Marketing Massage in a small community can be tricky. It is a different animal all together than marketing in a city. In an urban setting all one needs to do is put out a sign and run a small little marketing campaign to your demographic and people come and check out your new business. In a small community it can be a bit trickier.
What to Market:
Is Massage Therapy a viable service in the community? Do people understand the value in Therapeutic Massage? How about spa services? Will they be utilized by the community members? If you are in a conservative community, your time might be spent on marketing the benefits of Massage Therapy. Unfortunately there are a number of massage therapists out there selling sex with their services. This kind of behavior creates a bad rap for therapists who have a practice focusing on musculo-skeletal pain relief. You can spend all your time and budget on marketing your massage business but if people don’t believe in massage as a therapeutic treatment but as a sex treatment, they will not seek you out in times of need.
How does it look:
Evaluate your market to determine if your personal presence and business appearance will complement the environment. In a small community one will find greater success if you fit into the dynamic that already exists. If you arrive into town with brightly colored hair, piercings and urban hipster dress, your welcome will be different than in an inner city setting. In addition, if your business setting does not fit the confines of the community, people may feel uncomfortable coming into your business. It needs to be accessible for the demographic you are seeking. If you build a 4-Star Spa in an economically depressed community, people may not come in to check it out due to fear of feeling out of their comfort range.
Who You Know:
Also known as word of mouth. People talk to each other and let their friends know if they liked the new restaurant, store, spa etc… Massage can be an expensive luxury for the average person so they need to know they will get what they paid for. Your interactions with other community members and clients will be a powerful tool to get the word out about your business.
Meet the people in the know; the grocers, librarians, city council members, business owners, matriarchs and patriarchs of the community and offer them a discounted or free session in exchange for their good word.
Where to Advertise:
Find out what news sources people utilize. Do they read the newspaper, watch the local news, read the community boards or listen to the radio? Once you find out this information you can direct your marketing accordingly. Look into local groups and spend some marketing time with these groups. Market your business in conjunction with other special events that happen. It doubles the impact of your marketing and saves you a little money. People are already looking at this other event so it is a prime time to market that your services fit into that arena as well.
Advertise Here:
Community Boards
Newspaper
Social Network:
Blog Sites
Facebook
Twitter
Chamber of Commerce
Non-Profit Organizations
Philanthropy Events
Professional Networking Groups
Social Events