Marketing¶
The booking tool does not bring clients
A booking tool (e.g. Cal.com) only handles scheduling: calendar, free slots, booking form, confirmations, reminders.
Finding clients is our own work, whichever tool we choose: our .ch website and its SEO, Google Business Profile and other listings, ads, social media, reviews and partnerships.
Only marketplace tools such as Fresha add some visibility of their own, for a 20% fee on new marketplace clients.
Details: Booking tool: buy or build?.
Where ads and links point¶
- All ads (Google, Meta) land on our website, on the page for the right treatment and language, not directly on the booking tool. The website carries the SEO value, the ad tracking and the trust (photos, prices, reviews).
- The website has a "Book" button in every language. It opens the booking tool, e.g. as a popup. The button text must be translated per language: "Termin buchen" / "Book now" / "Réserver" / "Prenota".
- Google Business Profile, Instagram and Facebook: the booking link is added as the "Appointment URL", in the bio and on the "Book now" button.
- A booking page on the tool's domain (e.g.
cal.com/...) does not improve our search ranking. SEO comes only from our own domain.
Regional targeting (Saanenland)¶
- Small resident population. Most demand comes from visitors.
- Ad targeting:
- Meta: a radius around Gstaad, with "people living in or recently in / travelling to" the area.
- Google: start with "presence" (people in or regularly in the area); test "presence or interest" (also people planning a trip) before the winter season. Plus search terms like "massage Gstaad" in every language. See Ads.
- Watch for audiences that are too small for Meta. You may need a wider radius (e.g. include Zweisimmen, Château-d'Œx) or interest/lookalike layers.
- Seasonality:
- Peaks: winter (Dec–Mar) and summer (Jul–Aug).
- Events: Menuhin Festival, Swiss Open tennis, polo, Hublot Polo Gold Cup, etc.
[check calendar] - Tourist peaks: winter (Dec–Mar) and summer (Jul–Aug). Raise tourist-targeted ads then.
- Anti-cellulite demand peaks in spring (Mar–Jun), before summer. That is low tourist season, so in Apr–Jun target locals and second-home owners instead of pausing.
- Pause or cut ads in November.
Channels¶
| Channel | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads + Business Profile | Capture "massage near me" intent | Highest intent. Start here |
| Instagram / Facebook | Visual brand, retargeting | Massage is a restricted category. Use wellness imagery |
| WhatsApp Business | Booking & communication | Click-to-WhatsApp ads from Meta |
| AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) | Be recommended | Depends on Bing/Google listings, reviews, clear website content |
| TikTok / YouTube | Optional, organic first | Short videos of treatments and the region |
| Offline/partnerships | Likely the strongest channel locally | Hotel concierges, chalet rental agencies, ski schools, gyms, physios. Commission or voucher deals |
| Gift vouchers | Revenue + word of mouth | Christmas, guests' gifts |
Self-managed advertising plan¶
We run marketing ourselves, with no agency (see the comparison below). Most bookings are expected from free channels; paid ads come on top.
Concrete budgets and cost limits are in the private notes (private/marketing-budget.md).
1. Free channels first¶
| Channel | What to do |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Most important. Category "Massage", photos, hours, prices, booking link as "Appointment URL", regular posts. Ask every happy client for a review, in their language (see Local search presence) |
| Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, local.ch / search.ch | Same name, address and phone everywhere. Bing feeds ChatGPT/Copilot answers; Apple feeds iPhone Maps (many tourists) |
| Instagram (organic) | 2–3 short Reels a week: the studio, hands and oil, the village, "free slot tomorrow at 10:00". Booking link in the bio |
| WhatsApp Business | Quick replies, a catalog with the treatment and packages, a status update when slots free up |
| Local partners | Likely the strongest channel. Hotels, chalet agencies and concierges: cards with a QR code, plus a commission or a free session. Gyms, yoga studios, hairdressers, nail studios: swap referrals. Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus listing |
| Local print | An ad or short article in the local paper (Anzeiger von Saanen) at opening [verify]. Flyers at Saanen station and in local shops |
2. Paid ads we run ourselves¶
Step-by-step setup, content requirements and languages: Ads.
- Google Search Ads (start here).
- Keywords in DE/EN/FR/IT, e.g. "Anti-Cellulite Massage Saanen", "Massage Gstaad", "Cellulite Massage Gstaad".
- Location: start with people in Saanenland ("presence"); before the winter season, test adding people interested in it, so tourists planning a trip also see the ads.
- Ads lead to our website, in the matching language, not to the booking tool.
- Search volume in Saanenland is small: start with a small daily test budget.
- Meta (Instagram + Facebook).
- Area: about 15–25 km around Saanen, "people living in or recently in this area".
- 2–3 ad creatives: the studio, the treatment mood, the trial-session offer.
- Ads lead to our website or open a WhatsApp chat.
- Test, then keep what works. Run each campaign 4–6 weeks, then keep only what brings bookings below our cost limit.
Ad rules for anti-cellulite
- No before/after photos. Meta bans them for cosmetic and weight-related ads.
- No negative body image, e.g. "Hate your cellulite?"
- No medical promises such as "removes cellulite", "detox" or "minus one size". Use wording like "smoother, firmer-looking skin" and note that results vary.
- No fat or medical claims: no fat reduction, weight loss, lymphatic drainage or treatment of any condition. Our device is cosmetic; see Ads.
- Massage is a restricted category on Meta and Google: wellness imagery only.
3. Tracking¶
Technical details: Website: ads, SEO and analytics.
- Add UTM tags to every link (e.g.
?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring-2027) to see which channel brings bookings. Allowed values and all links: UTM links. - The Meta pixel and Google Ads conversion tracking need a cookie consent banner on the website (see Website & marketing law).
- Main number: cost per booking. A client who buys a package is worth much more than one visit, so a higher cost for a first booking can still pay off.
4. Doing it ourselves vs. paying someone¶
| Option | How you pay | Worth it for us? |
|---|---|---|
| Ourselves (Google Ads + Meta Ads Manager) | Only the ad spend, plus about 2–4 hours a week | ✅ Yes: cheapest at our size |
| Agency / freelancer managing ads | Monthly fee or a share of ad spend, often with a minimum | ❌ No: with a small budget the fee can be higher than the ads themselves |
| Freelancer for one-off setup | One-off fee (accounts, first campaigns, tracking) | ⚠️ Maybe, if nobody wants to learn the ad tools |
Booking marketplace (Fresha; Treatwell also operates in Switzerland [verify]) |
Commission only per new client (Fresha: 20% of the first booking) | ✅ Worth trying: pay per result, no upfront risk. There may be few marketplace users in Saanen |
| Discount deal sites (Groupon-style) | Big discount plus commission | ❌ No: attracts one-time bargain hunters, not package clients |
Agency fees and real cost per click vary a lot. Treat this as an estimate; get one or two quotes if needed. Only a 4–6 week test shows our real cost per booking.
5. Rollout¶
- Before opening: all free channels from section 1; first reviews from real visits by friends and family.
- First 1–2 months: Google Search ads run by us; Meta from March; the Fresha marketplace if we choose Fresha.
- After 6–8 weeks: keep only channels with a cost per booking below our limit.
KPIs (to define)¶
Bookings per channel, cost per booking, review count/rating, repeat clients.