In the last couple few entries I’ve focused on the importance of knowing who your ideal clients are and what they truly want.

Of course they want to know how to contact you, where you are located, that you are professional and what your fees are.

Truly the first thing they want to know is how your work is going to better their lives.

Tell them first thing.

You can be very matter-of-fact and say:
Many of my clients find that a couple sessions (of massage/shiatsu/reiki/etc) eases the oppressive weight of anxiety from your shoulders, neck and chest. You will be able to breathe more freely and sleep more deeply.

You can play around with variations of:
I can help improve your golf game.
I can reduce pain that comes from sitting at a desk all day.
I can work with you and your health care team to improve your balance, appetite and sleep.

How do you know what your clients want to hear?

I would ask your favorite clients why they come to see you. Their first answer will probably be something along the lines of a compliment to you. This is nice, but ask again. Give them examples if they are having a hard time. Do they come to you because of your location? hours? No one can work that catch in their neck better than you? They are heavy and you are heavy, too, so they feel more comfortable getting on your table?

The absolute best thing I can think of is to see what people are saying about other massage therapists / bodyworkers. The easiest way to do that is to get online and type in “massage [Seattle] reviews” in the search engine. The first relevant one I found this morning was for Dreamclinic. Browse through the review. You can see why people book sessions there and what words they use to describe the experience.

Use your ideal clients’ words. You can’t get it any better than that.

And, as always …

In order to focus your message, you need to be clear on what kind of client you are working to attract. Elders? Chronically ill? Professionals? Craftsmen? Children? Women 35-50 with two kids who drive Escalades and get their roots retouched every six weeks?

As I’ve said a gazillion and twelve times, when you know who your ideal client is, you’ll know how to talk to them.

And you have five (5) seconds.

All my best,
Eileen

P.S. If anyone has any comments this week, I may be a while getting back to you. I’m in Montana and I have two words for you: Dial. Up.

Cool! Because when you market your practice, you are basically running a personal.

Or, maybe it’s icky. Do I really want to compare marketing your massage practice to a personals ad? I mean … really?

Well, yes, I do.

But with a couple disclaimers first, just to make things clear:
1) I am in no way suggesting you should treat or view clients in a way that is less than the moral and ethical codes of your practice.
2) I am in no way suggesting you should treat or view clients in a way that is less than the moral and ethical codes of your practice.

That being said — marketing your massage practice is a lot like writing a personals ad.

For those of you who have never written a personal, it’s tough. You sit in front of a screen or a blank sheet of paper and figure out how you can honestly describe yourself. You do all sorts of verbal gymnastics with the aim of weeding out the creeps and time-wasters before they even think of contacting you.

You want people to know good stuff about you, but you don’t want to sound immodest or like you’re trying too hard.

You want to ensure that potential admirers understand what is important to you. You find yourself making lists of all the things you’re not willing to compromise on: dessert, dog ownership, jeans, northern latitudes …

Then insecurity sets in. What if I seem too inflexible? Stern? Dopey? What if no one responds? What if no one likes me?

You go back and change your ad. Now your ad reads as wishy-washy and too eager to please. Who’s going to like that?

GARG!

I’m here to tell you that the more honest you are about what you want, the better marketing you will create. This holds true for massage marketing as well as personal ads.

And it is tough. Until you get going.

The thing to remember in marketing is that you are more successful when you talk about what your clients want to know (hint: it’s not what association you belong to).

Here’s an exercise to light your fire:

1. Make a list of what your ideal client is like. Be as specific as you can.
2. Make a second list of what your ideal client would care about (there will be duplicate items from list #1).
3. Take a handful of items from list #2 that resonate with you. Write down how your work can address those cares. This is where you start talking to your clients — regular or potential.
4. Now you are ready to start writing a postcard or a flyer or an ad. Keep your statements brief and client-focused.

Take 20 minutes. Give it a shot. You’ll probably discover something worthwhile.

