A healthy knowledge of business is necessary for any massage therapist managing her own practice. Running your massage business goes well past the healing techniques of your hands–and growing your client base is necessary to survive.
If you didn’t take a course in business management while in school, or if you just want to brush up on some of the latest trends, a home-study course in business practices might be the thing for you.
By learning the practice of massage marketing and other business practices in the privacy of your home or office through home-study courses, massage therapists can easily implement these tools into practice.
Massage therapists haven’t been immune to the ongoing economic slump. In fact, it has left many therapists in the industry to search for cost-effective ways to increase business and productivity.
An Internet search revealed numerous home-study courses that are available for any massage therapist to take to fulfill her continuing education requirements. Some of the topics in these home-study courses include massage therapy as a low-cost health care option; product sales; product integrity; expense cutting; ethical marketing practices; beneficial business habits; legal marketing restrictions; and ethical representation of advertising.
Social media as a marketing tool has become a way of life for small business owners. It’s affordable, fast and the potential to attract new clients is nearly limitless. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Instagram and Foursquare need to be in your vocabulary. These are simple, free marketing tools you can use to target your customers. In these venues, therapists can network directly with existing customers and expand their resources through promotions on the different sites.
Other home-study resources can teach you how to utilize these sites to your advantage. For instance, they can help you develop your online profile, target your online contacts as prospective clients and teach you how to avoid online business blunders.
Make sure to check with your national and state licensing bodies to make sure the courses you select are acceptable for continuing education credits.