your med spa.
In conclusion, a membership program for med spas provides an exclusive and tailored experience for your clients.
The flexibility of membership plans enables med spas to cater to diverse client needs, preferences, and budgets.
Membership programs bring a variety of benefits to med spas, including increased revenue, predictable income, enhanced client experience, and improved client loyalty. By offering exclusive perks and discounts, these programs become powerful motivators for clients to become regulars, helping you secure them as loyal, returning customers.
And if you can do it all under one roof, even better. Practice management software, such as Pabau, provides a streamlined and efficient way to create, issue, and maintain memberships.
The software’s flexibility ensures that med spas, whether single or multi-location, can manage memberships seamlessly, providing clients with a consistent and enhanced experience.
Ultimately, med spa memberships become a win-win proposition, offering savings for clients, and a consistently filled appointment book for you.
