I have to market constantly. Because there’s only so many people on Sitka, it’s in my best interests to consistently remind businesses and customers I am here and ready to work with them. The good thing is when you do it right you see returns fairly quickly, so it’s pretty clear when you’re on the right track. I did a lot of reading about marketing in books and trade magazines and brainstormed ideas with Hugh. I worked incrementally on building my business, from my studio’s environment to personalizing each customer’s experience. The most basic thing I’ve learned is that simple, personal approaches work best.

In the beginning I was very careful to make sure that my studio and all of my cards and stationary reflected my business personality and coordinated with each other. I focused on creating and projecting a safe and welcome business personality in everything. It was not difficult for me to find the balance of professional personality and being welcoming at the same time. One of the ways I get my business personality across is to be very consistent in every piece of information I have out there. My logo is on every flyer, letter and business card. The colors on my business cards are the same colors you’ll see on my brochures, stationary and business signs.

All of the things I do to market myself have been addressed in every single trade magazine. Really, folks, this is a business. Take what you do seriously. People aren’t just going to show up at your door.

The #1 thing is to have a plan and revisit it regularly. Keep things simple. Work out what your business identity is and create or gather material that expresses who you are.

Take a good look at the local population and location you are working in. Who do you want to attract? Obviously, in the beginning working with as many people as you can is good. Then, as your path becomes clearer, start focusing on the kind of customers you want to work with: your “perfect customer.” Think about how you should talk with your “perfect customer? What problems does your “perfect customer” have (stress, pain, etc.) and how you can help them? What words do they need to hear (relax, pain-free, mini vacation) that would prompt them to get in your studio and on your table?

Track the best return on your time and energy. You read that advice all the time, everywhere. It really does make a difference. Otherwise you’re just throwing money away without knowing if you are having any effect or not.

As I said earlier, the most useful thing I’ve learned about marketing is to keep it simple and personal. Everyone everywhere likes to be recognized and rewarded. So go ahead and do it. Sending a card or letter is a gentle way to remind a customer that you are there for them.

Every one of my customers gets a birthday card from me. It is their special day, after all and it’s good to acknowledge it. I’m sure to send it out a month before their birthday. Why so far ahead? I’ve found a lot of the people who get the cards, hand them over to their spouse or friends and say, “This is what I want for my birthday.” If they book far enough ahead, they can even have a session with me ON their birthday which makes their day that much better.

Starting out, I had to get people to know ME. I did a lot of chair work at health fairs and community events like Christmas bazaars. This gave me an opportunity to work with and introduce myself to a lot of people. I made sure each person who sat in my chair got my business card as well as a brochure on whatever modality or condition would best address their needs.

I also offered free chair massage to staff in our school district. It was my way of thanking them for working with our youth. I always provided educational brochures on conditions (like repetitive stress, stress relief, headache relief) and a promotional coupon for their first visit. I left these materials in the staff's lounge, too. The program was very well appreciated, I felt like I was doing good work for the community and I benefited with new customers as well.

Speaking of community, use yours. It is amazing how many potential customers call me because they saw a simple flyer of mine on the coffee shop or grocery store bulletin boards.

Another population I work with in Sitka is the tourist community. Tourist season is from May through September with two to four ships each day. I get independent tourists and both visitors and crew members from cruise ships. During my first season these visitors were the bulk of the people I served. Most of them found me because I was on the main street of the downtown business district. It’s funny, tourists read every single sign on every single door. They found my stairs up to the second floor and walked right in. I had more availability because I was just starting out. They also would see my flyers around town — especially in the coffee shops.

The next year, the crew staff would return. I suggested these folks email me at least a week ahead of time for the next season so I would be able to schedule them. As time went by, they would tell other staff members and friends. Once again, word of mouth. Some fun surprises are independent travelers are also starting to email ahead and book appointments. This is new and it’s great!

Another way I’ve marketed my practice is with a yearly mailing to all the service oriented and tourist businesses on the island. I send a letter to each business owner, along with brochures and business cards, reminding them I am here to help enhance their customers’ experiences. In the letter, I tell them I’ll be calling in a week to answer any questions about what I do and how I work. Then I DO call. Following up is really important. One of the things I’ve learned the hard way is to remind the owners that I book a week out. I encourage owners to tell their visitors about me as reservations are made. That way the visitors can book in advance with me and everyone is happy.

Truth to tell, over the past couple years my regular customers have me booked pretty solidly so I’ve had to pass a lot of visitors on to other therapists.

After four years of building a solid customer base, I have a clearer idea of who I want to serve. In the near future I’ll be acquiring new certifications in different modalities.

I am interested in reaching out more into the medical community; speaking with administrators and CEOs about the advantages of offering complimentary services at their facilities. Someday I would like to become involved with serving our elders in long term care units or those that are housebound. As I mentioned earlier, there is an advantage to working at events like health fairs, It gives me a chance to make connections with other health providers in our community. Becoming one of the medical community's trusted sources of information would make my business more viable. I am already exploring ways I can develop this opportunity that has emerged from reaching out to a number of people over the past few years.