Make the Most of Massage

Author: Mark Liskey

  • Massage Therapist How to Get Clients – My 6 Step Plan

    How do you get new massage clients?

    1. Be different (not crazy different; I’ll explain).
    2. Find referral sources.
    3. Demonstrate how you’re different to the referral sources.
    4. Advertise how you’re different on your website.
    5. Advertise how you’re different on your GMB page.
    6. Advertise how you’re different on signs.

    I know, you’ve been told to send out emails and to do health events and to hand out business cards and to join a network group and the list goes on and on.

    You pick one thing and you start to do it and you don’t see any great results so you go to the next thing and it’s not much better and you keep picking things off your list until you get tired, discouraged and frustrated. Then you accept that you have and always will have a meh business or you find something else to do instead of massage.

    But, honestly, what do you expect if you’re randomly picking marketing tips and don’t have a plan?

    A plan has steps. A plan has goals. A plan provides opportunities where pivots can happen and a new course of action can ensue without having to start over.

    Initially, a plan can seem like the long way because it requires a commitment, but ultimately randomly picking marketing tips is the long way or in some cases, the no way, because it’s a willy-nilly (half-assed) approach to growing a massage business.

    The plan I outlined above has taken my meh business to a yay! business, and steps 1, 2, 3 and 5 are free (or close to free) to do. And step #4 can be done for free or for not much money.

    The last step is the one that will cost some money, but you don’t need to do that one right away to have a steady stream of clients coming through your door.

    So, let’s get crackin’ on this How to Get Massage Clients Plan.

    How to Get Massage Clients Plan

    1. Be different.

    By different I don’t mean create a whole new form of massage that you can package and market.

    In fact, I’m talking about something specific and not so flashy. I’m talking about differentiating yourself from the competition in relaxation and pain-relief massage.

    That’s a difference, Mark?

    Yes, to explain how it is a difference I need to back up first.

    Tell me if I’m wrong: It’s hard to (if not impossible) to define the difference you bring to the table when you’re not sure what you do well as a massage therapist.

    You may do some myofascial and reflexology and mix in some essential oils, but how do you put all of that on a website or a business card? And how does that look different than everyone else who does a lot of things?

    Hey everybody, I’m the best massage therapist who combines myofascial work with reflexology and medical grade lavender  oil in town.

    By the way, I’m not going to tell you to whip out your credit card and get certified in a modality to standout from the crowd.

    That’s not to say it wouldn’t work. That could be how you’re different if you get competent in that modality.

    Actually, getting competent in one modality is what I did early on in my massage career. My specialty was neuromuscular therapy (NMT).

    Back then I was all in with NMT. I subscribed to the philosophy and practiced the methodology—and it did help me build my first practice.

    But as time went on I didn’t find the philosophy to be helpful or the methodology to be effective and I stopped treating clients in a NMT way.

    Guess what happened to my business after I stopped practicing NMT?

    It grew.

    Granted, I didn’t kick all of my neuromuscular training to the curb. I kept what was helpful and discarded the rest.

    For instance, I like anatomy, and NMT was big on anatomy. To this day I always show new clients the areas of concern that I addressed during the massage using my favorite text for muscle pictures—Myofascial  Pain and Dysfunction (Amazon affiliate link) by Janet Travell.

    But what I realized overtime as my business grew and I stopped practicing NMT was that I didn’t need any fancy credentials to bring in clients.

    I just needed to give clients what they wanted. And what a majority of my clients wanted was a massage that was both (1) relaxing and (2) pain relieving at the same time.

    And that is precisely the difference I’m talking about: Be the expert in the massage that is both relaxing and pain-relieving.

    Okay, I think I need to address a little disappointment at this juncture. You probably were expecting something new and fancy, like a cool technique that would look great in a YouTube video—and instead you got old, boring “relaxation” and “pain relief”.

    Not so sexy, I agree.

    But here’s the thing, “relaxation” and “pain relief” are universal. People love to be relaxed and most everyone has a pain area.

    But, Mark, is that going to be enough to bring in clients?

    Yes.

    And that is a confident “yes” because it has worked for me and it has worked for many massage therapists who I’ve trained for our business or who I’ve taught in our CEU classes.

    Here’s how it goes down:

    Your referral sources put clients on your table. Your better-than-the-competition ability to relax and provide pain-relief to your new clients brings these clients back and has them referring friends and family to you.

    To up your game in pain relief massage, check this out: How to Get Good at Pain Relief Massage.

    Does how you’re different have to be being good at relaxation and pain relief massage?

    No.

    It’s just a suggestion that is easily accessible because you’re probably already doing relaxation and pain relief massage.

    If you don’t have how you’re different nailed down yet, don’t wait to figure it out before you go to step #2.

    2. Find referral sources.

    Why? Because the process of finding referral sources will turn the heat up for you to find what makes you different sooner than later.

    Okay, here comes the bad news—finding referral sources is hard work. It requires you putting yourself out there, and sometimes that can be tough on your ego.

    A while back I was determined to get a physical therapist as a referral source. I made my list of PT organizations in my area and I went to town contacting them and trying to set up an intro appointment.

    I slammed up against roadblock after roadblock and it was hard not to take all this rejection personally. But finally I got a hit and I set up an appointment to do demo massages at a local PT office that was not regional or national brand.

    Pay dirt.

    Gold.

    Can you say, I’m in the money?

    One would think, but not so much.

    My demo massage day was a lukewarm experience at best and when I tried to follow up, I got crickets.

    Poor me, I know.

    But that’s not the end of the story. Eventually, I realized that the cold call approach into the PT world was not working so I took a different tack.

    When I had a client who was seeing a PT, I asked that client if I could coordinate care. All my clients said yes and once I was talking to the PT or PTA about a client’s case, I realized that I had instant credibility and an instant professional relationship with that PT or PTA—which, ultimately, resulted in unsolicited referrals.

    By the way, cracking the code for referral sources is not always that hard. Personal trainers in my area responding quickly to my free demo massage offer. And one husband and wife team became a solid referral source and a true business ally.

    If you’re introverted, like me, and struggle with the public side of your business, I’ve created a phone script and an email template that you can use to break the ice with potential referral sources.

    You can find all that information in this free, growing a massage business program: Jumpstart.

    As you start making connections, it’s then time to…

    3. Demonstrate how you’re different to the referral sources.

    How are you going to do that?

    Demo massages.

    I can explain how you can demo massages during COVID-19 in this article and yes, I said free massage.

    But not free forever—just one time—and for short sessions.

