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Advertising and keeping clients
How and where do you advertise your massage? I'm not doing too bad but I would like more ideas. I go to events with my target market and I post thing free online websites. I have to find the cheapest way possible.
The thing I seem to have a hard time with is having the client comming back on a regular basis. I call a few days after their appointment to see how they are doing and if they have any questions. I'm getting postcards to send out to offer a discount on their next massage if they bring it in. What do you do to keep clients comming back?
Views: 206
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by doug greene on
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Wonderful question! I to would like to know where to advertise and how to keep clients coming back.
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Permalink Reply by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on
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Hi Michele!
I'm out the door at this very moment, so little time to post, but as Samantha said, take a quick look at Ariana and my sites, here:
Marketing and Practice Building
Massage Marketing Solutions
In these groups there's an area named 'Discussion Forum.' Click on "View All" to see all the topics. I do know I've touched on both topics: Advertising and Retaining/Rebooking Clients.
Kris
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Permalink Reply by Dawn R. Tule,LCMT on
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I make 1/2 page flyers on my computer with coupons on the bottom of the page. I then go to other local businesses (gift shops, barber shops, local restaurants, etc.) and ask to display them. Most businesses are very cooperative. It's also a good way to become part of the small business community. I put out coupons several times a year & always get a great response. Good Luck!
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There are many things I do as, I try to learn different massage therapies and work on that accordingly so that I can provide some different massaging experience to my clients. I do provide them free service that is, if they are asking for regular massage therapy then I provide them with extra stuff that will be helpful for them and they enjoys it too.
Thanks
massage supplies
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Permalink Reply by Michele Ellis on
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Thanks for the help. I like you 1/2 page with coupons idea Dawn. I may have to use that. ;)
I have many modalities that I offer to my clients. I offer deep tissue, swedish, and what I call theraputic which has deep tissue and swedish combined. I also offer reflexology and reciently cranio-sacral.
Has anyone had any luck with websites like craigslist? I was told by other small businesses that they got a lot of their clients there but I don't seem to be having any luck.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on
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I have revamped my site www.massagepracticebuilder.com to discuss just those very things. First off advertising doesn't really work well in this profession for the most part. Finding the cheapest way isn't often the best way. It pays to invest in your business. What is it worth to get a new client? If a client comes in once a week for the next 18 years then what are you willing to pay to make that happen?
To get people to come back on a regular basis it takes finding people who want and need regular massage. That isn't everyone although we often would like to think so.
Start thinking about what solution you provide to people? Think about who your ideal client is. Find ways to attract those people to your business. Like I once talked to a woman who wanted to work with elderly but she had not even approached an assisted care place at all. Sometimes it isn't so obvious as that.
If you have a good website I also believe that is about all you will need. It has to be at the top of the first page of search engine results and it has to have tons of info to build trust with potential readers.
Thats just a few things to think about.
Julie
www.massagepracticebuilder.com
www.thebodyworker.com
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Hi Julie~!
You mentioned: "First off advertising doesn't really work well in this profession for the most part."
I'll agree with you on this, but the question is, why doesn't it work?
What I've seen the most in an in-ability to write creatively as well as feature-dumping as opposed to being benefit-driven.
Prospective massage clients don't care about trigger point therapy, etc., etc. What they Do care about is relief from their TOS or CTS or whatever ache and pain they have. Find the target market and state specifically what they are suffering from, then provide the solution in an attention-grabbing manner.
"If you have a good website I also believe that is about all you will need."
This seems a bit of a stretch, although I realize you are plugging your new course.
If one doesn't know how to write exciting headlines and content, what's the difference between 'website advertising' and old fashioned 'paper advertising?'
Someone can have the top slot on Google but if their massage website reads like an online massage brochure (which looks like every other MT's website and brochure, etc., etc.,) I doubt it's going to generate the phone calls to schedule an appointment.
Do I doubt the power of having an impactful massage website? Heck no! It's critical! If your course is very specific in assisting MT's on how to create a good site, great!
As we both know, using SBI! and such, that content is king. Creating a website that works takes time, it doesn't just happen over night. .....and that's OK, hard work is good. If MT's spent just as much time with their other marketing and advertising material as they did on websites we'd certainly have many more making a lot more money.
I just hate throwing the baby out with the bathwater on this one. "Your massage website will be your savior!" Uh, well, it can be. Why not learn how to create powerful headlines and emotional content in printed material (as well) and use that at the same time?
