It is no secret more people are facing severe budget constraints. This is driving potential clients to cut back on spending and conserve their cash as much as possible. For the people who make their money providing goods and services to the public, this economic downturn poses particular problems.
Among those who provide goods and services to the public are professional massage therapists and bodyworkers. In an effort to continue bringing in new business and also keep one’s current and consistent clients, hands-on practitioner may need to take a more measured approach toward marketing.
A large number of massage therapists and bodyworkers may detest the idea of marketing their healing work, but that attitude is wrong. There is nothing wrong with promoting your practice and hands-on work you do. After all, clients stand to benefit from massage therapy and bodywork, but they need to know about those benefits and about your practice in order to book an appointment.
Learning the proper approach to marketing your practice is crucial to survival and success, especially during times of economic recession. Fortunately, massage therapists and bodyworkers have direct access to powerful marketing skills through various continuing education classes.
If you wish to bring new clients into your practice, then you would be well advised to enroll in a continuing education class about marketing, geared specifically toward massage therapists and bodyworkers. There are quite a few to choose from, so do your homework in order to find the continuing education class that best suits your current marketing needs.
For example, one of the first marketing measures most massage therapists and bodyworkers need to have in place is proper materials, such as business cards, brochures or fliers that showcase one’s practice menu, as well as a website with information about your services, your education and expertise, and how to book an appointment, perhaps even online.
If you feel as if you could bolster your marketing efforts in any of the above areas, then find a continuing education class devoted to teaching you how to create the materials you need. If your online presence is not strong, then you might want to take a continuing education class on the specific topic of creating an appealing and efficient website, as well as a powerful profile on such social sites as Facebook and Yelp.
For those massage therapists and bodyworkers who feel confident in these aspects of their marketing efforts, then a different kind of continuing education class might be advised in order to draw more clients through the door. Once you have solid marketing materials and a powerful Web presence, consider taking a continuing education class that will help you hone your in-person presence within your community and especially among your target client populations.
A continuing education class along these lines should help you learn how to market yourself through community presentations and even volunteer time at specific events. For example, if you are hoping to bring pregnant women in for massage therapy, you might want to give a presentation on the benefits of massage for pregnant women, maybe at an obstetrician’s office or at a yoga class for pregnant women.
—Brandi Schlossberg