All my best,
Eileen

By the way, if you want a great example of a business’ personal ad, check out Match.com’s About Us page. It’s their personals ad. You’d expect them to write a good personal ad and … they do.

And, yes, I did run an ad on excite.com on December 23, 1999. I did meet a very nice person.  Several actually, but one in particular.

We’ve had a steady stream of house guests over the last several months. When it comes to care and feeding of guests, mine are pretty much free-range until we all come together at dinner. Most of them bring in their own breakfast, lunch and snack staples for their visit and leave the food behind when they go. I spent yesterday afternoon rooting through the kitchen cupboards, hauling out the duplicates, the expired, the stale and the what-is-this. The prevailing overstock was quick-cook oatmeal.

I don’t know if my guests had concerns about their glycemic index or what. But I was struck by how all this oatmeal could be divided into three distinct categories. Which made me think of you.

Yes, I am equating your practice to oatmeal.

Seeing the boxes and bags of oatmeal all together made me think seriously about how marketers talk to their customers and who they are talking to. You are marketers for your practice. Pay attention to the big guys; they’ve had a lot of practice.

Here’s the three groups I was talking about. Quaker Oats, grocery store brand, and a lonely, much re-used plastic bag of oats from the local co-op bulk bin. Looking at these groups, I can tell you exactly which of my guests bought what.

The massive canisters of Quaker Oats were purchased by 60+ year old women who have been buying that brand their whole lives. They ate it as children, they fed it to their families. It’s an automatic, instinctive purchase. They don’t even think about it any more. They care about their families, they care about comfort and they feel all right spending a little extra money for it.

The store brand was bought by folks who believe oats are oats. They all taste the same, they all come from the same place. Why should anyone pay extra for a brand name? They care about value and don’t want a lot of folderal.

The bag from the co-op bulk bin is from someone who thinks that if oats are oats, they may as well be bought from a local business. These folks want to avoid paying for excess packaging. They usually care about how their money is spent and who it goes to. They are willing to spend a little extra time and/or money to get products that have less impact on their environment.

So who does Quaker Oats target when they market? Moms. Nostalgic moms. They have ads at wintertime evoking memories of oatmeal warming you up before you went out into the cold to walk uphill to school both ways. Don’t you want the same protection for your kids?

Store brands are all about value. There are big signs when you enter a store talking up the store brand and little signs by many of the individual items. The signs tell you it’s the same stuff as the national brand; it’s just as good. The store’s is less expensive. “You could pay more, but why?”

How bulk bins are marketed is hard for me to define. Now that I come to think about it, I was strong armed into buying bulk by a rabid environmentalist housemate. Perhaps it is mostly word of mouth. And peer-pressure. “Who brought in the box of individually packaged servings? Shun! Shun!”

People who sell items even as innocuous as oatmeal think really hard about who they are trying to reach. They do concentrated studies of purchases in every region. They know exactly what their customers want to hear and how they want to hear it. These marketers are so good, they can point to a market shopper and say, “That one will buy our brand.”

When you know who your clients are, you can be as effective — both time- and money-wise — as these multi-billion dollar companies. Take some time to write down who your ideal client is. Really. Make a list.

My ideal client: wears jeans and t-shirts, hikes, gardens, tries to eat well, demands a good cheeseburger and beer on occasion, drives a fuel efficient car, is educated, has a sense of humor, works hard, will splurge on fabulous karma-free chocolate, shops at the local market, etc, etc.

Once you know who you want to talk to, you know how to talk to them — what words to use, where to place your marketing, what they will want from you.

Make your list. Talk to the people who match it.

All my best,
Eileen

1. Education. It’s understood that if your clients see how your work positively impacts their lives then they will be more inclined to see you more often. They will be more inclined to value your work and encourage their friends to see you.

2. Proof of Caring. You know you care. Your clients need a reminder. Give them something that is of interest and use.

3. You Become the Authority. The more relevant and constant you are in your communications, the more clients perceive you as a talented, well-trained problem-solver.

