Marketing is defined as anything and everything you do on a daily basis to attract potential clientele. Building a massage practice involves creating trust and respect. Our service is very unique in the fact that it is a holistic alternative to mainstream medicine. This can create opportunities or in some cases barriers. As a holistic health care provider, the Massage Therapist has the opportunity to offer help and relief either along side or in place of the mainstream option.
Marketing such a business requires a different approach from the usual marketing techniques.
Marketing your practice means marketing yourself.
Know your strengths and weaknesses, building on you strengths and improving upon your weaknesses fosters self improvement which is a bonus for the Massage Therapist.
Learn to describe yourself in a brief, firm knowledgeable way. Time can be a prized commodity in marketing.
Let others market you as well. Word of mouth is heard better with a business card. Anything you can do to set yourself apart will only benefit you.
Your business name can make a big difference in the success of your practice. It is the first impression most of your potential clients will have of you. Your business name should convey as much information as possible. This should include information service type, which could be anything from Massage Therapy Practice to Deep Tissue/ Sports Therapy Massage Center. In both cases the message of massage therapy is prominent. Once you have conveyed what service you offer, you can then focus on the target market of this practice.
The Massage Therapy Practice will have a wider range of marketable clients whereas the Deep Tissue/Sports Therapy Massage Center is more specific but gives the Therapist a more defined target market.
Creating your own web site is more important than ever before. There are choices ranging from applications for the DIYers of the group to Web developers who will design, create and manage your site for you. What ever you choose, be sure you have your presence online. How we, as consumers, look for services has come a long way. Ten years ago we would let our fingers do the walking through the yellow pages, which can aide in building clients, but now our fingers walk across the keyboard as we search for both goods and services online.
Marketing your practice with other businesses can be a benefit to you both, working with gym owners, Athletic Organizations, Chiropractors, or nursing homes can open doors to your practice that would other wise be closed. Offering your services to larger groups at moderate discounts benefits everyone.
The larger groups benefit from the discounts and pass that benefit onto the group, members, team and patients. Your practice benefits from the new volume of clients with the great potential for more. This applies to the individual out call therapist as well, only on a smaller scale. Maintaining a wide selection of massage modalities through continuing education and staying informed on the latest research in our field will also help set you apart as a Therapist who goes the extra mile for his/her clients.
Out of all of the marketing tips I could give you I believe this is the best tip of them all, always remember this is a business. This is important for the Massage Therapist to remember because we are in a sympathetic field in a world full of people who need the healing power of touch. You can volunteer your services to a worthy cause but it should remain there. What ever the cost of your services, you are worth it because you are a well trained, licensed individual with a gift of service to others. Maintain a thought process that allows you to remember to take care of yourself. You are your most valuable tool and that deserves great care.
Author
Punkie Spelts is a Massage Therapist living in Southern California. She is also a Web Publisher and writes extensively for multiple web sites like HealthPositive!, cureyourbody.com and many other research sites.
