Money, Marketing and Soul for Massagepreneurs
Archive for May, 2009
Escapes by Jeff Gold
May 28th
Sometimes we listen to the same CD 8 hours a day often several days in a row. Are you tired of the same ol’ same ol’? Try composer/musician Jeff Gold’s new CD called “Escapes”.
“Escapes” is comprised of 15 tracks of artfully crafted melodies blending the piano, guitar and strings. It is a perfect blend of calming music for your clients yet uplifting enough not to put you to sleep. Total running time is 60:49 so it is perfect for your one hour massage without having to have a CD player with a repeat button.
Jeff Gold is known for creating imagery through his music. According to his website, “Escapes” was inspired by many vacations to Kauai’s tranquil north shore as evidenced by some of the names of the individual tracks. After listening to this CD, you will feel refreshed as though you just returned from a week of vacation. It is perfect for you massage session, long drives and meditation and just plain ol’ relaxation.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this CD and have even downloaded it to my iPod for my personal listening pleasure.
For more information, you can visit Jeff’s website at Jeff Gold Music.
To purchase Escapes, click here. Not quite sure? To listen to samples, click here.
Today you are you
May 25th
Welcome to Monday Motivations. Here is your quote for the week.
“Today you are you,
That is truer than true.
There is no one alive
Who is youer than you.”
- Dr Seuss
Siddha Body Detox
May 22nd
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3NOR4Iy6ac]
Spa Treatments I – 8 CEs
You will learn the Siddha Body Detox in this one day class. This spa treatment that can be done in a “dry room.” You’ll get step-by-step instruction on performing the popular Siddha Body Detoxification, an ultra-relaxing and de-stressing treatment that aids in the removal of toxins as well as exfoliating the skin.
Raindrop Technique – 8 CEs
May 22nd
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuvHtrvLtJM]
Raindrop technique is a massage in which a series of 7 different essential oils are applied along the spine and back muscles to promote circulation, muscle relaxation, tissue healing and more. The technique was created by Dr. Gary Young based on his studies with a Lakota Medicine Man. The technique is called Raindrop because the oils are dropped like rain along the spine. You will learn massage techniques specific to Raindrop, Tibetan reflexology (Vita Flex), the lymphatic pump, Valor Balance and so much more. The protocol will be demonstrated in full, followed by 2 hands-on sessions in which you will give and receive a Raindrop, followed by questions and answers and safety precautions. You will also learn about therapeutic grade essential oils, their history and how to use them. You will leave the class feeling confident to apply the oils safely and explore more about this powerful healing modality. Raindrop Technique will add a powerful new modality to your practice, and boost your income! It is recommended that you purchase the raindrop kit before the class so you will be ready to practice after the class. You will receive a certification of training upon completion of class. You do not have to be a massage therapist to perform this powerful therapeutic technique.
Promote Your Massage Practice/Spa on YouTube
May 21st
YouTube allows advertisers, both large and small (we would be in the small advertiser cateorgy), to take their media and go viral with video/commercials. A video commercia is basically like a brocure. Since everyone prints brochures, I’m challenging you to think outside the box. Use YouTube as another marketing tool in your arsenal. Take the same money you would spend on brochures and put it into making your own video/commercial highlight the befits of your massage practice/spa. YouTube videos can be emailed to anyone, anywhere and are hosted free forever.
In order to make your own commercial, all you need is a content deliverer (i.e talent), a video camera and editing software and voila you can play with the big boys.
Video Musts
Media is free but attention is not. With this in mind, you will need to consider the following when creating your video/commercial.
1. Assume that the viewer has a short attention span. This means producing a video/commercial that has quick, high velocity, slapstick comedy or has something that the audience wants..
2. You may want to create a word or phrase that you can own in the Google search. Castrol created this Google searchable phase “Think with your dipstick” in this slapstick commercial.
