Marketing for Small Businesses

Many hypnotists could take a negative view of these current economic times. There is no doubt that all of us are watching the pennies and thinking twice before buying those items we consider to be luxuries.

You may, as a hypnotherapist, be tempted to stop marketing your hypnotherapy services. If you were to do so, in my opinion, this would be a mistake.

During this time known as the credit crunch it is even more important that we make our services known to the general public. As you know hypnotherapists are particularly effective at helping others to reduce their stress and anxiety and to to feel calmer about their situation.

We tend to handle life much better if we feel calmer and more relaxed and this is where as hypnotherapists our strength lies.

So during these hard financial times when television and newspaper headlines seem to be filled with "doom and gloom" our duty is to let others know that they do not have to suffer alone and there is effective support available.

If anything, as hypnotherapists we should be increasing our marketing and getting the word our there about how benefical hypnosis really is.

I am also still learning more about marketing and this is being aided by internet marketing expert Alex Jeffreys

Internet Marketing - Getting Better Search Engine Rankings

Things change over time. Nothing stands still as they say. Yet there are some things that do remain fairly constant. In the world of internet marketing, and what to do to get a good ranking in the search engines, one strategy has remained effective.

Just what do you think the search engines use to decide on the popualrity of a web-site?

Issue No. 1 of "Marketing Means" ezine gives the clues and mucn more.

Marketing - Start Now & Don't Stop

An article on marketing for the new therapist or coach. If you want to get an idea on how much marketing you should be doing if you want to succeed.

Treating your therapy practice as a business is the first step on the road to success. Others are...

.... whether you are marketing aromatherapy, massage, reiki, shiatzu, reflexology, counselling, hypnotherapy, EFT, Bowen Tecnique, the Metamorphic Technique and more.

Marketing - Starting Out In Business

When do you start and stop marketing yourself?

How much marketing do I need to do for my business?

What type of marketing do I do?

What marketing will bring clients and customers the quickest way?

How much should I spend on marketing?

Is marketing expensive?

The above are just a small selection of thoughts that could be going through your mind if you are new to business or the therapy or coaching worlds.

In fact you are probably thinking...

I am not to sure what to do to market my business.

I don't know where to start.

Don't worry because help is at hand. Come along and sign up for a free ezine that reveals numerous tips, strategies, tactics and know how. Delivered to your email address every 14 days, "Marketing Means" ezine is packed with both online and offline marketing help.

Marketing for Massage Therapists & Physical Therapies including Aromatherapists, Massuers

All therapists want and need clients and customers for their businesses to survive and thrive. Yet the main worry for massage therapists, aromatherapists, massuers and other physical therapy providers is that their current stream of clients and customers will dry up.

Why do Massage Therapists Always Fear a Drought of Clients?

Simply put, because that has been the experience in the past. Sometimes they will have a glut of customers coming through only to be followed by a drought. This has happened to so many massage therapists in the past that they may come to accept it as being 'par for the course' even though they don't want it.

Excuses for no clients

Many massage therapists will makes excuses to themselves or anyone who will listen as to why they do not have many clients. They will make up excuses such as :-

1) It is always quiet at this time of the year

2) It's a seasonal thing

3) People don't have the money because it is just after

Christmas

Easter

The summer holidays

A recession

The year end tax bill

4) I like it when it's quiet !

5) I had a busy week last week

6) I am located in a poor part of town

7) It's raining

8) It's sunny

9) And many more

They will convince themselves that their lack of clients is down to some often fictional reason as opposed to the fact that their marketing sucks!

What Can Massage Therapists Do to Get More Clients?
Well, if a massage therapist has been in business for any length of time no matter how short, they will have a database of past clients. This database is a valuable commodity if and only if it is used correctly.

It is much easier, and less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to attract a new customer. Existing customers are considered a warm market. So if you haven't already done so, you need to get some of your past clients who you haven't treated for some to time, back as a regular customer.

How can you get back past clients and customers?

Simply make them an offer they can't refuse. Try any or all of the following:-

1) Try sending a postcard reminding them that you are available

2) Offer them a discount. Something like 6 sessions for the price of 5.

3) Offer a different type of service and tell them you are trialling this service
amongst your favourite customers. Because they are a favourite customer they will enjoy a 40% discount.

Any contact with past customers and clients can prove fruitful. Now in order to get them to take action, let them know that your offer is limited to this month only. If you want quicker responses send an email or text message.

Now, here comes the killer punch! Encourage your existing clients to give you referrals to their relatives, friends and colleagues. Tell the for each referral they give you who then turns into a new customer, you will give them some reward (discount sessions, free sessions or other incentive).

Repeat What Works

If you keep repeating the above over and over again your will find your client database will rocket and grow very quickly.

Marketing Your Business for Therapists - Give to Get

There are hundreds if not thousands of ways of marketing your therapy or coaching skills. Some cost just pennies and others require a bigger investment and are maybe more of a risk. The risk being that you won’t regain your investment. There are some marketing methods that require something other than your hard earned cash and this article is about those particular methods.