    Fifteen minutes for the referral sources customers/clients/patients.

    Thirty minutes for the referral source and her employees.

    Wait, free is bad, Mark. It cheapens my service.

    Free is bad if you’re doing it all the time.

    Strategic free to build a referral source base is good marketing because you’re advertising with your hands—the best tool you have for bringing in clients.

    How do you go from free to your normal price?

    Easy.

    You say, I’m doing a free, fifteen massage.

    The potential client says, Great, and gets on your chair or table.

    You wow her with your work, care, concern and insights.

    She says, Can I have a card?

    You give her your business card.

    She then asks, What’s your price?

    You tell her.

    Boom.

    There’s no more free massage. There’s no negotiation. She got to experience your massage and if she wants to experience it again she knows it’s going to cost X number of dollars.

    You reinforce that your price is your price on your website, which brings us to step #4.

    4. Advertise how you’re different on your website.

    Websites can be big, hairy deals or they can be little, hairy deals. I prefer the little hair deals. Haha.

    Here’s how you make them little, hairy deals: First, don’t do the free website if you can spend $100 or so a year.

    Free is not professional. It will have ads on it and you won’t have a domain name that you own.

    I own pressureperfectmassage.com. My URL is www.pressureperfectmassage.com.

    If I went for a free massage website, my URL would be a subdomain of the free massage website platform, like: www. weebly.sites,free/mark64massage.com.

    Doesn’t look so professional, right? And how do you put that on a business card? So, spring for the $100-ish/year if you can.

    Which website builder should I go with?

    Good question.

    In this article I compare 3 website builders—Weebly, Wix and Hostgator.

    All three are good. I give you the short version of my comparison in the opening paragraph.

    If you’re looking to have a blog or are going to have more than one website and are willing to invest some time into learning a platform, I would recommend a WordPress website.

    WordPress is free. You will pick a theme (website design) for your WordPress site. Some themes cost money. Some are free.

    You can also add or change functionality on your WordPress website using plugins. As in the case with themes, some are free and some cost money.

    In a minute I’m going to direct you to my Build a Massage Website (For Non-Techies) that will help you create a professional-looking, 3-page website on WordPress and other website platforms.

    But before I do I want to circle back to advertising your difference on your website. It will be important for you to show what sets you apart from the competition on your Home and your About page.

    Our difference is that we’re not a cookie cutter massage spa.

    We emphasize customer care and our experience.

    Here’s our Home and About pages.

    If you’re in the process of figuring out how you’re different, I have this article for you: How to Write an About Page. In the article I show you how to figure out your unique story.

    And in How to Write a Homepage I provide ways for you to create a Homepage that will help you stand out from the crowd.

    Links to these articles can be found in my How to Build a Website Guide (For Non-Techies). The Guide is comprehensive, so if you only want help with your Home and/or About pages, just click on the articles above.

    One last thing about websites, don’t get lost in the sauce. In other words, keep it simple and don’t try to make it perfect, especially when it comes to the design. Instead, focus your efforts on the content—make the words and videos ring true to how you’re different.

    For example, we have many years of massage experience and expertise in our company, so on our website I’m going to demonstrate that by providing instructional massage videos to clients and potential clients.

    Here’s one:

    Does the video have to be perfect?

    Hellz no.

    People will overlook the homemade nature of a video if the content of the video is helpful and/informative.

    The video is one of many pieces of information on the website that helps to demonstrate that we are what I say we are—experienced massage therapists with expertise.

    And no you don’t need a video on your website to have an effective website. If it’s in your wheelhouse, go for it. If it’s too much of a stretch now, save if for another day.

    Remember, simple.

    An engaging, 3-page website—Home/About/Services—will do the trick.

    Once you have a website, it’s time to…

    5. Advertise how you’re different on your Google My Business (GMB) page.

    What exactly is Google My Business?

    “Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps,” says Google. “If you verify and edit your business information, you can both help customers find your business and tell them your story.”

    Mark says, turn on your computer. Google “massage near me”. The first thing that comes up is probably an ad(s). Then under that is a local search with massage businesses in the area. Right now (Google changes things around often) that local search has a map with 3 businesses underneath it and a “More Businesses” button is underneath that.

    Google My Business is the way to input your business’s information so your business appears in the local search. Do the basics and you’ll get basic results. Do more than your competition and you can potentially climb higher on the local search page.

    If you’re still wondering if this is a good time investment here are some stats from Hubspot that may help you decide.

    Over 2 years there has been a 900% increase in “near me” or “close by” searches.

    72% of consumers that did a local search visited a business within a 5 mile radius.

    46% of all Google searches are looking for Local information.

    Here’s how you get started with your GMB page.

    From the get-go I want you to follow this one rule when inputting business information to GMB:

    * Be consistent with Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP).

    Your GMB NAP must match your website NAP.

    Google is cross-referencing NAP. If your NAP is not exactly the same on both, it will screw up the local search results. So, it’s important that you take your time and make sure that your website NAP is the same as your GMB NAP.

    Okay, onto your GMB page. For now, I’m going to show you the basic GMB registration and a couple of key optimization steps—because I want to spend most of the time showing you how I advertise my difference on my GMB page. If you want more tips for optimizing your GMB page, go here.

    If you’ve never registered or claimed your business with GMB do this:

    (1) CLAIM YOUR BUSINESS or go to GMB to register your business.

    Here’s the thing, you may have never registered your business, but your business may already be tagged with GMB without you knowing it. Big brother Google does this. So, if you’ve never registered your business with GMB, first do a Google search to see if your business comes up in the local search.

     

    If your business comes up, click on your name. A GMB box should appear with your business’s info in it. Scroll down until you see “Own this business?”. Click on that and go through the steps to claim the business. It’s not complicated.

    If you don’t see your business in the local search then you’re going to have to register your business with Google. To do that, you’re going to:

    (a) Sign in to your Gmail Account.

    (b) Open Google My Business page.

    (c) Follow steps to register a business.

    Once registered you can start to input your business information.

    *Later on whenever you want to get into your GMB account you can access it through this link: https://business.google.com/

    Next…

    (2) Pick the BEST CATEGORY that represents what you do.

    Not sure which one to pick, then look to see what your competitors are doing.

    Click on a competitor’s GMB listing and look right under their business name.

    Add secondary categories by clicking on Additional Categories under Primary Categories. Just start typing in the box until your category comes up, like Sports Massage.

    (3) Input ADDRESS and make sure it matches website address!

    This step is important because if the address on your website doesn’t exactly match your business address, you won’t rank. So, take your time to be accurate and consistent with your name, address and phone number (NAP).

