You just received that crisp, non-wrinkled certification from massage therapy school. You already completed your skills set training, and acquired sufficient skills and hours with patients so you know that you are 100% set to start your very own massage therapy business. Since the only things that you need are your skills as a therapist and the tools of the trade like a portable massage table, the next step is to market your services. No matter how good you are at giving massages, your business will not prosper if you do not have enough clients. How can you increase the number of clients that you have? And how can you start spreading the word about your massage therapy business? That is what we will learn more about here.
Marketing Your Massage Therapy Services
To boost the number of clients that you have for your massage therapy services, here are some steps that you can follow:
- Use the contacts you already have.
Have business cards printed out and keep them handy wherever you go. Now, using the contacts that you already have, you can send out messages that you are looking for clients for professional massage sessions. Use your social networking accounts – Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Let your friends know that you are available for massage bookings and put your contact information out there.
Do the same thing with all your e-mail contacts. Your set of friends relatives and acquaintances might also require massage services, so send out SMS messages informing them about what you have to offer as a professional therapist. If you have a group, a church, a hair stylist, a dentist, an accountant, a plumber, a best friend in the office – all these groups and individuals are an excellent source of potential clients.
- Create awareness about your brand.
Next, build awareness about your brand. Let’s say that you have already compiled a list of possible clients. Let these contacts know that you are available for grabbing coffee or drinks in the afternoon. After reconnecting with these contacts on a person-to-person basis, you can learn a bit about their lives and in turn, you can tell them about your massage therapy business.
- Network, ask for referrals, and attend community events.
If you already have a slew of clients who you are giving massages to, these individuals would have friends who can also benefit from getting a massage. This is called the referral system where you will ask someone who is already using your services to let the people they know about what you have to offer. You can also attend community or networking events, and let people know what it is that you do for a living so that you can have more business coming your way.
- Offer discounted rates and packaged services.
Naturally, a massage therapy session is a luxury that people have to pay for. Since customers are paying for your services, they would never say no to discounted rates or packaged services. Make sure that you have something new to offer, which will give your clients the best value for their money as well.
- Get repeat business.
Finally, you should keep your existing customers satisfied so that you can get them as regular clients. The more repeat business you have, the more that your business will thrive.
These steps sound simple enough, right? You don’t really need to spend a lot of money marketing your services as a massage therapist. Word of mouth advertising is still the best, and as soon as people start hearing your name as a really good massage therapist, the clients should come pouring in.