A Twist on How to Take Product Pictures

I came across a great idea on Pinterest last week with tips on how to take some awesome pictures of your product for retail.  

The tutorial includes a black notebook for the product to sit on, a light, and something to filter the light. I was planning to follow this and see how they turned out... but today while I was at the office, I decided to just wing it and work with what I had.

I didn't have a light, but it was a fairly sunny day and I setup about 10 feet from my windows.  I didn't use anything to filter the light since I was just using sunlight.

I didn't have anything for the black notebook, and I also had the issue of the product not being as tall as the Pinterest example.  I played around with different items to add the height I needed, and settled on a jar of Sombra.  (though this pic isn't showcasing the Sombra, it's also a product I love! It was just pure coincidence that it was the perfect booster for the other product I was photographing - Young Living Oils roll-on.)

I chose a bokeh wallpaper pic for my background on my laptop.  (I simply did a google image search for bokeh wallpaper.)

Here's what the setup looked like:

I am not a photographer.  But I didn't think it turned out half bad.  I used Instagram on my iPhone.
With a few selections within instagram, here's the final shot.

I still plan to do some shots including the details from the Pinterest post.  I think this could definitely be improved with a filter so there isn't the bit of glare.  But nice to know you don't need a special light or anything to do some decent pics.  Not bad for 2 seconds at my office and no real equipment.

Do you have any great tips for taking your own pics of product?  I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments.


Related posts:

Selling With Heart

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 of 14 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com 

The 7 Deadly Sins of Email Etiquette

Email marketing is definitely something we should be doing as massage therapists to keep connected with our clients.  (Did you catch Hillary's guest post a few weeks ago? A great testament to the power of email and building a list!) While it's not as exciting as social media, it's more personal and speaks directly to our client - it has potential to be much more effective than social media.  (If measuring effectiveness in ACTUAL BOOKINGS and not just "followers" or "likes" in social media.)   I'm not saying that social media doesn't have it's place in marketing for your massage business, because I think it does.  I do, however, think a lot of therapists who are struggling to build their practice are putting too much emphasis on social media and not enough on other areas to reach their ideal clients.  (More on this topic and ways I do feel social media is valuable later.)

When I was building my practice, I used email as a tool to help fill my schedule.  I'm dating myself here, but this was before social media was an option.  So it was a no-brainer for me to put some energy into email marketing.  This was also before awesome services like Mailchimp (or at least as far as I knew at the time), so I was doing old school emailing.

There's some cardinal rules to emailing for marketing purposes.  I highly suggest a service to make your life easier.  For one, it includes the unsubscribe link which is required by law so you're not spamming people with unwanted emails.  I like Mailchimp because it's free for up to 2,000 email addresses or something crazy like that.  But there are other similar services I have used as well - they are all pretty user friendly and easy to create beautiful emails.  I'll be doing another post soon with more info and details of using services like Mailchimp - so watch for it if you're interested in learning more.

If you're using a service like this, some of these mistakes won't be an issue because it's automatically prevented within the service.  However, these are all good things to keep in mind when emailing clients:


The 7 Deadly Sins of Email Etiquette:

1. Not using BCC when emailing groups.
   BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy.  It's just plain rude to email clients en mass and have their email address for everyone to see in the "To" field.  Or using CC (carbon copy) which also allows all receiving the email to see the addressees.
   Don't do this.  It's unprofessional.  Your clients will notice and will not appreciate it.
2. Not having permission to email.
   It's always a good idea to have your clients permission to email them, and let them know ahead of time how often they can expect an email from you.  A monthly newsletter?  A weekly email with last minute openings?  Create some lists for clients to be a part of so they can receive all or only part of your email blasts.  Let them know what to expect.
3. Overusing High Priority.
   This won't be an issue with a service like Mailchimp, but flagging an email as "high priority" when it isn't will only irritate your clients.  Especially if they are in the corporate world and using email for business.
4. WRITING IN ALL CAPS.
   For the love of all that is holy, please don't do this.  This is considered yelling in text.  It will send the wrong message.  Same goes for using many different fonts, colors, etc. Many things that make a bad website can be applied to emails as well.
5. Delivery and Read receipts.
   Not an issue with mailchimp as it shows you who has opened your emails.  This is another annoyance in regular email.
6. Non-professional address for business communication.
   I had posted something a while back on our Facebook page about using professional email addresses and it was quite the controversial topic.  I certainly wasn't saying that therapists aren't professional if using a gmail or yahoo account, but that it's more professional to use your business domain name in your email address.
   Unless, of course, you have something like sparklyunicorn@yahoo.com for your address.  In that case, then yes. I am saying that's unprofessional.
   While I'm a proponent of being yourself in your marketing, aim for being your best professional self.
   Use your business name if using a free email service. MassageByCindy@gmail.com sounds better, right?
   Or use your domain name.  If you don't have a website yet, or don't have email with it, you can easily get a Google Apps account for $50/year or $5/month that includes a gmail account using your company name.  Cindy@MassageByCindy.com is even better, right?
7. No unsubscribe option.
   This is the spamming legalities I was referring to earlier in this post. Make it easy for clients to unsubscribe from your emails.  It's the law!

