Marketing Massage Within A Larger Business

If you operate your massage business within a chiropractic office, medical practice, salon or other umbrella business, you hold in your hands a great opportunity for building your own practice. Why?nn* It puts you in close proximity to a business with a ready-made clientele.n* It provides an opportunity for exchanging support with other professionals.n* It gives your massage clients exposure to other professionals who may be able to help them.n* It may save you money if you share expenses.n* It can enhance your professional image as a massage therapist. Generate Referrals to Your Massage PracticennStart by encouraging referrals from the other professionals in the office. This can be one of your best ways to market massage to new clients. Offer office mates free or discounted samples of your work so they know firsthand what your work is like. To ensure that they refer clients most likely to benefit from your work, educate them about your specialties or focus. If you are in a health care setting, give them a packet of research articles documenting the benefits of massage. Or have some copies of a book to loan or give away that present a compelling look at the research-supported benefits of massage. Examples are Touch Therapy by Tiffany Field and A Physician's Guide to Therapeutic Massage by John Yates. Ask office mates to hand out your business card or massage brochure to their patients or clients when appropriate. In return for their willingness to refer, have their brochures or business cards in your office to give to your clients. Marketing Massage to the Client CommunitynnHere are some more ways for marketing massage to clients of the larger business:nn* Mail postcards promoting massage to part or all of the mailing list of the larger practice.n* Post massage brochures, flyers or posters in the waiting room.n* Leave your massage business cards at the desk.n* Leave discount coupons in the waiting room. (Remember to specify one per client. Give an expiration date, and suggest they pass it to a friend if they don't plan to use it.)n* Give sample chair massages in the waiting room.n* Give presentations to groups of clients or patients, perhaps joining with another professional in the practice or salon, such as a naturopath, chiropractor or esthetician.n* Write articles promoting massage for the office newsletter.n* For marketing your massage business to clients beyond the office, note where else the owner or other practitioners are advertising. Can you piggy-back on those efforts? For example, can you add your massage business information to their flyers? Can you add your information to their paid advertisements (offering to pay a percentage of the costs, of course)? Making a Proposal for Marketing Your Massage BusinessnnIf you plan on spending a significant amount on marketing that can benefit the larger business as well as yours, write up a sheet showing costs of materials, mailings and other expenses. Then meet with the owner/manager, present it to them, and discuss ways they can support your efforts. Keep in mind that you want to emphasize the benefits to their business without losing sight of fact that it's your massage business you are building. Here are some possible benefits to the owner and other professionals who practice there:nn* Does having your massage business and your presence in the office help build his or her reputation?n* Is massage a service his or her clients expect and benefit from, increasing satisfaction?n* Can you refer clients to each other?n* Is increasing traffic into the office via your massage business something that could build his or her client base as well as yours? It's Up to You to Market MassagennEven when working under the banner of another business, you can't wait for someone to build your business for you. Take the driver's seat, make a plan, and continually market your massage practice. You've got a great head start just by being there!nn