Archive for July, 2009
6 Strategies for Website Copy
Jul 30th
When people come to your website, you want them to stay there long enough to learn more about your business and schedule a massage with you, right? But is your website copy telling your reader what they are going to get from you so they stay on your site or click to know more? Here are 6 Strategies for Website Copy to keep your readers on your website longer.
1. Answer their questions. You have about 5 seconds to capture their attention or they are gone. When a reader leaves your site, it’s because you didn’t give them the answers to their burning questions. Give them the information they want to know. When you are looking to get a massage (hopefully you all are taking care of yourself and getting massages regularly) or any other type of service, what do you look for? Chances are that your readers are asking the same questions.
2. Keep it short. It is very difficult to read for long periods of time on the computer. Anything over 500 words (about one page) looks very daunting on screen. Tighten your copy down to the concise facts that your user wants to know. (Just so you know this post is just under 500 words).
3. Target your audience. Who is in your target market? Now direct your copy towards those people especially on your home page. If you do this, you will be ahead of the game of most websites who are to general in their message.
4. Get the Objections out of the Way. There are as many objections as there are types of massage if not more. Let’s take the objection of “time”. You have a reader who is looking for a massage on Saturday at 2 p.m. but your hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Let’s face it, not everyone is a perfect client. It would be better to have your hours of operation published than to have a prospect waste their time calling only to find out you aren’t open on Saturdays.
5. Have a call-to-action. Do your users know what to do next after reading a web page? Don’t babble on about what you do! Seduce and entice, then ask them to do something. “Call to schedule your appointment today.” Keep asking them over and over throughout the site. “Need a massage? We are here ready to help. Call today.”
6. Keep in Touch. There are some people who will never buy when they first learn about a business. Perhaps the timing isn’t right for them at the moment or maybe they never make spur-of-the-moment decisions. Have a way to capture their email address in return for something of value (i.e. a free report on a hot industry topic). Send them periodic emails with special offers, more about you and your business. Help them get to know you and want to buy.
Imagination vs. Knowledge
Jul 27th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein
How is your imagination today? What are you doing to improve it?
The Bagua Map [Video]
Jul 23rd
This is my first vlog (video weblog) post. After I made the blog post about Introduction to the Bagua Map, I had a lot of interest and questions about it. So I thought I would be better to actually show you how to use the Bagua Map. Also, I will answer Teresa’s question about how to orient the Bagua Map if you have more than one entrance.
What do you think? Would you like to see more vlog posts?
Emails, Voicemails, Text Messages oh my!
Jul 23rd
In the cyber world we live in today, we are bombarded with a multitude of text messages, emails and voices mails. These do serve a purpose of keeping in touch, but has a dark side as well. This cyber clutter has the same negative impact as the physical clutter that can build up around the house or office! Since we’re halfway through the year it would behoove you to institute a little ‘summer cleaning’ by clearing out your old voicemail, email and text messages. File what you might need in the future and let go of the rest. This sort of ‘new media’ clutter can create chaos and stagnation while adding a subtle sense of procrastination to all of your pending projects.
Clearing this confusion will bring the same fulfilling sense of empowerment you get whenever you clear out some of the real deal. Speaking of which, set aside a half hour each week to address those spaces inside your place that scream to be cleaned. You won’t believe the amount of positive energies you put back into your place once you begin to make it a sacred space again.
New social networking site for massage professionals
Jul 21st
Massageprofessionals.com is home to more than 1,500 members only ten days after its launch! Join the network for bodywork practitioners and engage in the conversation!
http://www.massageprofessionals.com
Shaping your Boundaries
Jul 20th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“There is a boundary to people’s passions when they act from feelings; but none when they are under the influence of imagination.” –Edmund Burke
Mid-Year Goal Review
Jul 17th
Last Monday was my birthday and because it is around the middle of the year, I use it as a point to check to see how I’m doing with my goals.
How are your yearly goals going? You do have goals, don’t you? If you don’t it is not too late. You can always start your goals now – you still have half of the year left to accomplish them. If you need some help figuring out how to write goals, check out my article New Year’s Resolutions Tips and Strategies.
