Massage Entrepreneur

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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on October 4, 2016 at 9:30pm

Hi Joey, I have my own massage business.  I started in 2007 and have built my entire business with no advertising or marketing.  It was slow but that was OK with me - I wanted it that way.

My best recommendation to you is to listen - really listen - to what clients want and then make sure they get that.  When you really listen to people and solve problems for them, they will send other clients to you.  If you want me to elaborate on this, let me know.

Spreading the word to friends and family is a great way to get started.  Let them know (if you want to do this) that if they send someone to you who comes for a massage, they (the one who sent the new client) will get a discount on their next session.  That may motivate them to spread the word for you!

You can do chair massage at events to get your name out there.  I've gotten a few clients that way - and one of those events turned out to be especially worthwhile!  So that may be a good way to go.

Get training in different modalities.  Have several ways to solve problems for people.

Use VistaPrint to make business cards; it's not difficult or expensive.

Use Facebook to your advantage.  Create a business page; I know a lot of therapists who do this and then have their friends like it and hopefully share it.  Make sure that EVERYTHING you post on FB, personally and professionally, is something that you'd be OK with any and all of your clients reading.

Use quality equipment and oils/lotions.  People will notice.  I use jojoba oil; it only seems expensive up front but it really isn't when you realize how little you need to use and it makes a huge difference to clients.  They never feel oily or greasy.  Don't use any fragranced lotions, if you prefer lotions.  Even lavender can be an issue.  Seemingly little things like this will help build your reputation and therefore your business.

I can't think of anything else right now, but if I do I'll share it.

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Permalink Reply by Bob MTN on December 28, 2016 at 9:22am

I support what everyone else is saying here. Definitely set up a business Facebook page, it is a great way to market your services and expertise for free. It will take time though, having friends like and share your page is definitely going to be necessary to get it seen. Consider joining Facebook groups and add to the conversation, or even start your own. You get what you put into social media, so if you make it a priority it can be a really great resource for a massage entrepreneur.

Once you have a database of clients, or potential clients, using an email marketing service, like MailChimp is a great way to keep in touch with this database. Consider using giveaways, special offers, and massage info to entice your audience to purchase your services.

Lastly, if you start to pick up steam, you could consider using a service like Wix or Weebly to set up a free website. The services are straight forward and free, and you can have an up and running website in a couple of hours. This could be a great resource in conjunction with your Facebook efforts, as you could refer potential clients to your website. 

Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by Bob MTN on December 28, 2016 at 6:16pm

I actually only have experience with MailChimp, but it is all very straight forward in setting up a campaign. They have a variety of templates, and from that point forward it is pretty much filling in the template. I also recommend using Canva, which is also very easy to use, if you want to create designs to add to your campaign. I find this adds more character to the email.

Pueppi Texas said:

Once you have a database of clients, or potential clients, using an email marketing service, like MailChimp is a great way to keep in touch with this database.

Bob,

When you get time, can you give some pros and cons to the two different e-mail database services, MailChimp and ConstantContact, if you don't mind.

I am not sure if one is better than the other, but I am open to learning more about each.  The most I currently know about them, is that they exist.  I've only done a little research into them and would love to hear some feedback from users! 

Thanks in advance!  :)

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 14, 2017 at 2:31pm

I will throw in my two cents. I'm a very good massage therapist, but not a good business person. You can tell that by my bank account. So you may want to totally disregard what I say?
I think what is helpful, is meeting or better yet, massaging key people. One person can change your life, or in this case Massage therapy practice.
Thirty years ago when I had no clients at all. I offered free massages to just about everybody I met. One was my sons pediatrician. He politely took my card and said thank you. I could tell he never really had any intention of visiting me. Anyway a couple months went buy, and I got a call from the doctor. He had hurt his back and it was getting worse. His physical therapist friend couldn't help him. So he decided to take me up on that free massage offer. Long story short. I accidentally cured him of his back pain. Because of that. He wrote me a nice letter of recommendation that got me a job working in a chiropractic clinic. Now, thirty years later one of my clients, an anesthesiologist talked to one of his anesthesiologist friends, and as a result , in two weeks I will be working with him in his pain management clinic. A whole new chapter in my career. In hindsite, had I focused more on meeting key people, I would be way ahead of where I am now. Just something to think about. Check the attachment. It's the letter from that pediatrician from along time ago.

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Permalink Reply by Mattias Crispién on May 17, 2017 at 11:51pm

Bump.

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Permalink Reply by Ethan Fleming on June 17, 2017 at 5:18pm

Hey Joey,

I'm coming from the place of being the person who gets spas business full time, not a massage therapist myself.

I would highly recommend getting both a Business facebook page and a website. I would also recommend using WordPress over Wix because there is a lot more features you can do on wordpress. When It comes time to pick a theme on WordPress you can either use a free theme or I reccomend going to Themeforest and picking out a great spa related theme. 

Once you do that you can make facebook ads. I'd go to fiverr dot com and have someone else make you a professional ad display image. The ads should direct people to a landing page like the one I have for one of my clients (tinnaspa.com/landing/facial).

One that is done integrate all the emails you get through mailchimp. This is allow you to message everyone when there is a special available. 

I feel like that is kinda a lot so please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Glad to help.

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