SMME #444 AI Is Coming for Your Spa (In the Best Way): How to Use ChatGPT to Attract Ideal Clients

Summary

Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast – Episode SMME #444: AI Is Coming for Your Spa (In the Best Way): How to Use ChatGPT to Attract Ideal Clients

Release Date: July 28, 2025
Host: Daniela Woerner, Licensed Aesthetician

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Introduction

In Episode #444 of the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast, host Daniela Woerner delves into the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the spa industry, particularly focusing on how spa owners can leverage ChatGPT to attract their ideal clients. This episode is a must-listen for spa professionals aiming to integrate AI into their marketing strategies to enhance client acquisition and business growth.

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The Impact of AI on Small Businesses

Daniela begins by highlighting a pivotal McKinsey report indicating that by 2026, 40-45% of small businesses will incorporate AI into their operations. She emphasizes the significant benefits AI brings, including:

• Time Savings: "Those businesses that are incorporating AI are going to experience a 20 to 30% reduction in administrative work" ([04:56]).
• Cost Reduction: "They're going to receive a 25% reduction in payroll, especially in support and marketing" ([04:58]).
• Revenue Growth: "Small businesses using AI are growing revenue 2.5 times faster than non-adapters" ([05:28]).

Daniela underscores that AI isn't just a tool but a catalyst for predictable revenue growth and operational efficiency.

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Embracing ChatGPT for Spa Marketing

Transitioning into practical applications, Daniela shares her journey with AI, particularly her positive experiences with ChatGPT:

• Personal Preference for ChatGPT: “I have personally decided to go deep with ChatGPT. And yes, I've tried a lot of different tools, but I feel like I've gotten the best result going deep with ChatGPT” ([06:30]).

She advocates for using ChatGPT to create custom chats, generate content, and streamline marketing efforts, positioning it as an indispensable assistant for modern spa businesses.

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Defining Your Ideal Client Avatar with ChatGPT

A significant portion of the episode focuses on using ChatGPT to hone in on the ideal client avatar (ICA). Daniela outlines a step-by-step approach:

1. Initial Prompt Construction:
   “Help me define my ideal client avatar. I offer [services]. My clients are mostly [age range], they live in [location], and they struggle with [specific issues]. I want to work with clients who value [specific values].” ([12:35])

2. Deepening Client Understanding:

   • Lifestyle and Values: ChatGPT helps describe the client's lifestyle, values, and goals in detail.
   • Emotional Pain Points and Desires: Identifying what the client feels or thinks before booking a treatment, such as guilt over self-care expenditures ([13:54]).

3. Application in Marketing:

   • Social Media Content: “This is gold for your social media. […] You are going to use this for your website. You’re going to use this for email subject lines as well” ([13:55]).
   • Service Descriptions and Captions: Creating tailored service descriptions and engaging Instagram captions that resonate with the target audience ([14:03]).

4. Pro Tips for Effective Prompts:
   “Before I'm starting any message, I always say you are an expert copywriter for my million dollar spa” ([15:55]).

Daniela emphasizes that defining the ICA with precision allows spa owners to speak directly to their clients' hearts and souls, fostering deeper connections and higher booking rates.

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Building a Premium Brand with AI Assistance

Transitioning from client definition, Daniela discusses the broader implications of AI in brand building:

• Exclusivity and Uniqueness: "Remember that you are building a premium boutique brand and nobody can compete with you because you are the only you on this planet" ([16:57]).
• Relationship Focus: "We are now competing with relationships. We are competing, we're creating relationships with our clients" ([16:57]).
• AI as a Partner, Not a Replacement: “Let ChatGPT be your partner, Let them be your assistant. But ultimately you are still the boss” ([17:25]).

She underscores that while AI can significantly aid in content creation and strategy, the human element—the brand’s personality and vision—remains irreplaceable.

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Sustainable Growth Through AI-Driven Marketing

Daniela connects the integration of AI with sustainable business growth:

• Ideal Client Attraction: By clearly defining and targeting the ideal client, spas can "stop getting price shoppers and attract your ideal client" ([17:34]).
• Client Retention and Referrals: "You're going to fill your books with clients who rebook... and refer their friends for you" ([17:34]).
• Reduced Refund Rates: She cites her own experience where opening up and showcasing her teaching style reduced refund rates, attributing this to clear brand messaging ([18:56]).

Daniela highlights the importance of consistency and clarity in messaging to attract and retain the right clients, leading to sustained revenue growth.

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Actionable Steps and Resources

To empower listeners, Daniela offers actionable steps:

1. Accessing ChatGPT Prompts:
   “Go to our Instagram, like our page please. [...] and we will send you our list of prompts for ChatGPT” ([15:55]).

