Transcript Marketing for Massage Therapists

One Year to a Successful
Massage Therapy Practice
LauraAllenMT
Some people make things
happen. Some people watch
things happen. Some people
wonder what happened.
The Demise
37 factories in my hometown
Gone, gone, gone
When the economy sucks
• People cut back on
things they consider
to be luxuries.
• People are worried
about affordable
healthcare.
• Massage is
something you need
to instill in their
mind as a necessity.
• Regular massage can
cut down on visits to
the doctor and
medications.
When “Economic Stimulus” checks
were sent out, I sent out “Economic
Stimulus” coupons offering $10 off on
your first massage to anyone who
hadn’t been to my business in 3
months or more.
EXPAND!
I took advantage of
empty offices and
expanded my business
during the worst part of
the recession.
Marketing vs. Advertising
Marketing is:
Advertising is:
• Everything you • Marketing that
do to promote
you pay for
your business
The Crucial Step
Creating a marketing budget that you can live with—and
that will do your business the most good.
Residual Marketing:
Why marketing experts advise against it, and why I
EMBRACE it!
Constructing the Budget
• Begin by listing all other expenses (rent,
utilities, laundry, taxes, etc).
• Know your break-even point without including
any advertising in the budget.
But Wait!
at home.
• When you’re
considering your
break-even point,
you also have to take
into consideration
the obligations you
have at home.
Then be realistic about
how much money you can
afford to spend each
month on advertising.
• Don’t forget to include the Yellow
Pages and monthly cost of your
website.
• Create a marketing calendar that can
co-exist in harmony with your budget.
• Mark the holidays you’ll want to
schedule promotions around, festivals
and events you’ll want to participate in
and publicize through print ads, radio,
or other media that you have to pay
for.
How to Avoid Wasting
Advertising Dollars
• We’re constantly bombarded with advertising
“opportunities.”
• Using the ROI (return on investment) formula
is a wise way to help you choose where to
spend your money. To figure that out:
• How much does the advertising cost?
• How many potential customers will be
exposed to it?
• How much per person does that equal?
• To put that in perspective, if you place a
$100 ad in the newspaper that reaches
25,000 subscribers, that costs you .004
per person to reach that audience. If you
spend the same $100 for an ad in a
specialty publication that has 5,000
subscribers, that costs you 1 cent per
person to reach that audience.
Get the biggest bang
for your buck!
Rescheduling Clients
• The cheapest clients you can market to are the
ones you already have!
• Ask every single client to reschedule.
• Offering package deals is an incentive for
repeat business.
• If a first-time visitor doesn’t reschedule on the
spot, send them a discount postcard for their
next visit.
• Call clients you haven’t seen in a long time, or
send them a personal note. It might jog their
memory that they’re overdue for a massage!
Inexpensive Radio Advertising
• Ask for an interview instead of an ad.
• Barter gift certificates in exchange for radio
time.
• Instead of paying for an expensive package of
ads, ask the station rep to call you whenever
there’s a sponsorship opportunity—like
Christmas Eve music, a basketball tournament,
election results. the airwaves will be saturated
with your ad for x number of hours instead of
random ads appearing now and then.
Press Releases
• Press releases are FREE advertising.
• YOU have to take the effort to write a press
release and send it to the media—SOCIAL
MEDIA as well as your other outlets.
• Always take the trouble to find out who the
appropriate person is to send the press release
to.
Anytime something noteworthy
happens, from your graduation from
massage school to announcing your
retirement, and everything in between,
is ripe for a press release. Receiving an
award or recognition, attending a
convention or even a continuing
education class, hosting a non-profit
event, performing community service,
and many more opportunities exist for
using a press release.
Promotional Items
• Look in your junk drawer at all the promo
items you have collected from other
companies—and if they’re in the junk drawer,
don’t spend your money on them.
• Buy promo items that people will actually
use—pens, sticky notes, magnets, water
bottles.
• Shop around for the best price. Buying in
quantity will get you the best deal.
How often do you USE a
measuring tape, a tire
gauge, or a sewing kit?
Exactly.
Social Networking
Social Networking
is (for the most part)
FREE
FREE
FREE
FREE
• The power of communication is
exponential
• Investing a few minutes a day can
keep your business in the limelight
• You can reach targeted audiences
• No waiting for print ads—not to
mention saving trees--you can make
an announcement in seconds
• You can create your own social
network
Business, Social, or Both?
• Many people have network accounts strictly
for business
• Some have separate accounts for their social
lives, friends and relatives
• Some people mix business and social
relationships
It’s estimated that 80% of employers
now check social media sites before
hiring. If the boss saw your FB page,
would you still get the job?
If your clients saw your FB page,
would you be embarrassed?
Even if you have the policy of not
allowing clients to be your FB friends,
remember that how you have your
privacy set has everything to do with
whether or not they might see your
pictures or postings on the page of a
mutual friend.
If you have a business
presence on social
media, it’s fine to post
your website url,
business address and
other contact
information. Avoid
putting your private email address, home
phone and address for
everyone in
cyberspace to see.
The most important thing to
remember about
Social Media:
The Rest of the Internet
• In addition to using social media, you ought to
maximize your use of the Internet to the good
of your business.
COMMUNITY
Your Referral Network
• Other massage
therapists
• Physicians
• PTs
• Midwives
• Doulas
• Ots
• Herbalists
•
•
•
•
Nurse Practitioners
Chiropractors
Osteopaths
Naturopaths
• EVERY Business Person
in your community
Remember
Success is relative.
What is it you want?
What’s standing in your way?
What can you do to rectify the
situation?