What do you think?  Do you have more to add to the list of deadly sins? 

I'll be writing more in the coming months on using email marketing to promote your massage business... so stay tuned.


Related posts:

Set Yourself Apart From the Competition
Powerful Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Clients
5 Lessons I've Learned

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 of 14 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com 

How Your Menu Might Be Scaring Your Clients Away

I never used to put much thought into my service names on my menu.  I would just list them as the modality and amount of time.  But after a while, I started to realize a few things.  Not only do clients not know all the different modalities (and really, how could they?), but they appreciate a simplified menu that makes it easy to choose which service to request.

According to Psychology Today, the more choices we have, the more difficult the decision.  It's human nature to shy away from things we don't know and instead choose the path of least resistance.   When a menu looks too complex and complicated, massage clients will naturally choose the cheapest and easiest option.  (Swedish massage, anyone?) 

It's our job to communicate our services clearly and help our client choose the best service for them.  

Here are some tips that I have found helpful for clients when scheduling:

• Rather than list your modality names, create descriptive names that illustrate how they will make your clients feel, or what problem they will solve for your clients.
  
  Which looks more appealing - Column A or column B?
  
  
  
  
  
  And this list is just using some pretty basic modalities as examples. Imagine a menu with things like Neuromuscular Therapy, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy...!  A lot of clients don't know what those names mean.  Make it easy for them with descriptive names.
  
• Take your favorite service or combination of services and call it your "signature massage".  Put this at the top of your menu list, and mark it with an asterisk of *Recommended.  I'm willing to bet that 90% of your new clients booking online will schedule this service regardless of what it is.
  (Thanks to Ginger G. for this great tip!)
  
• Have a non-massage friend look over your menu.  Do they have an easy time choosing a service knowing nothing about massage and being a complete bodywork newbie?
  
• Have an option for clients to choose a "completely customized session" based on their needs that day.  They can just choose the time allotment (or have it for a set amount of time only - even better - LESS choices!).  This is also a great way to make clients feel like they get a 5 star treatment knowing that you are "creating" a session just for them.

Think of it like going to get your car serviced at the shop or getting a car wash. Notice how the car washes usually have a "recommended" service?  And the maintenance shops have "winter tune-ups", etc?  

What creative spins have you put on your massage menu to simplify the process for clients?  Comment below with any tips you have to add to our list.

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 of 14 years. www.BodyworkBuddy.com 

How I made over $10,000 in one day

Today's post is from guest blogger Hillary Arrieta of Gaiabodywork.com in Richardson, Texas.

Summer time is here and for many massage therapists its a time of struggle. Clients go out of town or get busy with family activities and don't make time for their regular massage routines. I've come up with a summer strategy that I've been perfecting for the last few years. This plan allows me to make mad cash and also have a full book for the summer. While not every strategy is one size, fits all - Today, I'm going to share MY secrets with you!

First and foremost- YOU MUST- MUST! Build an email list. Your current clients are your best commodity. Some people think that email is dead- But I'm here to tell you that email is very much alive and kicking. 

SO Step #1- Build a solid email list and email them often. I actually email once a week (full disclosure from the start- I let them know to expect it) and use a fun little program called mail chimp - Its free and easy. 

Don't believe me? check out what Marie Forleo has to say about email lists and overcoming your fear about email TOO much.

 http://www.marieforleo.com/2010/07/1-marketing-strategy-overlooks/

Okay so now you have an awesome email list- WOOHOO! Easy marketing!

Step #2 is build an active social media presence. Get people to interact on your Facebook and Twitter accounts- This way they will get your posts about your sale in their hot little news feeds. I do this by asking "getting to know you" Type questions- Who doesn't like talking about themselves?! 

I've noticed that anytime I ask a question about food- "what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?" or animals- "are you a dog person or a cat person?" I get lots of engagement! 

