For years , many spas and vendors , whether filling open positions or inviting in new guests , marketed themselves — even if unintentionally — to a fairly limited , often homogenous audience . How can spas and vendors step outside of their bubble , break that cycle and reach a more diverse , representative audience ?
To help answer that question , Pulse spoke with two people leading the way on this topic : Tracey Slavonia , the chief marketing officer at Salamander Hotels & Resorts and Pip Pullen , the president of ad agency Mightily . Slavonia has worked closely with Sheila Johnson , who is the CEO and founder of Salamander and also the co-founder of BET and co-owner of the Washington Capitals , Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards .
Here are four takeaways that spas and resource partners can immediately incorporate to their day-to-day business practices , whether they are looking to expand their customer base or make their staff more diverse .
1 .
MAKE INCLUSIVITY PART OF YOUR BRAND According to Slavonia , inclusivity is not a switch that can be flipped ; it must be who your organization is
from the top-down . If you want to become a diverse organization that attracts an inclusive clientele , Slavonia says , you have to be that organization first before it can translate in your marketing .
And if it ’ s not authentic , your audience will be able to tell .
“ Leading with authenticity is the key to inclusive marketing ,” Slavonia says .“ At our company , practicing diversity isn ’ t something that we just do , it ’ s who we are ; it ’ s at the core of our ethos . Our messaging is always clear — we welcome you like family at Salamander , and we back it up with our guest experience . Our guests always sense an unmistakable sense of belonging on our properties . “ And our marketing is successful because it ’ s honest . It ’ s equal parts comfortable , kind , respectful and welcoming . And it ’ s not just about visual representation , it ’ s about an authentic and honest approach to being inclusive .”
There isn ’ t a timetable for reaching this goal as an organization . Rather , it ’ s an ongoing commitment to reflect it in your values .
“ It has to be genuine and authentic ,” Pullen says .“ You can ’ t just do it and walk away from it in six months . It has to be a commitment you make to yourself and the community that this isn ’ t just for now . We are going to embed this in our culture as a company . This is something we ’ re committed to , diversity and inclusion . We ’ re going to put it in our mission statement , we ’ re going to tell our staff about it . I think it ’ s more than temporary targeting . It has to come from your heart and be something you believe in .”
2 .
UTILIZE
USER-GENERATED CONTENT Social media is a great way for organizations to do two things . For one , they can gather immediate feedback about the type of people that are frequenting their properties . Secondly , they can use the shared images ( with permission , of course ) as marketing materials to highlight the organization ’ s inclusivity , rather than using stock photos or staged photoshoots ( Note : If you are going to use social media images , make sure to ask permission and be up front about how and where it will be used ).
“ In social media , we ’ ve been particularly successful at all our resorts and spas utilizing and repurposing usergenerated content ,” Slavonia says .“ Like many , we ’ re encouraging our guests to share their stories on social media . But then we have another proactive effort to seek out the images that best tell the Salamander story . Just one daily feed of guest images is as inclusive as any photoshoot
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 ■ PULSE 23