4. Make Your Practice Focus Clear. Even though your practice focuses on elder care, you still have (and enjoy) a smattering of professionals and athletes. These professionals and athletes may not be aware of the central focus of your practice. You don’t want these folks to leave (not at all!) but you would like them to know about your work with the elderly. Perhaps they have a family member or friend they would send to you. Perhaps they are getting long in the tooth themselves and would be interested to know you will be there as their livestyles change.

5. Place to Share News. This is a great place to share what is going on in your practice. You can talk about new CEUs you’re taking and how they will benefit your clients. Report on changes in your practice (new hours, new packages, new co-workers). Tell clients what your practice is doing to support the community (donating time for fundraisers, working with Habitat for Humanity).

6. Learn More about Your Clients. Do your clients respond more to an emailed newsletter or a mailed one? What kind of response do you get? Positive (send me more) or negative (don’t bug me)?
Do you see that new clients spend time on your website’s newsletter archive page?
What kind of information generates the most comments? Tips for self-care? Descriptions of new techniques?
This is all good stuff to know. It saves you lots of time and money as you continue to market your massage/ bodywork practice.

7. You Look Good. A newsletter is becoming something the general populace expects, like a business card. When people sign up to get your newsletter, whether by email or snail mail, they are using how, when and what you deliver as a way to evaluate the level of your professionalism.

When you write (or choose a pre-designed newsletter):

1. Focus on what your clients need to know. They may find comfort in the fact you have done certified training. But what your clients really want to know is you can do much more effective work on their necks. They will not have pain when they look over their shoulders before changing lanes.

2. Avoid shop talk where possible. Writing “… allows the nucleus pulposus (inside the disc) to assume its central position within the annular fibers and relieve irritations on the spinal nerve …” isn’t going to make a lot of sense to most people. Other bodyworkers, yes. Me, not so much.

3. Focus on your audience. eg: You know you want to attract more professionals. So you send out a newsletter with articles about dealing with stress at work, desk stretches, two minute self-care technique, office aromatherapy and a work-related strain your work can ease. “Golly,” says your ideal client, “these are helpful. I’ll keep this right here on my desktop. And Mike would really be interested in this article. I’ll forward this to him.”

4. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Then have someone else do it. Then call your fourth grade teacher and have her look it over.

Anyone out there do newsletters for their practice? How is that working for you?

Yes, we do have newsletters on our site. We are very proud of their versatility and quality, but we also know that they are not to everyone’s taste. Anyone out there have a company they’d like to recommend for pre-written newsletters?

All my best,
Eileen

Fran is an energetic and forward-thinking person. Over the last two years she has been in transition. Surgery slowed her practice down, then she was working hard to find a place where she could run her practice her way. Last I heard from Fran she found a spot close to home and seemed excited about the future.

I bet most of you are, have been, or will be where Fran is right now. Here is her question. If you have any insight for her, please leave a comment.:

“How do you know when to step back?

I feel like I am drowning sometimes with constantly trying to get my weekly book filled. I always manage to average the same amount of appointments per month which cover expenses with little else left.

I post business cards, fliers, offer discounts, blog, emailings, newsletters …”

Fran, when you start wondering whether you should step back, step back. The trick, I think, is to step back while still looking forward.

What are you wanting to step back from? Your practice or marketing? I’m going to assume it’s marketing your massage practice.

Without knowing details, two things immediately spring to mind:

1) I wonder what your business cards, fliers, etc, look like and I wonder what they say.

Here are the Duhs just to get them out of the way: Cards have to be printed on decent paper by a professional printer. Fliers, etc, should be free of misspellings and grammatical errors. Emails shouldn’t be so big that they take 7 minutes to download. Stuff like that.

But the big questions I have is — What you’re saying on all your client communications? This leads me to …

2) I wonder if you know who your “ideal” client is.

When you know who your client should be, you will know what to say to them. Really.

Okay, that’s a kind of simplistic statement. But it is true.