Okay- so now you are all set up for success-

My secret is this - Every year on the first day of summer I hold an annual summer sale on my massage packages. It's for one day ONLY- no extensions. Get it! This allows for a sense of urgency to be created. I take an entire month to promote it. That way, people can get their cash together and can plan on spending big money. 

I create a webpage on my site specifically devoted to this sale and set up an online store. On the Sale date, I email the link and post it continuously on social media using hootsuite - another great program - and let everyone know they have a limited time to buy at this price. I send another email one hour before the sale ends as a "last call." When the time runs out, I simply delete the webpage and the sale is over. Brilliant!

For me, It works like a charm.

This year, in less than 24 hours, I raked in over my goal - which was $10K.

I set my goal super high and exceeded it!!!

How exciting for me:)

My clients purchase the packages and scoot on over to my online booking site (Bodywork Buddy, of course) and book my calendar up.

It takes planning and knowing your client needs and wants. Creating a strategy instead of winging it can make all the difference.

So get out there and make a plan for success!

And tell me,

What do you do to hype up your business during slow season??

Tweetable: Creating a strategy instead of winging it can make all the difference. via @massageindallas.

Hillary owns  Gaia Bodywork in Richardson TX. and has been a licensed massage therapist since 2004.

http://about.me/hillary.arrieta

The Simplest Way to Make the Best of YouTube Channel Art

Today's blog post is a video tutorial on an easy way to create YouTube channel art for your massage business.

To start, you will need to download this template to your computer.  (Right click on the template and choose save image as).

Then you can follow along with the video to create your own YouTube channel art.

What do you think? Post your comments below and leave me your YouTube channel so I can subscribe to you as well. Thanks!

Put Some Steam On it [Portlandia Inspired]

For today's blog post, I thought I'd write about what I'm doing in my own massage practice these days. For several years now, I have been specializing in ashiatsu deepfeet therapy. I also practice massage cupping, hot stone massage, and ashi-thai.

In the beginning of my massage career, I had attended a spa therapies class at Aveda through my employer. That is where I first encountered the Steamy Wonder and have wanted one ever since! I didn't really think it would be easily incorporated into a dry room setting, (the only way I saw it in training was in a spa wet room), so I just kind of forgot about it.

And then a couple of months ago I met a therapist who uses the steam tent in her massage practice every day. After picking her brain a bit, I decided to take the plunge myself and get myself a Steamy Wonder.

I have been having so much fun with this!

Closeup pics of the pulley system before steam tent is attached.

Steam tent on my table and stored up by ceiling by pulley system.

For starters, I had a pulley system installed in my ceiling so I could easily store it out of the way. Because I have my ashiatsu bars directly above my table, I had the pulley system installed just to the side of my table.

After a few practice sessions, I was ready to offer it to clients. It's really simple and easy to use and takes no time at all to be comfortable enough with it to add it to your menu. I've started by offering a complimentary 20 minute steam add-on to my client's regular massage sessions.

So far, I would say about 2 out of every 3 people are LOVING the steam treatment. I have been doing some scalp massage while they are steaming, and afterward I wipe them off with hot towels with lemongrass essential oil before moving on to the massage. What's been amazing to me is how their muscles have softened before I even start to work with them. The steam literally melts tension so that by the time I get to doing the massage, they are already like butter on the table.

Not only does it make my job easier, but I feel like I'm actually giving them even more benefit to the massage with the addition of steam.

While I find myself wanting to "put some steam on it" for every session, it's still a bit too early to tell just how much steam I'll be doing overall as add-ons.  Once I've had it implemented for a bit longer I will update with a post detailing how it's going.  (I'm sure it will go over much better than the ending of the "put a bird on it" skit from Portlandia.)

I've included some pics of the pulley system going in, as well as pics of my beautiful new steam tent :-)
Have you ever used steam in your massage treatments? What have you found the benefits to be?

*A special thanks goes out to Mary who reignited my excitement about the Steamy Wonder and got me thinking again about the possibilities!

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 of 14 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com 

Five Lessons I've Learned [Guest Blog Post]

Today's post is a guest post from my friend and fellow MT Hillary - enjoy!

Five Lessons I've Learned From 

Running My Own Private 

Massage Therapy Practice

About two years ago I set out to become self employed in this crazy economy. It was a super scary leap of faith but now I am much more fulfilled by my work. I've learned some things about how to make my practice successful and here they are:

1. Organization.  

In the beginning, it was important for me to figure out my processes and make plans for implementation. I decided what my ideal client would be like, how I was going to retain ideal clients, how I would handle no shows, late clients, and confrontation.  These things are not always fun to think about but we all know that they will come up, sooner or later. 

