Friday, January 30, 2015

Marketing Calendar Idea

A Way To Stay On Your Clients' Minds Throughout The Year


Do you own a paper calendar?  Do your clients use paper calendars at home? I use one.  Mine was given to me by my insurance agent.  It has her information on the bottom visible each and every month.  My mother uses two.  One came from her insurance agent as well, and the other from a funeral home.  these calendars are nothing special, and other than the banner business card on the bottom, they don't tell much about the business that provided them to us.

I happened upon an article in American Spa about the clever use of calendars for marketing your business.  You can read the short article here: http://www.americanspa.com/spa-blog/model-calendar

This got my wheels turning in my brain of how I could come up with a calendar for my business that serves more purpose than the basic landscape scene with random quotes calendars we tend to receive.  Instead of pictures of random scenes of red barns or snowy mountains, how about pictures of retail products with a coupon useable only in that particular month, or someone getting a massage in our place of business.  Instead of random quotes, how about using interesting facts about the benefits of massage, or facts about the human body that relate to each particular month.

Giving away a calendar is nothing new in marketing, but it can be improved upon easily if you give it a bit of thought.  What are your clients interests?  What problem could you solve in February, August, or December.  What reminders could you put in place throughout the year for your clients?

If you are going to give the calendar away, make sure you are the first business in the hands of your clients.  I know that after I get a couple of calendars, the rest that follow end up in the recycling bin.  I find that most companies send theirs out in December.  How about sending yours out for Thanksgiving?  It could double up as your November promotion giveaway as a way to say 'Thank You' to your clients.

What do you think of paper calendars?  Do you use them?  Let us know by commenting below, or at the Facebook Massage Marketing Toolbox group.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Valentine Massage Marketing Idea

Valentine's Day is less than a month away!

Do you have your Valentine marketing ready?  


Here is an idea for you:

 Cross Promote with Another Business
Some lucky clients get a Valentine's surprise!
Flower Bouquet Giveaway
Partner with a local florist for small bouquets of roses for your clients.  I did this a couple years ago.  I partnered with a florist in town to do a Facebook contest with them.  They hosted the contest on their Facebook page.  I provided them with a gift certificate and a couple of small retail items to fill the basket of flowers.  In exchange they gave me enough small bouquets of roses on Valentine's Day to surprise my clients.  I added a small box of chocolates.  My clients loved the surprise - a couple of them were single at the time so it made their day, and a couple of the male clients were very appreciative of being on the receiving end of a Valentine!


Some other ideas:

Purchase some small chocolates and give them to your clients during Valentine's weekend.

Create a special Valentine's service available only during February.  Try bundling services together, or adding extra time to a regular service.

Use a different oil for your massage such as one infused with cocoa (to go with a chocolate theme).

Offer something different for your client to drink such as a rose tea (to go with a flower theme).

Partner with another therapist for couples massages if you don't already offer them in your business.

Teach a couple's massage workshop at your space, or at your local library.


What will you do to market your business for Valentine's Day?  Let us know by commenting here, or in the Massage Marketing Toolbox Facebook group.



Friday, January 16, 2015

Step One To Getting Referrals

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends." - Walt Disney

The first step in getting referrals is to give people a good reason to talk about you. 
Do you do anything that sets you apart from your competition? 

Are you targeting a specific market so that when someone says, for example, "My back hurts so much from this pregnancy."  You want their friend to say, "You should go see (insert your name) for a massage.  She did wonders for my aches during pregnancy."
-or-
"My shins are killing me after that run yesterday." You want their friend to refer to you and possibly say,"You should go get a massage from (insert your name here).  She runs in my running group and works on us all the time.  Every since I started going to her, I've been able to run longer runs without feeling the soreness that I used to."

Do you have any events coming up where you encourage them to bring a friend? Open house, grand opening/reopening, sponsoring a sports event...the list could go on and on.

Think about what sets you apart.  Why would someone choose you over the massage therapist down the street?  What makes you the better choice?

Tell me what people are saying about you.  If no one is talking about you yet, what would you want to to say?  What do you want to be known for as a massage therapist?  Share below in the comments, or in the Massage Marketing Toolbox Facebook group.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Being SMART With Goal Setting

It's a new year and you may be looking back at your year in business and developing new goals (or revamping the ones you already have).  Let's talk about goals and setting those that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Which ones are SMART goals?

1. I want to make more money in 2015.
 or 2. I want to make $40,000 in 2015.

3. I want more clients.
or 4. Double my current clients in six months.

5. I prepare in advance for holiday promotions.
or 6. I schedule 2015 marketing and promotions 2 months in advance for each holiday.

Your answers are 2, 4, & 6.

Let's break each one down.

GOAL: I want to make $40,000 in 2015.

S - Specific
This goal is specific.  You want to make a specific amount of money in a specific amount of time ($40,000 in 12 months).

M - Measurable
You can break this goal down each month to figure out what your income should be and measure throughout the year.  $40,000 / 12 months = $3334 income needed per month.  Some months will be a little less, some months will be a little more, but you are able to measure this goal throughout the year and adjust your projections if needed.

A - Attainable
Are you able to attain this goal this year, or does it seem out of reach?  Your goal should be challenging enough to push you.  If you made $40,000 last year, you may want to increase the amount of this goal.  If you made $5,000 last year, maybe you will decrease this goal a bit to make it attainable for you.

R- Realistic
If you are just starting out as a massage therapist, this may not be a realistic number, but it can be.  It all depends on your situation and if you are working on your own, or for someone else, and what clients are paying for their massage.  It also depends on if you have other streams of income.  Here is where you answer the question: How can I accomplish this goal?
Possible answers:
Adding retail to my practice.  Expect to sell $______ (insert goal amount) each month.
Gaining new clients.  Get 10 (or however many you need to reach your goal) new clients each month.
Up sell current clients. Up sell 5 clients a month to 90 minute services instead of 60 minute services.  Up sell 10 clients a month to Hot Stone massage.
Increase your prices

T - Time
 This goal will be reached by end of year.


GOAL: Double my current clients in six months.

S - Specific
 Know how many clients you currently have, and double that amount.  You want it to be doubled in 6 months time.

M - Measurable
Each month you can calculate how many clients you worked on, how many were returning, and how many are new.

A - Attainable
If you only have 1 client a week and it doubles to 2 a week, this goal is attainable, but much too easy.  If you have 15 clients a week, and want to double it to 30, it will be more difficult to attain.

R- Realistic
How will you double your clientele?  Will you increase your word of mouth referrals?  How?  Will you fine tune your target marketing efforts?  What will you do to increase your current clientele?  Will you increase your networking opportunities to get referrals from other businesses?

T - Time
 This goal should be completed by July.


GOAL:  I schedule 2015 marketing and promotions 2 months in advance for each holiday.

S - Specific
For the year 2015, you will be looking 2 months ahead to have marketing and promotions in place for each holiday.

M - Measurable
Each month look ahead to the following three months to plan out your course of action.

A - Attainable
If you plan your time, this goal should be attainable very easily.  Set reminders in your calendar.

R- Realistic
How will you achieve your goal?  Will you be using a mix of online and print marketing?  Will you use social media outlets and which ones (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest...)?  How many emails will you send out to your clients each month?  Will you design your own advertisements, or pay a graphic designer?  How much time will you be spending each week on marketing?

T - Time
 This goal will be reached each month as it is broken down by holidays.


Does goal setting make sense to you now?  What are your goals for 2015?  Make sure they are SMART ones. Share yours by commenting below, or in the Massage Marketing Toolbox Facebook group.