     (4) Fill out SERVICE AREA.

    When I first filled out Service Area for PressurePerfect Massage, I forgot to click on the Apply button and for years Google never 100% knew the area my business covered. Again it pays to go slow and make sure you do things correctly the first time.

    (5) Fill out HOURS.

    Make sure website hours match GMB hours. If your hours change on your website make sure you change them on your GMB page.

    Under HOURS is MORE HOURS where you can add hours for specific services or specials.

    Going forward it’s important to keep your hours updated and remember to add special hours for holidays.

    Okay, like I said before, go here for more GMB optimization tips, but for now I want to show you how I show my difference on my GMB page.

    Show How You’re Different on Your GMB Page

    Here’s the first way: I show it on our GMB posts.

    Take a look.

    PressurePerfect Massage Ranking

    The first post on the left helps establish me as being competent at relaxation and pain relief massage. The post next to it talks about our Covid-19 safety measures which shows that we care about our clients/potential clients and their safety.

    How do you add a post to your GMB page?

    Before you add, let’s talk about the type of post Google allows.

    A GMB post can be an Information (Update), Event or an Offer post.

    An Information post lasts for 7 days before Google removes it.

    An Offer post lasts as long as the offer is valid.

    An Event post lasts until the event takes place.

    Okay, so, where do you write a post?

    Click on Posts in the side panel.

    Then click on the Update button (even if you have not written the post; I know, that’s a little confusing) to write an Information post.

    I write in Word and then copy and paste into GMB posts.

    What can you write about?

    Information relevant to a potential client, like massage research, a massage tip, or wellness information related to massage—but make sure it’s connected to what you do in a massage (how you’re different).

    For example, if you use essential oils in your massage you can talk about the potential benefits of a particular essential oil, but don’t stop there. Also explain how you incorporate that particular essential oil into a massage (that’s what makes you different).

    GMB also lets you put short videos on your GMB page. So, you could also demonstrate your application of that particular essential oil.

    Does that make sense?

    Choose a topic that reflects something that you do in massage and connects to your massage experience or massage expertise (how you’re different).

    Does how you’re different have to be a big, hairy deal on your GMB page?

    No.

    Why?

    Because a viewer of you GMB page isn’t comparing you head-to-head with your competition on that particular topic.

    If you write a post about focused pressure versus broad pressure, the potential customer is not comparing your post with other massage therapists who write about pressure.

    The viewer is just trying to determine if what you offer is what he wants. So after reading your post about focused pressure versus broad pressure, the viewer may think something like this: Sabine knows her stuff about pressure.

    To get him to think about you being the best person to deliver the perfect pressure to help him with his shoulder knot, you have to connect yourself to the post.

    In the case of focused pressure versus broad pressure, the connection in the post might be: This is my favorite massage tool to deliver focused pressure in the shoulders and neck. It allows me to easily pinpoint tight and tender areas at the top of the shoulders.

    You’re not saying outwardly: Hey, look at me! I’m an expert with pressure. Instead you’re providing details (specific pieces of information) about your work that demonstrate you’re an expert with pressure

    So, from reading the post the potential customer knows that you’re experienced and probably competent with pressure. He also knows how you’re different: You use massage tools which allows you to pinpoint the pressure.

    That said, don’t over-think your post.

    Focus on one thing with each post.

    For my business, I’m going to write posts about COVID-19 safety and pain relief/relaxation massage. And I will connect each post to me.

    Here’s a list of potential topics for me and how they can connect back to me.

    1. Air exchange in the massage room.

    Connection: From the research that I did, I found that…

    1. Why I look Hazmat-y in the massage room.

    Connection: I’m doing total PPE to protect you.

    1. Temperature checks.

    Connection: We follow CDC guidelines and do temperature checks as a safety measure.

    1. One therapist and one client in the office at a time.

    Connection: We go above and beyond to keep you as safe as possible.

    1. Relaxation and pain relief in the same massage.

    Connection: We offer a massage that is both relaxing and pain relieving.

    1. Focused pressure versus broad pressure.

    Connection: Here’s how I do broad pressure and here’s how I do focused pressure.

    1. Focused ischemic compression for tibialis posterior tendonitis.

    Connection: Runners, I have a tib posterior massage for you.

    You get the idea, right?

    Other GMB Housekeeping Details

    You can also add a COVID-19 Update. I like that feature and have been using that a lot during the pandemic.

    If you want to add event post click on Add Event at the top of the post page. And if you want to add an offer post click on Add Offer at the top of the post page.

    Lastly, I need to mention keywords.

    You don’t need any SEO superpowers to choose your keywords.

    Keep keywords simple and they should be the same keywords you used in your description and other areas: location, “massage” and type of massage you want to promote (if/when appropriate).

    GMB posts done.

    So far with the steps I’ve shown you there’s not a lot (if any) money that needs to go down to get clients walking through your door. The last step in this plan requires a little cash out—not crazy cash out, just some.

    6. Put how you’re different on signs.

    Signs bring in clients.

    My first serious sign was a huge, OBNOXIOUS banner-sign at the front of a shopping center.

    At the time, I had an office in a fitness center. The fitness center owner and I went in on a ginormous, yellow banner-sign with red lettering that said MASSAGE AT THE EDGE 610-935-5902.

    The phone number was my office number (pre-cell), so all the calls were coming directly to me.

    The sign was a fantastic success. I got newbies and some converted to repeats, but there was only one problem. The sign went against township code and the code officer, who was friends with my client/friend, told me, through my client/friend, to take the sign down.

    Okay, so it wasn’t a total, slam dunk advertising story, but I completely took advantage of my client/friend’s relationship with the code officer, and I dragged my feet about taking the sign down and was able to squeeze out a few more months of killer advertising.

    A more recent example of signs success happened at Phoenixville office. Our Phoenixville office is at a corner light with high traffic volume and our banner sign has great visibility.

    The wind does beat the caca out our banner sign, and I have to replace it about once every 18 months, but that’s chump change when compared to all the new clients it has netted us.

    Outside signs work. If you have an opportunity to put one up, do it.

    If you don’t, think outside the box. How about a sign on your car?

    If your car is strategically parked in your work parking lot it connects your massage office with your business location.

    By the way, besides bringing in more clients, a sign can also give you an emotional boost.

    How?

    Your sign is not only letting the world know that you’re here, it’s also letting you know that. So, every time you go to your office and you see your sign, you’re telling yourself that you’ve arrived. That can be motivating and uplifting.

