Standing Out from the Crowd
Right out of massage school, I immersed myself in all the marketing information I could find. Away I went donating gift certificates, volunteering at charity events, and dousing the town in business cards and brochures for my new mobile massage business. My partner and I did everything we could think of, but, to our dismay, our schedule still wasn’t filling up.
It wasn’t until we found our niche service that our business began to evolve. I had read all about target marketing, but what worked for us was developing a service that was unique to us. Clients could probably find a great massage elsewhere in town, but they certainly couldn’t find two other therapists that were more passionate about incorporating therapeutic-grade essential oils into their massages! By combining our two shared passions – massage and essential oils – we created treatments which offer an experience and results above and beyond that of a typical local massage. By doing this, we acquired a great number of new clients who not only sought us out for our unique aromatherapy services, but also referred their friends and family members to us because of our compassion for and knowledge of both massage and essential oil therapy.
I have learned that it takes a lot to run your own practice successfully, and even more to stand out from the crowd (especially in a town dubbed “spa city”). However, by developing a unique “niche service” that you are passionate about, you can put yourself way ahead of your competition. If you are also new to the field and doing your best at marketing, in order to attract clients and truly begin to grow your practice, my advice is to not only look at how, but what you are marketing as well!
New to massage. Loved the article. Was thinking of ways to make me stand out from the crowd also. My instructor always asks, what makes you special? and why should someone return to you? Always thinking ….Thanks for the ideas and the focus. It is really needed. Thanks.