Color by Touch

GETTING PAST THE FEAR

How can we avoid getting cramps and that sick feeling when we have to start marketing? Planning! Planning! Planning! Proper planning and promotion can ease (perhaps not get rid of entirely) the fear that marketing generates.

Marketing is worth the effort and your effort is worth marketing!

You have a lot to share and the only way you can share is to find the people who need you and can benefit from finding you. They cannot find you if there are not pointers to you. Marketing is just like road signs. It helps people know where you are and how you can help them. Marketing always appeals to the benefits the client obtains from selecting you. They do not care (at first) how it benefits you!

To plan effectively, you need to set some realistic goals for marketing. What do you REALLY want to see happen? Remember that goals must be achievable, measurable and have a time limit.

1. Increase client base by four people per month
2. Increase revenue by $300 per month
3. Book three paid speaking engagements next quarter

Whatever you have selected, do you have the time and stamina to do ____ additional number of people per month? What are you planning for your increased revenue? If the goals are realistic, and are met, what happens then? You do it over and over again, until the next set of goals is met and then you do it over and over again. Marketing never stops.

While the cramps may never completely go away, by careful planning, setting realistic goals and celebrating successes you remove some of the fear. And if you do ANYTHING often enough, it gets easier.

Finding Your Uniqueness – The Marketing Edge

Target your market and market your target is a good slogan to live by. In order to hit the mark, you have to be able to see the target and you have to have a good tool for shooting the information out there.

Your marketing edge is anything that sets you apart from others in your profession. What can you offer that the “others” cannot? Focus on that edge (benefit) in your marketing efforts to let customers know why they should deal with YOU.

Do you provide better:
• Quality
• Price
• Results
• Service
• Availability
• Exclusivity
• Access
• Convenience
• Rewards
• Credentials/Awards
• Speed
• Location
• Competitive Voids
• Delivery
• Other

After you identify your marketing edge, you need to decide how you will communicate this information.

Complete the following Marketing Edge Discovery Form that follows.
MARKETING EDGE DISCOVERY FORM

CATEGORY YOUR EDGE – Fill in blanks
QUALITY
In what way(s) is your product
demonstrably better than others?
Is it cutting edge, in public awareness,
for a specific result? __________________________

PRICE
Can you provide a better value? Is
your service cheaper/higher? __________________________

RESULTS
Will your service/product produce
verifiable results? How do these
results surpass any others? __________________________

SERVICE
Do you provide extra service? Do
others charge for something you provide
free? (i.e., aromatherapy, etc.) __________________________

AVAILABILITY
Are you available at unusual times (i.e.,
Sundays, evenings, outcalls? __________________________

EXCLUSIVITY
Do you offer a unique product line or
a specific service? __________________________

ACCESS
Is it easier for clients to get to you or
contact you? (i.e., on call 12 hours/day
or open 6 days a week? __________________________

CONVENIENCE
Is your location close to your targeted
clients? Are you available at more
than one location? __________________________

REWARDS
Do you offer rewards to your clients
such as buy 5 massages, get 1 free? __________________________

MARKETING EDGE DISCOVERY FORM Page Two

CREDENTIALS/AWARDS
Do you have a certification that enhances
your RMT license or have you received
an award or special recognition for
anything else that is important to your
clients? __________________________

SPEED
Can you get there faster? Get faster
results? Save time? __________________________

LOCATIONS
Is your location easy to access, out of
the traffic tie-ups & safe? __________________________

COMPETITIVE VOID
What is not being done that would benefit
your client. Do you do an age or gender
that is not otherwise available? Do you do
infants, geriatric, Alzheimer’s, etc. __________________________

DELIVERY
Are you on time all the time? Will you
guarantee it? __________________________

OTHER
What can you do that others can’t? What
do you know that others don’t? __________________________

Now that you have identified what benefits you offer that make you stand out in a crowd, decide how you will communicate this information. You marketing edge is very important since they are BENEFITS for your clients.

Target Market – The perfect client
When asked why he robbed banks, it’s claimed that Willie Sutton said, “Because that’s where the money is.” To get customers for your business you have to figure out who would want or need what you have to offer, then go where they are and let them know you are available.

The best marketing methods are not necessarily the most expensive and they can and will change as your target client base evolves. Directing your marketing efforts to a target client does not limit your market it brings it into focus. You may find that you have more than one target market, sometimes vastly different from each other. This can be a plus, providing additional protection from erratic business cycles and doubling your potential market.

To start the process of target market selection you need to look at what you do best and how it fits within:
:
• Demographics: statistics of age, gender, income level, occupation, education level and geographic location.

• Psychographics: lifestyle factors such as social factors, cultural involvement, philosophical beliefs and special interest activities.

Printed Marketing Materials – The Visual Image
New clients like to have referrals or printed information that communicates the essence of your business. This recognition is vital to the perception of trust, quality, repeat business and more referrals. In creating a visual image, you must consider the characteristics of your business and your target market in choosing the most effective way of communicating to those you want to reach.

• Color & Design Choices
Marketing uses color and design to influence buying patterns.

• All paper products (i.e., flyers, newsletters, brochures, mailing labels, gift certificates, etc.)
Paper products can be prestigious without being expensive. Create all your marketing tools to enhance your business image by giving a solid description of the benefits of your service. The harmony created carries a powerful punch.

