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November 9th, 2018: A Holiday Guide for the Most Successful Season Yet

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and the Holidays are just around the corner, and with your Business's Marketing tools, you have all the resources you need to maximize engagement and sales this season. 

This guide is designed to show you what's available with each feature, help you create a plan for success, how to put that plan into action, and how to automate and promote it to customers for the best end-of-year yet!

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Create a Plan

Before you begin ramping up your marketing efforts, decide if you're going to be running specials on Services, Gift Certificates, or both.

With Promotions, you can apply an automatic discount based on a percentage or dollar amount off the listed price of individual Services, Series, and Gift Certificates. Each one comes with its own unique webpage that can be shared with Clients however you please. 

Services and Gift Certificates cannot be combined in the same Promotion, but multiple Services or multiple Gift Certificates can be lumped into one Promotion. 

Keep in mind, if the Promotion includes multiple Services or multiple Gift Certificates, each one will be listed on the Promotion's unique page, but each one will be booked or bought separately. Including multiple Services does not mean that the Client is booking all in the same appointment, and including multiple Gift Certificates does not mean that the Client is buying all in the same transaction.

Each Service is booked and each Gift Certificate is purchased individually. 

In order to purchase a Service Promo online, an appointment must be booked at that time. A Service Promo cannot be purchased online without booking an appointment first. 

Here are five ideas to keep things easy and to effectively use Promotions, Gift Certificates, and Campaigns to their utmost potential: 

  1. Run a special on your most popular Service for new Clients only.  
    • Select a single 60 minute duration. 
    • Apply a 15% discount. 
    • Start the sale on 11/15/18 so Clients can begin booking in advance, and end it on 12/31/18. 
    • Allow available online booking times to extend until 1/31/19 so that you start the new year with a full Schedule. 
    • Require prepayment to ensure commitment to the deal. 
    • Make it available for new Clients only. 
    • Display it publicly on your MassageBook Business Website so that all visitors to your page can view and book it. 
  2. Use a Series to offer a buy one Service, get another Service on the house for Cyber Monday: 
    • Apply a 50% discount to a full priced Series. 
    • Start and end the Promotion on 11/26/18 so that it's only available on Cyber Monday. 
    • Limit the number of bookings to 10 so that only the first 10 Clients who book and buy are eligible. 
    • Require prepayment so that the second session is automatically added to the Client's online booking account. 
    • Do not display it publicly, but announce it through to a Campaign to all Clients. 
  3. Sell a Gift Certificate for half off on Black Friday:  
    • Create a Custom Certificate that's valued at $100. 
    • Apply a 50% discount to it so that two can be purchased for the price of one. Note: BOGO is not available for Gift Certificate Promos. 
    • Start and end the Promotion on 11/23/18 so that it's only available on Black Friday. 
    • Limit the number of purchases to 20 so that only the first 20 Clients who buy it are eligible. 
    • Do not display it publicly, but announce it through a Campaign to all Clients.
  4. Run a special on your most popular Service Certificates:  
    • Activate a Gift Certificate for your two most popular Services.  
    • Take $10 off the listed price of each. 
    • Start the sale on 11/15/18 so Clients can begin buying in advance, and end it on 12/31/18 so that last minute gift givers can still take advantage. 
    • Display it publicly on your MassageBook Business Website so that all visitors to your page can view and buy one. 
  5. Reward your most loyal Clients with a great deal for their family and friends: 
    • Create a Custom Certificate for $75, $100, $150, and $200. 
    • Apply a 25% discount to each one. 
    • Start the sale on 12/1/18 and end it on 12/15/18 to create a sense of urgency. 
    • Limit the number of purchases per day to two to encourage them to act. 
    • Do not display it publicly, but announce it through a Campaign that is sent to only Clients who have visited 10 or more times and who have been in within the past year. 

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Put the Plan Into Action

Once you've planned your deals and specials, you need to set up each one so that they can be booked or bought to your exact specifications. 

Here's how to create each of the five ideas, and links to more in depth help content is included:

