Are you a Massage Therapist wondering if Email Marketing is worth it?
It was in its infancy in the late 1990s. Sadly, the business and the marketing portion given in massage therapy schools back then was minimal. And our only guide to building a successful massage practice was a compilation of outdated formulas that all focused on the number of clients we had. And keeping them was based on how good a massage we gave them.
We create strong bonds with our clients when they are on our table—it’ a simple hands-on approach. But attention to their needs should not stop the minute they walk out the door. We don’t mind giving them tips that help when they are right in front of us. So why not give it to them when they are not?
In 1997, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I registered at a local massage school. It was a skill and a way to support myself. The business plan was simple, acquire 20 clients a week, which was supposed to equate to the 50K a year formula. Sounds easy enough, not factoring in overhead, which appeared minimal if you stuck to doing mobile house calls.
As for marketing? It was all done via word of mouth and passing out business cards. And by their calculations, it would take 3-5 years to build a sustainable practice. It didn’t take a mathematician to figure out that you were also going to need another job to pay the bills while juggling to build a massage clientele.
To be fair, marketing then and marketing now is an evolutionary tale of two cities. Use of Email then, was not relevant, and Social Media didn’t even exist yet. By the turn of the 21st century, only 40% of massage therapists owned a computer. Now we all carry one in our back pocket. It’s called a phone. But has our mindset toward marketing changed?
Around 2010, the first Day Spa Association Convention, I signed up for the usual courses on products and services. Then I noticed a section on business and marketing. Never had I seen them offered at any of the numerous massage conventions I had been too. With some open time-slots, available I signed up for a few of them.
Plus, I wanted to make the most of my time. Honestly, I thought I would be bored out of my mind. To my surprise, I was fascinated and a little humbled.
After filling out some of the hand-outs given to us at the beginning of class, I discovered that I wasn’t just a massage therapist but also an entrepreneur and a business owner.
The hand-out also asked how much of my time did I set apart for business and marketing. How did I collect emails? And how did I communicate with customers when not in their presence? These were all easy to answer; all were big fat zeros. Before that, my measure of success for my business was based on my client load, but not anymore.
Before you start checking out the back of your eyelids, let me explain why emails are still the gold standard of marketing. According to OptinMonster, Email has a greater reach over social media. And customers are 58% more likely to open an email you sent them.
Grab Your Free Action Guide: Email Marketing for Massage Therapists Below
And here is the mind-blower, it has a 6% conversion rate, where Social media has only 1.9%. Social Media is essential, but Email is still the top dog. And it will give more substantial returns.
For the amount of time spent on a weekly email or monthly Newsletter vs. that of Social Media, Email is the winner. I believe the use of both together is a good strategy. However, Email should be your number one priority as it takes less time and energy, and it costs nothing. And really, how hard is it to collect your client’s email.
Now let’s talk about emailing a monthly Newsletter.
They have a perceived value to your customers; they are more likely to read them. So, if there is a 58% open rate from an email you sent, then it only makes sense that a Newsletter will have a more significant impact on your opening rates.
Communication with our clients when they are not on our massage table is not only easy, but in our best interests. It is a solid Win-Win. Put together 12 monthly newsletter and repurpose them for the following year. It’s the gift that keeps giving.
Don’t know how to set up a Newsletter? Or don’t know what to put in them?
For free 2-part tutorials on how to set it all up for free, join my FB Group at https://www.Facebook.com/Groups/MichelleMace. Watch a free step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a monthly Newsletter for the entire year that will take little time, costs nothing, and give you the freedom to spend your time on other aspects of your business.
Michelle Mace, CEO of The Barefoot Masters®, is a developer of continuing education materials and classes. She offers nine different hand-saving techniques and over a dozen CE classes for massage. As a 20-year veteran of massage, her passion is to create career-saving options for massage therapists. For more info: https://TheBarefootMasters.com
