Massage therapy and marketing may not always seem to go hand in hand, as many skilled touch therapists tend to shy away from the business side of bodywork. However, as in any industry, it is crucial to the success of one’s practice to reach out to the community and promote the healing work you do.
Good marketing is much more than simply getting the word out about your massage practice. Of course, that is one important piece of the marketing puzzle, but actually being excited about what you are marketing can take the buzz to a whole new level.
Bringing new skills, techniques or details into your everyday work is one great way to pump up enthusiasm about what you have to offer clients, so that passion can, in turn, spill over into your marketing efforts.
One fun, creative way to begin is by revamping your massage or bodywork menu. Similar to a high-quality restaurant that creates a new menu every season, or even every week, you can brainstorm a massage and bodywork menu that is sure to draw attention, then market the interesting hands-on services you have crafted.
You may be at a loss as to how to make your techniques sound irresistible. The perfect way to get those creative juices flowing might be by basing each massage or bodywork offering on your menu around a certain type of massage cream.
Go outside the box, and outside your current stock of massage cream, and take a look at the wide variety of amazing massage creams on the market, from both large manufacturers and smaller, independent companies. You will find a host of massage creams available, from those that are totally organic and even free of fragrances to massage creams filled with extracts from all kinds of fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers.
Try selecting five or six different creams that sound appealing to you and seem as if they would suit the style of your practice. Typically, companies have no problem mailing out small samplers of their massage creams to professional touch practitioners. Once these arrive in the mail, test them out on family and friends, to get a feel for the texture, scent and overall experience of each massage cream.
At this point, ideas likely will begin to flow as to how to create a few new options for your practice menu. For example, if you have selected a massage cream that contains pineapple and coconut extracts, it might be a wonderful focal point for an island-themed massage, perhaps employing relaxing tropical music or ocean sounds, as well as any island-based massage techniques you may have in your repertoire.
If you go the all organic route, to use another example, you could tout the massage offering that way, as an all-natural and organic indulgence. In this case, it might be even better to have organic massage linens, candles and any other tools you use in the session room.
These are two possibilities from a near endless list, so take a look at what kinds of massage creams on the market might appeal to you, and begin to create a massage menu made for marketing.
–Brandi Schlossberg