One of the biggest struggles in managing a business for most massage therapists is getting more clients. Once you’ve exhausted your circle of friends, family, and acquaintances, it’s time to branch out into reaching new clients who’ve never heard of you. Here are a few massage marketing ideas to get you started.

Give clients your full attention every time you see them.

1. Give your full attention to each client.

Effective massage marketing begins with each client’s individual experience. Are you fully present for each client? Do you listen to their needs and respond in a way that makes your clients feel heard and supported?

Look for ways that you can make clients feel special. Remember their birthdays with a card or small gift, offer them a snack and a glass of water after the massage, or add a free hot towel foot massage at the very end of the session. Clients who feel like they’ve received more than they paid for will be more likely to come back. Keeping current clients is much easier than attracting new clients.

2. Partner for referrals.

No doubt you will work with clients who have needs beyond your area of expertise. When it comes to protecting a client’s best interests, you may need to refer them to a physical therapist, acupuncturist, skin care professional, medical professional, or another CAM practitioner. These practitioners can also refer clients to you.

Get to know other business owners in noncompeting healthcare fields who you can feel confident referring your clients to and who can refer patients to you in return.

3. Get free publicity.

Getting featured in the local newspaper or TV station is a great way to get the word out about your business in a way that boosts your credibility by allowing someone else to tell your story for you.

Media coverage doesn’t happen without your efforts, but the results are often more than worth it. Start by brainstorming any newsworthy areas of your practice. Have you recently expanded or remodeled? Did you receive a special award or participate in a charity event by providing massage? Is there anything unique about your business or background that reporters can grab on to as a “hook” for an interesting story?

Submit your ideas to local newspapers, neighborhood media outlets, radio stations, and local television stations. Having inside contacts helps, but sharing a good story idea—where you’ve already done most of the grunt work for the reporter—is even more important.

4. Get online.

If your massage business doesn’t exist online and you need more clients, it’s time to join the digital age. Start with a basic website. If you’re a member of a professional massage organization, you may even be able to build a free website as part of your membership.

Another opportunity to promote your business online is to submit your information to local online search directories such as Yelp and Citysearch. When clients leave reviews on these sites, it will boost your credibility and attract new clients searching for a massage therapist online.

Do you wish you had more clients? Try local online search marketing.

Thanks to our guest author, Micah Abraham, for sharing this blog post on massage therapy marketing.

Massage is a surprisingly competitive business. New massage centers open up regularly, and each one is vying to attract the clients that will ultimately use them for all of their massage needs.

As a massage business owner, your success is going to be based on how well you can wrangle in these new clients and attract them to your services. Yet for some reason, many massage therapists depend on what have now become less effective marketing methods:

• Storefront signs
• Word of mouth
• Newspaper ads

Storefront signs still have their place, and certainly word of mouth is a valuable tool, but the goal of your company should be to attract as much business as possible so that you can create a steady flow of new customers. The methods above only attract a very small subsection of your potential customer base. They’re simply not effective enough on their own to attract a considerable amount of business.

The reality is that nearly everyone looking for a massage therapist searches for that therapist online. It’s the fastest way to find someone in your area without driving around or asking your friends for help. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you appear in local search – and that you’ve placed your business high enough in search engine rankings to ensure that those interested in a local massage therapist see your business.

How to Market Your Company

You need to decide whether or not you want to truly grow your business, or if you consider your massage therapy a side job. If it’s not your primary method of income and you have no desire to make it stronger, then word of mouth alone is likely enough.

Use massage and local keywords on your website.

But if you’re hoping to create a full-time, self-sustaining massage business for yourself, then you need to invest in local search engine marketing. The higher you or your company ranks in the search engines, the more customers you’ll receive. The best way to do this is to build a website. Find someone to create an attractive and professional site that explains your services and provides a location. You should then complement that website with the following:

• Informative Articles – Explain to others the value of massage and massage therapy.
• Blog Posts – Blog posts are a great way to share quick information and add pages.
• Service Pages – Describe your specific services and experience.

Each of these pages adds content that makes you more valuable to search engines, and if you tailor your website to be a bit more location specific, you’ll be able to rank for local keywords (such as “massage in Dallas”) and improve your business considerably.

When someone is in need of a massage therapist, you need them to come to you first. Why rely on word of mouth alone when a small investment in a local search website will help you show up first for their online searches each and every time and provide you with the marketing that you need to be a successful massage therapist?

About the Guest Author

Micah Abraham is lead content writer for Great Leap Studios, a copywriting company based in Brooklyn. He can be contacted at his website, www.greatleapstudios.com.

Image (top) courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Use your portable massage chair as a marketing tool.

If massage clients aren’t coming to you, why not go to them? Offering chair massage on-site is a great way to bring in some extra cash and attract new clients.

