Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1191154
Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 79 Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 79 SEPTEMBER Show Your Work We know that in 2018 only 18 percent of adults in the US received a massage. 1 There are many factors that keep people from trying massage, but much of that is fear of the unknown. Movies and TV do a terrible job of depicting realistic massage, and stock photos, with a model covered in stones and flowers with her head wrenched to the side, aren't helpful. That fear problem can easily be solved with a short demo video or some pictures of your typical massage. You don't need fancy equipment. You don't need professional editing skills. Just get a friend on the table and another friend (or a tripod) to hold a quality smartphone, and then take video or pictures. In your video or pictures: • Demonstrate a few minutes of a typical back massage (or your specialty, like TMJD work). • Record or photograph a short back massage demonstration. With video, you can talk while you massage, and cover the logistics of a treatment. With pictures, you can take some still shots and write a few sentences for each. • Publish your video or photos in a blog post, on your website, in an email, and/or to your social media sites. OCTOBER Prep for the Holidays If you sell gift certificates, it's time to think about your holiday sales plan. To prepare for your holiday campaign, consider your need for new clients, your schedule, and your comfort level with discounts as you design your emails and images for selling over the holiday season. Reflect on the types of discounts you offered in the past. Did gift certificates sell well? Did you feel good about the pricing, or were you a little grumpy when those low-priced gift certificates were redeemed? With those thoughts in mind: • Create your holiday sales emails and social posts. • Be sure to include easy and obvious links to gift certificate sales pages. If you don't sell gift certificates, consider sending some love and donations to your favorite local charity over the holidays. Use a blog post, emails, and social media posts to teach your clients about your favorite charitable causes, and encourage them to donate as well. Be sure to add links in your emails and posts to make it easy for your clients to contribute. NOVEMBER Share Your Favorites This is the perfect season to write a gift guide showcasing the local businesses in your area. Or, you could make a video sharing all your favorite places to eat and shop in your area. Just be sure to include your own business and feature any retail items you sell, including your gift certificates. To put this plan in motion: • Write 1–2 sentences about each of your favorite local businesses. Be sure to include website links. • Send an email to your list with that blog post (or video). • Feature one business each day on your social media. Link to the blog post and be sure to tag that business's social media accounts too. DECEMBER Reflect The end of the year is a good time to reflect on your marketing activities, and evaluate the success of those activities. It's often helpful to focus on specific metrics. Ask yourself: • Did traffic to your website increase? • Did online bookings increase? • Did your retention rate increase? When you identify an improvement, connect it to an activity or set of activities that had an effect on the outcome. Assess how you feel. Maybe it felt great when new clients said they found you online, or they loved your website. How about when a client shared that your resource page helped them figure out and eliminate a migraine trigger? Once you finish reflecting, scale back on anything that wasn't effective, and be sure your 2021 plan includes activities that bring you more clients—and more joy! Note 1. Les Sweeney, "How Many Massage Therapists Are There in the United States?" Massage & Bodywork 34, no. 6 (November/December 2019): 80, www.massageandbodyworkdigital. com/i/1174218-november-december-2019/82. Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds can be found at www.massagebusinessblueprint. com, a member-based community designed to help you attract more clients, make more money, and improve your quality of life.