THE MISSION

When I had the privilege of joining the Cold Weather Hot Waters InstaMeet coordinated by Simply Social Media™, I knew I was in for a treat. While I was thrilled to have a very different type of work day, I approached the opportunity as a research mission, as I was interested in getting an insiders look into how Simply Social Media worked their magic for their clients. My hope was that I’d collect valuable insight I could share with other local businesses who might benefit from this type of marketing strategy, and that’s exactly what happened. To say that I was blown away is an understatement – not just by what Simply Social Media orchestrated and the mutually beneficial experiences they provided to their vast influencer network and their clients, but by what both Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa and its sister property right here in Santa Fe, Sunrise Springs Spa Resort, provide to their guests, not just in experiences, but in stunning, serene settings.

THE MORNING

 So, we started the day bright and early at Ojo Caliente. The fact that I’m practically the only person I ’d known who hadn’t experienced Ojo made me even more interested to see for myself what all the hype was about. Well, needless to say, now I get it. It’s just far enough outside of Santa Fe to make it an easy day trip or a perfect excuse for an overnight, something I’ve already added to my Life Plan to-do’s for 2020. They have plenty of lodging options, but I’ve got my sights set on one of their cute little cottages.

THE MOON HOUSE

After a couple hours of blissful soaking at Ojo, we traveled back to Santa Fe’s Sunrise Springs Spa Resort, where we were greeting by a spectacular staff and a gorgeous spread within The Moon House. Our lunch absolutely exceeded expectations and I found the cheesecake to be particularly out-of-this-world. While eating I overheard others raving about the Sunday Brunch that Executive Chef Rocky Durham puts together at the property’s Blue Heron Restaurant. I’m thrilled to report that I’ve already made plans this weekend to see for myself.

THE REPOSE POOLS

After a delectable lunch we got right back to work. It was time for me to test out Sunrise Springs Spa Resort’s Repose Pools. Honestly, I thought I might’ve gotten my fill of soaking at Ojo Caliente in the morning, but once I put my bathing suit back on in Sunrise’s stunning changing room (radiant heating in the floor, people) I was ready for more. The Repose Pools and the setting were enchanting. There’s something about being in a hot body of water looking out on to a natural body of water that really pulled me in. I felt any stress I had left melt away. Oh, and have I mentioned the eucalyptus steam room? OMG, between the scent and the steam, that’s a heavenly place I plan to return to again and again (starting this weekend). If that wasn’t enough, our time together ended with a spread of S’mores and spears to melt our afternoon snack over the open flame of Sunrise Springs Spa’s lovely fire pit just footsteps from the Repose Pools. I really couldn’t have imagined a more tranquil, yet energizing day.

THE WHY IT WORKS SO DANG WELL

Does it seem like I forgot my mission and got lost in the experience? Well, I did. Which proved to me even more the power behind what Simply Social Media puts together for their clients. I left Sunrise Springs late that afternoon with an overwhelming feeling of both relaxation and excitement, because I couldn’t wait to share what I’d just experienced. And share about Simply Social Media, Ojo Caliente and Sunrise Springs is what I’ve been doing since. I’m sure my friends and followers are sick of hearing about it already, but I simply can’t stop raving about them. I also can’t stop talking about the amazingly diverse and talented and downright wonderful people I met that day.

As a native New Yorker (a particularly suspicious species), I can hear the skeptics now. They might assume that as part of an influencer group we’re somehow paid to praise. Or that we had the red carpet rolled out to us because of the nature of the event – the locations knew they’d be in the spotlight so they brought out their best. My rebuttal would be, first, while we’re treated to the experience (and all influencers [who really are just regular people] seemed to appreciate it immensely), no one was paid to participate or to share anything in particular. In fact, I was surprised that besides having to include certain tags to be sure we were covering FTC guidelines, we were all giving free liberty on what and how we shared to our specific social media followers. Second, what good would it do a business if they simply kissed ass in a situation like this and influencers went on and on about how great it was, and then people like you heard about it, checked it out for yourselves and had a sub-par experience? That wouldn’t do a business any good at all, at least not for long.

If a business were faking it and creating a one-time facade, then they’d be shooting themself in the foot. With thousands of people seeing the social media posts generated by this group of 25 influencers, viewer and future customer expectations can’t help but be high, as now they wanna have a similar experience and get that same feeling. The beauty is that businesses that participate in this type of marketing are not only OK with that, it’s what they want. I’ve come to realize that Simply Social Media simply can’t take on a crappy or even sub-par client even if they wanted to, as it would only ruin their relationships with their influencers and negate the trust they’ve worked years to build through their massively popular Instagram accounts @SimplySantaFeNM (36.4K followers) and @TravelNewMexico (a whopping 55.2K  followers). Now I look at Simply Social Media’s client list and, knowing nothing else, feel safe in assuming that they’re all businesses and organizations with something exceptional to offer.

Just think about how much this type of marketing would cost you to pull together on your own, if it’s even possible for you to do so. With the diverse influencer network with flocks of followers of all different ages and interests Simply Social Media has done such an amazing job attracting (including multiple professional photographers), it’s a no brainer to hire them if you have a space or a place or a behind-the-scenes experience worth sharing. And to learn more about the basics on how Simply Social Media approaches influencer marketing, check out their blog post, Approachable and Authentic Micro-Influencer Marketing Strategy.

I couldn’t be more grateful to have taken on this mission and to have experienced all it entailed, as now I have another marketing strategy to recommend to businesses it could be a good fit for, with a company of women behind it that I couldn’t respect more. Besides, I now know what Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa and Sunrise Springs Spa Resort have to offer, so I’m gonna keep on benefitting from that knowledge, starting this weekend!

Written by Melanie Lenci, @KickAssEntrepreneurs 1.29.20