1. Offer Chair Massage at Events

Keep a close eye on upcoming events in your community. If you see an event that caters to chair massage (such as a golf tournament, farmers market, or home and garden expo), contact the event manager to see if you can offer chair massage at the event.

Event Location
The event should attract people in the immediate area and should be within about 10 miles of your office location. New clients will rarely drive farther than that for appointments.

Pricing
For some events, you might be required to rent a booth or pay a fee. If that’s the case, make sure you charge enough to cover your expenses, with enough profit left over to make it worth your time.

Attracting Clients
If possible, set up your portable massage chair and equipment next to the main avenue of foot traffic. The more people that see you, the better. Set up a sandwich-board sign next to your massage chair that announces your services and prices, as well as the name of your business. Keep a handful of business cards and brochures handy for people who stop. Plus, if you get a break in the action, you can hand them out to people walking by.

Wedding Parties
You might also want to think about networking with the wedding coordinators in your area. They can recommend you to their clients for bridal showers and bachelorette parties.

2. Provide On-Site Massage for Businesses

Contact corporate offices and business owners. Although they have fewer employees, smaller companies will be easier to work with—less red tape and easier to get in contact with the decision maker.

Tap into Your Client Base
Some of your current clients are most likely business owners. Let them know you offer corporate chair massage. Other current clients could help out by recommending your chair massage services to their employer.

Close the Deal
Do your research ahead of time so that you can present the benefits of corporate massage to the human resources manager or business owner. Reduced sick days, increased productivity, and lowered stress levels are just a few ways massage can benefit employees and managers.

Be open to ongoing commitments and one-time gigs (for example, offering chair massage at an accounting firm during tax season).

Fill your appointment book with these tips.

Is your appointment book a little emptier than you’d like? Try these tips for getting clients to reschedule and reestablishing contact with lapsed clients.

1. Offer online scheduling.

One of the biggest hurdles for getting regular massage is scheduling an appointment. Giving your clients the option to schedule online removes this barrier and gives you a 24/7 appointment scheduling service. In an increasingly digital world, clients expect convenience and immediate scheduling, with no waiting around for a return phone call.

2. Ask after each session.

Face to face after a massage session is the best time to ask if the client would like to reschedule. Just a simple “Would you like to set up another appointment while you’re here?” gives the client an option to reschedule without making them feel pressured. It’s also a great time to mention any new specials you’re running or referral programs that you offer.

3. Allow clients to create standing appointments.

For clients who’ve come regularly for 3 or 4 sessions, ask if they’d like to schedule a regular appointment time, whether that’s weekly or monthly or however frequently the client has been coming. Offer to send a reminder email or voice message if the client needs it.

4. Get their contact information.

If a client hasn’t rescheduled in awhile, send out a postcard with a gentle reminder, for example: “It’s been 6 weeks since your last massage. How are your muscles doing?” Or consider sending out a monthly or quarterly newsletter by snail mail or email. Include self-care or health tips, along with a personal reflection from you. Sometimes a soft touch-point like this is just what clients need to schedule their next appointment.

5. Make phone appointments easier.

If not online scheduling, set up a phone appointment service that can schedule appointments for you while you’re busy. If you can’t afford a scheduling service (online or telephone), make sure you return phone calls or emails as soon as possible. The longer you procrastinate, the more likely the client will be to schedule with a different therapist who is easier to contact.

Paraffin wax treatment soothes sore, dry skin.

Does your massage business need a little more variety? Do you want to offer your clients more services? Adding a few simple spa treatments to your menu can help you pay the bills with fewer clients, save your hands from too many massages per day, and enhance the healing and nurturing effects of massage therapy.

1. Paraffin Wax Treatment

Dry skin is a common complaint from clients, especially in the wintertime. Paraffin wax can relieve dryness, promote circulation, and make the skin soft and supple. It’s especially helpful for clients with arthritis and joint pain. It’s also good for self-care—give your hands a treat after a long day of massages.

Paraffin wax takes a few hours to melt, so turn on the wax warmer well before your first client arrives. You can either dip the client’s hand or foot into the paraffin bath or use a brush to apply the wax. Using a brush is sanitary and saves you money on paraffin, since you don’t need to empty out the wax after every use.

2. Aromatherapy Oils

Engaging all of the senses should be one of your goals in offering top-notch service to your clients. Aromatherapy is one of the best ways to engage the sense of smell. Plus it offers health benefits, such as increased energy, calmer mood, and stress relief.

Take a few classes in aromatherapy before introducing it to your clients. Make sure you know the contraindications for the oils that you use and study up on new essential oils before you offer them to clients.

