Starting your independent massage therapy practice is exciting and is a lot of hard work! One of the biggest challenges facing any practitioner is finding new clients to grow your business. Here is an assortment of methods and techniques, to help you expand your massage therapy practice and get new massage therapy clients!
If you are just starting out, try one or two tips at a time. If you’re new to using social media, try a few ideas first. Once you have success with those, then you can go on to try out some of the other tips.
1. Identify Your Ideal Clientele
An important and easy exercise to start with. Are they high paying salon clients? Medical or non-medical? Cash only? Busy mom, career conqueress, awesome athlete? Right now you may be open to anyone as long as they pay. Deciding who helps provide some clarity on the next question which is: how to reach that person?
2. You Have a Stack, Now What? The Business Card
The possibilities are endless for using your business card with other marketing ideas! Post your business card on bulletin boards around your area. Participate in neighborhood functions where you’ll have an opportunity to hand out your cards. Put promotional offers on your cards, 2 for 1 couples massage?
3. Be a Stalker (kidding-no really)
Join groups where your target market hangs out! Are well-to-do stay at home moms your ideal clients? Figure out where those mommies spend their time! Library? 5k walk/runs? The gym? Neighborhood gatherings? Get creative!
4. High-end Salons
Get friendly with the fancy salons in your area! Join salons where they don’t have onsite massage. Then offer to cross market. This could lead to joining an open house! Who wouldn’t love a cut, color, massage package?
5. The Obvious (obviously) – Chiropractors
Talk to MDs and chiropractors who support massage. Patients with massage therapy or chiropractor prescriptions are a great way to drum up new business! As more doctors note the benefits of massage, the number of patients being referred to massage therapy businesses is rising! After all massage is a great way for a patient to recover from stress, injury, and pain.
6. Registered With Google Places, Google Maps and Google+
Registering your business is the perfect step for getting your website and contact information found by the exact people who are looking for your services!
7. Offers that Can’t Be Refused (carefully)
When potential new clients find you make sure you give them every reason to book an appointment. You could offer a free 30 minute massage (note: only do this if you are confident you will ask for a rebooking and referrals at the end of the massage). You can also do a two for one deal for first time customers or half off. Just be sure to ask for the rebooking and get their contact information for future marketing otherwise you might be doing a lot of massages for free with no financial compensation for yourself!
8. Gift Certificates
Everybody loves to receive gift certificates! Such a lovely way to pamper someone. If you use Vistaprint for your business cards you can also whip up some lovely gift certificates to sell or give away! Give out reward-gift cards that new and loyal clients can pass along to their family and friends. You could also create a referral program where clients get a discount when they refer your business to a family member or friend and they book an appointment.
9. Reach Out to Past Clients
Keep track of clients in a database or an email service. For clients you haven’t seen in a bit send out an email with a friendly ‘hello, we haven’t seen you in a while!’ or you could get funny ‘did we rub you the wrong way?’ People are busy and enjoy being reminded to take time for themselves.
This really is just the start! What tips do you have finding new massage therapy clients?