  1. Service Promo:  
    • Create a Promotion for a Service. 
    • Title: Take Time for You This Season 
    • Description: This time of year is all about giving, but a little me time never hurts. Come escape for an hour, and let any stress you may be feeling disappear. Book the service below between November 15th and December 31st to receive 15% off! Available booking times extend through January 2019 so you can start the new year feeling fresh!
    • On the Add Deals step, select your most popular Service, choose only the 60 minute duration, and enter a 15% discount. 
    • On the Dates & Times step, start it on 11/15/18, end it on 12/31/18, redeem it by 1/31/19, and allow it to be booked during any available times. 
    • On the Summary step, select to require prepayment, apply it to new Clients only, and display it on your MassageBook Business Website. 
  2. Service BOGO:
    • Add a new Series to your Service Menu. 
      • Enter a generic title and description, not the Promotion's title and description.  
      • Enter two for the quantity, and enter the sell price as the same as the retail price. 
      • Ensure it's Active and Online. Note: You can take it offline after the Promotion.
    • Create a Promotion for a Service. 
    • Title: Book One, Get One This Cyber Monday Only!
    • Description: Book and pay for your first appointment today, and another service will automatically be added to your online booking account that can be scheduled at a later date. The ability to book the first starts and ends on November 26th, and it's limited to the first 10 lucky customers. Don't delay or you'll miss out on double the relaxation! *The second service cannot be shared with anyone else.* 
    • On the Add Deals step, select the Series and enter a 50% discount. 
    • On the Dates & Times step, start and end it on 11/26/18, don't select a redeem date so that there are no booking restrictions for the second appointment, and allow it to be booked during any available times. 
    • On the Summary step, select to require prepayment and limit the number of bookings to 10. Do NOT display publicly. 
  3. Black Friday Gift Certificates:
    • Create a new Custom Certificate.
      • Enter $100 for the amount. The value of the Custom Certificate is determined by the dollar amount entered. 
      • Do not enter a title. It will default to $100 Gift Certificate.
      • Ensure it's Active and Online. Note: You can take it offline after the Promotion.
    • Create a Promotion for a Gift Certificate. 
    • Title: Black Friday Gift Certificates Blowout! 
    • Description: Buy a gift certificate valued at $100 for only $50. Select a style, add a personalized message to the lucky recipient, and choose to email or print it. If you don't want to email it to the recipient just yet, enter your address instead. The ability to buy starts and ends on November 23rd, and it's limited to the first 20 purchases. Don't miss out on this steal of a deal! *Only one gift certificate can be purchased at a time. Come back to this page to see if anymore are available!*
    • On the Add Deals step, select the Custom Certificate and enter a 50% discount. 
    • On the Dates & Times step, start and end it on 11/23/18. 
    • On the Summary step, limit the number of purchases to 20. Do NOT display publicly. 
  4. Gift Certificate Promo:
    • Activate a Service Certificate for your two most popular Services. 
    • Create a Promotion for a Gift Certificate.
    • Title: The Perfect Present
    • Description: Give the gift of health and wellness this holiday season. Buy a gift certificate for any of the services listed below and receive $10 off. Select a style, add a personalized message to the lucky recipient, and choose to email or print it. If you don't want to email it to the recipient just yet, enter your address instead. The gift code is valued at the original price of the service, and the recipient can apply it towards a different one if they prefer. This offer is available through the end of the year. *Only one gift certificate can be purchased at a time. Come back to this page if you want to buy another.*
    • On the Add Deals step, select each Service Certificate, choose all durations, and enter a $10 discount. 
    • On the Dates & Times step, start it on 11/15/18 and end it on 12/31/18. 
    • On the Summary step, select to display it on your MassageBook Business Website. 
  5. Loyalty Special:
    • Create a Custom Certificate for $75, $100, $150, and $200.
      • Enter those amounts for the value of each.
      • Use the default titles. 
      • Ensure each is Active and Online. 
    • Create a Promotion for a Gift Certificate.
    • Title: My Gift to You
    • Description: Thank you for your loyalty and continued support of my business! As a token of my appreciation, you can purchase any of the following gift certificates for 25% off between now and December 15th. Select a style, add a personalized message to the lucky recipient, and choose to email or print it. If you don't want to email it to the recipient just yet, enter your address instead. The gift code is valued at the original price and can be applied to any service. Only two are available for purchase per day, so be sure to check back if you missed out! *Only one gift certificate can be purchased at a time. Return to this page to see if the other is available.*
    • On the Add Deals step, select each Custom Certificate and enter a 25% discount. 
    • On the Dates & Times step, start it on 12/1/18 and end it on 12/15/18. 
    • On the Summary step, limit the number of purchases per day to two. Do NOT display publicly. 

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Promote the Plan

Once you've set up your deals and specials, you need to spread the word to get the bookings and sales rolling in. 

Here's how to advertise each of the five ideas, and links to more in depth help content is included:

  1. Service Promo:
  2. Service BOGO:
  3. Black Friday Gift Certificates:
    • Create a custom Campaign just like above, but schedule it to send a few days in advance on 11/19/18. 
  4. Gift Certificate Promo: 
    • Create a Campaign for all Clients. 
    • Use a Gift Certificates template. 
    • On the Design step, instruct Clients to go to the Promotions section under the Gift Certificates page of your MassageBook Business Website to view and purchase the offer. 
  5. Loyalty Special:
    • Send a targeted Campaign to only clients who have visited 10 or more times and who have actively seen you in the past year.  
    • On the Template step, select the Blank Slate or Build Your Own.
    • On the Recipients step, filter your results to only show:
      • Times Client Has Visited > Is More Than > 9. 
      • Last Checkout > Less Than > 360 Days. 
    • Add a call-to-action button to it. 
    • Link the button to the Promotion's page.
    • Schedule it to send on 12/1/18.

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A goldmine is just a few setup items away!

Take advantage of the opportunities that are available this time of year, and let the Marketing tools do the work for you. 

Use the ideas and information in this guide as a resource for creating a simple, yet powerful strategy that's sure to show you results like you've never seen! 

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