There are many ways to generate leads for your massage practice. One of the fastest, least expensive and most powerful ways to generate leads is through joint ventures.
Having a joint venture with another business means “joining forces” with another business or practitioner that has a similar target market. By joining forces you are able to benefit each other and each of your prospective clients.
Some examples of joint ventures may be an acupuncture practice and a yoga studio working together to help clients reduce stress. A massage therapist and a local health club or personal trainer referring clients to each other. A vitamin shop and a running store teaming together to promote techniques on optimizing performance to both of their clients.
Joint ventures work in a variety of ways. Businesses can advertise together, refer clients to each other, create packages together, and share client lists to name a few things. Truly, your imagination is all that stops you from coming up with other ideas.
Let’s take a detailed look at some common joint venture techniques massage therapists have successfully used in the past:
- Joint marketing. Joining forces in marketing and advertising endeavors can both reduce advertising costs as well as improve the reach of an advertisement. Look outside the massage therapy arena as well as in. Stretch yourself to think outside the box. You can implement a formal referral program with specific businesses.
- Creating “packages” with another business. Look for businesses that your existing client base has an interest in, and that complement your business and that are easy to integrate products and services with each other.
For example, a massage therapist that has a patient base consisting of many young mothers may partner with a local dance studio or mother of preschoolers group (mops) to give talks on health and safety.
Another idea is to partner with local sports teams. A massage therapist may be the “official sponsor” of the local recreation center as well as most of the sports teams (such as soccer, golf, lacrosse, etc). They often have staff at events and publish health articles in rec center publications as well as have handouts, etc at the front desk. In return, the rec center and sports teams offer more value to players and their families for no additional charge. The clinic also has information for their patients about what’s going on at the rec center. It’s a win/win for both.
Another example may be a massage therapist that partners with a local restaurant and health spa to create a “bridal party package”. Brides can purchase these packages as thank-you gifts for their bridesmaids or for a “pre-wedding party” for the bridal party itself. By working together these three businesses are able to help the bride with the problem of a meaningful thank-you gift for her bridesmaids and three businesses are able to attract new clients in a unique, easy and fun way.
- Refer clients to another business exclusively. Referring clients to another business is an inexpensive and solid way to grow your business. Forming an exclusive relationship with another business creates a strong relationship and a solid referral network for all involved. You may find your clients are familiar with one business, let’s use the yoga studio example, and are likely to have a positive impression of them. If you are affiliated with the yoga studio, even recommended by them that immediately separates you in the clients eyes from most other options, simply because you are referred.
- Sharing client lists. This is an easy and popular joint venture opportunity for businesses large and small. Think physical mailings, handouts, email and ezines. Joint venture opportunities can range from swapping ads and sponsorships to recommending each other as resources with discounts and coupons. Having links to each other’s websites is a common technique that is simple to do too.
Joining forces with other businesses allows you to serve many of your patients needs – even ones that you don’t provide. And it allows you to connect with people that you otherwise may not have.
One of the best ways to find joint venture partners is to have a clear vision of your target market and a clear understanding of what niche is attracted to your practice. Our “Practice Specialization Package” at A Marketing Connection may be just what you need to get your marketing out of stagnate mode and into profitability.
Contact us at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or call 303-460-0285 for more information.
About the author
Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit.
Kelly Robbins 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 www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.
