Why don’t we market our massage therapy practice? What are some of the things holding us back, or causing us to procrastinate putting that flyer together, or calling that other practitioner and inviting them to lunch? Do you find yourself busy and saying “I’ll do that tomorrow” when it comes to activities you don’t enjoy?
I was thinking about this yesterday while writing a sales page for alternative health practitioners. Why don’t we do something that we know is going to help us? All of us want to make more money. All of us want to serve more clients. All of us want to create a successful and prosperous business doing what we love.
So why don’t we do the one thing that we know will lead us to achieve these things?
In many ways, marketing for massage therapists is like working out for some people. You know it’s good for you. You know you’ll feel good after you’re done. Ultimately you’ll lose weight, look better, feel better, and live longer. So why doesn’t everyone work out even a little bit?
Because getting started is hard. It takes discipline. It takes overcoming fears you have. You are putting yourself out there – other people may judge you (or even worse, you may judge yourself and compare yourself to others).
Plus, working out is hard! It’s not an easy and fun thing to do in the beginning. Once you get into the swing of things it becomes fun, but starting out doesn’t work that way.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why massage therapists don’t do marketing. Perhaps we’ll uncover some beliefs you have. Awareness is the first step to overcoming unsupportive beliefs.
“Marketing is expensive”“Marketing is time consuming”“Marketing doesn’t work”“I tried marketing once and didn’t get any new business”“I’m afraid” “I’ve never done it before”“I don’t know where to start”“My business will grow naturally through word of mouth referrals”
“I don’t have 3 hours a day to devote to that”
“Marketing is hard”
These beliefs you have about marketing are nonsupportive. Doing something different requires YOU to make a change.
There are three key elements to change:
- Awareness
- Understanding
- Reconditioning
Let’s start with awareness. Are you AWARE of what excuses you’re using for not proactively growing your business?
For help overcoming your marketing procrastination, contact us for an initial marketing coaching review at info@amarketingconnection.com
About the author
Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The Practice Evolution Success Kit, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, 5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.