According to the American Massage Therapy Association, approximately 34.5 million American adults received massage at least once between July 2011 and July 2012. If there are 34.5 million people getting a massage, why can’t your business get more clients every week?
Philippa Dodson, owner of Salon FX, found that you can grow your business online. “Sign up for Google Maps and Google+ Plus for free,” Dodson said, “and link those listings to your website, and your business will grow.”
Let’s take a look at other ways to grow your massage business.
1. Find your target audience. The type of massage services you provide will guide you to your target audience. For example, prenatal massage targets a different audience than deep-tissue massage.
2. Create business cards. Hand out your business cards to surrounding businesses that relate to your target audience. If you are trying to bring in clients for prenatal massages, then OB-GYN offices are a great place to hand out your business cards.
3. Network with surrounding businesses. By networking with chiropractors and physical therapists, you can refer clients to one another. Kat Mayers of Kavema Massage & Wellness knows the importance of referrals. “To be successful,” she said, “you have to quickly grow a referral network.”
4. Send a coupon through your e-mail list. According to a Blue Kangaroo Survey, “Seven in 10 people say they had made use of a coupon or discount they had learned about through a marketing e-mail in the prior week.”
5. Run a referral campaign. You can double your massage clients easily by offering an incentive to refer a friend for a massage. Offer a 50-percent discount on a 30-minute massage for new clients that were referred to you by old clients. You will gain even more clients through word-of-mouth by following this step.
Steve Lynch at Hands on Massage knows the importance of personal touch and referrals. “The bulk of my clients come from just doing one good job at a time and getting referrals,” he said.
Remember, provide the personal touch every client needs and your business will grow even faster through referrals.
If you continue to complete each step every week, you will grow your massage business.
Connor Bringas is a marketing specialist at Appointment-Plus, a leader in online scheduling software for massage therapists. You can check out other great tips from Bringas on Twitter.