You aren’t going to have much impact if you run an ad essentially saying, “Massage makes you feel better. I have a nice studio.” That’s nice, and true, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. I think I feel fine.

But if you know you are after work-from-home moms you can run an ad saying, “Your kid weighs more than two sacks of potatoes. That’s why your shoulder and neck feel all pinchy. Give me a call and we’ll take care of it.”

If you want to focus on teachers, you have to tell them you are available for work when the teachers are not at school. Believe me, they want to know this.

Maybe you have a knack for banishing headaches and that’s the work you want to do. Well, hey, get a hold of those teachers, moms, grocery clerks and lawyers and tell them how good you are.

When you write, you must be specific and focused. Maybe people do want to know five things about you, but they’ll only remember one. So tell them just one thing that will really, truly help. That they really, truly want to know. If you know your clients, you’ll know what that one thing is.

When you focus on the one thing (or one thing for each group you’re trying to attract) you will save money. You certainly will save time.

Let me know the details, Fran, and we’ll talk more.

All my best,
Eileen

How to Order, Design and Use Personal Business Cards in a New Way is an article with a nice balance between slightly out-of-the-box and reality. Business cards are a very standard marketing tool. You can’t not have them. Often they are a first contact. Cards must show you are professional and at least know someone who can spell. They also need to show that you are unique. Before you order your next batch, take a shot of creativity and make your cards more captivating and useful to your potential clients.

The article suggests having different cards for different relationships: family/friends, business associates and people you network with. This is a good starting concept. But you’re a bodyworker. You move through the business world in a slightly different way.

How about having different cards for the different clinical applications of massage / bodywork you focus on, eg: stress, neck and shoulder pain, and craniosacral therapy.

Being able to hand prospective clients a card that speaks directly to them is a powerful beginning. Imagine if you were standing at the bus stop and the woman next to you was rubbing her forehead and temples. You meet her eyes and ask sympathetically, “Headache?” “Yeah,” she says. And because you are soooo together, you hand her a card with your contact information and the line: “Specializing in headache relief for restful nights and easier days.”

She doesn’t need to know you were also ready to hand her one for stress or chiropractic and massage.

Or you could have different cards for people you meet in different situations: professional (Chamber of Commerce), casual (waiting in line at the store), and other CAM practitioners.

Of the eleven ideas in the article, #5 wiggled my antennae: a business card to say thank you. Wouldn’t it be great to have a card that said: “What you just did was wonderful. Call me to book a one hour session and I’ll add 30 extra minutes/personal essential oil blend/paraffin treatment as a reward.” Hand that to someone who helps a fellow with groceries to their car or diverts a Little League coach’s rampage or let’s you jump the line at the Post Office.

Take a look at the article. And check out Diana’s May article on different ways to use massage / bodywork business cards. Any good ideas present themselves to you? Share!

All my best,
Eileen

*If you haven’t seen eMarketing Minutes yet, we just started sending it out two months ago. We always come across articles, websites, and/or blogs that we think would be helpful to you. So we started putting four-five of them together in a really short, once-a-month eNewsletter. If you were already signed up to get our monthly specials, you’re already getting the eMarketing Minutes. If you would like to subscribe to eMarketing Minutes, go to the top left of our home page and click on “Free E-Marketing Monthly.” And, no, we don’t spam. That would be rude.

“I have just recently moved from Chicago to Cape Cod, MA, and accepted a job at a spa/gym. The space and business is new to the owners of the spa. They have two other locations on the cape. I have been hired to be the massage therapist/marketing person.

We have tried numerous marketing ideas. Some examples:
Spring stimulus package for $99.00 (includes-hair cut,facial, massage),
Beauty bucks-$20.00 off a purchase of $80.00 or more,
Referral program for the trainers- refer 2 people get half-off a service.
We have even attended a ladies community night in which over 500 women get together at a local venue, to see the local businesses and what services they have to offer. Not one has called or come by.