So how am I doing with my goals? I will share a few of them with you – both business and personal.
Business Goals
1. Get Marketing Massage approved as Home Study courses. The HomeStudy Course is written and now I’m in the process of proofing it before sending it off to NCBTMB for apporval.
2. Create “Creating a Prosperous Practice” blog. I started this blog on January 1, 2009. Yes, on the very first day of the year, I completed one of my goals. Although I still have lots to learn about blogging, I am really excited about establishing this blog. I really didn’t know what to expect, but after just seven months of existence, I have had over 3000 hits. Considering it took me over 3 months to get to the first 1000 hits, I say that things are going pretty well.
Personal
1. Declutter office. If I would grading myself on this goal, I would give me a C+. It seems that I am not as far along as I would like to be on this goal. My office keeps getting clutter due to my next goal. When I am doing the sorting and purging of things that I don’t want anymore, my office tends to get a bit messy.
2. Sell everything that I don’t want on Ebay or give it away. I think that I am doing pretty well on this goal. I still have a ways to go. Things have actually changed since the beginning of the year because I have decided that I no longer like to do certain hobbies so I have decided that the things associated with old hobbies must go.
How are you doing with your goals? Anything you would like to share?
Do you have what Champions are made of?
Jul 13th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays. Here is your quote for the week.
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” Muhammad Ali
How to Fire a Client
Jul 9th
This blog post is inspired by a recent consultation with one of my clients. This particular massage therapist was having problems with a with a particular client that was causing extreme dislike towards this client on her part. Without going into the particulars, I told her that she may have to just “fire” her client.
Clients are the lifeblood of any business. Without them, your business simply doesn’t exist. We have all had the occasional client who has been late, complains about our prices, and the ones that are just never satisfied. These clients can be very draining. Some clients are so bad that your business, not to mention your personal sanity, is better off without them. If you simply can’t work with someone, fire them.
If you decide to terminate a client, the best way to do it is in writing. A letter, sent via the good old USPS, is the best choice. Email would be the second choice, followed by a phone call. The last thing you want is to have a face to face meeting. Why? It’s easier to choose your words carefully if you put them on paper. You can make as many drafts as necessary to ensure your professionalism at all times. Also, a hard copy outlining the reason for terminating the relationship can be useful if the client decides, for whatever reason, to sue you. Email, while faster, is a less traditional approach. Because of the fast delivery, we don’t think about what we are writing until after we have hit the “send” button. Phone and face to face meetings may cause conversation to become very heated, very quickly, and that’s the last thing you want.
Choose your words carefully. The letter should be written in a standard business letter format, beginning with “Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs….” Be apologetic – “I regret to inform you that we will no longer be working together.”
Clearly explain the reason you are no longer willing to work with them, but be tactful. If the client is needy and annoying, constantly late or “no shows”, say “It’s important to me that you receive the attention you deserve. I just don’t think I am the right massage therapist for you.”
If the client is being fired for a number of reasons, it’s not necessary to list them all. There is no need to embarrass or anger them. Just mention the worst problems, and leave it at that.
Be honest. Don’t say that you’re going out of business, or that you’re moving, or that you have a terminal illness. Why? Because if you do, you’ll see them around town later, and they’ll be embarrassed or angry that you lied to them.
End your letter respectfully. Wish them luck in their future endeavors maybe even give them a few referrals of people you know who work especially well with this type of client.
It’s very important that your grammar and spelling be totally professional. This is a business correspondence and should be treated as such. This means spell check your document. Then have someone else read it over for clarity and to make sure you didn’t type “impotent” when you meant to say “important,” or “fart” when you meant to say “part.” Spell check is a wonderful tool, but it doesn’t catch all mistakes!
If the customer responds, be firm. Don’t go back on your decision (remember there was a reason that you wanted to fire this person in the first place!) Reiterate your original statement. If they insult your business, or you personally, don’t respond in kind.
Have you ever had to fire a client? How did you handle it?
Is your light shining?
Jul 6th
Welcome to Motivation Mondays! Here is your quote for the week.
“People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
- Elizabeth Kubler Ross
