•Nothing special on the cover to entice a potential client to take the brochure. Remember, I am looking specifically for massage therapy information – most people aren’t. You need to have a cover that intrigues someone. A cover that simply states in bold letters ”IN PAIN?” or “STRESSED OUT?” will probably get more attention than the generic cover that is usually used. (There isn’t anything wrong with a generic cover once a person is in your office or if you are direct marketing to someone about massage therapy, but it won’t capture someone’s attention if left on the counter in a health food store or gym.)

•No real reason to keep the brochure. MAKE THEM KEEP IT!! Put the words “Bring this brochure to your appointment and _____________________” – you add the reason. It could be anything, free gift, discount, etc. Why is this important? If the person keeps your brochure, they will have your contact info and it allows you the opportunity to track where the person found the brochure. Tracking can be as simple as adding a small red dot to the brochures at the gym and a small blue dot to the brochures at the health food store. You need to know which locations are producing clients.

•They are lying flat in a sea of other marketing materials with no real presence. Unfortunately, this may not be entirely their fault – they are at the mercy of the guidelines of the merchant who allowed them to place the brochures there in the first place. However, ask if you could at least put your brochures in a holder that hold them in an upright position. Perhaps, suggest that the merchant has a featured business of the month, so that at least occasionally your brochure will be front and center. If you can push the envelope further, add something else that is eye catching – a big red arrow pointing to your brochure, a crazy picture, for example.

•The brochures look forgotten. They are outdated, dusty, dirty, crumpled, ripped, and just plain sad looking. Show some pride! Remember to visit your brochures and to update and change them out as necessary. These are a reflection of your business. Would you make an appointment with someone (dentist, doctor, personal trainer, etc.) who has “icky” brochures? How about someone who is offering a discount that has expired 8 months ago? Of course, not!

Next time you are out and about, look around to see if any massage therapy brochures catch your attention. If they aren’t, GET YOURS TO THAT LOCATION ASAP!!!!! You will have a huge low cost advantage finding new clients.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Jayne

1. You
2. Results
3. Health
4. Guarantee
5. Discover
6. Love
7. Safety
9. Save
10. New

That’s all well and good, and I happen to agree. These words are effective – to an extent.

Here’s the thing though. The most important word to your client is his or her own name. Their name stands bigger, bolder and more powerful than any other word in the dictionary. Use it and capture their interest. I know, I know, you can’t personalize* everything, but, you should make sure a percentage of your marketing materials can be so that you don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect.

*By the way, I am not talking about the “auto fill in the blank name generator” that comes with the campaign marketing we all use in newsletters (and dare I say it – the dreaded SPAM –please don’t SPAM). Your clients know you did nothing to make that “personalization” happen.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Jayne

However, it is the entire massage experience with you that will KEEP them as a client. Make no mistake about it. Even if you were offering a 2 hour massage session for $10, if the massage experience wasn’t good, no one will reschedule with you. You need to treat your clients like you would treat your best friend (Please understand the difference between treating someone like a best friend and not becoming their best friend – ethics people!!). You need to be nice on the phone. You need to be on time. You need to be well groomed. You need to have a clean room. You need to deliver an amazing massage.

And little things matter. If you have plants around, are they dead, because they shouldn’t be. Do you have creepy things (bugs!) in the windows? Yuck! Do your new clients know what to do when they walk in for a session and you are still behind a closed door with a client? It can be very uncomfortable for someone just to stand there and wonder – make a sign for them! Is the bathroom spotless? Don’t even get me started on dirty bathrooms!

You get the idea. The whole experience matters. You have the power to have only one session with someone or to gain a lifelong client.

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!

Jayne
Massage Promotions

Odds are they would choose sales skills.

Do you know why? Simple, sales skills are basically communication skills and as the owner of a massage therapy business you need to be able to convince;
•A potential massage client that a session with you will fix their problem.
•An existing client that future sessions are worth the investment.
•Other professionals that referring clients to you is the smart decision.

Can you do that?

If you can’t or don’t know if you can, now is the time to brush up on your sales skills. Buy (and read) some books, take a class, find a mentor, but stop kidding yourself. Unless someone is handing you clients every hour, you are a salesperson as well as a massage therapist. Invest your energy to understanding how to excel as one.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Jayne

Think about it. As a society the lines of what is typically appealing to a 20 year old compared to a 50 year old are beginning to blur. An 18 year old female may be wearing a tshirt from The Gap, grabbing a coffee at the locally owned place that plays indie music and communicating with her friends with the newest app. However, chances are she may be sitting next to a 56 year old female who is wearing the same tshirt (maybe in a different color) doing the exact same thing.