    We talked about the importance of signage, but what type of sign should you put up?

    A sign that people notice.

    Sign Types

    The obnoxious one I had by the road at the shopping center was perfect for getting the attention of drivers.

    But an obnoxious one at the corner of our current Phoenixville office is overkill and inappropriate.

    Why?

    The Phoenixville office is at intersection with a light. Cars are stopped at the light and have a chance to look around. Our sign doesn’t need to be screaming at them.

    Also, since our business name is on the sign I don’t want our business name to be associated with obnoxious. The obnoxious banner sign at the shopping center just said MASSAGE.

    Speaking of banner signs, your sign does not have to be a banner sign to be successful.

    This A-frame that is also up at our Phoenixville office allows us to change our messaging and drives business though our door.

    I have to admit that I was opposed to this A-frame sign initially. My wife, Lisa, bartered with a chiro in the area—massage for referrals and whatever else the chiro wanted to throw in. An A-frame sign was part of the deal. You probably saw it in the banner sign pic above.

    I hated this A-frame sign because it required more work than the banner sign. And I bitched to Lisa about how dumb that sign was and how she got screwed in the deal.

    Well, at one point when business was slow I decided to drag out that clunky, stupid A-frame sign and clean it up.

    Then I put the pain relief pitch on it, instead of repeating our intro offer which was on the banner sign.

    At the end of the day, two signs with two messages that show how we’re different from the competition produced more call-ins than one sign.

    I love our stupid, clunky A-frame now and I’ve apologized to Lisa for bad mouthing her barter deal.

    So, pain-relief and our intro special is what I put on our signs. What should you put on your sign?

    Your Sign Message (Difference)

    How you’re different may be different than how I’m different.

    Again, what makes us different is our intro special. Another difference is that we do pain relief massage.

    Remember, what makes you different from the competition doesn’t have to be earth shattering and space is limited on a sign.

    If you’re stuck just go with price and what type of massage you do.

    The potential client can always go to your website or GMB page to get more details.

    For example, Tasha sees our sign for pain relief massage. She’s intrigued so she goes to our website and then reads this video blog post about pain relief massage. Sign gets her intention and the website gets her to call. Boom.

    Speaking of getting calls, don’t forget to put your phone number and/or website on the sign.

    Where Do You Get a Sign?

    You can get a sign online or at a local sign shop.

    Banner signs done online are usually cheap and fairly easy to design yourself.

    When I have sign that really needs to be spec-ed out and I need some design input, I go to a local sign store. Some local sign stores have been great. Others have been bad. Ask other business allies where they get their signs done to make sure you find the one that works for you.

    We’re through the plan. Let’s reccap.

    How to Get Massage Clients in a Nutshell

    Getting massage clients isn’t brain surgery, but it’s also not sheer luck. You can dink and dunk down the field, selecting marketing tips that may or may not be right for you, and spend unnecessary years building your business or you could follow a proven plan.

    This is the plan that has taken my meh business to a yay! business:

    1. Be different.

    Articulate what makes you different from your competition. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary. A special intro price could be it.

    2. Find referral sources.

    Establish relationships with other businesses that can send you referrals.

    3. Demonstrate how you’re different to the referral sources.

    Show your referral sources how you are different from the competition. Demo massages are a free and easy way to do that.

    4. Advertise how you’re different on your website.

    Start to make your marketing consistent across all media by stating how you’re different on your website.

    5. Advertise how you’re different on your GMB page.

    Rinse and repeat on your GMB page.

    6. Put how you’re different on signs.

    Be bold. Don’t back away from declaring how you’re different on signage.

    You’ve read this article so pat yourself on the back, but don’t take your foot off the accelerator. Put the work in now, create the business you want and once you do then you can go on maintenance mode.

    How to Keep Your Foot on the Accelerator

    If you’re just starting your massage business, this free course that is designed to get you to 30K: Jumpstart.

    To take your massage business to the next level, go here: The Accelerator.

    Ways to Save Money and Build Your Practice:

    Massage Insurance: Who has the Cheapest Massage Insurance

    Website: Cheapest Way to Build a Website.

    Rent a Massage Room: How to Rent a Massage Room for Cheap.

    Questions?

    I am here. Email me a mark@makethemostofmassage.com! 🙂

     

  • Massage Body Mechanics Courses

    Massage body mechanics has a physics part (what is the most efficient way to massage in general) and a personal part (what is the most pain-free way for you to massage).

    It’s been my experience that the personal part is often left out of most massage body mechanic courses.

    But it’s the combination of the two—general efficiency and personal efficacy—that should determine your body mechanics when doing a massage.

    Let’s breakdown these two aspects of body mechanics further.

    The Physics Part of Body Mechanics

    Would you agree that if you’re doing light pressure massage you’re less worried about straining muscles and injuring joints?

    In my experience, it’s the medium and deep pressure that causes pain. So, what’s the most efficient way to deliver medium to deep pressure?

    I would argue it is to use your body weight to generate pressure.

    If you can transfer your body weight onto the client you don’t need to press with your upper-body, and it’s much easier for you to keep your shoulders, elbows and wrists aligned. When you can keep your joints aligned, the assumption is that you’re less likely to injury a joint.

    In this picture you can see that my table is low.

    It’s low so that there is enough distance between my client and myself so that I can transfer my bodyweight onto the client when I lean.

    If my table were high, I wouldn’t be able to do that.

    Ah, Mark, but a low table will hurt my back.

    That would be true if you didn’t do this one thing—use the table for support.

    Take a look at this pic.

    Do you see how my one leg is leaning against the table?

    The massage table is actually helping to support my weight which takes the strain out of my back. I could even straighten up if I wanted to.

    To get an idea of how leaning against the table can take the strain out of your trunk muscles just lean against the wall. Muscularly speaking, it’s a lot easier to stay upright, right?

    Leaning and using your body weight to deliver pressure efficiently takes a little practice, but is not crazy hard to do.

    The challenge to good body mechanics is part two—the personal part of body mechanics.

    The Personal Part of Body Mechanics

    We all come in different shapes and sizes and injuries and challenges. Theoretically, leveraging your body weight may look good on paper, but it may not be the pain-free thing to do for your body in every massage situation.

    My wife, Lisa, is a massage therapist, too. She uses her upper-body a lot when massaging and that can aggravate her neck and shoulders.

    She does not work on a low table because she doesn’t want to lean into the massage table for support. It’s physically and mentally uncomfortable to her.

    So, if she did work on a low table without leaning into the massage table for support she’d aggravate her low back which is already set up for pain issues.

