• Marketing Massage

With the new year quickly approaching, you’re probably thinking about what you can do to take your massage practice to the next level in 2015!  NHI’s massage therapy instructor, Dr. Jeff Rockwell, provides some great tips to rejuvenate your private practice.

1. Improve Your Social Media Presence
Optimizing your social media presence is critical for any business looking to standout in their field, and this absolutely stands true for massage therapists.  Determine which social media platforms are most important for you to get your message out there to your potential clients.  There are different ways to boost your social media presence.  You can ask your clients to review you on Yelp or you can respond to your Yelp reviews, post pictures of your private practice on Instagram or participate in Twitter Chats about the massage therapy profession.

2. Start Blogging on a Weekly Basis
As an expert in massage therapy, you understand the body in ways that your clients might not. Use your blog as a platform to help your clients understand their bodies better while also teaching them more about the benefits of massage. Blogging regularly helps to position you as a resource for clients to learn from you which helps you build better customer relationships.  Your blog can also help drive traffic to your website, increase search engine optimization, and position you as a leader in the industry.

3. Host Lectures and Workshops
Lectures and workshops are great opportunities for self-expression on topics of interest to you and are also great occasions for you to collaborate with other outside experts. Consider conducting or sponsoring an evening lecture.  Here are some possible topics:

-training tips and sports injuries
-growing “better”—not just older
-aromatherapy for the seasons
-the difference between health and wellness
-how to thrive because of your stress, and other important topics.

If your interests lean toward working with post-whiplashed clients or work-related health problems, put a program together for local business groups, legal associations and other people who could influence the lives of prospective clients. Public speaking is simply the least expensive way to share your story, improve your communication skills, increase your self-confidence and attract high quality clients.

4. Send Birthday Cards to Clients
Your clients are most likely to naturally think about their health and taking care of themselves on their birthday. Be sure to remind active and inactive clients to reward their body, mind and spirit by scheduling a massage therapy appointment with you.

5. Send a New Year’s Resolution Letter
The start of a new year is another key time your clients are most likely to think about their health. In fact, health clubs and workout gyms get 80% of their annual business in January following New Year’s resolution time. Remind your inactive clients of the importance of a massage therapy “checkup” before they start a slimming and toning program so they don’t put unnecessary wear and tear on pre-symptomatic, malfunctioning muscles and joints. It’s a natural fit.

6. Send Bi-Weekly Newsletters to Your Clients
Newsletters are a proven way to keep in touch with active and inactive clients, spur referrals and stimulate reactivations. Commit to sending your clients a bi-weekly newsletter. You can include your latest blog post, testimonials, pictures of your practice, links to your social media platforms and special offers.

Pro Tip: Remember those Research and Development classes you took when you were in school? Be on the lookout for abstracts of the latest research affirming some aspect of massage therapy. Send an email announcing the latest findings and what they mean to a typical client.

The above techniques can all work together to project a positive image of your practice while providing additional value to your clients. The key to following these suggestions is to create an implementation calendar so everything is scheduled in advance.

What do you plan to do in 2015 to rejuvenate your practice?