Marketing Tips To Earn More Massage Referrals
One of the benefits of specializing in a niche and focusing your marketing on a target market is that you are more likely to receive better referrals. Since people tend to associate with people that are similar to them , they are more likely to refer people who are also in your target market.
1. Offer a client experience worthy of a referral
Referrals are something that must be earned. You can do this by creating a remarkable massage experience. That is, one that a client feels compelled to remark about to their friends. People dont give referrals for an average experience. Youll never hear someone say, You should go to Joe the massage therapist, hes completely average. Go the extra mile to solve the clients problem. Be present and attentive.
2. Create a referral campaign
Have an ongoing referral campaign that you display at your front desk or treatment room so that your referral program stays top of mind. Think of a risk-free offer that motivates your clients to tell their friends about you. For example, you could offer your current clients a free massage, or 30-minute extension for every new client that they refer to you. Also, make it easy for customers to refer to you.
3. Ask your favorite clients for referrals
Do I Need Business Cards
Yes. Some people say that business cards are dead, but they are not. Business cards are cheap. They are fast and simple to use when promoting your business. And they dont rely on phone compatibility or getting cell phone reception. You can get 500 at Vistaprint starting at around $10. You can get help on Fiverr designing it, or check out Canva to design it yourself for free.
People often forget the name of the person they are talking to, or their business name, before the conversation even ends. And people dont want to seem rude by asking again what your name is. Forgetting something like someones name as soon as you walk through the doorway is a common phenomenon called the doorway effect. A business card will at least let them remember you until they can get home. They may keep your card for months before calling you.
Many people still ask for a business card. It is better to have one to give them than to say, No but you can go to my website and expect them to remember it. A business card adds to the level of credibility and legitimacy of your practice.
Requirement #: Liability Insurance
Finally, before you can take on your first customer, you will need to get liability insurance for your business. The liability insurance protects you from lawsuits and claims in case of injury or damage.
Such insurance is even more essential in the case of a mobile massage business where you will be visiting the homes of clients. In case of accidental damage to the clients property, the insurance protects you.
You can purchase liability insurance online in a matter of minutes. Several insurance companies offer liability insurance specifically for mobile massage therapists.
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Important Info
Massage Table Size Guide
Massage tables comes in many different shapes and size. It can be confusing for you, the customer, to choose the right one but we are here to help!
A lot of customers call us up after they have bought the wrong size massage table elsewhere and we would like to help you avoid this mistake. It normally goes something like this they like the look of a picture of a massage table on a website, they like the low price and then they check the carrying weight is ok. If the carrying weight fits their needs they click add to cart and the new massage table turns up at their doorstep in a few days. They unfortunately assume all massage tables are pretty much the same width and size.
The standard size of a massage table is 28 inches wide and 73 inches long. One of the reasons many “lightweight” budget massage tables are so cheap is because
The Width of the Massage Table:
Almost all therapists choose the standard 28 inch wide massage table. All our massage tables are the same length so it is only the width and shape our customers need to decide on.
Barter To Better Your Content
Dont know the first thing about video editing? Dont have the gift for gab? Dont sweat it! Massage therapy is both a treatment and a treat, so finding someone who will share their videography expertise or writing skills in exchange for a relaxing therapeutic massage shouldnt be too hard.
Most first impressions these days happen online, so its important to put your best foot forward. Bartering is a good way to free up some cash for necessary-yet-worthy investments, like a top-notch website.
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Ways To Improve Profitability Of Your Company
December 5, 2016 By Eric Chin
It is surprising to know how many business owners dont know the difference between profit and revenue. They believe that just because money is coming into their business, they are actually making it. Money coming into your business is not yours until expenses have been paid. Once these expenses are paid, the remaining is the profit. Many businesses break even or are in debt after their expenses are accounted for. There are business owners who do not even know this is occurring, they just pay out money and go about their business.