2. Engagement and Community Building:
   Encourages listeners to engage on Instagram to receive resources and be part of a supportive community.

3. Leveraging AI for Business Transformation:
   "This is going to be life changing. I want you to be One of those 40 to 45% of small businesses that are incorporating AI, that are getting their time back, that are saving on payroll, and that are growing 2 times, 2.5 times faster than non adapters" ([20:49]).

Daniela’s approach is not just theoretical but hands-on, providing listeners with the tools and steps needed to implement AI effectively in their businesses.

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Conclusion

Daniela Woerner wraps up the episode by reinforcing the transformative potential of AI and ChatGPT in the spa industry. She motivates spa owners to embrace AI not as a daunting addition but as a strategic ally that can drive efficiency, enhance marketing efforts, and foster meaningful client relationships. Her call to action invites listeners to engage with her community on Instagram to access valuable resources, positioning this episode as a comprehensive guide for spa professionals ready to innovate and grow in the AI era.

Notable Quotes:

• “Small businesses using AI are growing revenue 2.5 times faster than non adapters.” ([05:28])
• “You are building a premium boutique brand and nobody can compete with you because you are the only you on this planet.” ([16:57])
• “Let ChatGPT be your partner, Let them be your assistant. But ultimately you are still the boss.” ([17:25])

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Resources Mentioned:

• McKinsey Report on AI in Small Businesses – [Link provided in episode]
• Growth Factor Framework Success Stories – Available on Daniela's website
• Free ChatGPT Prompt List for Spa Owners – Accessible via Instagram comments

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Connect with Daniela Woerner:

• Instagram: Spa Marketing Made Easy

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Thank you for listening to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast. Subscribe and tune in to future episodes for more insights and strategies to elevate your spa business.

Transcript

[Daniela]

Hey, Daniela here and I have some.

[Unknown]

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[Daniela]

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[Unknown]

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[Daniela]

Welcome to Spa Marketing Made Easy. Whether you are a longtime listener or it's your first time joining us, I am so happy that you are here. So we have been doing this show for seven years now. I can't even believe that there's so many, so much content. We've got over 400, you know, plus episodes. If you search through the archives, it's, you know, a treasure trove of content. But in the past year, well, really, I mean, really accelerated in the past six months, things have been changing so much with AI that I feel like we are just reinventing how we do business every two months. So as a business owner, it's a lot to feel like you've got to learn one more thing. And when I'm on coaching calls with our clients, I'll have people, you know, occasionally I'll still have people say, what's chatgpt? But most people are just starting to get curious about how others are actually incorporating it into their business. Maybe they've asked it to create some social captions, maybe they've used it to create some images, but they haven't really dip their toe into it to have an understanding of how drastically this can and will shift the way that we do business. So listen to this. I was putting together some content for our Growth Factor elite students. So we are running the beta program right now. So we actually, we've run Growth Factor, the Growth Factor framework for several years now. We have a huge amount of success. If you want to see any of our stories, just go to the Success Success Stories page on our website and you can read, you know, tons of case studies of people that have gone through. So this is a really successful program. And we closed it down in 2024, at the end of 2024. And one of the big reasons that we needed to close it down was because we had to make an enormous amount of updates because that program was designed for the old way of doing business. And now with AI, AI is being infused into the way that we're doing social media, the way that we are marketing, how we're doing hr, how we're onboarding our employees. I mean, there's so many pieces that is being incorporated into, even the way we lead as CEOs, even the way that we're structuring our companies, the roles that we're hiring for. It's completely different. So we made the decision to close down growth factor in that iteration, pour, you know, dive into the trenches to learn about AI and how to best utilize it, like, specific to the spot industry. And we put together what I believe is some really, really great content. We're going through the beta version right now, and we're going to relaunch, you know, after we make our updates and get the feedback from the beta group. But I was putting together a training and for one of our kickoff calls, and it was talking about AI. So I was reading through this report that McKinsey put out, and McKinsey is one of the big three consulting firms. They work with the. They've worked with 90 of the 100, the top Fortune 100 companies. So, like, they're a big deal. And they put out this report, and I'll make sure that I link it up below this episode so you can read it yourself if you'd like to. But they put out a report that says by 2026, 40 to 45% of small businesses will be incorporating AI into that small business. So what does that mean? Well, those businesses that are incorporating AI are going to experience a 20 to 30% reduction in administrative work. So they're going to save a lot of time.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

Those same businesses are also going to receive a 25% reduction in payroll, especially in support and marketing. Okay? So that is going to be money. So we're saving time and we're saving money. And small businesses using AI are growing revenue 2.5 times faster than non adapters.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