What are we not seeing? I have learned not to discount your services or give them away for free.

The web-site for the gym is www.fitness500club.com and we are under the link Beyond Beauty. We also have our own link for the salon/spas, www.beyondbeautycapecod.com.

Please help. I do not want to give up on this venture.”

Usually I do three or four backing and forthing emails with people who ask for insight into their situation. Then I write a blog entry with their background and my suggestions. I find I ask the same kinds of questions most of the time. This time I’m going to ask the questions as part of the entry so you all can see one way to start examining how you market your massage therapy / bodywork practice. And so you can give your insights, too. Jump in!

Also, I have no idea what this person’s name is so I’m calling him/her “Sam.” I like “Sam.”

Dear Sam—

I don’t want you to give up either. Let me go through some basic questions and we’ll see if we can’t figure out what’s going on here.

Just to be clear, are you the massage therapy/marketing person for Beyond Beauty, right? Not all three locations. And when you say “massage therapy person” does that mean you are managing the massage therapy side of the business or that you are the massage therapy chief-cook-bottle-washer-and marketer?

Who are your clients? Who do you want your clients to be? Year ’round residents? Summer residents? Visitors, women, men, gym members, CPAs? Who are you focusing on here?

Is massage a recently added service with this company? Are there plenty of MTs in town (in other words, is the town educated about the benefits of bodywork)?

How is the gym side of the business?

I see that Beyond Beauty is an Aveda Spa. How does that affect your marketing, if at all?

How are you getting your marketing ideas (stimulus package, beauty bucks, etc.) out there? Web only? Newspaper? Fliers? Brochures in B&Bs? Mailings? How are you trying to get the attention of your targeted clients … other than the ladies’ community night?

Ladies’ community night: What was that like? A booth? A chance to speak in front of an audience? Chair massage demos? How did you try to attract clients? Why do you think no one responded?

Sam, the answers and insights you give to these questions will help us focus on what you should think about doing next. Let’s get cracking!

All my best,
Eileen

Okay, gang. What did I forget to ask? I usually remember some essential question after I push the send button. Which I’m doing … now …

Two lovely massage therapists had their chairs set up at the Fourth Annual St Martin’s Dragon Boat Races. I watched them the whole morning. They had three customers. Sad.

Here’s what was going on:

• There were 24 dragon boat teams of at least 21 people each, plus the spare rowers and all the support folks.
• Of the 24 teams, 8 were from the Olympia area. 6 were from areas more than 40 miles away. The remaining 10 teams were made up of people from here and there but probably most lived within a 20 mile radius.
• Each team had it’s own “tent” where you could find the coaches, coordinators and, most importantly, the racers’ significant others. Each tent was well marked so you knew which team’s it was.
• There was a program which gave information about the teams (why they race), the heat schedules (when they race) and also listed the sponsors and vendors and their ads.
• Most of the people attending the meet were attached to the racers themselves. Those who were not were very likely local residents.
• It was the first nice day in a couple weeks. You can’t plan for that sort of thing, of course, but you can take advantage of it. When the weather clears after a dull, soggy month, people feel more open and receptive to new ideas or experiences.

Here’s what I could see they were doing right in terms of marketing:

• They had two signs (one facing each way) with times and prices listed.
• The therapists acknowledged the people passing by with a friendly nod or a hello. They walked closer to people who asked questions. They weren’t heavily engrossed in a book or in conversation with each other.
• They had a 1/2 sheet of brightly colored paper with the benefits of massage listed on it which they handed to any interested people. (It wasn’t a list specifically for rowers’ issues but it was something.)
• Their chairs were set up with the tissue thingies pre-placed on the head cradle and arm rests so a person could reasonably infer that some care for sanitation and health was in force.
• They looked “clean”; both had obviously bathed recently and wore professional/casual khakis and tucked-in shirts.
• Their chairs faced the lake so customers wouldn’t have to miss any race.
• They set up a sun shade so they were prepared for most kinds of spring weather (mostly rain, some sun).
• Somehow they managed to be right by the best place to view the races. Whether this was by chance or design, it was an advantage.