    Time to trash the strategy of leaning to generate pressure for Lisa?

    Not at all.

    Lisa does a lot of her massage work sitting. She can lean when sitting down.

    Okay, that’s me leaning while sitting, but you get the point. I’m leaning to generate pressure rather than contracting my upper-body to generate pressure.

    Let’s go through another example. I’m going to use me. Many years ago I was a forearm massage therapist. But overtime cervical radiculopathy and an unstable left shoulder caught up with me and anytime I did forearm work, my left neck and arm ached and my elbows and hands would tingle.

    It didn’t matter if I was leaning with my shoulder stacked over my elbow—I still was in pain.

    I decided to take my shoulder and neck out of the equation by leaning on my fists instead of my forearms.

    Well, that meant that I had to lower my table even more so that I would have enough distance between my client and my fists to transfer my body weight onto my client.

    Once I did that I could stack my shoulders over my elbows and my elbows over my wrists.

    Guess what?

    No more neck and shoulder pain.

    So, leaning, keeping my work below and in front of me and keeping my joints stacked pretty much took care of my shoulder and neck pain when massaging.

    These kinds of experiences made me realize that when I taught  “good massage body mechanics” to a massage therapist, I was actually teaching strategies not axioms.

    I was saying to the massage therapist: Go ahead, take this strategy out for a test drive. How does it ride?

    Sometimes the massage therapist would just need to let the new strategy settle in, sometimes we would need to tweak the strategy to make it work for a specific requirement and other times we needed to pass on the strategy altogether.

    The good news is that there’s not just one strategy to help a massage therapist massage efficiently and without being in pain. And at the end of the day I became confident that I could help any massage therapist find the strategies that would work for her/himself.

    Speaking of other body mechanics strategies, here’s another one: combining body parts.

    What do I mean when I say combine body parts?

    Combining Body Parts

    I’m talking about taking two body parts—fingers, thumbs, knuckles, fists, forearms—and putting them next to each other or on top of each other to brace and support each other.

    When I do this I create a very stable “tool” that doesn’t rely on one finger or thumb or joint.

    In this video you can see how I combine body parts for working in the lamina groove.

    Once you start experimenting with combining body parts, you are going to start to figure out what kinds of combinations work best for you and you’ll probably come up with a few of your own.

    Here’s another strategy for saving your hands: become ambidextrous.

    Become Ambidextrous

    Becoming ambidextrous is not as hard as you think. It simply requires practice.

    The trick is don’t try it all at once. In other words, sneak your non-dominant finger, knuckle or hand into a massage in short bursts. As you get more comfortable with your non-dominant hand you can work in longer periods of time.

    Here’s one of my favorite body mechanics strategies: break static posture.

    Break Static Posture

    What is static posture?

    It’s a fixed body position.

    Think hairstylists, dentists, mechanics, data entry workers, and us, massage therapists.

    The problem occurs when you’re in a fixed position for extended periods of time while you’re physically exerting yourself.

    Why is that bad?

    Because protracted  static posture increases loads or forces on muscles and tendons in specific areas. When this happens fatigue occurs in these areas because blood flow is impeded. When blood flow is impeded there’s less replenishing of nutrients and elimination of metabolic waste. In other words, tissue recovery is not good.

    It’s a perfect set up for back pain.

    Now think about your way of doing massage. Seeing some static posture moments?

    Time to make some adjustments.

    Here’s a common static posture in massage.

    Hunching with head down.

    So how I can I interrupt this static posture massage cycle without rewriting how I do massage?

    One way is to find times during the massage when you can change your back position. Here’s one way:

    Massage with one hand so that you can straighten up.

    Or take a knee on the table when standing and working on feet.

    In this video you can see how I interrupt static posture when working the subocciptals.

    Massage Body Mechanics Course

    Massage body mechanics is more than just physics. What’s the point of applying the best theoretical body mechanics principles if those principles don’t keep you out of pain or worse, they put you in pain?

    In my book, body mechanics and massaging without being in pain are inextricable—and both must be considered when figuring out the best body mechanics for you.

    If you want to figure out the best body mechanics for you, I have a body mechanics online, home study CE course called How to Deliver Deep Pressure Without Hurting Yourself (3 CEUs).

    It’s NCBTMB-approved and you can check it out here.

    Want my latest information on staying out of pain when doing massage and building a massage practice? Sign up for my free, email group and I’ll send you my latest information.

  • Massage Deep Tissue Techniques

    Here are my favorite massage deep tissue techniques for pain relief and relaxation massage—that are effortless to do and don’t hurt my body.

    The “don’t hurt my body” part is vitally important because if you’re killing your body doing deep tissue massage you’re either going to stop doing deep tissue or you’re going to continue to kill your body and resent your clients who want deep tissue work.

    So, here are three deep tissue techniques that I do all day without being in pain.

    By the way, after I show you the techniques, I’m going to explain the strategy behind each one. Once you understand the strategy you can develop your own pain-free, deep tissue techniques.

    Here’s what we’re going to cover:

    (1) Upper-Trapezius Non-Squeeze Release

    (2) Rotatores and Multifidi Ischemic Compression Release

    (3) Seated IT Band Glide/Press Release

    1. Upper-Trapezius Non-Squeeze Release

    In neuromuscular massage therapy (NMT) training I learned a great technique for releasing the deeper tissue of the upper traps.

    The client is prone. With one hand you grasp the top edge of the trapezius so that your four fingers are wrapped around the superior, anterior edge and your thumb is on the posterior side of the upper-trap.

    In this hand positioning you’re going to grip the upper trap and then “unfurl” the trap edge by moving your fingers towards you and your thumb away from you.

    Once you get the technique down you can exert very focused pressure in the deeper tissues of the upper trap.

    The goals of the NMT trap release are to deactivate hard to get to trigger points and to change ischemic conditions in those areas.

    Though I don’t subscribe to NMT theory any longer, from a pain relief and relaxation massage perspective, I like the NMT trap release because it’s pain relieving and relaxing to clients.

    But there’s a problem with the NMT deep tissue trap release: It beat the dog poop out of my hands.

    This caused another problem. I couldn’t cut it out of my massage routine because a chunk of my clients were used to the NMT upper-trap release and loved it. So I needed to come up with a version that didn’t kill my hands. And that’s what I did.

    Squeezing and rolling with one hand was what caused hand pain when doing the NMT Upper-Trap Release. So, instead of using one hand, I decided to use two. And instead of squeezing, I pressed with two hands.