3. Educate your audience. Here is our chance to educate the public not only about our individual services but individual modalities in general. Recently, I had a student tell me that she does Esalen massage which she really enjoys doing but doesn’t get a lot of requests for it. I said that it was probably because most people don’t know what it is. Here is her chance to educate the public while creating publicity for her business. In researching various commercials on YouTube for this article, I stumbled on this commercial that educates us about skin care using product that she doesn’t sell all while subtly selling her own skink care line. I too have ventured into video/commercials for my Lypossage, Raindrop Technique and Siddha Body Detox classes. Check them out and let me know what you think.
4. Length. Your video can a few seconds to several minutes long. Remember this form of media is free so make it as long as it needs to be. What you will have to do is challenge the status quo, hit a social nerve, or be provocative. In other words, you can to capture your audience’s attention by making a commercial worth watching. Dove does this in both of these commercials – Dove Evolution with almost 9 million views and Dove Pro-Age with approximately 1.5 million views.
The biggest shift with this form of free media is going to be that businesses that could never have afforded a national campaign will be able to have one. Expect to see a whole host of commercials that would never be deemed effective enough to spend money on, but that generate huge views online.
Here’s a video commercial I did for my practice, Alexandria Therapeutic Massage …
If you are not putting video content on-line, you’re missing out.
Do you already have a video/commercial for you business? Send me the link.
You are the teacher
May 18th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays. Here is your quote for the week.
“Anything you want to ask a teacher, ask yourself, and wait for the answer in silence.”
- Byron Katie
Father’s Day Promotions
May 14th
Photo credit: Sarah Swatosh
Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June, and this year it will be on June 19. That is a few weeks away – plenty of time to create and market your Father’s Day Promotions.
Since men are still relatively new to the world of pampering, when creating your Father’s Day treatments/packages you will want to stay away from froufrou terms in your treatments – which tend to turn them off. Strong, masculine words make them more comfortable.
Here are a few ideas for Father’s Day Promotions:
Seated Massage Event
Set up massage chairs (either at your location or perhaps a local park, hotel or other venue) and offer 10 minute seated massages for $10, which also includes a $10 Gift Certificate for their next massage.
Spa Packages
Sample intro for your spa packages…
Father’s Day is a perfect occasion to express your deepest feelings for dear ol’ dad! Neck ties and wallets are nice but don’t you think that dad gets bored receiving the same formal and cliched gifts every year. So try something a little different this year and present a gift that pampers dad and leaves a lasting impression and creates sweet memories for a lifetime.
Sample Spa Package Names and treatments they include…
Toe-Ta-Le Mister – 30-minute Reflexology session followed by 30-minute deep tissue massage focusing on the back, neck and shoulders.
Health Maintenance – A traditional style massage designed specifically for men. It includes a deep tissue massage with an application of Tiger Balm to those sore, aching muscles, a hot towel to the face and an energizing scalp massage.
Virginia Gentleman – a one hour massage, Gentlemen’s facial designed exclusively for the road-weary skin, mini-manicure and mini-pedicure
Refuel Body Treatment – This 2-in-1 exfoliating and hydrating body treatment is suited perfectly for men. The full body polish gently sloughs off dry skin followed by a relaxing Swedish massage with a signature oil blend designed for you in mind.
Gift Certificates
Make sure that your clients know that they can buy Gift Certificates for Dad for any of the above Spa Packages, individual or multi-pack massages (or any other treatments that you offer) or for a specific dollar amount.
Father’s Day Contest
And borrowing from our contest idea from Mother’s Day Promotions – Hold a Father’s Day Contest. The winner could receive a massage, series of massage or one of the spa packages listed above.
Couples Massage
For those men who don’t like to go it alone, couples massage can be a great way to get them introduced to massage while having their significant other right by their side.
Gift Baskets
Offer Gift Baskets full of products for Dad either by itself on in combination with one of your Spa Packages. Ideas for Gift Baskets would be retail that you already offer – oils, lotions, body brushes, etc. or you could purchase specialty baskets (golf basket, pizza-making basket, etc.) from another company and include them in your package (make sure you add the cost of these baskets to the price of your Spa Package.
