CHANGE: Keeping up with Progress

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.”

–Jim Rohn

As with many businesses, change should be a constant in order for progress and Massage businesses are no different! The business world is shifting from the traditional forms of marketing and networking to a new digital method that is making everything much easier for our fast paced lifestyles.

Owning and running my own business, along with teaching part-time, makes it difficult for me to set aside time devoted to the traditional style of marketing, but luckily for me, having the internet close by has helped me make some big changes that have  made my life and my client’s lives much easier.

Check out some of the exciting changes that has been happening at DEFINED: Therapeutic Massage:

• Website Updates:  The best way to get information out to the public is through a website and D:TM’s website has been updated with links to follow and “like” on social media platforms as well as share the informative pages on any of YOUR social media links. Content rich and full of all the information you would need to answer almost any question you may have concerning DEFINED: Therapeutic massage including client testimonials, services, and rates.
• Online Scheduling: (StyleSeat)Having the ability to schedule YOUR next appointment with just a click of a button, makes it easier for you and allows  you to have  more control of your own schedule. The last thing you want to do if you are in pain, stressed out, or just  too busy is to have to go back and forth with your therapist on trying to coordinate schedules.
• Newsletters & Blogs: These are great ways to get important information out to the public quickly. I have been doing Newsletters and Blogs alternating every other week for a while now,  but it looks like the Blogs are more popular.  Starting May 1st,  the Newsletter will be released on the 1st of every month and there will be a Blog on every other week in the month and maybe even more frequently depending on your comments and questions.
• Social Media: Networking is essential in any business and in this day and age what better way than with Social Media? D:TM can be found on YouTube, Facebook,  Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+,  Klout, Pintrest, & of course here on WordPress! (don’t forget to “Check-In” on foursquare when you visit!)

Times are changing and it can be hard in this profession, as well as others, to keep up with marketing. Getting your name and information out to the public can be difficult, but I have had great results with the above methods. As a client or potential client, I hope this makes it easier for you to get information on DEFINED: Therapeutic Massage and massage in general. As a fellow massage therapist, I hope this has given you an insight on how you can help your business!

Why Aren’t You Getting a Massage?: Money?

As with almost any business, one of the biggest challenges is  “selling” your product or service. It’s no different with the massage industry. I hear many reasons on a fairly regular basis as to why people “aren’t able to get a massage” and today I’m going to begin the “Why aren’t you getting a Massage” series with the most prevalent issue that I encounter, Money!

I speak from experience, with the economy the way it is, it can be extremely difficult to manage money at times.  The graph represents how Americans spend their money on average.  If you look at the graph you will notice that the “Miscellaneous” piece of the pie is very small, this is where most people would  classify massage needs, as opposed to “Life Insurance/Medical” which is significantly larger. According to a poll conducted by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), 85% of  people agree that massage can be beneficial to health & wellness. With this statistic,  it’s easy to understand that we should move massage from “Miscellaneous” to “Medical.”

Prioritizing money is essential and crucial to getting through life. We know that everytime we get  paid, we have to set aside certain amounts of money to cover our bills or we develop greater debt, face repossession, or possibly even eviction. Unfortunately, we have  a tendency to use money inappropriately on excess and end up not having enough to cover our necessities.  Wall St. 24/7 conducted a review on the top 10 things that Americans waste money on and some of the results were rather shocking. On average, Americans spend around $40 per month on Alcohol and around $220 eating at restaurants and fast food. If you combine those amounts you have enough to get 3 one hour massages with money  to spare!

If you re-prioritize and begin to view the many benefits of therapeutic massage as healthcare and not so much as a “treat” or luxury, then you will be more inclined to shift some of your money from frivolous expenses to investing in YOU and YOUR health & wellness. You will soon find that being able to afford massage will be easier than you thought.