    By using two hands I could still roll and “squeeze” (now press) the tissue with focused pressure which was what made this NMT technique so effective in the first place, but without straining my hands.

    In addition, for clients with very thick upper-traps, I added a massage tool which allowed me to press with enough force to reach the deeper tissues of the upper-trap.

    Here’s what that looks like:

    Play with getting really specific with your pressure. It’s amazing how focused your pressure can get when pressing between two hands.

    Now, I want to show you a deep tissue technique for back muscles, specifically for rotatores and multifidi. It’s my favorite deep tissue technique.

    2. Rotatores and Multifidi Ischemic Compression Release.

    The multifidi and rotatores are in the lamina groove. Early on in my career, I shied away from anything close to the spinous processes. But neuromuscular therapy taught me that these muscles can be influenced and clients REALLY like getting them worked.

    The Deep Back Muscles

    Here are the multifidus and rotatores:

    They multifidus stabilizes joints within the spine. The rotatores lie underneath the multifidus and are involved in postural control.

    The great thing about the deep tissue technique that I’m about to show you is that you can do this technique through clothes (like when doing demo massages). Being able to deep tissue massage during a chair massage event is a great way to market your skills and has helped me net clients.

    4 Steps for Deep Tissue Rotatores and Multifidi

    Here’s how to get comfortable working these deep muscles.

    Step #1: Find the spinous processes.

    Once you find the spinous processes, you’ve won the battle.

    By the way, don’t be scared of the spinous processes. They are your friends (reference points).

    Step #2: Go just lateral of the spinous processes (maybe 1/2 inch).

    For extra assurance, keep in contact with the spinous processes. You can use fingers from your pressing hand or non-pressing hand to maintain contact.

    Step#3: Press down into the lamina groove with a thumb/finger or body parts combination.

    Here’s what that looks like:

    (In the video I use the term power tools.  Now I call power tools “body part combinations”.)

    You may have noticed that in the video that my table is low and that I’m leaning generate deep pressure.

    Why?

    Because when you lean you can transfer your body weight into the area you want to work. In other words, you can use your body weight to generate pressure.

    Leaning makes delivering static pressure in the lamina groove effortless.

    To learn how to lean to generate pressure, go here.

    As you’re learning to calibrate your pressure in the lamina groove, you may first want to use a pain scale system.

    Here’s the pain scale system I use: I tell the client to think of a pain scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is not much pain and 10 is a lot. When you press on an area, you want your pressure to feel like it’s registering in a 3 to 4 range (in acute pain areas) or a 4 to 5 (in non-acute pain areas).

    Here’s my pain-scale-system tutorial video if you want to take a deeper dive: Pain Scale Video.

    When I have a client who responds well to deep pressure in the lamina groove, I use a massage tool to save my hands.

    The massage tool also allows me to deliver deeper and more focused pressure.

    The disadvantage of using a massage tool is that you will lose some sensitivity, but that can be remedied if you use a guide finger.

    Go here if you want to learn how to use a massage tool in the lamina groove.

    Step #4: Be thorough and relaxing with each press.

    When I say thorough, I mean really explore the tight and/or painful areas with ischemic compression. Sometimes you may find the “that’s it!” spot, which when pressed with the appropriate amount of pressure may provide instant pain relief.

    When I say make it relaxing, I’m talking about the speed you move from point A to point B.

    Don’t rush it.

    Zen it.

    The focused, deep pressure can be very relaxing to many. Jump from point to point quickly and you’re undoing the relaxation benefit.

    Here’s a trick for moving at a relaxing pace: Stay relaxed yourself because if you’re relaxed when doing deep tissue work, then you’re probably moving at a pace which is relaxing to your client.

    Though ischemic compression in the lamina groove is my favorite deep tissue technique, this next one is a close second.

    3. Seated IT Band Glide/Press Release

    For most of my massage career I hated working IT bands because they were so hard to get to without having the client turn on her/his side. Then I’d have to deal with the sheet and the IT band was now on an angle and if I was using my forearm it was looking more like I was trying to block a linebacker than do a massage…and the list went on.

    Give me an IT band deep tissue release that is easy to do, doesn’t hurt my body and is effective.

    Here it is—the Seated IT Band Glide/Press Release.

    Wait, Mark, how can you generate enough pressure in the IT band when you’re sitting?

    You lean.

    Just like when you were standing and leaning, you can lean when you’re sitting, but when you’re sitting, you’re leaning from the torso.

    And, yes, you will be able to generate all the pressure you need to and then some.

    For a broad glide, you can use your fists or knuckles or a fist-palm.

    For more focused pressure you can use a knuckle, thumb or a massage tool.

    Or you can use body part combinations like a knuckle thumb.

    The great thing about seated deep tissue IT band work is not only is it easy on your body, but the body part combinations and tools that you can use to get the job done are practically endless.

    Here’s how I do the Seated IT Band Deep Tissue Release:

    Remember that in the beginning of this article I had said that the three deep tissue techniques that I was about to show you had strategies behind them and that you could use these strategies to develop your own deep tissue techniques that wouldn’t hurt your body?

    Well, I want to explain those strategies to you so that you can walk away from here armed with the building blocks to help you create deep tissue techniques just for you.

    Strategies for Pain-Free Deep Tissue Massage

    Here are the strategies behind my deep tissue techniques that save my body:

    1. Squeeze less. Press more.
    2. Lean to generate pressure.
    3. Use multiple body parts (and use tools) to deliver focused pressure.

    Let’s take these three strategies and start experimenting.

    TFL Deep Tissue Release

    The TFL is a tough muscle to access. It’s small and requires very  focused pressure, which begs the question: How do I massage the TFL  with deep pressure without killing my hands?

    In the video below I take the 3 strategies—squeeze less, lean and use multiple body parts/tools—to create a deep tissue technique that doesn’t hurt my body.

    Are you starting to see how these 3 strategies can be applied universally to all body areas that you are massaging?

    Here’s another example of deep tissue work in the tibialis posterior where I use the 3 strategies (more press, lean and use multiple body parts/tools).

    By the way, this massage example is not part of what I would do during a relaxation massage. It would be what I would do if someone came in with a tibialis posterior issue.

    Massage Deep Tissue Techniques In a Nutshell

    So, I showed you three of my favorite deep tissue techniques—(1) upper-trap non-squeeze release, (2) rotatores and multifidi ischemic compression release, and (3) seated IT band glide/press release.

    To get to the deep tissue of a muscle, you need to be able to exert a certain amount of pressure. Sometimes that pressure needs to be precise.