Knowing the ways to improve profitability of your business is very important to succeed. You have probably heard about businesses who have a huge customer base, but they have to shut down due to financial reasons. This is because they do not have a strategic plan that outlines how their business will achieve profitability. Then when their business is unable to handle their basic business operations or expand their operations, they are surprised as to why they have financial issues.
You do not want to be one of those businesses that cannot earn a profit due to poor planning. It is best to learn the tactics that can be used to develop a business that is very profitable. Provided are 43 tactics that will help your business become profitable. Read them and learn how your business can develop a strategy that leads to profitability.
Online Marketing Strategies To Implement
In this competitive world, its challenging for any business to survive with right marketing techniques. Spa business is limited to the locality it is situated in and if you dont use the right strategies your business will have to face the consequences. Finding good leads within your district is extremely important.
I am a business owner too and I know its tough to get the right marketing strategy. I will give an insight on how to increase your customer forum with some fantastic online and offline marketing strategies. Techniques like websites, blogs, brochures, e-mails, etc. to educate your targeted audience about your business.
Your business is like your baby it grows the way you direct it and it reflects the kind of person you are. The spa has been a human beings favorite stress buster since the Roman era, so you just need to attract the right audience and your business will shine.
Online Marketing Techniques for your business to boom
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Test Price Increases To Selected Markets Or Along Product Lines
Deliberately increase your prices to see how your customers react. If no changes in demand occurs, slowly increase the prices until demand levels off. Along with demand, the cash you generate declines, then set your prices back. If demand falls, but your cash generation increases, stay at the new price to keep your new profitability.
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Should I Give Out Free Massages To Get Clients
Many therapists use this strategy. There is a psychology principle called reciprocity that refers to the human desire to return the favor if a gift was given. This is why some groups will give out flowers at the airport then ask for donations. Or give out a street performance and ask for donations.
The problem with using this strategy for a real business is that it can attract clients who are only looking for free stuff. Also, it can be a big waste of time to offer a free 1-hour massage. This could be a good strategy if used correctly though.
You can use demo massages to build reciprocity and know, like and trust . And they will decrease the prospective clients perceived risk. I recommend that you limit these demo massages to 5-10 minutes seated massages, for a maximum of 1 hour when trying to win a corporate massage gig for example. This will only take about 1 hour of your time and let you connect with 6 or more potential clients.
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Start A Massage Therapy Business By Following These 10 Steps:
You have found the perfect business idea, and now you are ready to take the next step. There is more to starting a business than just registering it with the state. We have put together this simple guide to starting your massage therapy business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Check out our How to Start a Business page.
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Choose A Business Name And Logo
Your branding is the first thing potential clients will see. As such, your name and logo should convey that you run a professional business that clients can trust.
Choose a business name that is unique and professional and that clearly expresses what services you offer. For example, No Knot Massage or Count to Zen Massage Therapy dont leave people guessing. Brainstorm different keywords that describe your business and embody your core values, then try combining them in different configurations. An online business name generator may help spur creativity. While a generator likely offers more generic names, it can help narrow down options and inspire new ideas.
Once youve decided on your favorite business name options, make sure no one else has already claimed them and that youre not infringing on any trademarks. Use the name search tool on your state business filing agencys website, and then use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices trademark search tool.
The next step is to brand your business with a logo. Everything from the color palette to typography should be consistent across all marketing materials and channels, including your website, business cards, and social media accounts.
If you dont have design experience, you can outsource this work to a graphic designer. Sites like 99designs or UpWork offer affordable services from professionals.
Build Your Personal Brand
If you want to stand out from other massage therapists, show your personality and youll strengthen relationships with your clients. Remember: the goal should be to connect, not to collect. Try a friendly and professional tone that transforms you from just another business into one that cares about its clients.
While its vital to establish yourself on standard social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, you also need to dive into more photo-centric sites like Instagram. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Images can make an impression more powerful and lasting than only sending emails.
Connect real-time events, stunning visuals, and topical humor to stay relevant and timely.
For example, this was was a funny post from the holiday season:
A post shared by Lake Austin Spa Resort on Dec 21, 2019 at 2:14pm PST
Content like recipes and instructional videos benefit from having a visual element along with content.
