Here’s one way that you can get you your clients to come back more frequently, send more new client referrals to you, and even reactivate old clients.
 
It’s called a massage client newsletter.

While some people consider using a massage client newsletter to be a form of massage marketing, I slightly disagree.  It’s actually a very powerful client retention tool first and foremost.  Of course, using a newsletter can also help market your practice through referral generation and reactivating inactive clients.

The primary focus of your newsletter is to educate your clients on how you can help them or someone else they know.  I have heard numerous clients say, “Wow, I didn’t know that massage could help that condition!”
 
It’s not the client’s responsibility to remember what medical conditions or physical ailments that massage can alleviate or cure.  It’s our professional responsibility to educate clients on the benefits in healing powers of massage therapy.
 
The more targeted your newsletter is about the benefits of massage the more effective it will be.  If you can make a special offer that somehow ties into part of your newsletter, this can also work extremely well.  For example, if you have an article on the benefits of sports massage, include a limited time offer for a sports massage at your office.
 
The emphasis needs to be on having great content otherwise your clients won’t read it. 
 
Think about your own reading habits: what magazines or newsletters do you read on a regular basis?  The ones that are loaded with content!
 
Early in my career as a massage therapy center owner, I tried using a “cookie cutter” pre-made massage client newsletter that was created by someone else.  While it delivers the results I was looking for (more repeat business), the author of the newsletter was frequently late in delivering the newsletter to me.  That meant I was late getting it out to my clients, which made me look bad in my clients’ eyes.  In addition, he started using articles that were not massage-related and even included an article that told massage clients all the places that they go to find another massage therapist!
 
Needless to say, I started writing my own massage client newsletters, which I called “Keeping In Touch.”  I wrote this quarterly newsletter from scratch for over four years, until I made the decision to close my massage therapy center.
 
By using these targeted massage client newsletters, I was able to get more repeat business, more new client referrals, and reactivate clients, who I had not seen in months or even years.  To see an example issue of “Keeping In Touch”, my massage client newsletters, please go to this page and download the sample issue.  Take the time to review it and get additional ideas for creating your own newsletter.
 
In my book, “Help Your Massage Practice”, I refer to these client educational newsletters being available for purchase.  Well, after countless months of delays and working on other projects, I have finally put together volume 1 of “Keeping In Touch: Massage Client Newsletters” for purchase. 
 
Whether you choose to try a pre-made newsletter, like “Keeping In Touch”, or create your own, take the time to start sending out a massage client newsletter to your own clients.  You will likely see an increase in your business, and your bank account will thank you!
 
Until next time,
 
Michael Humphreys