Is it time to market to people in a different way? Should we begin to group people by association instead of by age? Would this be a better way to know our market and understand their likes and dislikes?

Consider looking at the clients you currently have in your massage therapy practice. Do they have certain similarites that you are missing? Understanding what your clients have in common rather than what their age is, may help you determine how to market to the rest of the population to continue to grow your massage therapy business with the type of client you enjoy working with.

Enjoy the day, everyone!

Jayne

Beliefs – By imagining and focusing on what you want, you can trick your mind into a different belief system and improve your results.

Decisions - By making a single decision – a decision to take action – you can change your life forever.

Results - By pretending like you’re already there – and living like it – you can get some traction and start a domino affect that improves the level of your performance.

Actions – We focus on the specific tactics that get results. If you’re getting results, the rest takes care of itself.

I didn’t come up with this formula, but I do believe in it. So many people are their own worst enemies when it comes to getting what they want out of life. They will come up with every excuse in the book as to why they can’t have something. I simply refuse to live by those restrictions and you should too. Regardless of which approach you decide on, you need to start a deliberate program to ensure you actually BELIEVE you are a successful massage therapist who deserves a thriving massage therapy practice. If you don’t, you’ll end up sabotaging your own efforts and make it harder to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself.

As always, if you need a pep talk, contact me!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Jayne

Regardless of medium used to promote or market your event (website, facebook, twitter, blog, newspaper ads, flyers, etc.) all publicity should include:
• Title & Brief Description
• Beginning and Ending promotion Dates/ Day and Date if offering class
• Time (if you are offering a class)
• Location
• Fee
• Refreshments (if offered)
• Sponsoring Organization(s)(if available)
• Contact Info (offices, URL’s, phone numbers)

There are basic principles for making your publicity more successful.
• Make it eye-catching so it takes no longer than 5 seconds to read.
• Take a look around your area to see what catches your eye. Incorporate those designs into your own.
• Avoid using more than 2-3 fonts.
• Avoid using script fonts & all-caps scripts.
• Incorporate a black text box with white font.
• Use photos or clip art to make your medium pop.

Getting organized is time consuming initially, but it becomes easier and easier as the months go by. Below is a basic time line to follow. You may need more or less time to make your promotions happen. You will get a better feel for your style as you add promotions to your event calendar.

Timeline for Promotions
Completion Date (fill in the blank)
12 weeks prior
•Develop budget and establish publicity costs.
9 weeks prior
•Determine all types of publicity for marketing your event.
•Establish marketing plan and designate responsibilities.
6 weeks prior
•Design marketing style like color scheme, logo, font.
4 weeks prior
•Proof marketing and send to a printer.
2 weeks prior
•Hang posters. Distribute flyers. Post to social media. Place Ads.
1 week prior
•Hang more posters. Remind people of event
1 week after
•Evaluate marketing plan and assess the successfulness of the plan. Don’t skip this step! Make revisions now for next year while it it still fresh!

I realize we are only a couple a weeks away from 2012, so January may not be your best effort. No worries. Get started NOW to make the rest of the year a snap.

Have a great day, everyone – and Happy New Year!

Jayne
Massage Promotions
www.massagepromos.com

Did you know that search engines find keywords faster if a video is connected to them?

Here are some ideas in which video will benefit your massage therapy practice:
• Tour of Your Massage Office: Show your prospective clients exactly how your office looks by giving them a video tour!

• “Idea” of the Week: Nothing gets people to return to your site or facebook page faster than useful consistent information. Offer a new stretch, stress reliever, etc. to keep your clients interested.

• Testimonials: Ask your most loyal clients to tell the camera why they love coming to you for their massage needs. People trust other people’s opinions so use this to your advantage. Social proof is tremendously effective.

• Education: Give your clients more than just massage therapy info by interviewing other area experts about wellness, nutrition, fitness and other health-related issues. Show your clients that your practice cares about their overall health and wellbeing.

Your cell phone may have a good enough video camera to make your videos, but if it doesn’t, grab a Flip Video Camera. Flips are much cheaper now because they have stopped production, but they are very user friendly and give a wonderful result.