And yet, they had only three people come and sit down during a four hour period.

These two therapists were new to doing chair massage at events. Thankfully, they seemed to have good attitudes and were taking notes about what could be done next time to improve their customer volume. They had a good start, just a small start.

For those of you who will be using events to build your clientele during the warm season, here’s what you can do to get far more than three customers in your chairs at an event (using this dragon boat race as an example):

• First of all, your copy and other marketing material should reflect who is at the specific event. In this case, it was an outdoor, athletic event, primarily attended by dragon boat enthusiasts and their families. Take some time to research what kind of nut cases like to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get soaking wet in the rain on choppy water (Oh … did I say that out loud?). What does their association literature say? If you find that most dragon boat associations talk about community, team building, health, tradition and personal accomplishment, be sure to work that into your marketing.
• Ask the event coordinator if and when team (participant/vendor/etc) information is available. Ask if the info is available online or if you can have a rough copy of the program or vendor list ASAP. In addition to knowing there would be several state and city government teams at this event, there was a Hispanic women’s coalition team and a visually impaired team, Blind Ambition. These are good groups to know about before you begin introducing yourself.
• Find out if there a program for the event. If there is an opportunity to buy an ad, do it. There was a lot of time between races. People had little to do so they flipped through the whole program. Watch next time you’re at an event like this. You’ll see it. This dragon boat event was selling a full page ad for $100, $50 for half, $25 for a quarter page. Nobody who advertised in this event’s program tailored their copy for these specific attendants. Nobody. GRAH! It’s hard to get a group of potential customers more selected than this.
• Whether you take an ad in the program (do it) or hand out 1/2 page flyers, you need to address the very specific concerns of the attendants/participants. In this case, tell the rowers that a pre-race warm up massage will help optimize performance and focus their concentration. Post-race work will help keep them primed for the next heat and ease strain. And you offer full length sessions at your conveniently located studio. Come visit your booth to book for future post-race sessions. Package deals are available! Share with your team mates! Buy a gift certificate for your coach!
• Suck it up and go introduce yourself to the attendants. There were tents for each team. If you’ve done your research, you’ll know the names of the local teams. If you are a shy sort, focus on the support people for the teams. These are usually the spouses/partners. They’re the ones who really tell the rowers what to do. They will not be so focused as the competitors and will have more time to hear you. Give them your flyer and/or point out your ad in the program. Tell them that, in addition to helping the rowers today, you can also make tomorrow less ouchie for them. If you are bolder, seek out the coaches. Tell them how you can help their team get an edge for the next heat. Tell them you do goal-oriented work. Tell them where they can find you today.
• Hand your business card to everyone you talk to. Give 3-4 to the people who seem most receptive. Consider attaching your cards to some of your handouts. Get your name in their hands.
• If you go out to introduce yourself and gather customers, bring your appointment books with you — both today’s and your regular one. If you’re talking to a team captain or coach and they suddenly decide to send some rowers to you, be ready right then and there to get them scheduled. Backing and forthing is going to make them impatient and you frazzled. AND think about carrying along some of your gift certificates, too. You just never know.

I’m sure there’s more. A lot more. Those of you who work events; what have I left out?

All my best,
Eileen

I thought of this — and you — as I wheezed down the turn lane of a four lane highway this morning. My mom’s partially blind, selectively deaf and judiciously mulish dog had escaped and I was joggling after her. (Not jogging. Joggling. I don’t jog.)

I am given to understand that when most people with sedentary lifestyles suddenly engage in an inspired-by-death run, they resolve to get in shape. They resolve to get in shape so that when something like this happens again, they will be better able to meet the challenge.

I resolve to never be in the position of chasing after a dog again.

I bring this up because this week I’ve been helping many people chase the dog down a busy street in a figurative way. I’ve been helping friends get ready for a huge art show downtown Olympia hosts twice a year. These shows happen the same times every year. The same things happen every year. There are no real scheduling surprises every year.