    Once you can exert the appropriate amount of pressure you can hold that pressure, glide with that pressure or do other movements with that pressure, like cross-fiber work.

    To be able to hold that pressure consistently your body can’t be straining. In fact, your body needs to be relaxed which means you need to be using strategies that make deep tissue work easy.

    Leaning, less squeezing and more pressing, and using multiple body parts/tools to deliver pressure are strategies that will take the strain out of your body when doing deep tissue work.

    If you work with these 3 strategies you will not only save your body when doing deep tissue work, you’ll start to develop your own techniques that are unique to you and your style of massage.

    Online Deep Tissue CE Class

    If you want more help, I have a online, home study, CE course that will give you the platform to create your own deep tissue techniques and get competent with deep tissue work without hurting yourself.

    It’s NCBTMB-approved and you can check it out here.

    And if you have a question about my deep tissue techniques or anything else, email me anytime— mark@makethemostofmassage.com. 🙂

  • How Can I Promote My Massage Business?

    How Can I Promote My Massage Business?

    How can I promote my massage business?

    1. Market with demo massages.
    2. Make a website that stands out from the competition
    3. Follow Googles’s recommendations for optimizing a Google My Business (GMB) page to improve local search rankings.

    If you do these 3 things you’ll have a comprehensive “promoting your business” plan that covers both word-of-mouth and online marketing.

    By the way, these three strategies can be done at little to no cost.

    Let’s start with demo massages because it requires the most amount of physical, emotional and mental energy.

    1. Market with demo massages.

    First, what I do I mean by demo massage?

    I mean free massage.

    For everyone?!

    No. Offer demo massage to a targeted audience. It’s rule #1 for my marketing with demo massage plan.

    My Demo Massages Rules

    Rule #1: Not free for everybody.

    Only offer free demo massage to strategic business allies, their employees and their clients. A strategic business ally is someone who can refer clients to you, like a hospital, MD, chiropractor, PT, personal trainer, running or bike store manager/owner, hotel concierge, or retirement community director.

    Rule #2: Free for 15 minutes.

    Limit the length of the massage to 15 or 30 minutes. Typically, I’ll offer a business ally, like a chiropractor, a free 30 minute massage, and I’ll offer her patients 15 minute massages.

    I give the extra time to the chiropractor because I want to demonstrate that I’m a good fit with her practice. For her patients, 15 minutes is the perfect amount of time to find and treat pain/problem areas.

    Rule #3: Limit the time of the offer.

    Offer free massages for 3 months (12 weeks). For the first 6 weeks, do demo massage once a week. For the next 6 weeks, do demo massages once every 2 weeks. At the end of 3 months, reevaluate and decide if periodic demo massages in the future are important to keep you connected to your business ally and her clients.

    The demo massage marketing plan was a key component to taking my meh massage business to a yay! massage business. It works because (1) you’re parlaying a skill (massage) into a marketing tool so there’s no real learning curve, (2) it’s practically free to do, and (3) and you can implement this marketing strategy immediately.

    By the way, you can still do effective demo massage marketing during COVID-19.

    Demo Massage During COVID-19

    Instead of doing demo massages onsite, you’re going to do the demo massages in your office where you can maintain the safety measures you have in place. If you’re also selling safety as part of your marketing strategy as I do, then it’s a double marketing win—you get to sell with your hands AND the potential client gets to see how you go out of your way to keep her as safe as possible.

    You can set up the demo massages by calling and emailing candidates that you’ve researched and think would be good referral sources.

    If you need help with what you want to say as an introduction, I have call a script and a sample email in this free course that I offer: Jumpstart.

    I should also mention that many of the health-related businesses that you court should be very receptive to relationship building (growing their business) during this time of economic uncertainty because they too are looking for ways to sustain their businesses during this pandemic.

    What if the area that you live in has a high Covid case count and/or positivity rate?

    Well then, just set up demo massages for a time down the road when it’s safer.

    If you want to start with a more sedentary way to promote your massage business…

    2. Make your website stand out from the competition.

    How are you doing to do that?

    You’re going to write an engaging Homepage and About page.

    Wait, Mark, what about SEO?

    If you want to pay someone to optimize your website or if you want to invest the gobs of time it takes to learn how to optimize your website yourself, go right ahead.

    But I have a different strategy to getting someone to call me when she clicks on my website.

    It’s this: Follow Googles’s rules on  my GMB page to improve my local search rankings. Then when a potential client clicks on my website I pull him in with words (and videos). We’ll talk about your GMB page after we finish with writing engaging content for your Homepage and About page on your website.

    A HomePage That Draws the User In

    I learned about the importance of a homepage from new clients.

    When a new client comes into our office it’s not uncommon for her to say:

    “I like that your massages are 60 minutes long…” or “I saw your tennis ball video…” or “I never heard of anyone not accepting tips…”

    Over time I made the connection that having an engaging homepage impacts our phone ringing.

    Okay, Mark, how much is it going to cost to have someone write (or rewrite) my homepage for me?

    Nothing.

    Because you’re going to do it yourself.

    Just follow this one simple rule: Don’t bore the reader. Here’s how you’re going to make your Homepage engaging.

    Make Your Copy Pop

    1. Ask yourself: What about my business is eyeball catching?

    It doesn’t have to be radical.

    In fact, radical can turn a lot of people off.

    It just has to be truthful, something you are and/or stand behind.

    Here are some examples:

    1. Above-and-beyond customer care.
    2. Specialty massage.
    3. Expert with specific populations, like seniors, PTSD clients or cancer survivors.
    4. Niche market, like tri-athletes, golfers, actors, dancers, office workers, EMTs, nurses, etc.
    5. A special introductory rate.
    6. A really nice and relaxing massage room.
    7. Aromatherapy/essential oils.
    8. Guided meditation with massage.
    9. Massage and stretching.
    10. Your own brand of massage.

    So what if none of this is your deal or you just started doing massage, how else can you not be boring and engage the potential customer?

    1. Provide non-boring, helpful information.

    We have a self-massage video for neck and shoulders on our homepage.

    When a customer comes in and says, “I tried the massage tool that you showed on your video…” all I can thing about is how awkward I look on camera.

    But I know that the video was effective because the customer remembered it.

    1. Use pictures to take the yawn out of a homepage.

    I use a combination of free stock pics and ones that I have taken.

    I’d prefer to do all homegrown pics, but some pics are beyond my pic-taking abilities.

    Also, if you’re comfortable writing…

    1. Write a short article on something important to the customer.

    You can’t go wrong with massage as it relates to neck or back pain.