The trick is in, as with all massage marketing and advertising, how one does it!
Have an excellent weekend!
Kris
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Permalink Reply by Stefanie Adams on
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I always have more clients than I can handle. I've never spent a dollar on advertising, not even a Yellow Pages ad, and I don't have a web site. I'm a web programmer so it's not because I don't understand technology. I prefer personal contact and I'm frugal too.
I'm working on quantifying what I've done because I'm leaving massage and a lot of my peers want to know. I'm helping a friend start a web site called The Frugal Massage Therapist, and we'll have more good stuff coming. Here's what I've come up with so far:
1. Identify people who NEED massage regularly and go to them. People with physical jobs have a set of needs, people with sitting jobs have another set of needs, and people with cancer have other needs. Be very familiar with common problems associated with each set of needs and be able to state exactly how regular massage can help them.
Now target the people with those sets of needs. I became familiar with the companies in my area and met someone who worked there. UPS and the airlines are good because much of the work is physical and often their insurance pays for massage. I met every contact in the neighborhood, the Sierra Club, and my church. Most often I just attended functions wearing a t-shirt that had "Stefanie Adams, Therapeutic Massage" in big letters on the front and back. They asked ME about it.
I went to the companies and offered free 15-minute sessions. I set up my table so it better represented my work. I took another 5 minutes after the session to discuss my findings and what regular massage can do to help. That's a good time to discuss the benefits of a regular massage schedule - at the very beginning. Go ahead and set up an appointment right then. I gave my card to people who couldn't schedule at that time.
I did the same thing as a volunteer for charity runs. Again, those people are more likely to NEED regular massage than the average population.
I spent a total of 90 hours including travel time, set up and tear down doing this. I visited 4 companies 3 times each and worked 2 charity events. I spent about 5 hours at each company or event. You can either spend money making indirect contact, or spend time making direct personal contact.
My employees have done the same thing at the local junior colleges, schools, churches, at athletic clubs, etc., anywhere you can find a group of people who NEED regular massage.
2. Be very consistent in your business practices
Return calls and e-mails promptly. I tried an answering service but it wasn't successful. I started off my practice with personal contact so people expected it on a consistent basis. I leave 30 minutes between massages so I can return calls. When I return a call and get voice mail, I always say "You can call be back at 4:40 or e-mail me at _____." I switched almost everyone over to e-mail after we got comfortable with one another to avoid the phone tag situation.
3. Do not talk during sessions
I conducted unofficial surveys and this was the number one complaint about other massage therapists. If the client talks, just listen and reflect back. If a client asks how you're doing, I make it a game to answer in 10 words or less and turn it around, "so what about you?" (The #2 complaint was not returning calls!)
Those are the top 3 reasons my clients say they kept coming back to me. We'll be sure to post our URL here when The Frugal Massage Therapist is up.
Good luck!
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I didn't mention WHY this method is so effective at developing regular clients. It's important!
Client loyalty can happen naturally and normally if you know how to ethically utilize "herd mentality". I hate that term because it sounds so demeaning, but it's a term we're all familiar with. It simply describes the way people in a group decide what they want based on input from others. It's a phenomenon that works through "word of mouth", but goes way beyond.
All you need to get the ball rolling is one or two people from the group to set an appointment with you. For me it was always the first person I personally contacted from the neighborhood, club or church. When you provide great service, that first client will talk to everyone else in the group. That's why it's important for you to appear on-site so the group recognizes you. Even those who don't get a free massage will know who you are and will contact you when they're ready.
Everyone will suddenly want you. Some clients will see your rising popularity and demand regular appointments with you.
This even works with paying clients. I asked an existing client with plantar fasciitis if I could come to her office to work on her foot one day instead of her coming to me. She's a pastor and is very familiar with the herd mentality concept. It was interesting to hear stories about how just my presence caused a stir, resulting in 4 more regular clients.
And all for very little money!
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You're right, Ezekiel. introverts have a harder time finding the initial contacts. It can be daunting to some people! But even introverts know someone who can help them get a start.
I require my employees to make on-site visits as part of our agreement. One painfully shy employee almost quit because she just couldn't ask for fear of rejection. She said she didn't belong to any groups and didn't know anyone who was. So we brainstormed together, and come to find out her mother was an executive at HP! Sometimes we can't see solutions through our fear.
