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Marketing Ideas for Massage Therapists
This list of massage marketing tips
and ideas is really
endless. Most massage therapists can come up with many ideas on how to
market one's business. The key to a successful and rewarding practice is
to find a way of marketing that is in tune with who you are - what your values
and beliefs are. When you are able to develop a plan based on who you are,
your practice will flourish. The other thing that gets in your way is your
basic beliefs (which are unconscious) about yourself and success.
It also involves finding out what false
beliefs that you have that keep you from implementing your ideas.
Working with a supervisor or peer supervision group
is the key to becoming aware of yourself and working to overcome such
issues.
For More information on building your ideal massage practice see
www.massage-career-guides.com
- Keep a file box on your
desk with all your ideas in it on separate cards.
-
Give your clients gift certificates
to give to their friends and spouses.
-
Send out birthday cards with
a discounted massage offer.
-
Call clients that you haven't
seen in awhile and let them know what times you have available that week.
-
Do market research and find
out what others in your area are doing and how they are marketing.
Ask them to send you their flyer, card or brochure.
-
Return all phone calls within
hours or at least the same day.
-
Give regular clients a special
volume discount - Buy 5 massages and pay up front and get $5.00 off
of each massage.
-
Publish a monthly or quarterly
newsletter. (or email newsletter)
-
Read marketing and business
books to keep inspired. See also: Marketing
Books section
-
Have your clients write testimonials
for flyers or brochures.
-
Ask for regular feedback from
your clients.
-
Call your client the next day after a session to see how they feel.
-
Set up a regular treatment time
for repeat customers i.e. save 2:00 on Thurs for them exclusively.
It's easier for them to remember when their appointment is and it fills
your schedule.
-
Send offers for gift certificates
for holidays such as Christmas, Valentines Day.
-
Write articles for the newspaper
or regular local publications.
-
Hold an open house.
-
Develop a give away product
like a stretching chart for people's desk.
-
Give free consultations.
-
Develop a web site
for your
clinic with informational articles, e-mail newsletter, discounts, gift
certificates, etc.
-
Make magnetic business cards.
-
Develop a one line slogan that
can
be associated with your practice
-
Offer to bill clients on a monthly
basis.
-
Give free lunch time seminars
where people can find out about your services.
-
Offer Free foot massages or
chair massages. See "Using
chair massage to market your practice".
-
Set up an answering service
to book your appointments. People are often put off by answer machines
or voice mail boxes.
-
Send letters to other supporting
practitioners ( naturopaths, acupuncturists, physical therapist, chiropractors,
psychologists, counselors, herbalists, MD's, osteopaths, orthopedic physicians,
etc.). Ask for referrals. Ask them for information about themselves
too so that you can refer to them.
-
Have a ready made list
of contacts for referrals. Make sure you know who you are sending people
to.
-
Send hand written thank you
notes.
-
Send regular announcements to
your clients offering reminders, health tips etc.
-
Donate gift certificates to
auctions for local non-profit business such as art museums, schools or
other community services.
-
Make a thorough business plan
and refer to it often. Revise it often.
-
Attend conferences.
-
Get set up to take credit cards
through your business account.
-
Set up regular business hours
so people know they can count on you.
-
Keep your mailing list up to
date. Keep track of everyone who comes to see you.
-
Develop an Information Kit for
new prospective clients telling them everything they need to know about
getting a treatment such as location, cancellation policies, educational
material.
-
Make brochures, flyers, business
cards, gift certificates
-
Develop detailed educational
material.
-
Research rates and price structures
in your area to make sure you are charging fairly.
-
Send Press Releases.
-
Become an Expert in your field
for your local newspapers and TV news.
-
Offer your clients a free treatment
if they refer 3 friends to you.
-
Keep up on techniques and methods,
always improving your self and your treatments.
-
Get a small ad in your local
yellow pages.
-
Make copies of interesting and
informative articles to have on hand for distribution as needed.
-
Subscribe to a marketing newsletter
or e-zine to generate ideas and keep motivated.
-
Subscribe to business magazines
or e-zine to keep up to date on what is going on in business.
-
Read marketing books such as
"Guerrilla Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson or "Marketing Without Advertising"
by Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry
-
Make rolodex cards or magnetic
business cards.
-
Offer a senior citizens discount.
-
Determine who your target markets
are. Athletes, business people, infants and develop a plan for each
group.
-
Join the Chamber of Commerce
or local rotary club for networking.
-
Join a breakfast club with other
professionals
-
Run promotions for the various
holidays emphasizing gift certificate sales: Christmas, Valentines
Day.
-
Teach a class "How to massage
for couples" or other stress reduction class for local adult education
centers.
-
Volunteer your time to charities
or non-profit organization.
-
Set up a study of massage therapy
and ask for volunteers. I know an acupuncturist who set up a study
and only got one person who then sent her 7 people and now she is doing
the whole office of about 50 people!
-
Create
a Web Presence
to
educate the public as to what your services are, build trust with potential
clients, share your thoughts, ideas, beliefs.
-
Offer a free meditation class at lunch time.
-
Find other businesses to network with such as Yoga
studios, health clubs, Pilates teachers.
-
Learn to work with Insurance companies and learn how
to get paid by insurance companies. Purchase the Insurance
Billing Manual.
-
Set up a network of other massage therapists that
you can refer out to for specialized work.
-
Set up a network of physicians, Naturopaths,
Acupuncturists, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors.
-
Create an Informed
Consent Statement.
-
Create a clear
vision of what you want and need based on your values.
-
Learn about your agendas in helping. We all
have them or we wouldn't be human. Learn to get your needs met in other
places besides your practice. Why and how
do you help?
-
Join or Start a Peer
Supervision Group
-
Find a Supervisor to
work with one on one.
-
Participate in professional associations.
-
Call clients to remind them of their appointments.
-
Call clients to let them know you have openings.
-
Change your voice mail message every day to let
clients know what openings you have each day or when your next opening is.
-
Review your business plan often.
[ Home ] [ Basics of Marketing ] [ Benefits of Massage ] [ Competition ] [ Your Ideal Client ] [ Self Asessment ] [ How to talk about what you do ] [ Key to Success ] [ Mission Statements ] [ Marketing Ideas ] [ Marketing with Chair Massage ] [ Self assesment ] [ Why People Fail ] [ Massage Marketing Programs ] [ Marketing Resouces ]
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