A couple of weeks ago, I argued that small massage practitioners could compete with Massage Envy simply by telling people that it will be well worth the extra money or inconvenience to get their bodywork from you. Folks, the key phrase here is telling people.

If you tell them, they will come.

I found all my favorite bodyworkers via word of mouth. “Word-of-mouth! I wish.” you say. Hey, word-of-mouth marketing is a strategy that is particularly effective for small, community-based businesses. You get a few clients, and they like what you do. Some will tell others. Word-of-mouth marketing means using specific strategies to encourage more clients to tell more often.

Help clients spread the news.

Use well thought-out, but friendly tools to help clients spread the news about you. Here’s an example.

My last post was about newsletters. You would think a client newsletter is primarily a way to stay in touch with established clients, and it is. But, boy, can they work well for encouraging clients to help you reach out.

Think about the magazines and newspapers (and newsletters!) you read. If your clients are like me (and at least some of them are), they will save information that stands out for friends and family. When someone reads the newsletter who isn’t already a client, the self-care tips, for example, may catch their attention. That person is now more likely to call you when in need, especially considering it was passed on to them by someone they trust.

Here’s another thing. Our seasonal and massage benefits newsletter issues are really popular. But say you send out a newsletter on Seniors or Tendinitis to all your clients. Most of them may not be old or suffer from tendinitis. But now they know you can help those folks. And if someone they know is in one of those categories,  they are likely to pass that issue along.

There’s a lot more you can do with word-of-mouth marketing. Read about it here.