Almost nowhere in North America will you find massage therapy training that includes instruction on marketing your services, finding new clients, and maintaining a thriving massage practice.
As a business coach for massage therapists worldwide, I’ve found this to be a significant gap in their training and a primary cause of their lack of commercial success when working independently. Any successful entrepreneur needs to be well-versed in marketing and business growth strategies. The key to professional success is how well-developed this collection of abilities is. I’m not saying that a genuine interest in and talent for the massage therapy aren’t also crucial.
However, I’ve met a lot of massage therapists who are brilliant, dedicated, and good at what they do, but who are having trouble setting up their effective healing practices. Their inability to grasp basic marketing concepts is solely to blame.
If you are in a similar situation, know you are not alone. Marketing is a source of irritation, dread, burden, and resistance unless you were explicitly taught it or have committed to mastering it in your current work.
My goal is to assist you in breaking this habit. After all, if the massage therapy industry as a whole is going to continue growing (and it has come a long way already, so there’s plenty of room for more progress), then it’s up to individual therapists like you to take the reins, develop into leaders, and master the art of entrepreneurship.
Let’s go through some of the fundamentals of marketing your practice such that it is both practical and genuine:
1. Invest in your education; you’ll be miles ahead of the other massage therapists who are floundering financially if you take the time to master marketing. Books by authors like Seth Godin and Robert Kiyosaki are worth your time. You may sharpen your marketing abilities with the help of a wealth of excellent books and online tools.
2. indeed, the beliefs, financial potential, and attitude you have with the five individuals you spend the most time with reflect who you are. Therefore, it’s essential to surround yourself with like-minded practitioners, entrepreneurs, and people. If you’ve noticed that your friends are struggling financially, if you’ve heard them make excuses, point fingers, and cry about poverty… It’s time to upgrade your social circle by associating with people who are further along in their personal and professional development than you currently are.
It’s tough to stop restricting ideas and habits when constantly surrounded by people who reinforce the same. Now, I don’t say this to sound cynical; it’s just what I’ve observed: there is an epidemic of the poverty mindset in massage therapy, and I imagine it starts on the first day of massage school.
After all, many massage therapists only work for others since they cannot establish their successful businesses. So they tell the students that it’s tough to make it in private practice, that it takes five years to break even, that they shouldn’t expect to make more than $35,000 a year, and that they should look elsewhere if money is their primary motivation.
These misconceptions are commonplace in the field. Is it any surprise that lots of massage therapists have problems? When such ideas are planted in their young minds, they start at a disadvantage.
As you rid your life of those always moaning about money, you should also free your mind of lingering thoughts about lack, scarcity, or difficulty. After all, how much good can you provide your customers if you’re permanently in their primal “fight or flight” state?
3. Build up your online profile; let’s discuss the web. Did you know thousands of people may now seek a massage in your region? For instance, I’ve assisted a few massage therapists in the Denver region with their digital advertising. About 33,000 individuals in Denver alone search Google every month for “massage Denver.”
That is entirely out of control! This implies that you should try to place yourself in front of that enormous audience. Ideally, your website would be a work of art that succinctly conveys your organization’s values and goals. The next step is to optimize your site for search engines, both within and externally.
Here is not the place to skimp on quality. Put money into a top-notch website if you want to attract customers online. Your site should radiate nothing but high standards and value. An unprofessional design can turn visitors off and cost you business. The massage industry is one where appearances matter greatly. Your goal should be to have the best public image in your area. Your website should reflect your professionalism in every way.
4. Learn to network like a pro. You will never want customers if you are eager to meet new people and engage them in sales conversations. How open you are to making connections depends mainly on your state of mind. Extreme shyness, insecurity, or introversion will make this process more challenging than it needs to be, so you’ll need to do some introspective work to prepare yourself.
However, the price is justified. Networking is still the quickest approach to expanding a thriving business. You can become involved in local leadership groups by joining the Business Network International (BNI), the local Chamber of Commerce, or another similar organization. Meetings after regular business hours, networking lunches, and other community events sponsored by area companies are all available. You just need to put in the time and effort to find them and commit to attending at least one event per week.
5. Plan for your future success. Most massage therapists work excessive hours for inadequate compensation. Your daily agenda is a symbol of your thoughts at all times. If it’s all over the place, false beliefs still trap you. You aren’t placing a high enough value on your work and probably giving clients too much sway over your day.
Burnout is guaranteed if you don’t control your schedule. Set aside one day each week to promote your practice, think about your long-term vision, and recharge your batteries. This is crucial to your future success. Construct a timetable that propels you forward rather than holds you back.
I could go on, but I hope this gives you enough foundation to get your practice. Send me an update on how things are going.
The foundation of your business is massage marketing [http://dreampracticeblog.com/marketing-for-practitioners/massage-marketing/]. If you want excellent instruction at no cost, click on my blog. You can join my membership program if you need more help promoting your massage business. Kevin Doherty works as a business coach for masseurs all around the world.
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