5 Email Marketing Tips Every Esthetician and Spa Owner Should Know

If you're spending time creating emails for your esthetics business but barely anyone is opening them, there's a good chance your email marketing strategy needs a few adjustments.

Email marketing is one of the most valuable tools in esthetician marketing and spa marketing, yet it's often overlooked in favour of social media. While Instagram and Facebook are great for reaching new potential clients, your email list gives you a direct way to stay connected with people who have already shown interest in your business.

But here's the thing: your emails can't help generate bookings if they're not making it into your clients' inboxes or getting opened.

Here are five ways to improve your email marketing strategy, increase your chances of reaching your subscribers, and make the most of one of your business's most valuable marketing tools.

1. Send emails consistently and keep your subscriber list healthy

One of the biggest mistakes I see in esthetician marketing is treating email as something you only use when you have an announcement or promotion.

If you're emailing your clients once every few months, there's a good chance they've forgotten they even signed up for your list. Sending consistently helps your subscribers recognize your name in their inbox and keeps your business top of mind.

You don't need to email every day. Even a weekly or biweekly email sharing skincare advice, treatment education, seasonal recommendations, or availability updates can help maintain that connection.

It's also important to keep your email list healthy. Regularly review subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails in a long time and consider sending a re-engagement campaign before removing inactive contacts.

Remember, a smaller email list filled with people who genuinely want to hear from you is far more valuable than a large list that consistently ignores your emails.

2. Use a professional email address for your esthetics business

If you're still sending marketing emails from a Gmail, Hotmail, or other free email address, it might be time for an upgrade.

Using an email address connected to your business domain, such as hello@youresthetics.com, helps establish a more professional appearance and allows you to configure the authentication that email providers use to verify legitimate senders.

Email platforms like Mailchimp make it possible to connect your business domain and set up important authentication records, including SPF and DKIM.

These technical details might not be the most exciting part of spa marketing, but they can make a meaningful difference in email deliverability.

A professional email address alone won't guarantee that your emails reach the inbox, but properly authenticating your domain is an important step toward improving your sender reputation.

3. Resend your emails to subscribers who didn't open them

This is one of my favourite email marketing strategies because it gives your existing content another opportunity to be seen without creating an entirely new email.

A few days after sending your original email, consider resending it to subscribers who didn't open it the first time.

The trick? Change the subject line!

Sometimes an email gets overlooked because your subscriber was busy, their inbox was full, or your original subject line didn't grab their attention. A different subject line might be enough to encourage them to open it the second time.

For example, if your original subject line was "3 treatments to consider this fall," your resend might say "Is your skin ready for the colder months?"

I generally recommend waiting around three to four days before resending and limiting it to one additional send. Keep in mind that email open tracking isn't perfectly accurate, so use this strategy thoughtfully and pay attention to unsubscribes and other engagement signals.

This is a simple addition to your esthetician marketing strategy that can help you get more value from the emails you're already creating.

4. Balance text and images in your marketing emails

If you're creating your email newsletters entirely in Canva, this one is especially important!

I love a beautifully designed email, but sending one giant image instead of an email containing actual text can create problems.

Image-only emails can be difficult for some subscribers to read, especially when images are blocked or don't load properly. They can also create accessibility issues and give email filters less readable content to evaluate.

While there isn't one magic text-to-image ratio that guarantees inbox placement, I recommend using a combination of real text, headings, links, and supporting visuals.

For example, rather than creating an entire skincare newsletter as one large Canva graphic, try using a text-based introduction, a few treatment images, and a written call to action encouraging clients to book their next appointment.

Your email can still look beautiful while being functional, accessible, and easy to read.

Good spa marketing isn't just about how your content looks. It's also about making sure your message reaches your audience.

5. Avoid spammy language and write like you're talking to your clients

Your email subject line is often the first thing your subscribers see, so naturally, you want it to grab their attention.

But there's a difference between creating curiosity and sounding like a spam email.

Subject lines filled with ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation, misleading promises, and aggressive sales language can make your emails feel less trustworthy.

Instead of writing something like "LAST CHANCE!!! BOOK NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!", try something more natural, such as "A little reminder to schedule your next facial."

The second version feels much more personal, doesn't it?

Modern spam filters consider many factors beyond individual words, including authentication, sender reputation, and recipient engagement. Still, writing clear and relevant emails is a much better long-term strategy than relying on exaggerated subject lines.

My favourite advice? Write your emails the way you'd speak to your clients in your treatment room.

Your clients already know your personality and approach to skincare. Let that come through in your emails, too.

Why email marketing is so important for estheticians and spa owners

If you've been putting all your marketing energy into Instagram, I want to encourage you to start giving your email list a little more attention.

Social media is an incredible discovery tool. It helps potential clients find your business, learn about your treatments, and get familiar with your expertise. But you're also relying on an algorithm to distribute your content.

Email marketing works differently.

Your subscribers have already chosen to hear from you, and you have a direct way to reach them without depending on social media distribution. While email providers still filter messages and delivery isn't guaranteed, your subscriber list is an audience asset you can manage and take with you between email platforms.

And email continues to be a valuable channel for businesses. Consumer research regularly identifies email as a preferred way to receive brand communications, while industry studies report strong potential returns from email marketing.

For an esthetics business, this creates opportunities to generate bookings without constantly trying to attract new followers.

Think about what one well-timed email could do for your business. You could remind clients that it's time to schedule their next treatment, introduce a new service, educate them about seasonal skincare concerns, or reconnect with someone who hasn't visited your treatment room in months.

You could even use email to answer common client questions before they book, helping them feel more informed and confident about their treatment choices.

These are all opportunities to strengthen client relationships while supporting your overall spa marketing strategy.

Make email marketing part of your esthetician marketing strategy

You don't need a massive email list or complicated automation sequences to start seeing value from email marketing.

Start by building a list of people who genuinely want to hear from you. Send helpful content consistently, make your emails easy to read, and give your subscribers a reason to look forward to hearing from your business.

And remember, your emails don't always need to sell something.

Some of your most valuable emails might simply educate your clients, answer a question they've been wondering about, or remind them why they chose you as their esthetician in the first place.

Your email list is one of the most valuable marketing assets you can build for your esthetics business. Treat it like gold!

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