She asked her mother to set up a visit and did nothing more than post a sign-up sheet outside a conference room, massages, talk to the employees about her findings & how regular massage could help, and hand out her card. I didn't even ask her to set appointments. (I'm sure her mother did a little "word of mouth" to get the herd going). That employee was fully booked in 3 months.
And you're exactly right, it's no better or worse to spend ad money or not. It's a matter of personal preference. I got the idea that Michele doesn't want to spend a bunch of money, and neither do I! I've always lived a frugal lifestyle and find that spending a lot is rarely required to get the job done.
Ezekiel OBrien said:Those are really great suggestions Stefanie. I have always looked at massage and advertising partially through the lens of introverts and extroverts. If you are outgoing and have pleasant personality plus engagement in lots of community activities such as church then it is probably not necessary to spend any money on massage advertising. If you are more introverted and shy about doing things such as printing up business shirts then it is probably going to take a bit of ad money to get the business going. As for returning calls promptly that is really super advice. To spend ad money or not is not better or worse both take energy and effort. Once you have the clients either by corporate or self promotion doing good work, and as you say not talking so much is the best way to assure that you have to put less personal or financial capital in to promotion over time. Looking forward to the blog.
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Permalink Reply by Robert Garrison on
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Hello Michele, I have worked in the same chiropractor office since 93 and have built a small client base through that location. I'm also a personal trainer certified at the same time becoming a massage therapist.I do pick up clients at gyms I train at. I really try to keep myself active in letting people know who I am and what I do. I just recently stopped working at a restaurant, a business I love very much, but since my business was doing so well and the ownership of the restaurant changed I just got out. So I suggest just getting out there, meet physical therapist, go to sporting events, where clothing that says MASSAGE THERAPIST. Become a trainer, a great way to make extra money. Wishing you tons of success.
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Permalink Reply by Rajam K Roose on
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Stefanie has some great points, massage is a personable field and in my experience people don't generally respond to ads for a therapist unless you're offering a super cheap bargain and that may (or may not) bring them in. I have found also that the best form of marketing is to go around to the businessess in your area that relate to the type of work you do and introduce yourself and speak with them about how your work goes hand in hand for a referral system.
Yes, and there are so many things that don't have much to do with the actual massage itself that will retain clients. Returning calls promptly is key, I can't tell you how many therapists' who I've called to make an appointment and their message says they will get to me at their "earliest convenience". Do I wait around? No-- I'm already calling the next one on my list! After the session sit with them and ask how they feel. Pull out and open your appt. book and ask them when would they like to schedule their next appt. People like to learn things, talk about massage and how the effects are cumulative, encourage your client to talk about how they felt after their session. Ask them if they feel more relaxed, if so remind them that with regular massage the effects last longer.
Making confirmation calls is good, so many therapists complain about "enabling" their clients and feeling like they're "wiping the clients a**". But you know what, the client appreciates it, it's like an extra. Make sure your office is clean, the bathroom is clean, you don't smell like sweat/food/cigarettes, the sheets aren't stained, the room is comfortable, etc. etc. To be honest, most clients' can't tell if your a fantastic therapist or what--but they notice EVERYTHING else. I've had clients come to me and give me all kinds of reasons why they stopped seeing their previous therapist, although they said they enjoyed the work and the reasons were things that I mentioned before and also-- talking throughout the session, not listening to the client needs, showing up late, not having the room ready when the client arrived, making the client feel rushed or that they weren't special and on and on.
In the almost eleven years I've been a therapist, advertising hasn't ever really done much. Many of my clients don't even visit my website and I've gotten few from search engines. Massage is very personal and many folks won't go to a therapist unless their friend or other trusted person recommends me.Most of my business (85-90%) has been word of mouth or from events where I was doing chair massage. Surprisingly, it did take me a while to figure that out about advertising and now I don't spend any more on that. Really, it's hard work, but get out there and speak with other businesses in your community. For example, I went around to gyms and personal trainers and talked with them about how my clients can benefit their work and their clients can benefit from the type of work I do. I also walked into acupuncture clinics and spoke with the owner and introduced myself. It helps to have a little packet with you of your brochures, business cards and maybe a little gift certificate for a sampler massage.
It may seem daunting, but until you try it you'll never know. People love to talk about themselves and their business. Ha! Can't you tell from my post? If you are enthusiastic about what you do, you can draw them in. If you're shy, you might want to take a class on public speaking or related topic to help you learn to talk to people.
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