A in the
Dayby ASHLEy ALt
Life !
The life of a spa professional is a continuous cycle of daily responsibilities that help make the spa world go round . Pulse asks ISPA members to give us a sneak peek into their daily lives to help us understand the roles they play and the difference they make on a daily basis .
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Spa
NANCY GRIFFIN PRINCIPAL , CONTENTO MARKETING
PETALUMA , CALIFORNIA is the real healthcare ,” says Nancy Griffin , principal at Contento Marketing , a marketing agency based in Petaluma , California , that specializes in working in the spa industry .
She began her career working with Mary Tabacchi on the first classification study for spas . After attending her first ISPA Conference & Expo in 1994 , she was hooked on the spa industry . “ The quality of my life has been positively impacted through my interactions with spa professionals ,” Griffin says . “ To interact with people who truly care about making a difference is a gift . My clients give back to me as much as I give to them .”
Running a marketing firm in the digital age comes with its own set of challenges , but when your clients consist of fastmoving spa directors and resource partners , keeping up can sometimes prove to be overwhelming . “ Email as a
medium has become less effective as we are bombarded with messages and distracted by multiple social media platforms ,” Griffin explains . “ I hear time and time again the frustration with breaking through .” She overcomes these marketing challenges through sheer persistence , by consistently providing good information , and being a solid industry resource . “ My job is to create compelling messaging and real solutions to solve the myriad of issues involved in operating and marketing a spa .”
“ The quality of my life has been positively impacted through my interactions with spa professionals .”
Those real solutions have become the most rewarding part of Griffin ’ s job as a marketing professional . In 2000 , she founded SpaTrade . com — the industry ’ s first online community — and in 2006 she began the regional networking events SpaExec . “ My latest venture is Bespoke — a partnership with TouchAmerica designing artful retail display solutions for spas and salons ,” says Griffin . “ When retail sales improve , both sides win .”
Griffin ’ s most memorable marketing job is actually pretty recent . “ I was asked to help with sponsorship and press for the ISPA Media Events in Beverly Hills and New York City , and asked Carol Stratford , principal of StratComm Consulting and former vice president of marketing for Miraval , to partner with me to really take the events to the next level ,” she recalls . “ Working with the amazing ISPA staff , sponsors and journalists was truly an honor . It felt like a full-circle experience to be working with ISPA again nearly a quarter century later .”
Marketing in the spa world is challenging , exciting and rewarding for Griffin . But what does her typical day look like ?
★ 5:30 am Brief meditation and stretching . Feeding the dog ; brewing coffees .
★ 6 am Coffee and Facebook scrolling . I can ’ t write and drink coffee at the same time . As soon as coffee is cold , I dive into email and conference calls . I ’ m based in California and many of my clients are back east , so I like to hit the ground running .
★ 8 am Write a blog post or press release for a client while my mind is still fresh . Skype , conference calls and email outreach from my home office — full disclosure , often my couch !
★ 10 am Walk with my dog Farley , my mom and her border collies Shep and Wren , or Pilates on Mondays and Fridays .
★ 11:30 am Homemade green juice with local veggies , apples , ginger and lemon . More emails and phone calls , media outreach , flight and hotel bookings to client meetings or conferences .
★ 1 pm A quick lunch at home or takeout if I ’ m crazy busy . Then back to work !
★ 3 pm Farley and I are out the door to take my horse Cy ( short for Cyclone ) for a ride .
★ 5 pm Back on the computer — some work , some social . Some TV , I won ’ t lie .
★ 9 pm Brief meditation and stretching , then bedtime . Early to bed , early to rise , as they say ! n
September 2017 ■ PULSE 61