Having a plan or a policy in place helps create consistency in your practice and will show clients that you are well prepared to address the issues that come up. It will also give you confidence in handling uncomfortable situations. You can even create “scripts” for no shows or inappropriate clients. Knowing what you’re going to say beforehand and having a plan of action will give you the professionalism needed to be successful.

2. Use tools to help you. 

An email list and an online booking option have been some of the most helpful tools I've added to my practice.  

Being a gen Y-er, I hate talking on the phone. I will avoid it at all costs so having an online booking system suites me well and my GenY clients. Even older generations prefer to book their own sessions. 

Anyone up for a game of phone tag? No thanks! 

I am a Bodywork Buddy user and absolutely love all of the features it has to offer. My clients love booking sessions at their leisure and the system is so user friendly. It also helps me keep track of my expenses and soap notes- (and a ton of other stuff too) LOVE that! It’s just one thing I don’t have to worry so much about and I feel like I’m covered!

3. Invest.  

Buy good equipment and supplies. It’s okay to spend some money on the front end for good stuff that will last forever. I saved up $1200 for equipment before going out on my own and sat down and decided what services I was going to offer, supplies I would need, and how to get the most bang for my buck.  My clients notice the quality and I love the fact that I have everything I need and I’m not shelling out lots of money every month replacing or restocking.

4. Work on yourself. 

Personal presence is something that is worth thinking about. 

How you communicate verbally and non-verbally will ultimately determine your success when working with other people.  

Some questions to ask yourself:

• What is my posture saying about me?
• Is my hygiene on point?
• Do I look people in the eye?
• Would I feel confident with me if I were a massage client?

Personal presence also means looking at the “energy” you’re putting out there. Are you aware of yourself? Do you listen to your clients or can they tell that you are off in la la land?  

When I was in massage school, we learned about “grounding and centering” ourselves. I was in my early twenties and had no clue what that meant but now I use this exercise EVERY DAY. When I begin and end my massages I try to calm myself and connect deeply to my inner mama bear - My fierce and nurturing center. It’s a powerful practice that I know my clients pick up on- and it tells them that I am confident and that they are safe to relax.

5. Seek out Sage advice. 

The moment that propelled me in to manifesting my massage practice is one I’ll never forget. I was sitting in a private yoga therapy session, feeling overwhelmed, unhappy, and stuck in my current work environment - my therapist took me on a sensory journey that was so powerful that it created Gaia Bodywork right then and there. She asked me what I wanted my practice to FEEL like, Then she asked me what I wanted it to SMELL like, TASTE like, and so on. With her help, I had set a powerful intention that became a reality. 

Business coaching or life coaching can be a blessing! Some of my favorite “sages” are Marie Forleo, Danielle Laporte, and my semi local bad ass biz coach Lauren Sheehan of the Feminine Rhythm.

I hope these suggestions have inspired you and your practice!

Love & Light 

Hillary owns  Gaia Bodywork in Richardson TX. and has been a licensed massage therapist since 2004.

http://about.me/hillary.arrieta

                                  Thank you, Hillary!

order/chaos photo: freedigitalphotos.net 

How to Write Fabulous Massage Brochures That Clients Will Love

How To Write Fabulous Massage Brochures That Clients Will Love

By Amy Roberts


I was in New Zealand teaching a group of Massage Therapists about a year or so ago. I was conducting a lecture about writing brochures for a massage business. I found that Massage Therapists had one thing in common that stopped them writing their massage brochures. It was definitely not a lack of intelligence or will power, it was not knowing 'how to get started' on writing their massage brochures. Not knowing how to get started on writing a massage brochure is not the same as not having the ability or capability. In fact creating your massage brochure is pretty easy. The secret to massage brochure writing? It's all about following a system.
Following a writing system when writing your massage brochure will cut down hours of 'writers block', frustration, feeling in adequate and overwhelmed. It's true; you can feel all these things when you start your massage brochure writing. So now, I'm going to teach you how to start feeling confident, satisfied and proud of your massage brochure writing. With practice you'll become a master at creating your own massage brochures.

Let's get started on the system of writing your massage brochure. Not just any old brochure, a fabulous massage brochure that clients will love.
Firstly, it's important for your massage brochure experience to be a positive one. Clear your mind and make a decision that you will not bring any past negative feelings "to the table" when you sit down and begin to write your brochure.

