Success with Your Specialty

We’ve all heard about how you have to differentiate yourself from your competition, and that the way to do it is to have a niche market. What does that really mean and how do you do it?

I see a lot of therapists looking for an extremely specialized niche that no one else is marketing too. But they run into problems finding clients in those markets. A good example is Reiki: Reiki is a very popular CEU course and many therapists are choosing to focus their massage practice on energy work. However, the reality is that it is a very small niche: Most Americans don’t know what energy work is or why they would need it. Potential clients need a lot of convincing to try it out. This makes it challenging to earn a living practicing Reiki. The same goes for a number of other modalities.

When looking for a niche that you enjoy, can earn a living doing, and that sets you apart, look for two things: 1) there is a large population of potential clients, but they are currently underserved and 2) they won’t need much convincing that they need your services. Of course, I am a big proponent of Pregnancy Massage, but it is a great example of a good nice: Over 4 Million women give birth every year here in America, and they want to feel better. That’s a huge population for a niche market. Once they know pregnancy massage exists, they are booking appointments!

So how do you tap into a niche like Pregnancy Massage? First, get educated. Just saying you do the specialized work is not enough: niche-market clients will look at your credentials. Second, advertise your credentials. Let the world know you have advanced training and that’s why they should see you instead of the other guy. Connect with local groups that are built around your niche: blogs, social clubs, fitness clubs, support groups, and so on. Let them know you specialize in helping them feel better. If your specialty has an organization built around it, join it and use their resources as well.

There are lots of large groups of people out there who need massage therapists: weekend athletes, chronically ill people, cancer patients, people who get lots of head-aches, and many more. Find them, find out how you can help them, and develop your niche.