Top Tech Tools of 2014 for Massage Therapists

Top Tech Tools of 2014 for Massage Therapists

• Online Scheduling
  Many massage therapists report online scheduling being their single most important tech tool for their practice.
  Mary-Claire Fredette of Cincinnati just wrote a blog post of her own on the topic: Why Online Scheduling Works for Massage Therapists.
  Using an online scheduling system not only provides a convenience for your clients, but it also helps to cut down on no-shows with email and text reminders, helps to reinforce your cancelation policies, gives you more control over your schedule, can help fill last minute openings, eliminates phone tag, and increases your professionalism. (Just to name a few of the benefits!)
  
• Professional Website 
  Having a professional website for your massage business helps to build authority, builds a relationship with your clients (before they even walk in the door), improves credibility, and much more.
  Some things to consider when creating or redesigning your website:
  Make it easy to navigate.
  Update it regularly.
  No flash graphics or music.
  No "wall of text". Break it up visually with some pictures.
  For more guidelines on creating a winning website, check out our past post When good websites go bad.
  
• High Ranking Search Results / Search Engine Optimization
  Search friendly design, keywords, content, links... there's a lot to consider with SEO, but a few basics can get your website going in the right direction. Be cautious of guns for hire claiming to skyrocket your search engine rankings, this is an area that has a lot of scam artists online.
  We'll be writing more in 2015 on ways to improve your SEO, so stay tuned.
• Testimonials 
  Many MT's report the use of testimonials as a key influencer for new clients to book. Whether it be a review site like Yelp.com, or the use of your own collected testimonials, showcasing reviews for prospective clients can be very persuasive and help you build your business.
  Bodywork Buddy automatically collects client testimonials for you and displays them on your online scheduler.
  We also have a checklist you can signup to receive that details lots of great ways to use testimonials to boost your business.
  

Using Bodywork Buddy For 2 Different Locations

While Bodywork Buddy was really designed for a single location for online scheduling, we do have some members who use it for multiple locations.

There are a couple of different ways you can do this.

The first is to create your service groups of the types of services you offer, and then within those groups create different services for each location.

For example, a service group of "Hot Stone Massage" with the services of "60 minute hot stone massage @ location 1" and "60 minute hot stone massage @ location 2". This method seems to be the preferred style with our members.

Another way you could create different locations on your microsite is by creating different service groups for each location.

*While this workaround seems to be suitable for some members, please note that it is not possible to create only certain days in the calendar as "open" for each location. You could add in the text descriptions for the services which days are at which location, but clients scheduling online would still see all of your available openings in your calendar no matter which service or location they were scheduling for.

Member Spotlight: Sarah Littlejohn

http://www.westgamassage.com

• Today's Bodywork Buddy Member Spotlight is Sarah Littlejohn from Carrollton, Georgia of West Georgia Massage & Bodywork.

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  Q: What inspired you to become a massage therapist? A: When I was 15, my mom was in a car accident. She went to see a chiropractor who was also a neuromuscular therapist. I was so amazed at the progress my mom had from receiving manual therapy. Pretty soon, the chiropractor let me sit in on massage sessions (my mother’s) and explain what she was doing. It was like a whole new world was open to me. That same chiropractor soon opened a massage school. After going to college, I decided to follow my original dream and study NMT. I never looked back.

  Q: How long have you been a MT? A: I’ve been a massage therapist for almost 5 years now. I kick myself constantly for not doing it sooner.

  Q: What is your favorite thing about being a MT? A: When you an help someone who is in tremendous pain to walk out of your office virtually pain free, what better feeling is there? I’m incredibly lucky that I get to provide this service to people daily.

  Q: What is the most challenging issue you face as a MT? A: No job is without its challenges. At first everyone struggles to gain clients. It seriously just takes time. The biggest struggle for me though, has been my trying to be taken seriously by physicians. The key is to always be up on the latest massage research and to promote an evidence-based practice, which I do with pride.

  

  
  

  Q: What advice would you give to other massage therapists to help build their business? A: First, if you are a sole practitioner, subscribe to Bodywork Buddy. It will make your life so much easier. Second, the best piece of advice is to stay motivated. There have been times that I have been slow. This happens to everyone. It’s common to feel stagnant. Don’t let this get you down. Take advantage of slow times. Use your non hands-on office hours to study, take a class, work on marketing, or simply rest. Down time is a gift and is key to the building process of your business. Don’t give up! You will get there. Stay motivated.
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It's the End of the Year... Are You Organized?

As we approach the year's end, it's natural to start thinking about income reports for your massage business as well as goals in the new year to be more organized.

Bodywork Buddy can help. Our extensive reports features allow you to easily download everything you need.

Plus some awesome charts.
We love charts.

Yearly summary? We got that. Income statement? Yup.
Expense line item report? You got it. We could talk about reports all day long.... so really, let's just sum it up and say this will make tax time a breeze for your business.

Bodywork Buddy has a free 15 day trial, no credit card required. Zero risk to try it out. Decide it's not for you? No problem. The trial automatically expires after 15 days and no further action is needed.

Need help? We're here. 

*New Feature* Policies Now Appear in Emails as well as Microsite

Your company policies listed in your account settings (Dashboard > Account > Account Settings > Company Policies) have always been accessible on your scheduling Microsite via a link at the bottom.

Now they also appear on your appointment confirmation and reminder emails to clients.

Reinforcing your cancellation policy along with email and SMS reminders (features of Bodywork Buddy for no extra charge) can help to cut down on no-shows and last minute cancellations for your massage business.

Do you have a cancellation policy? What other ways do you find helpful to make sure clients are aware of your policies?