    That article can be on your homepage itself or you could create another tab on your website, paste the article on that page and simply have a link to the article on your homepage.

    Not too hard, right?

    For more information about creating an engaging Homepage, go here or go to the free Jumpstart program.

    Massage About Page

    There’s a reason I say “massage About page” instead of “About page”.

    Start writing an About page without tethering it to massage and the next thing you know it’s a Facebook post about how much you love poetry and stamp collecting.

    Friends are interested that you like poetry and stamp collecting.

    Customers?

    Not so much.

    In order to engage a customer on an About page, you need to create your massage story.

    Wait, Mark, can’t I simply list my massage credentials and experience.

    You could.

    But if that’s all you do it doesn’t help the customer with her getting to know you.

    And quite frankly, it’s boring.

    A massage story engages the customer.

    Engagement makes the cell ring and can help boost your website in the Google rankings.

    Your massage story should reveal how you view and practice massage.

    I wrote this fictitious About page to give you an example of a massage story.

    In May of 2013, I was at my wits’ end. My dad had recently died from a long illness and I had just lost my job. I had read books on de-stressing and started to do yoga at home, but no matter what I did, I just couldn’t turn the worry off.

    Then one day my friend Asha gave me a gift certificate to see her massage therapist. Honestly, I didn’t want to go. In fact, the thought of going created more anxiety. But I went.

    Admittedly, the first 5 minutes of the massage were rough, but then when Jaylah, the massage therapist, pressed at the base of my skull, I felt all the tension leave my body. From that moment on, I was putty.

    After carrying what felt like the weight of the world on my back for months, I suddenly felt unburdened. Yes, life’s stressors came back, but massage taught me that I could disconnect, power down and come out feeling recharged.

    My goal in massage is to give each client what Jaylah gave me: total relaxation when I needed it the most.

    You can read about how to get the I connected the dots here.

    Okay, you have the word-of-mouth thing working and you’ve got a website that has engaging content, now you just need to appear at the top of the page in a local search when someone types in  “massage therapist”.

    Here’s how you do that:

    3. Follow Googles’s recommendations for optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) page to improve local search rankings.

     

    What exactly is Google My Business?

    “Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps,” says Google. “If you verify and edit your business information, you can both help customers find your business and tell them your story.”

    Mark says, turn on your computer. Google “massage near me”. The first thing that comes up is probably an ad(s). Then under that is a local search with massage businesses in the area. Right now that local search has a map with 3 businesses underneath it and a “More Businesses” button is underneath that (Google changes things around often).

    Google My Business is the way to input your business’s information so your business appears in the local search. Do the basics and you’ll get basic results. Do more than your competition and you can potentially climb higher on the local search page.

    If you’re still wondering if this is a good time investment here are some stats from Hubspot that may help you decide.

    Over 2 years there has been a 900% increase in “near me” or “close by” searches.

    72% of consumers that did a local search visited a business within a 5 mile radius.

    46% of all Google searches are looking for Local information.

    Here’s how you get started with your GMB page.

    If you’ve never registered or claimed your business with GMB do this:

    (1) CLAIM YOUR BUSINESS or go to GMB to register your business.

    Here’s the thing, you may have never registered your business, but your business may already be tagged with GMB without you knowing it. Big brother Google does this. So, if you’ve never registered your business with GMB, first do a Google search to see if your business comes up in the local search.

    If your business comes up, click on your name. A GMB box should appear with your business’s info in it. Scroll down until you see “Own this business?”. Click on that and go through the steps to claim the business. It’s not complicated.

    If you don’t see your business in the local search then you’re going to have to register your business with Google. To do that, you’re going to:

    (a) Sign in to your Gmail Account.

    (b) Open Google My Business page.

    (c) Follow steps to register a business.

    Once registered you can start to input your business information.

    *Later on whenever you want to get into your GMB account you can access through this link: https://business.google.com/

    Now, I’m going to take you through GMB using our PressurePerfect account.

    Here’s what the inside looks like:

     

    1. PICK THE BEST CATEGORY that represents what you do.

    Not sure which one to pick, then look to see what your competitors are doing.

    Click on a competitor’s GMB listing and look right under their business name.

    Add secondary categories by clicking on Additional Categories under Primary Categories. Just start typing in the box until your category comes up, like Sports Massage.

    (3) Input ADDRESS and make sure it matches website address!

    This step is important because if the address on your website doesn’t exactly match your business address, you won’t rank. So, take your time to be accurate and consistent with your name, address and phone number (NAP).

     (4) Fill out SERVICE AREA.

    When I first filled out Service Area for PressurePerfect Massage, I forgot to click on the Apply button and for years Google never 100% knew the area my business covered. Again it pays to go slow and make sure you do things correctly the first time.

    (5) Fill out HOURS.

    Make sure website hours match GMB hours. If your hours change on your website make sure you change them on your GMB page.

    Under HOURS is MORE HOURS where you can add hours for specific services or specials.

    Going forward it’s important to keep your hours updated and remember to add special hours for holidays.

    Speaking of special hours…

    (6) Note SPECIAL HOURS.

    You may not need to fill out Special Hours yet. This feature allows you to show your modified or extended hours during special events.

    Google says that edits may be reviewed for quality and can take up to 3 days to be published. So, plan accordingly.

    (7) Fill out PHONE NUMBER.

    If you have a business phone number use that number.

    Later on you can do more with your GMB page to help with optimization like filling out Questions and Answers. But for now, that’s good enough.

    The Reality With Demo Massages/ Website Engagement/GMB

    I don’t have to tell you that there are a lot of ways to promote your massage business. The problem is that you don’t have the time and/or money to do them all.

    The answer to this problem is to pick the marketing strategies that meet you where you’re at—demo massages, website engagement, and an optimized GMB page do that because you can already sell with your hands and you don’t have to be techie to improve your website or fill out your GMB page.

    That said, I’m not going to tell you that all of this is easy. These recommendations come with some challenges.

    Demo massages will probably make you feel the most uncomfortable because you literally have to put yourself out there and sell with your hands.

    An engaging website will require you to be creative. You’ll have to think like your potential customers and try things that you may have not considered trying before. For example, if writing isn’t your bag, you may have to experiment with videos.

    An optimized GMB page requires adherence to the rules. This is the toughest one for me because I want to do things my way. But I also want my business to show up 1st in the local search. Guess who’s following the rules?

    The good thing about putting yourself out there, being creative and adhering to the rules is that you don’t have to be an expert in any of this. You just have to be competent:-)

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