4 Steps Every Massage Therapist Should be Doing

I recently had a client from the past show back up on my table. It's been... years.... maybe 10? She used to be a regular and then fell off the schedule. I knew she was working in another town and thought maybe she had moved there, or maybe she found a new therapist, etc.

But when she came in recently, she told me how much she's missed me and that she hasn't been getting massage on a regular basis since she used to come to me. Um... wow!? She just got busy with life, and kind of forgot the value of consistent massage appointments. (Until her pain level got to the point that it couldn't be ignored anymore and she scheduled.)

How often do clients not make it back in regularly or disappear from the schedule and we assume we aren't the right therapist for them, or that they didn't like the session? It's more likely that they are busy with this crazy thing called life and might just need a simple reminder from us that we are here for them. We have to remember that while massage is a HUGE part of our lives, not all of our clients have self-care/massage prioritized the same way that we do.

While in this case, my client thought of me and finally called me - how much sooner might she have come in if she had been hearing from me regularly? I could have been educating her on the importance of massage, letting her know of openings in my schedule, keeping in touch with her so I stayed at the top of her mind.

I'm betting she would not have waited 

10 years to get back on my table!

So what are some ways that we can keep in touch with clients? Technology makes it pretty easy and inexpensive. Here's a few ideas that come to mind:

• Collect email addresses from clients and send out regular massage newsletters with benefits of massage and last minute openings with a free account with MailChimp. 
  Pro-tip: always get client's permission to email them, and use an email system to ensure you're following anti-spamming laws like an unsubscribe option.
• Quarterly, with the change of the seasons, send out a snail mail postcard to clients who have fallen off the schedule.
• Offer online scheduling! You'd be amazed how many clients have thought about scheduling with you at early-morning or late-night times and plan to call later, but never get around to it. If you have 24/7 scheduling available online, clients will appreciate the convenience and you will most definitely see your bookings increase. Of course, I recommend Bodywork Buddy ;)
• Have a Facebook business page. Post info about the benefits of massage, and regularly post reminders to schedule and include the link to your online scheduler in your post. Make it easy for your clients! If you don't include that link in your post, clients will see the post but then still have to find their way to your site to schedule. If you just have a link right in the post it's as easy as one click. Also include a scheduling button or your scheduler embedded right into your FB page so clients can schedule right from Facebook. Bodywork Buddy has a FB app that connects right to your business page with one click - super simple!

What other ways do you have to remind clients of your awesome massages?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice since 1999.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com