Every year, some folks have a sudden realization that time has slipped by; pictures aren’t framed and matted, no business has been found to host a massage chair and fee deadlines are today.

These folks do get there in the end. They have friends to help and push them. But the set-up is so frenzied that these artists and therapists find themselves unable to calm down and be “present.” They are mentally wheezing after a long chase. Potential customers and clients react to the aura of tension. The  opportunity to form a crucial connection is missed.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Pick your heads up and look ahead. Plan.

We’re moving into the warm season and all the festivals and events that go with it. This is also a time when businesses have time to hear presentations on your work. Make a schedule and keep it where you can see it. Pre-book as much as you can as far out as you can. Write and print flyers/postcards many weeks in advance. Start telling your clients about it now. Market your massage practice as effectively as possible.

You like your clients to arrive early so they can be relaxed at the beginning of their session with you. Give your soon-to-be clients confidence by being relaxed when you greet them. Stop chasing the dog. It hurts. Don’t do that.

All my best,
Eileen

PS: If you’re wondering what my non-dog chasing solution is, I’m working on my lariat skills.
PPS: Roping is one of the few excuses for tucking your pants into your boots.

We are clearing out some mighty fine massage / bodywork marketing postcards. They’re 40% off. The price isn’t going to go down any further. When they are gone, they’re gone.

What I love about sales is they are a great motivator. You can’t pass up on the price (the usual quantity discounts apply and you can mix and match as always) so you can afford to think ahead for next season or even next year. Did you mean to do a big “Welcome Spring!” promotion this year and missed the window again? Did Valentines’ fly by again? Get some cards now for the next promotion you’ve been meaning to do. When you’ve spent money on it and you have to use it, right? (I admit, this is how it works for me.)

I picked four cards out of the thirty seven we have on clearance. They are:

Spring Promotional
This used to be the card we could never keep in stock this time of year. It’s pretty. I think it doesn’t sell as well anymore because 1) everybody bought it and mailed it for three straight years and 2) Kendra designed another loverly Spring card. The text for this one is: “Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Secretary’s Day, Graduation, Wedding Parties, Birthday, Baby Showers, Housewarming, Special Thanks … remind your clients of the many reasons massage makes a great gift at this time of year!”

Valentine’s “Sweetheart”
Again, this one was a barnstormer when it first came out. And, again, you all bought it and I think got burnt out on it. I LOVE the candies. They read: “Renew! You Deserve It! Unwind! Be Mine! Treat Yourself! Relax!” It’s cute, but not “too” cute, if you know what I mean. Maybe I should say they’re whimsical.

Welcome “Dragonfly”
Dragonflies are very summery; use it this season to warmly welcome new clients. OR get a little out of the box. Welcome your clients to your new space or new aspect of your practice or a new co-worker. I have no idea why this card never sold well. Maybe it just doesn’t look good on your computer screen. When it’s in your hands you can see how incredibly eye-catching it is. It’s one of those pieces that leaps out of a pile of mail. Call/email and ask for a sample of it if you’re interested. Hey, samples are free. 800-754-9790/info@naturaltouchmarketing.com.

Conditions “Stressed”
There’s four postcards in this series: Stress, Headache, Shoulder Pain, Back Pain. We created these so you could more effectively target your clients’ needs. I like the designs. They’re clean and healthy feeling and have happy people who look they’ve had bodywork in the last week. Again, I don’t know why they’re not so popular. Too specific maybe? Maybe it wasn’t clear what you were supposed to do with them? Anyway the “Stress” at least is one you know will resonate with your clients right now. As will “Headache.”

These cards are a fabulous deal if you’ve been thinking about upping the number of clients on your mailing list, or thinking about increasing the number of times you contact your clients, or running a few test mailings. Also, with the cost of stamps going up soon, these cards are a good way to help keep you within your budget.

All my best,
Eileen