Instead of parting with money to promote your therapy or business, give your time. Your time is valuable and in a profitable business should not be wasted. So unless this is an altruistic occasion you should look at the benefits you will gain from giving your time away for free or a token fee.

One idea could be to offer group talks and taster sessions for free to various focus groups. This has a number of advantages for all concerned.

Advantages for the therapist or coach :-

1) Meeting potential clients to help form a professional relationship (Clients feel more relaxed with a therapist or coach they have already met than a stranger from an advertisement)

2) Networking opportunities (A member of this focus group might tell other groups about you)

3)Increases possibility of focus group paying for future sessions

4) Possibility of personal recommendations from members of the group (Members will talk about you to friends, family and colleagues)

5) A chance to educate the group on the issues you can help with (Talk about success stories that give ideas to members about who and what you can help)

It is very important to be aware of the benefits for the groups you approach. You need to be aware of what the group will gain from your talk so that you can ‘sell’ the idea to them if you need to. On most occasions you will not need to sell the idea as the majority of focus groups are more than happy to have someone volunteer to give their group a free talk.

Advantages for the focus group :-

1) No risk (financial) to the group

2) Get a chance to sample a therapy/coahing session

3) Can get any doubts / concerns answered at the session

4) Getting an interesting speaker and on a fascinating subject

5) Finding out how therapy/coaching could help individual’s issue(s)

The sort of local groups that are always on the look out for an interesting speaker are:-

Townwomen’s Guild

Lions Clubs

Rotary Clubs

Women’s Institute

Over 50s/60s Clubs

OAP Groups

Hospital League of Friends

Amateur Dramatic Societies

The best place to find out about the other social groups that exist in your area is your local library. You will also get any contact details you require here.

You can use the same format with other groups that have a particular ailment as a focus. These might be :-

Asthma

ME/CFS support groups

Arthritis Support

Phobics Anonymous

Victim Support

Weight Watchers

Don’t forget to alter your talk to ensure that you include references to the particular ailment of the group you are addressing. Your audience will want to know that you understand at least the basic issues of their ailment. You should state the benefits that they may expect from undergoing a hypnotherapy session.

There is still another group of people that you can approach and utilise a similar format. These will be the professions such as teachers, emergency service personnel, nurses and doctors as well as the corporate world. Once again use the principal of ‘give to get’ and offer a free group taster session. Do your homework about your target audience and you will gain clients. Always have with you your diary so you can take appointments immediately and have plenty of your practice brochures and business cards to give out.

Marketing Therapy - Feast or Famine?

Being a successful therapist, particularly in private practice, requires a good helping of marketing skills. It is no good being the most effective therapist in the world if you don’t tell the world that you exist.

Your practice will be a success or failure depending on your therapy skills and your marketing skills. Most therapists have to rely on their own judgements and instincts with regards to what will make the telephone ring.

Many new therapists fall into the trap of attempting to ‘buy’ their clients: in effect throwing away their hard earned funds (usually saved from their previous career) at advertising in newspapers, magazines, numerous editions of yellow pages, journals, local directories, doctors surgeries, appointment cards, radio and TV.

Advertising should be researched and approached in the meticulous manner that you would use with your therapy clients.It is essential to always keep records of how your clients heard about you. It is the only way to know whether an advertisement or marketing strategy has worked.

Look at what the other therapists in your area are doing. If they place a regular advert in a particular place then there is a good chance that it is working for them and could work for you. Whatever you do, don’t just use a carbon copy of their format. Try to be original. Think of what extra value you could offer to prospective clients that would knock the competition into a poor second place.

In order to keep a steady stream of enquires coming in you should market your practice every week. That means every week. If you stop marketing when you are experiencing a feast of clients then you will soon experience a famine.

Some marketing methods require a longer lead time to get a response, may be weeks or months. Others can be very rewarding very quickly and literally within hours. If you continue to market your practice every week you give yourself what every therapist craves: a steady stream of new clients week after week.

Decide how much of your therapy fees you are going to spend on marketing and stick to it. That is your budget and you need to get the most from it. If you decide to pay for an advertisement anywhere, always negotiate. Never accept the first price you are given. Often local newspapers find it difficult to fill the space they have. Ask to be informed when they have last minute space. This is advertising space that they have not been able to fill and where they are grateful to sell it at all. They will offer quite a substantial discount to anyone who can provide advertising copy quickly, so have yours ready.

Then again why not get even better coverage and for free. Always read your local newspaper for any stories that could allow you to incorporate a hypnotherapy slant. From “Local Terapist Calms Scholars’ Exam Nerves” to “Coach Helps Fire Brigade Chill Out Between 999s”.

Try to ensure that any article includes details of target groups that you can help, such as people with phobias, low confidence, weight problems, smokers etc and of course details of how you can be contacted.To Summarise :-Keep records of where your clients heard about you.

Repeat those advertisements that work for you.Change or drop completely advertisements that don’t work in a reasonable period of time.Always negotiate over price: tell them you have a limited budget and need a better deal than that!

Look out for local news that you can add a therapy or coaching twist to. Market your practice every week. Follow the above and you will soon hone your marketing to successful strategies that produce paying clients.