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Ways To Improve Your Massage
Even if youre not a professional massage therapist, you can still give your significant other the gift of a soothing, relaxing massage. At the end of a stressful day at work, massaging the temple of the head or giving a foot rub is one of the best things that you can do for that special person in your life. In return, you can also ask for a head massage or a foot rub. During special occasions, you can even go all out and create an ambiance in the bedroom by using scented candles or aromatherapy oils, along with soothing music to go with a one-hour massage. If youre not a professional massage therapist, how can you improve your massage-giving techniques? That is what we will find more about in the next section.
How Can I Improve My Massage Techniques?
If you have the time, you can look at YouTube videos or read instructions online on how you can give a good massage. While youre at it, here are several ways for you to improve your massage techniques:
- Make sure that you are calm and at ease while giving a massage.
If youre not feeling your best, you might want to skip on giving a massage. When youre anxious, irritable, depressed, or not having a good day, what you are feeling will translate to your touch and instead of your hands strokes being relaxing, it might have the opposite effect to the person youre massaging.
See to it that the person youre giving a massage to is comfortably clothed and not wearing any jewelry.
Start A Referral Program
Who could possibly be better at helping you generate more leads than your happy satisfied customers who got to experience the soothing joy of your massage services?
A referral program is a type of word-of-mouth marketing, in which a customer is encouraged to refer your business to their family or friends, and avail rewards in return.
Heres how you can go about creating your own referral program:
1. Provide attractive introductory offers that your customers would definitely want to take up and would propel them to promote your brand to their circles of influence as well.
2.Allow your existing customers to take some timeto know and enjoy your services, and then you can pitch in your referral program.
People trust the opinion of their family and friends, so if you get referred by your client to their inner circle, they are more likely to book an appointment with you.
3. You can offer incentives for customers to introduce your services to their family and friends.
For example, your referrers can achieve reward points and avail them the next time they visit you. Reward points can include special massage sessions at discounted rates, coupons for massage products, etc.
These rewards can be introduced to your new customer as well. Hence, a win-win for both the referrer and your new intake. Similarly, you can incentivize new leads by offering discounts and coupons in exchange for their email addresses.
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Benchmark Revenue And Overhead Percentages To The Leaders In Your Industry
Leaders in your industry provide you with a blueprint of how your business needs to operate. Take their strategies and turn them into your own so that you can build your business to be among the industry leaders. Once you know how to make more money, then you will put your business in the position to be successful.
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Offer Complimentary Massage Sessions For New Clients
People love free trials and samples of products it is a great way to attract potential clients to your practice. Giving potential clients the option to experience your services free allows you to wow them with your techniques and get them hooked on your practice. Offering just 30 minutes of free massage will not only attract potential clients, but spread word of you and your business as well.
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Strategies For Gaining New Massage Therapy Clients
How to get clients as a massage therapist is always the first order of business for any practice. Attracting clients is especially important for a new practice but dont limit it to that. Youll need these skills when expanding or reinvigorating an existing practice. The ability to successfully market your business comes in handy when you have to deal with competition .
There are numerous approaches to getting clients as a massage therapist:
- Networking and community engagement
- Consistency
None of these is a silver bullet, however. Youll need to work hard and use a combination of some or all of them.
Consider Your Massage Marketing Options
Hey, lets face it. The message in your massage marketing can get confusing:
As you take into account the tactics listed in this post, you need to make a choice.
You can try to handle all these marketing tactics yourself. That can be difficult without time, training and experience.
Or you can hire a series of freelancers to handle each tactic for you. That can be confusing and costly.
A cheaper, more effective option is to use a solution, like Marketing 360® that offers everything you need to manage and grow your massage therapy business from a singular platform.
This is a robust solution that evolves with the constant changes in online marketing. Best of all, its backed by a team of marketing professionals that you can turn to any time to help you get it right, and that you can utilize as much or as little as you need!
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