Advertising
Advertising no longer means putting a weekly ad in the newspaper. Advertising is a form of communication and covers a large group of ways and methods.
Your target market will influence the advertising form you choose since each medium may have a different audience. To be successful with this type of marketing, you have to repeat, repeat, repeat and track each method used to see which ones are most effective in dollars returned.

• Newspapers – have short shelf life. Most people don’t read the paper from cover to cover so make sure your ad is placed in a section that your market will read.

• Magazines – can be cost-effective, especially in a small specialty magazine that reaches your target client. Then your return on the cost of your ad can be excellent.

• Radio & Television – They can provide information about the characteristics of their viewers and listeners, so you can decide if they are part of your target market before dollars are spent.

• Yellow Pages – One of the first places people look and your yellow page listing allows you to be found on the web.

• Direct Mail – Direct Mail is a good way to keep in touch with your customers. A newsletter, coupons, new product or modality information, and limited offers keep your business in front of your clients.

• Incentives – Everyone likes to save money or get something “free”. Incentives can increase your business volume by bringing in new clients, bring back clients who have not recently been in, direct attention to a new product or service or clear out old merchandise.

• Health Fairs & Sports Runs – Your visible presents counts and gives the opportunity to demonstrate as well as distribute your information.

Newsletters
Newsletters are great for educating your clients about the services you offer and keeping your name in their mind. The newsletter offers the opportunity for questions and answers, testimonials, specials, general information and bio information about you. They should be published at least monthly and can be only one page or however long you want them to be. But it seems to work best keeping them shorter and more frequent. Newsletters can be mailed or handed out and make a great stuffer for your Gift Certificate Bags.

• Hardcopy – allows a fuller description of information, modalities, prices, etc. It puts something in the client’s hand and can become a great referral tool since the client will often “take one” for a friend. . A great place for coupons. Once printed, it represents you until the next issue.

• E-mail – is quick an easy to access. Can be very short and easily changed and sent. A great place for coupons. Cost is usually your time. Be sure to get permission before using e-mail.

• Co-op Newsletters – allows you to be seen with other respected health professionals and gives access to their client base. A great place for coupons. With each business writing their own copy, it requires a strong publisher.

Promotions
Promotions are great for holidays, birthdays, or any other special occasion. They are effective offered to your associate partners, as incentives to your client or as a reward for something. Promotions need to have a time limit and a set dollar amount.

• Associations – Health professionals you have an established referral relationship with or other business that compliment yours.

• Incentives – What appeals to the self-interest of your client and encourages their business and referrals.

• Holidays – The perfect opportunity to offer something “special” to your clients so they can offer something “special” to their family and friends.

Word of Mouth Marketing
One of the greatest compliments in the world is to get a good client referral that results in new clients. However, word of mouth can be two-edged. Never underestimate the effect of word of mouth advertising, especially if the service was not satisfactory. You need to have in place ways and means for diluting any misses in-communications that may occur.

• Rewards & Encouragement – Thanking your client for their referral and a reward to encourage them to do more.

• Dealing with any misses in the communication process.

Volunteering
Volunteering is a great way to meet your fellow health professionals, do something for a good cause, have fun, and get your printed information out there. This is something you usually don’t get paid for so your expensive cost is your time. Make sure it is worth doing then do it well.

• Strategy Volunteering – Ways to make different types of volunteering work together.

Affiliations and Partnerships
Consider every avenue. Establishing professional relationships give a strong foundation for your business.

• Professional Relationships - offer camaraderie and support as well as expanding your marketing opportunities.

• Partnerships – offer the chance to do things together you might find difficult financial or otherwise when it is shared.

• Networking – Networking with other health professionals and other community businesses expand your opportunities for new contacts and new friends.

• Corporations – offers opportunities for chair massage, speaking engagements, newsletter advertising, just to mention a few.

Gift Certificates
Gift Certificates are one of the most familiar and most often used forms for referrals and getting new clients. It solves the last minute shopping dilemma and is a gift that fits everyone.

• Donations – Everyone loves a massage gift certificate and it’s value is usually tripled in silent auctions.

• Sales –Gift certificate sales requires a good tracking method as well as insights about how money is accounted for and the importance of scheduling gift certificates.

Marketing Synergy
• Pulling it all together
Marketing synergy is developed when you have a group of items that are stronger together than alone. That is what makes marketing so interesting.

• Communication
It is as simple as talking to your neighbor or better still, demonstrating your skill when their shoulder or neck hurts. You have to get out there and tell (or show) people who you are, what you do, and why it matters to them.

• Attitude
Your attitude is key to marketing. You can have the best technique, the best location, the best everything and still fail at marketing UNLESS you are willing to change your view of marketing. Marketing is only communication and you are a great communicator.

Your marketing attitude is a synergistic blend of your business, philosophy, need to provide service, etc. In other words, it is how you “feel” about all the aspects of your business and how comfortable you are in communicating them to others. Your excitement generates excitement. Your caring invites involvement. Your technical knowledge encourages respect and trust. Your attention to details invites return visits. Marketing is an attitude.

YOU CAN DO IT!

M. Johanna Powell, NCTMB, LMT, CCP, MTI