This is huge. I want you to let that sink in.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

The 40 to 45% of small businesses that will be using AI by 2026 will grow revenue 2.5 times faster. Faster than those who are not.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

Unbelievable. Guys, this is like you've got the crystal ball here to see what is going to happen, right? You, you, you know, in advance. Like, this is a big deal. So AI's been on my radar for quite some time. I have been testing and trying different software. Some of them are awful, some of them are great. You know, I'm like, why is this not easy. Like some of these content creator ones, I'm like, okay, I, I personally have just decided to go deep with ChatGPT. And yes, I've tried a lot of different tools, but I feel like I've gotten the best result going deep with ChatGPT. So just kind of like a side note there.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

So I have been really trying to incorporate and train and create custom chats and, and look at all of these different ways that we can incorporate it into our business. And today, the topic of this episode, I want to talk to you about how to use ChatGPT specifically to dial in your ideal client avatar, to really hone in on your messaging and attract more of your ideal client to get more bookings. Okay, so when you're learning about AI, when you're incorporating this into your business, it's part tutorial and it's part mindset. Okay? So it's like there's a lot going on there, right? We've got to just have the, the openness to be able to even conceptualize how quickly things are moving. Like, side note, cyber cabs are just like, they are just being tested in Austin, Texas. So they're model Y Teslas that are autonomous vehicles. So they're not, they have no driver. They're driving, you know, self driving cars. And they're being tested right now in Austin. And I was listening to a podcast, the Diary of a CEO Stephen Bartlett. Love that podcast, by the way. And there was a woman on there who is an investor and she was talking about, in the next 10 years, cyber cabs are going to be all across the country and it's going to be a very normal thing to have cars driving without people. And we're already seeing it. My cousin works for a company that does semi trucks, like trucking that drives without people. So this is something that just seems so far off. I mean, it seems like totally back to the future, but it's coming and it's coming fast and we're going to get there before we realize it and be like, wow, we are living in such an incredible and exciting time. And it's also scary, right? Because change can be scary, but really it doesn't have to be.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

It doesn't have to be. It's just we as humans don't like uncertainty and unpredictability. All right? So know that going into AI in general and learning about it, you've got to learn the skill because the tool is only as good as the person using the tool.

[Unknown]

Right?

[Daniela]

Okay. So when I'm Talking with our coaching clients, with our Growth Factor Elite or Growth Factor Fundamentals. Whatever group I'm talking with, I'll say who's your ideal client? And it's not just like, well, I want someone that shows up on time and pays on time and respects my boundaries and buys the products that I recommend and leaves me five star reviews. Okay, yes, we all want that, everybody wants that. But the important piece is that we've got to get so clear on who our person is, like on a granular level. And I actually, I have a 30 page document that might be a little type A excessive but like I really wanted to like hone in on who this person is.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

And I use chat to help me create it. And one of the things that, that I did was really think of this one person in my mind. So I have, I have a client that I've worked with for several years now. I adore her as a human, I adore her as a client. She's funny, she's total action taker, she's got a million dollar spa, she's got kids about the same age as my kids. And so when I was going through this process, I was thinking about her and I was thinking about the exact words that she has said to me, the exact questions that she brings up on calls. I was thinking about all of these things and I was inputting that into chat of like my ideal client thinks this, my ideal client asks this to really train it. Now how many spas out there will have an ideal client that's 35 to 55 year old women with a discretionary income of a hundred thousand or more? Okay. That's how we used to do it.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Daniela]

And that's just not good enough anymore.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

So it's a good start. It's a good start, but we've got to evolve and go deeper.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

So when you know your ideal client inside and out, how she talks, what she's struggling with, what she really wants, not just in a business sense, but in her life, you can speak directly to her heart and to her soul and that is what is going to move people to book.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

So the exciting part is you don't have to create a 30 page document yourself. You don't even need to create a 30 page document. Like let's just stick with one that gets really, really granular. And I'm going to walk you through how to use ChatGPT to do this. Now if you. We have a resource that we created, it's a free resource and we're constantly adding to it that has all of these prompts for spa owners to use in their business. And so if you want that document, make sure that you comment, chat and you know, below this video over on Instagram, we'll pin it up, up in the top. So go to our Instagram, like our page please. That would be so lovely. And then just comment, chat and you can get that resource. We'll DM directly to you.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

All right, so let's walk through how to really define your ideal client with ChatGPT. So the first prompt is going to be help me define my ideal client avatar. I offer and you're going to insert the services that you offer. And my clients are mostly, you know, this age range, they live in this location type and they struggle with these particular skin issues. I want to work with clients who value, you know, and insert the things that you value. Now think about that one person and write the responses that she would answer. Okay, this is going to give you your starting point.