3. Hot Towel Treatment

Especially if you live in a cold climate, hot towel treatment is an excellent way to pamper your clients and warm up their muscles. Hot towel cabinets are small enough to fit in most treatment rooms, and they keep towels hot and sanitized all day. Just turn on the cabinet in the morning and fill it with damp towels, and clean out the cabinet at the end of the day.

To introduce hot towel treatment into your practice, first offer it to clients as a freebie for one session. Then give them the option to include hot towels as an add-on to their regular massage treatments.

Give your clients the feeling of luxury with a fleece massage table cover.

Feeling special and valued as a person is one of the most important reasons your clients keep coming back. When you place your full attention on a client’s well-being, you leave a deeper impact than your hands alone could ever make.

Here are some extra special ways to show your clients that you care.

1. Be fully present.

Nothing you do or say is more important than being fully present with each client for the entire session. Check your worries at the door, and don’t let yourself be distracted by minor disruptions if the session doesn’t go as planned. Live in the moment. Bring all of your attention and energy to what’s happening right now.

2. Embrace the senses.

Pay attention to all the senses. When your clients step in the door or lie on the table, what will they hear? What will they see, feel, and smell? Use aromatherapy, music, color, texture, and space to create the atmosphere your clients expect, whether that’s a spa-like atmosphere, a professional clinic, or a healing oasis.

3. Add warmth.

There’s something warm and cocoon-like about climbing between toasty sheets. A massage table warmer keeps your clients comfortable without turning up the thermostat and making you sweat while you work. Using a table warmer also adds an extra layer of thickness to the table. A feeling of luxury adds value to a massage session in the client’s mind.

Another way to add warmth is to wrap a hot stone in a towel and tuck it under the client’s neck (if supine) or place it near the client’s feet.

4. Make the ending a memorable one.

My auto repair shop leaves a mint on the dash of my car every time I get an oil change. Granted, that’s not the main reason I keep going back, but that extra detail shows me that they care. If they care enough about details to leave a mint on the dash, I assume they care enough to remember the details when they inspect my car.

A small treat (like a chocolate-dipped strawberry) and glass of water after a massage session adds a special touch, and it’s a great way to end the session on a memorable note. It might not be the main reason your clients come back, but it could mean more to them than you think. Details matter.

Look for a massage table with accessories included for the best deal.

If you’re still in massage school or just graduated, you might not be able to buy your dream massage equipment and supplies. Here are some tips to tide you over until you get back on your feet financially.

1. Ask for product samples.

Do you love trying out new massage oils, creams, and lotions? Ask the manufacturer for a free product sample so you can test out a product before you buy. If you can’t get a sample, buy the smallest amount available. Then if you love the product and want to use more of it, you can purchase it in larger amounts.

2. Buy a starter massage table.

As a massage student or recent graduate, you probably can’t afford an electric lift massage table. Do your research and look for student massage tables or special sales. Later on, if you decide to upgrade your massage table, you can use your starter table for outcalls or to work on friends and family at home.

3. Use paper towels for face cradle covers.

As a cheap and convenient alternative to face cradle covers, you can buy high quality, ultra soft paper towels. Just cut a few slits to make it fit the cradle.

4. Watch for sales on towels and linens.

Keep an eye out for white sales on home linens. You can always use twin bed sheets instead of fitted massage table sheets to start out your practice. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you can alter the sheets so that they don’t hang down too low on the sides. You could also make your own face cradle covers.

5. Order your marketing materials from Vistaprint.com.

Ordering your business cards and other marketing materials online is a cheap but professional way to start out your business. Some web stores even offer products for free, although we recommend paying a bit extra to remove the business’s logo from your materials.

Morgan Sheets, CMT

Morgan Sheets has been a certified massage therapist since 2010 in the state of Indiana. Like many massage therapists, she was drawn to the profession after experiencing the benefits of massage and alternative health in her own life. Learn more about Morgan and her thoughts about bodywork and business in the interview below.

1. What made you decide to become a massage therapist?

“I had received regular massage for stress and anxiety related issues and the results were tremendous. My outlook on life changed because my body and muscles were learning to relax and I finally was feeling less pain and more alive. My prior employment ended when the company I was working for went out of business and I was interested in making some life changes. I’ve always been passionate about natural medicine and helping people. The practical side of me felt that being a massage therapist would be a great future career and the soul side of me enjoyed the prospect of helping people feel better and live better.”

2. What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?

“Recent graduates should be careful about under selling themselves and giving their time away. You don’t have to give away your services to build a clientele. Don’t take any available job. Make sure that your employer is giving you fair compensation for your work as a massage therapist. Join a group of massage professionals in your city so that you have a support system to fall back on and somewhere to go for professional advice.”