Getting the word out there about your promotions…
- Website
- Newsletter
- Blog
- Flyers
- Social Networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
- Create a video marketing campaign
If you like this post, you may also like:
Gift Certificate Promotions
Mother’s Day Promotions
Father’s Day Massage Marketing Video
Happiness
May 11th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Ghandi
What makes you happy?
Happy Mother's Day!
May 10th
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there! You do a fantastic job. Enjoy your day!
Linda
Clutter
May 7th
I became certified Feng Shui Practitioner at the same time I was going through massage school in 1999. So when I set up my massage practice, I did it with Feng Shui principles in mind. I think that incorporating these principles helped make my massage practice a success. I’m not saying that I wasn’t an excellent (highly skilled if I do say so myself) massage therapist, I was. But how many excellent, highly skilled massage therapists do you know that aren’t doing well financially? According to the Bureau of Labor Satistics the median salary of a massage therapist is $46,213 – which means if $46K is the average, there are a whole lot of therapists making under that. So why not get some extra help.
Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway) literally means wind and water. These are the only two elements that our body can’t live without. There are different schools of Feng Shui. I am schooled in both the Compass and Black Hat Sect (BHS). I will be discussing strategies from the BHS because it is more user-friendly for the average person.
Feng Shui says that whatever is happening in your internal world is also happening in your external world and vice versa. So if your personal life is in chaos, so will your business life. Usually if we have chaos in our life it is from some form of clutter. Clutter can be described as (1) anything that stops you from your purpose, (2) possessions that you don’t use any more or no longer love, (3) things that are untidy or disorganized, (4) too many things in too small a space (5) anything unfinished.
Clutter affects you in many different ways. On a personal level, it can make you feel lethargic, keep you in the past, congest your body, affect your body weight. When it comes to business, clutter can affect the way people treat you, make you procrastinate, depress you as well as cost you financially.
People keep clutter for a variety of reasons:
1. Keeping things “just in case” we need them at some unknown point in the future.
2. Identity – feel that possessions become a part of who you are.
3. Status – We need our cars, boats, and “stuff” so we can keep up with the Joneses.
4. Security — Advertising plays on our insecurities – “If you don’t have one of these you will be a lesser human being.”
5. Inherited Clutteritis. If parents were clutterbugs, it usually gets passed down through the genes.
6. A belief that more is better.
7. “Scroogeness” — refusing to let go of junk until they feel they have really got their money’s worth.
8. Using clutter to suppress emotions. When you have so many possession, you are often distracted which keeps you from thinking or feeling.
9. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Feng Shui is about harmony and energy flowing through your surroundings. It is very difficult for the energy to flow if there is stuff everywhere and drawers and closets are filled to the brim. I will give you an example, a massage therapist friend of mine wasn’t getting any new business and her existing business was starting to diminish. She asked me if I could come and take a look. She had her filing cabinets in the Wealth section of her office. A good start, but they were so full that you couldn’t fit one more piece of paper in any of the drawers. She was keeping client files of clients who hadn’t been in several years. I suggested that she go through the client files and box up all of the files for the clients who hadn’t been for an appointment in the last two years. Then move those boxes into storage. No sooner than she did this did her business start to pick up. Because these files were so full, she wasn’t able to attract any more business. If you want to work on wealth and prosperity, you must first work on clearing the clutter first.
If you are like most of us, we all have clutter. Our lives are dynamic and if we don’t keep up with it, clutter can quickly take over. Sometimes clutter can be a little overwhelming, I suggest you tackle it slowly. You may even want to enlist the aid of a friend or hire a professional.
If you would like my free report on simple steps to clear the clutter, please email me at linda@massagetherapisttraininginstitute.com.
Did you find this topic of Feng Shui interesting? Would you like to see future blog posts to be on different areas of Feng Shui and how it can help massage therapists grow their business? Either email me directly or leave a comment here.
