Quick Marketing Ideas By Nicolay Kreidler - Get a sign -"A business without a sign is a sign of no business" - In a sense your presence is also your business sign. Use every bit of exposure to introduce yourself to the public. - Give free 15-minute consultations. This is a good way to relieve the anxiousness that some people might experience, who have never had a massage. - Become the go-to massage therapist for a large corporate office by offering a corporate rate, connecting with the human resource department and offering regular onsite chair massage. - Offer free massages? Giving away free massages tends to attract only those who want free massages. In our culture the more something costs - the more it is worth. - Give substantial discounts? Giving discounts makes people think you are consistently over-charging. Offer discounts with discretion, rarely and only if warranted. - Be visible in areas where people congregate: Restaurants, lobbies, your bank, theatres etc. always ask for permission to place cards, riders or flyers. - Do chair massage at your local health food store, fair, event, open-house. - Give away imprinted pens to clients. - Create door hangers if your neighborhood/motel is appropriate. - Get a creative, easy to remember phone number - Study phone etiquette and avoid huh? what? can you wait? and what's your name? - Connect with the front desk staff of your local hotels. Make sure they call you first. If they do not have a spa, offer to be their in-room spa service. Have a special flyer for their front desk. Address the type of guest they focus on, for example business travelers. Make sure you follow safety precautions when doing in-room massage. - Offer a free bottle of water after the session with your logo on it. Stickers with your logo are easily ordered. Get bottles that are biodegradable. - Make sure you have a good location. If your location is the problem, change it. - Install a visible sign with your logo. - Get magnetic business cards (don't store them on your computer). - Put a magnetic sign on your car. - Get postcards with a meaningful picture, your contact information, services etc. - Make sure your headline addresses the client's benefit. Nobody cares what your name is or where you trained or what your business is called. The headline makes people want to read on. - Have some good, expressive pictures taken of you giving a massage. A picture says more... and use them for your promotion and on your website and brochures. - Come up with a single line slogan that describes your practice. - Use a chair massage event as a way to introduce yourself and your business to new clients in a public or corporate setting. - Rent a booth at a flea market, health fair, farmer's market or popular market and promote yourself. - Become a guest on your local television station. - Get to know those who constantly meet potential clients. Golf and tennis pros, gym trainers and yoga teachers and create mutually beneficial relationships. - Donate gift certificates to local non-profit activities to use for fundraising. Make sure they have a media campaign that will mention your name and services. Usually only a fraction of the gift certificates will be returned but you will receive exposure in the media and acknowledgement from the public. - Develop a portfolio for prospective clients telling them everything they need to know about getting your service. Include a map to your place, spa etiquette, cancellation policy, treatment options, enhancements, pricelist, and business card. - Offer a senior citizens discount, a good way to fill those slow times. - Host an open house or other social gathering. - Give tours of your office. - Set aside time every week to and call clients or surrounding businesses to personally invite them = telemarketing. - Make a 12-month plan with monthly events including prominent holidays such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day etc. Chose something you want to market for this event and design a campaign, i.e. massage, retail, gift certificates, spa treatments etc. - Design and teach classes either at your studio or at a recreational center or other venue: couples massage, senior's massage, partner massage, baby massage etc. - Offer a lunchtime event and teach a short class such as partner massage. - Have your appointment book when you go to a meeting or event. Get basic information, call back when you get home and confirm. - Have a sign up list for your newsletter when you go to an event or meeting. - Offer free 5-minute chair massage experiences at your office. - Take a credit card number to secure an appointment and mention your cancellation policy. - Develop a referral program in which clients receive free services or gifts if they refer their acquaintances to you. - Set up online scheduling for clients to book online. - Start at the center and spiral out to visit every single business in your vicinity, talk to the owner and leave business cards, postacards or menus. - Find out how your clients find you. Focus on the top 3 causes and find similar situations. - Reward your main referrers. - Make sure you rebook every client. - Do regular surveys to find out about your clients. Nicolay Kreidler is a licensed massage therapist and massage instructor at Touching from the Heart and a facilitator at Spa College. He is an active consultant to the spa industry. You can also reach Nicolay at nicolay@learn-massage,com
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