Think like your customer.
One of the most important things you can do when starting a massage business or writing a brochure for your massage business is to start thinking like your customer. What is it that they want from you?
You just can’t assume that they are looking for you! In fact they are not looking for you. They are looking for an answer to their problem.
Your job is to solve their problem and let them know you can and will help them to solve their problem.
“Become Your Customer”
I recommend that you actually do this- go out in the world and shop around for a massage therapist from the very start and pretend that you don’t know anyone or anything about massage. What is it that you want in a massage? How will you know who can provide that best for you? How will you be able to tell that you will get the most value for your money?
Most massage therapy brochures are too much ‘all about the massage therapist’ – how much training, what types of massage and things that clients really don’t care about or even know about. They most likely don’t know what technique will work for them and they probably don’t care. All they want is to be out of pain, have less stress or experience a deeper awareness of themselves.
Your potential client has needs and wants. Their needs may be different from their wants. They may need a massage but they don’t want to spend the money. They may want to feel better but they don’t have the time to take care of themselves.
Features vs Benefits
One of my pet peeves about the massage profession is the long list of the benefits of massage that can be seen on almost everyone’s websites. You know the ones – increases circulation, reduces pain, increases energy.
The thing about this list of the benefits of massage that is used to promote your practice is that they fail to pass the ‘So What?” test. (Also most of them are incorrect! )
Take each one of your proposed benefits of massage statements and ask ‘So What?’ In doing so you will be able to get down to the real benefits of massage that will have more appeal to your potential clients.
So often we forget that people don’t really know about massage. That is also what is called the ‘Curse of Knowledge” in the book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
. We become such experts and so filled with knowledge that we often forget what it was like when we didn’t know.
Apply that to your potential massage clients. Do they know or care about increasing their circulation? Do they know or care that you do myofacial release or even Swedish Massage?
If you keep asking ‘so what’ you will be able to write about the benefits of massage that will be most compelling to your reader to make your most wanted response which should be to make the call for the appointment!
Features vs Benefits
Do the so what test on this common list of the benefits of massage?
Massage increases the blood supply and nutrition to your muscles.
So what? Why do my muscles need blood supply and nutrition? How will that help my pain or stress?
Massage helps your muscles recover more quickly from exertion and fatigue.
So what? Why do I need my muscles to recover more quickly from exertion and fatigue?
Massage relaxes your muscles, effectively reducing spasms, tension and cramping.
So what?
Massage reduces and breaks down adhesions (knots) and fibrosis.
So what?
Massage stretches your connective tissue.
So what?
Massage helps to re-establish your proper muscular tone.
So what?
Massage reduces your muscle and soft tissue pain.
So what?
Massage supports increased work capacity and encourages your metabolism.
So what?
Massage helps to prevent muscular atrophy (wasting from injury and paralysis).
Unique Selling Proposition
Your USP is the single, most important asset you possess. It answers the heart-breaking questions that every one of your readers ask…
“Why should I buy from You?”
“What can you offer that your competitors can’t?”
The thing about figuring out your USP is that you need to apply it again to your potential customers needs.
He suggests using the ‘So What” technique and keep asking ‘so what?’ when you are writing your brochure.
Doing this will help you get down to the real benefits of getting a massage from you.
If you don’t have a compelling USP, you won’t get any customers from your brochure.
So why should someone come to you for massage?
What is the benefit your client will receive?
(What pain does it cure? What will they get out of a massage? )
What makes you different from all the other massage therapists in your neighborhood?
The thing is that with so many different conditions that massage helps, how will you be able to talk about them all?
This is what a website is for. Your brochure will just talk about one or two different conditions or techniques as there is limited space. You are also creating a brochure for a specific population or reason. There may be many who read your brochure that won’t be able to relate to that information so they will need more info. Your website will have it all! That is why a website is such an important part of your marketing efforts. Creating a brochure without a website is a waste of time and money.
Massage Therapy Brochure Tips
- Include your website address on Every massage therapy brochure. Any printed marketing material is really a waste of time and money unless you have a website to provide more information.
- Create a new brochure for each different type of massage service that you provide
- Unless you have a background in marketing, you will need to learn and study how to create a brochure
- Test your brochures and their effectiveness. Send or distribute the brochure to your target market and change it every month or so and send it again until you get your most wanted response. Change one or two things at a time like your headlines/copy and offer so you know what it is that makes people move into action.
- Hire a copywriter if necessary. You are a massage therapist. It can pay to hire people to help you do what you don’t do best! You will then have more time to do what you do best- massage.