You NEED a website
Unless you are operating in the bush or in a small country town where internet isn't yet a "thing" you really do need to get online. 70% of US households search for services and products online according to Localvox.com (read more awesome marketing statistics on their website). That is A LOT and that means it is really important that you are searchable with a website that is user friendly, simple and pleasing to the eye, drives clients to book and buy and is mobile friendly. A couple of great sites for making your own are: Weebly.com or Squarespace. If you are in Oregon and are hoping to find a great company to create your site for you please try: Modern Interface (they created my massage businesses beautiful site portlandmassagestudio.com).
Blogging
Search engines such as Google look for fresh and relevant content when ranking your page for search results. A great way to add content is by having a blog that you keep active and up to date. Blogging at least weekly is recommended and you don't want to let your blog page get too out of date. An outdated blog is worse than not having a blog at all because it makes clients think you are no longer open or are simply no longer interested in their business. Your blog posts should be interesting for your clients to read and can be educational, fun and even a little personal. They should be mostly non sales but this is a good place to share holiday promotions or new things you have added to your practice, just don't overdo it! Here is a great article for idea's about what to write in your blog posts:)
Social Media
Watch this fun little video on social media from 2015 to get yourself pumped up about social!
What form of social media you choose to focus on is going to depend on your clientele. Is your target market senior's? Then you might focus on Facebook. Young athletes? Then you might focus on Instagram and TikTok. Young professionals? Then you might focus on LinkedIN and Instagram. The important part is knowing your audience and not trying to focus on too many social channels at one time. Master one or two first and get into a routine of posting daily then you can branch out if you have the time and energy. Wondering about what to post? Check out this handy donut guide:
SEO-Search Engine Optimization
SEO is Search Engine Optimization or how quickly your business shows up in the search results. Ideally we all want to be on page one of the search results when someone searches for a Massage Therapist in our area. It takes some work, skill and expertise to get there! You will want to spend some time educating yourself about keywords and how to use them effectively on your website and in your blog posts. This is a great article on where, when and how to use keywords.
You will also want to get to know Google's business tools such as setting up your Google My Business Page, Signing up for Google Analytic's and adding it to your website and learning about Google Ads (a paid advertising method directly through Google). Finally you will want to sign up for Google Webmaster Tools to watch how your site is performing.
Another important part of SEO is getting listed in different places around the web such as directories. A mixture of local online directories as well as general directories is ideal. Click here for a short list of free directories you can add yourself to and here for an interesting article on building alternative types of back links. There are many and some are quality while others are not, don't be afraid to educate yourself on best practices here before jumping in head first. Also don't be fooled by some of these SEO companies that want you to pay a lot of money to "get you to the top of the search engine results" many of them just bulk add your basic info to a bunch of directories and not much else. If you need help with SEO ask your networks for recommendations or email me and I will see what I can find out for you!
You will also want to get to know Google's business tools such as setting up your Google My Business Page, Signing up for Google Analytic's and adding it to your website and learning about Google Ads (a paid advertising method directly through Google). Finally you will want to sign up for Google Webmaster Tools to watch how your site is performing.
Another important part of SEO is getting listed in different places around the web such as directories. A mixture of local online directories as well as general directories is ideal. Click here for a short list of free directories you can add yourself to and here for an interesting article on building alternative types of back links. There are many and some are quality while others are not, don't be afraid to educate yourself on best practices here before jumping in head first. Also don't be fooled by some of these SEO companies that want you to pay a lot of money to "get you to the top of the search engine results" many of them just bulk add your basic info to a bunch of directories and not much else. If you need help with SEO ask your networks for recommendations or email me and I will see what I can find out for you!
Online Scheduling
You don't HAVE to offer online scheduling but it can save you a lot of time and energy! The main concern therapists seem to have with choosing to use online scheduling is not being able to pre-screen their clients. My answer to this is if you are projecting a professional image in every way possible and marketing in appropriate ways and places you are already taking steps to weed out those who might get the wrong idea. You will also want to make sure you choose the right scheduler for your needs as well as then needs of your business as it grows. Many online scheduling systems offer free trials or demonstrations and I highly suggest that you take advantage of these to make sure they are a good fit for you!
Here is a short list of online schedulers that you might look into:
Here is a short list of online schedulers that you might look into:
Email Marketing
Collecting client information and staying in contact with them after they leave is a very important part of marketing and client retention. Here are a few simple ways you can get started:
I also like Constant Contact. Mail Chimp is a bit less expensive but doesn't offer quite as many extra services as Constant Contact. My favorite of those extras are free online training in different areas as well as stellar free or low cost in person learning opportunities in select cities including Portland. To start off you can try each of them at no cost and see which feels like a better fit for you. There are others as well and doing a simple internet search will help you find them.
2. Create your contact list by importing or entering your client's information
3. Create your first newsletter by choosing a template and personalizing it with what you have going on for the month ie. specials, a highlighted service etc... or some appropriate tales of you or your staff's life such as a recent marathon you ran or a chair event you participated in. If you have a blog this is a good place to share a bit from it with a link to read more. Keep it short and sweet but remember to include things that benefit your clients such as healthy recipes or DIY body scrubs.
4. Don't forget to include links to book online and ask for online reviews with a link to Google, Yelp, and Facebook!
5. Put a "to do" item on your calendar so that you remember to keep your newsletter consistent by sending it weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. YOUR ideal clients are going to want to hear from you! Of course you don't want to abuse their inbox but you do want to keep in touch so that you stay present in their minds.
6. Add a sign up form to your website so that you can capture potential clients before they ever walk through your doors:)
There are many more ways to utilize email marketing in your practice, keep an eye on our weekly blog posts, newsletters and social media for more email marketing tips and tricks!
2. Create your contact list by importing or entering your client's information
3. Create your first newsletter by choosing a template and personalizing it with what you have going on for the month ie. specials, a highlighted service etc... or some appropriate tales of you or your staff's life such as a recent marathon you ran or a chair event you participated in. If you have a blog this is a good place to share a bit from it with a link to read more. Keep it short and sweet but remember to include things that benefit your clients such as healthy recipes or DIY body scrubs.
4. Don't forget to include links to book online and ask for online reviews with a link to Google, Yelp, and Facebook!
5. Put a "to do" item on your calendar so that you remember to keep your newsletter consistent by sending it weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. YOUR ideal clients are going to want to hear from you! Of course you don't want to abuse their inbox but you do want to keep in touch so that you stay present in their minds.
6. Add a sign up form to your website so that you can capture potential clients before they ever walk through your doors:)
There are many more ways to utilize email marketing in your practice, keep an eye on our weekly blog posts, newsletters and social media for more email marketing tips and tricks!