Your massage brochure needs to reflect utmost professionalism. In your experience as a massage therapist you'll know that people have loved your massage and wanted more. This needs to be reflected in your presentation. Only use the highest quality paper and the best printing service in town. You have a significantly higher chance of impressing potential massage clients them further with your skills in the marketing and business side of things as well. Whether you do Trigger Point massage, Swedish massage, Bowen therapy or deep tissue massage all massage therapy modalities need to be reflected in this way.

Secondly, you need to understand that potential massage therapy clients are not looking for the features of massage therapy such as "increased blood flow, increased muscle tone, improved oxygenation to the muscles" or "helps disperse lactic acid build up in the muscles." Yes, it's all great that massage therapy does that, but it's not what clients are looking for in your massage brochures.

Think of it this way. When you yourself are looking for a massage from a colleague, what is going through your mind at the time? Is it "I must get a massage so I can disperse the lactic acid in my muscles" or "this neck pain is really bad, I must get a massage to relieve it"? The latter of course! Well that's exactly what your potential massage clients are thinking too! When they pick up your massage brochure they are undoubtedly thinking about how they can get relief from something. And they will search for it in your massage brochure. So make it easy for them to make a decision to have your massage treatments by stating the benefits of your massage treatment straight away rather than the features in your massage brochure. (People start looking for massage therapy when the pain has become a problem and usually not before.)

Thirdly, always use 'easy to understand' language. We often forget that as massage therapists, our potential clients are seeking benefits in the form of relief from discomfort. What I mean by this is what is going through their minds is the language that we must use in our massage brochures. If they are thinking it, we must say it. That's why it's important for us to state in our massage brochures phrases like "my treatment will give you relief from neck pain, allowing you to move freely and without pain. After just a few of my massage treatments you'll be feeling more flexible and free again."

Just remember that with all massage brochures you must 'get into your clients head'. Speak plain language in your brochures and don't use your qualifications upfront as a strategy for attracting clients. Most of our massage therapy clients have no idea about massage or the school we went to or the hard work we did to become skillful at it. And that's ok! Right now our goal in writing massage brochures is to make it easy for them to decide to want to have massage with us and offer our massage therapy in a way that's easy for them.

There's a lot to teach on this subject of massage brochures. Which is why I've written a few ebooks about it, so if you want to know how to write massage brochures, please click on the link below. I have designed a simple step by step system for you to follow to write fabulous massage brochures that clients will love.
Amy Roberts

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Roberts


http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-Fabulous-Massage-Brochures-That-Clients-Will-Love&id=501731








Photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Video Tips from Massage Nerd

Today we have a guest post from Ryan Hoyme (aka Massage Nerd) with some tips on using videos to market your massage business.

Did you watch the Super Bowl ONLY for the commercials?

I did!

One thing they had in common, was most of them were 30-60 seconds and that is what can keep the average viewer's attention. Even thou I didn’t like most of them; they at least kept me glued to the Internet (I watched the Super Bowl online). 

Making a commercial for your business should have the same time frame as it does for TV commercials. You want to grab the person’s attention and keep them there as long as they are viewing the commercial. I made huge mistakes when I first started out, but having very long videos and in my youtube insights, I noticed most of my longer videos were only being watched for a few minutes at a time…on a good day. 

Tips to keep the viewer…viewing:

• 30-60 seconds for your commercial.
  
  
• Not shorter than 20 seconds.
  
  
• Use different angles in the commercial (one frame one angle, another frame a side angle, and so on).
  
  
• Keep your intro clip down to 2-4 seconds.
  
  
• Audio is 2/3 of the video, so have a proper microphone.
  
  
• If your video is educational, then you can break the rule of 30-60 seconds (usually 2-4 minutes is decent)
  
  
• Have a respectable intro clip and even hire someone to make one, because it will help with branding, and you will use it on all your future videos.
  
  
• Have an outro clip how they can find you and keep it at 4-6 seconds, because if you put your website on there, you want them to be able to see it.
  
  
• You can have a sound effect or little bit of music on your intro/outro clip, to make it enticing. Make sure you don’t use copyrighted music and there are places like www.incompetech.com , that are free to use and all they ask for is proper credit and a donation if you would like. Plus, you can purchase music for commercial use too.
  
  
• Having a picture popup every now and then will keep them glued to your video.

I tend to break the above rules all the time, but I’m always trying to see what works and doesn’t. The business world is all about taking risks, and if you don’t take any, it will be hard to grow your business to the next level. 

I will be submitting regular blog posts on www.theyoungthumbs.com about video tips and other things related to massage and if you ever KNEAD help making videos for your business, I’m just a website away at www.ryanhoyme.com