YouTube is so easy to use!
1. Create a YouTube channel so you can upload your videos. All it takes to start an account is a user ID and a password.
2. Upload Your video to YouTube. Name your video so it is relevant to you and your massage therapy business and something prospective clients would be searching for. If you’re a massage therapist that specializes in Stone massage in Boston, MA, name your video, “Boston, MA – Stone massage therapy -stress reliever” or something similar. That way when someone searches for Swedish Massage in Boston, your video will rank higher.
4. Promote Your Video. Once your video has been uploaded to YouTube, you can do a number of things to promote it. You can e-mail the link to your members, you can embed the video (the code is provided for you on youtube for each video) on your blog and website, you can add it to a CD and give it away as a freebie and you can upload it to your Facebook fans. (How to upload Your video to facebook – Simply click the video icon found in the share line at the top of your wall page to add a video to your facebook page. Add a description to entice people to view it and suggest that they share it with friends.)
6. Repetition is key. Post at least one video per week. If you devote about an hour a week to this, you will find this process gets easier and easier.

If you need more ideas for videos, feel free to contact me anytime.

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone.

Jayne
Massage Promotions
www.massagepromos.com

1.Complicated! When you mix business with pleasure trouble seems to arise. Keep business separate from your personal information!
2.There are limitations (as of this posting) to Facebook personal profiles will not allow them to grow virally, however, Facebook business pages might.
3.Business pages have no limit to the number of fans you can have, but personal profile friends are limited to 5,000. It may seem as if 5000 is plenty, but if you are using Facebook to grow your email list, 5000 fans can happen faster than you may think.
4.Personal profiles are not indexed by search engines, but Facebook business-pages can be. Important if you would like your massage business to be found by searching.
5.If you have someone helping you with your Facebook account, business pages allow for multiple administrators and their identities are kept private from fans and visitors.
6.Facebook business pages support applications and tabs that allow for your business page to have a unique look, which is important in making your massage business stand out from the competition.
7.Facebook business page administrators can send updates to fans so you aren’t solely responsible for keeping the page updated and current.
8.Facebook business pages come equipped by Facebook with a set of analytic tools called Facebook Insights.
9.Most importantly, because Facebook says to keep them separate. According to their Terms of Service it’s a no-no to use personal profile pages for business accounts
•“Profiles represent individuals and must be held under an individual name, while Pages allow an organization, business, celebrity, or band to maintain a professional presence on Facebook. *
•You may only create Facebook Pages to represent real organizations of which you are an authorized representative.”*
•“Pages are for organizations, businesses, celebrities, and bands to broadcast great information in an official, public manner to people who choose to connect with them. Similar to profiles, Pages can be enhanced with applications that help the entity communicate and engage with their audiences, and capture new audiences virally through friend recommendations, News Feed stories, Facebook events, and beyond.” *
*From Facebook FAQ’s

Admittedly, I have used my own personal page as my business page but have recently changed that. It is a challenge to get people to be part of both, so get your business page going and if you choose to have a personal page, too, use them for what they are designed for – One for your massage therapy business and one for pleasure.

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!
Jayne
Massage Promotions

Headline An attention getting headline is critical. It has to invoke an emotion in the reader. It must be about them and not about you. You only have a second to grab the reader’s attention, so don’t waste their time. Get to the point.

Call to Action Don’t be shy about telling your potential client what you expect them to do next. If you want them to call you, write down call me. Do you want them to come to your place of business? Write it down. Just adding your contact info isn’t good enough. Be specific in what you want the client to do!

Urgency Typically, people don’t react to things instantly on their own. A deadline needs to be set so that someone would feel as if they will miss out on a unique opportunity if they don’t act NOW! Place a date deadline or “limited to the next 10 people only” to create a reaction.

One Message at a Time With mailers, consistency throughout is key. If the headline is about pain relief, don’t promote your stone massage special for stress relief anywhere else on the card. Be consistent in your message throughout the front and back of the postcard. Don’t confuse the client with multiple offerings.

Remember though, nothing will replace a good, old-fashioned test. Before you spend a single dollar on mailers (Yes, they can be expensive!) take the time to put together 3 or 4 free websites or blogs with different headlines and see which one produces the highest amount of opt-ins for you. You could also send out emails to your different email groups and see which email elicits the highest reader response. If you aren’t getting the response you were hoping for, it is better to know you need to work on your marketing piece before you spend the money. Don’t get discouraged!. Keep tweaking your message until you get the desired result.

Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!
Jayne