Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/81195
Take this opportunity to refresh your marketing efforts and create a strategy that not only works to attract the clients you want to your practice, but also includes activities you'll enjoy doing. Things to consider • Get creative and have fun! • Marketing is personal, and you have the ability to define what it means for you and your practice. Doing chair massage at a community event is marketing. Giving massage after a 5K race is marketing. Asking your current clients to give your cards to their friends, family, and co-workers is marketing. • Marketing is letting people know who you are and what you have to offer: that's it! Action steps 1. Write down all of the things you're currently doing to market your practice. 2. Research all of the ways you can reach the target market(s) you want to work with. Who are they? Where do they go? What do they do? 3. Read marketing books and utilize online resources and courses to increase your marketing knowledge. 4. Plan at least three new marketing opportunities you're excited to try. 5. Schedule time weekly and/or daily to devote to marketing your practice. 6. Create a separate calendar to plan your marketing activities and schedule a minimum of one unique activity each month. 7. Develop strategies to market to your current clients to keep them coming back. 8. Create and maintain an informative website for your practice. 9. Embrace social media as a way to communicate with current clients and attract new ones. "I'M TIRED OF GIVING THE SAME MASSAGE." Solution: Explore New Modalities Are you still passionate about massage, but uninspired by the type of hands-on work you're doing? You're not alone; this happens to most therapists at one point or another. The kind of massage that will inspire and fulfill you has almost certainly changed since you graduated from massage school. You may be more interested in treatment work now than prenatal massage, or geriatric massage rather than sports massage. Maybe you just need to add something new to the techniques you're already using, and breathe some fresh life into your practice so it doesn't feel like you're giving the same session over and over. The good news is there are more continuing education options available to you than ever before. The fun part? Choosing one that will inspire you. Continuing education is a wonderful opportunity for you to get a second (or third) wind and reenergize your practice. The bonus is that your clients will enjoy the new journey with you and gain a better understanding of the depth of the massage field. Things to consider • It can take time to fully learn a new modality; this probably won't be an overnight change. • Learning a new modality requires an investment of not just time, but money; plan accordingly. • Receive sessions from professionals who specialize in different modalities to get a clear sense of what the work really is; reading about a modality doesn't necessarily prepare you for the reality of that style of massage on the table. • Think not only about new techniques you want to add to your practice, but those you want to let go of. Do you offer stone massage because you think your clients want it but you hate actually doing the work and resent it when someone books a stone session? Stop doing it! TIP Using ABMP's Continuing Education Calendar, which is available in the Members section online at ABMP.com, can help you find listings near your locale, as well as suggest home-study, self-paced, or international courses. Celebrate ABMP's 25th anniversary and you may win a refund on your membership. ABMP.com. 81