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Article:
Massage Marketing Made Easy : Marketing Plan for Therapists and Bodyworkers by: Elizabeth Fletcher Brown Marketing is actually very simple. It involves telling people what you do'¦.over and over and over. The key to successfully marketing your massage therapy business is consistency. So, first, let's take a look at the difference between marketing a service and marketing a product. Products are tangible'¦. you can touch and feel and see them before you buy. However, when a prospective client is considering coming to you for a massage, until they actually work with you they don't know for sure if you are the right person to help them with their specific situation or challenge. It is for that reason that the first thing your prospect has to buy is YOU, before they decide to become a regular client or patient. It is important to remember this in all of your massage marketing endeavors. Secondly, I would like to talk about the difference between advertising and marketing, because all too often when I ask therapists about their current massage marketing plan, they tell me about a classified ad in a local newspaper, or a display ad in the yellow pages. Advertising is just that'¦ the placement of an ad, whether on the radio, print or web-based, in the hope that a prospect will call you as a result. Marketing, on the other hand, is relationship based. It is about building a relationship between you and your prospective client or patient over time. It is about building rapport, confidence and trust. So let's look at the 9 elements of a simple yet effective massage marketing plan. 1. Define Your Goals In order to put an effective marketing plan in place you first have to ask yourself, where are you now, and where do you want to be 6 months, or one, five, or even ten years from now. 2. Measure Your Progress You have to decide how you are going to measure your progress. You could measure: Your total number of weekly massage sessions. The number of new clients or patients that schedule appointments. The dollar amount actually deposited in your bank account The dollar amount invoiced to massage clients and insurance companies. Or some other measurement that you choose. 3. Who Do You Want to Work With? Who is your target market or ideal client? What are their ages? Are they male, female, or both? How much money do they make? What are their hobbies? What is the biggest challenge or problem that they face? What are the qualities that your ideal massage client possesses? For Example: I work with female executives between the ages of 28-'50
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