[Unknown]

All right?

[Daniela]

ChatGPT is going to help you describe her lifestyle, her values, her goals in detail. Okay, ChatGPT is going to find your blind spots. Now we want to take it a step further. Okay, so what are some of the common emotional pain points and desires for this type of client? What might she be thinking before she books a treatment? Is she going to be feeling guilty that she's taking time away from her kids or that she's spending money on herself? We want to really identify what these things are.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

And these side note, these types of emotions, this is gold for your social media.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

This is gonna really connect with your person and be like, she is so inside of my head. Okay, you're gonna use this for your website. You're gonna use this for email subject lines as well. All right, Then once you know your ideal client's fears, dreams, objections, you can use prompts like write a compelling service description for my anti aging facial that speaks directly to a woman in her 40s who feels like her skin is aging faster than she is. Create five Instagram captions that connect with busy working moms who want results from their treatment but feel guilty about self care. All right, so those are the types of things. Now here's like a pro tip with ChatGPT. Before I'm starting any message, I always say you are an expert copywriter for my million dollar spa. I would like you to write five social media captions that invoke curiosity or have hooks or, you know, whatever the piece is that you're going for. Around this topic. Do you understand? Is that clear? Do you have any questions to ask me before moving forward? So I'm always asking those particular things and I also, I have a document that's just a Google Doc and it's chatgpt and I have my bio, I have my website, I have our ideal client. And so oftentimes I will just copy and paste. We are writing Instagram captions for. So instead of like in here, we put, you know, busy working moms, I would say here's the profile of my ideal client avatar. This is who we're writing for and I'm just copying and pasting, right? So it makes it a lot easier.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

Now remember that you are not for everyone, and that's okay. And when you're a people pleaser and like, hello, I don't think I've ever met a woman that hasn't dealt with, with people pleasing at some point in her life. Okay, we can move past it, we can, we can deal with it. But there's a part of us that still has those people pleasing tendencies. And so it's going to be hard when people don't align with your message or you put yourself out there and you get some nasty comments or people unsubscribe or whatever it may be. It's okay. Bless and release. You are creating space for your person. She is out there.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

So remember that you are building a premium boutique brand and nobody can compete with you because you are the only you on this planet.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

We are now competing with relationships. We are competing, we're creating relationships with our clients. That is the thing, the community, right? It's such an important thing to remember. So AI can help you find your voice, but you need to be the driver of this incredible tool. You're the strategist, you're the heart, you are the brand.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

So let ChatGPT be your partner, Let them be your assistant. But ultimately you are still the boss.

[Unknown]

All right?

[Daniela]

Okay, so let's go. What is the next step into booking? All right, so when you dial in your ica, your ideal client avatar, you clarify your messaging. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to stop getting price shoppers and you're going to attract your ideal client. You're going to fill your clients, fill your books with clients who rebook. You're going to fill your client, fill your books with clients who leave you five star reviews, who refer their friends for you. And that is how you grow sustainably. You know a good example, when I Started this podcast seven years ago, which we brought up at the beginning of this episode. One of the things that we noticed in our business more than anything was that our refund rate went way down, way down. And I deeply believe that it was because I was putting myself out here and it was allowing the listener to understand if I am the right coach or consultant for them. So when they understand who I am, what I'm about, what my teaching style is, which is I don't want people with a victim mentality.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Daniela]

I want action takers. That's really important to me. Action takers. I love systems, I love spreadsheets, I love numbers, I love data.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Daniela]

I also sometimes can give a little bit of tough love. I have a reputation of making people cry. In a good way. In a good way. But it's. It's one of those things that, like, my job is to get you results. And so you're not hiring me to be your friend, you're hiring me to help you get results.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

So when we're going through the process, I'm going to push you. And some people don't like that. And that's okay. That is okay. And you need to take that attitude for yourself that this is your philosophy, this is the brand that you're creating, and this is the type of client that you're going to attract. The brand that does everything is the brand that does nothing.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

So here's what I want you to do. I want you to take action. Go to our Instagram, find that post, we're going to pin it up there in the top. Go to our profile, follow us if you haven't already and then comment. Chat below that reel and we will send you our list of prompts for ChatGPT that you can put in and build your ideal client avatar yourself with your voice, with your brand training, your own chatgpt. This is going to be life changing. I want you to be One of those 40 to 45% of small businesses that are incorporating AI, that are getting their time back, that are saving on payroll, and that are growing 2 times, 2.5 times faster than non adapters.

[Unknown]

Okay?

[Daniela]

I want that for you. All right? So thank you guys so much for listening. Thank you for going on this AI journey with me. Please share this episode with a friend and I will catch you on the next one.