Chair massage event that Morgan worked for Mr. Rooter

3. Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?

“I’m happy with the path I’ve taken as a massage therapist. I worked part time in a spa environment for a year after graduating school. I had a flexible schedule that allowed me to continue working my full time job and secondary part time job while still actively massaging clients and pursuing my career. I didn’t want to open my own space right after school. I knew that for me the right thing was to work in different environments first to see what I liked and didn’t like. Now, after patiently waiting for the right time I’ve opened my own massage studio!”

4. What is one thing that has really made your business take off?

“I wouldn’t say my business has taken off yet, but I do maintain a regular part time schedule. For me personally social media has been helpful in referring clients to me. Also word of mouth and referrals from current clients seem to be my main source of clients.”

5. What keeps your clients coming back?

“My clients keep coming back because of the service I provide them. I give a great massage, and treat each and every client with compassion and the best service possible. I’m there to do my best to make them feel better, and I think my clients leave feeling nurtured and restored.”

About Morgan

Morgan Sheets graduated from Indiana Therapeutic Massage School’s 600 hour state accredited program and received her certificate of Massage Therapy in October 2010. Her education included extensive training and hands on experience in therapeutic Swedish massage and deep tissue massage as well as exposure to many other bodywork modalities. She just opened her own massage studio just east of downtown Indianapolis in the Circle City Industrial Complex. She also is available to do chair massage for trade shows, corporate wellness programs, bachelorette parties, open houses, and more!

Morgan’s intention as a massage therapist is to provide each client with the best therapeutic bodywork possible with the goal being to not only help relieve the client’s pain and stress, but to use massage as a method of enhancing general health and as a step in an overall lifestyle of natural health and wellness. The goal is to provide a safe and non-judgmental environment where all are welcome to receive the benefits from massage therapy. Morgan’s philosophy for practice stems from belief in the integrated whole of human beings and humanity.

Morgan’s lifelong love for nature and living “the simple life” as well as a passion for natural medicine and nutrition is part of what made massage therapy so appealing. In 2009 after receiving her first massage for some issues resulting from stress, Morgan became a believer in the benefits of massage and was inspired to begin investigating and pursuing a career in massage therapy. Learn more about Morgan at www.m2massage.com.

Although many therapists and bodyworkers love the idea of being their own boss, the in’s and out’s of running a business aren’t something most massage schools focus on teaching their students.

Marketing, in particular, is a tough job for massage therapists, many of whom are introverts.

We published an article in Massage & Bodywork (May/June 2012) focused on marketing tips for introverts. See the article online, or watch for it in the print edition of the magazine delivered to ABMP members.

Massage & Bodywork - Marketing for Introverts article

Sneak Peek:

“Spa owner Heidi Lamar has seen plenty of therapists come and go in her years hiring for Spa Lamar in Arizona. ‘Some are quite comfortable handing out their [business] cards wherever they go, but others would rather walk barefoot across shards of glass,’ Lamar says. ‘My busiest, most successful therapist is one of those. How did he become my highest paid therapist? The old-fashioned way: he does a great job, and he has been at the spa for almost 10 years.’

Lamar’s example proves that you don’t have to force yourself to act like an extrovert in order to fill up your appointment book. You don’t need to stand outside your office with a sandwich board yelling out to people on the street. All you need to do is figure out what type of marketing strategies fit your strengths and put them to work…” Read more

Remember to ask for feedback about draping, room lighting, and bolstering as well.

Do you want to build up your business and improve your service? One of the most important ways to figure out where your massage or spa business needs to improve is to listen to your clients’ feedback. Word of mouth marketing is a therapist’s best marketing asset, but if your clients aren’t enamored with your service, they won’t spread the word.

Ask Your Clients

Don’t just wait for clients to offer feedback on their own. Ask for it! The same way you ask, “Is the pressure deep enough?” during a massage, you should be asking, “Is there anything you would change about your experience today?” at the end of a massage.

Some clients will give you honest feedback. Others won’t feel comfortable telling you that the room was too cold, the sheets were too thin, or the session felt too rushed. Picking up on subtle hints and body language will go a long way with clients who are more reticent about giving feedback.

Get Outside Feedback

Is there a friend, family member, or peer whom you can trust to give honest, unbiased feedback? Invite them to come in for a free session to critique your service and your office space. Ask them specific questions about their experience (i.e. What is the first thing you notice when you walk into the treatment room? Is the music too loud? Is the massage table too hard or too soft?) and make it clear that you want their honest opinion. Don’t argue if you don’t agree with something they say. Just be open to hearing their feedback, good and bad.

Great service is what keeps your clients coming back and ignites word-of-mouth marketing. Make your clients feel special, give your best massage every time, and you’ll find that most of your marketing will take care of itself.