Massage Marketing on a Shoestring
6 ways to market your practice for less than $50
Regardless of the state of the economy or your schedule book, you need to
continue marketing. If you stop promoting your massage practice during the
recession, there’s a good chance you’ll be shooting yourself in
the foot.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were some low-cost
ways to market your massage or bodywork practice?
First, you gotta focus
Below you’ll find six economical ways to market your
business for next to nothing. But there’s a catch
— you have to focus your marketing efforts.
The more focused you are on a specific kind of client or
a specific kind of benefit, the farther your money is going
to go. If you haven’t yet focused, or targeted, your
marketing, read the interview with Jen
Hathaway, veteran massage therapist and massage instructor.
Then sit down and think. Who do you really want
to work with? What do you want to help with? Read
on for economical marketing ideas that allow you to target
your message.
25 dollars or less — costs more time than money
1. You really want to serve the neighborhood around your
studio? Focus on the people who live or work within walking
distance of you. For less than $25, you can get colorful
flyers made at your local copy center, even dividing the
sheet by half or quarters. Leave them on the door of every
business, home or apartment within 2 blocks of your office.
Even better, hand them to people in store or around the
neighborhood, in order to meet people face to face. Don’t
simply print your business name, address, phone number and
the kind of work you do. List the benefits of coming in
to see you. Examples? 1) Your location is very convenient.
2) You have appointments after work and on weekends. 3)
Your chair massage relieves stress quickly, effectively
and affordably.
2. Say the focus of your practice is the treatment of injuries.
That requires you to reach out to a wider community. Networking
with others will cost you little but your time. Find a networking
or “leads” group in your area. Many of these
groups charge a small fee for attending a monthly meeting.
But think about how powerful it could be to have a platform
for explaining to a group of motivated people how your work
can help them or someone they know recover from injuries
in less time, with reduced pain.
3. Team up with a like-minded practitioner, for instance
with a nearby acupuncturist or naturopath who serves similar
clients. What could you do if you each invested $25? Remember
to target your message. Are you both parents, who like the
give and take with other moms and dads? What would it cost
to place an ad in the high school annual or the program
for the high school musical ? Or sponsor a fund-raising
car wash, where you could display signage with your contact
information and hand out your business cards. Once again,
state the benefits of your work on all your marketing materials.
50 dollars
or less — still in the budget
1. Set
up a referral program. Start with a postcard
or business card that
explains how it works. For instance, you might have a line
that says, "Refer a friend and get $10 off your next
one hour massage.” For an example of a referral business
card, read
last month’s article. Hand the cards to clients
after their sessions.
2.
Don’t forget your established clients are your bread and butter. Get
some massage postcards you really like — fifty
postcards
from Natural Touch Marketing will cost you $17.50. Then, print or write focused
messages to specific clients, and mail them. For more ideas,
see how customer David Walker targets
his postcard messages.
3. Place your own or share an ad in a small, local, targeted
publication. Do you love dogs or horses, and find many of
your clients share your passion? Some pet or farm stores
have their own newsletter which pays for itself with the
sale of small ads. Do you specialize in pregnancy massage?
Then it may be especially worth the investment for an ad
in a local parenting magazine.
Even if your schedule is booked, you
need to stay on the radar of your clients and targeted group of potential clients.
There’s no need, however, to
blow your budget on expensive ads. Pick one of the ideas above and apply it
to your practice. Let us know what happens — we would love to know what
works for you!
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