How Wording Can Improve Your Confirmation and Reminder Emails

Struggling with how to phrase your confirmation and reminder emails to clients? While Bodywork Buddy online scheduling has some basic text with info about their appointment details, we also include an area where you can add your own additional information. (Keep in mind that the system allows for 1024 characters in this area.)

I like to mention details like parking at my studio, etc in my email. But you could also use this space for more specific wording about their appointment or your policies.

“Hi Cindy, your time with us is reserved only for you. It is considered confirmed. We will be emailing two* days prior to your appointment as a courtesy reminder only. If you are unable to make your appointment, please notify us more than 24 hours before your appointment time to avoid a cancellation fee.”

*Depending on what you have your reminder settings set to.

You could use this area to re-iterate your cancellation policy. (In addition to having your policies on your scheduling page and requiring that clients agree to them before scheduling, if you want.)

Here’s a write up that I’ve used in my own massage practice for a cancellation policy. I tried to find where I originally came across this wording, but haven’t been able to find it - I think it was from a massage therapy forum years ago. Anyway, I think it’s perfectly worded to help express to clients why we need to have cancellation policies:

“Please remember that appointments are commitments made by both therapist and client.  We have both committed our valuable time to each other.  I will honor your time by providing you with a high-quality massage and my undivided attention to your therapeutic needs; please honor mine by arriving on time for your appointment.  If this becomes impossible, please honor the time I have committed to you by only cancelling more than 24 hours before your appointment time, or paying for the time I have set aside for YOU.  Thank you.”

I asked Gael Wood of Massage and Spa Success how she likes to communicate reminders to her clients. Her suggestion was this:

“‘Hi Susan, this is Gael from ________ day spa and I am calling with your appointment reminder. We have you down for 3pm on Thursday the 21st with Jill. We look forward to seeing you then!’ I also might offer an upgrade or more time if it's available. I don't normally mention cancelling, don't like to plant that seed! “

While this wording is more for a phone call, I love the idea of offering an upgrade at the time of a reminder! You could easily adjust this wording for your email reminders and mention your upgrade services as an option. I’ve recently added the doTERRA Aromatouch technique to my services and plan to use this suggestion to offer that as an upgrade to clients in their reminders.

(BTW, Gael has a new content marketing sample pack for free. Need some help in the marketing department? Check out her free sample - she makes it so easy for you!)

Gael also wrote an article for Massage Magazine last year about using scripts to improve sales.

Do you offer email or phone reminders to your clients? What wording has worked well for you?

If you don’t already have automated email reminders, check out what Bodywork Buddy can do for you!

Cindy Iwlew is a licensed massage therapist who has had a private practice since 1999 and cofounder of Bodywork Buddy massage software.

This post written to the tunes of the '70s.

Early Bird Pricing for New Massage Client Attraction Boot Camp with Gael Wood

Hey there!

I wanted to let you know about a great deal for early birds registering for this massage marketing program. Today is the last day to get this deal, so if you're in need of some help with your massage business, check it out!

Last day of early bird pricing!

Sign up for Gael Wood's New Massage Client Attraction Boot Camp June 1-30, 2017 to develop your massage marketing foundation, put your business on the map, get new clients on your table, and BUILD YOUR MASSAGE BUSINESS! Tons of bonuses and live Facebook group support only available June 1-30.

SIGNUP NOW!

2016 Massage Therapy Resource Bundle *ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT*

I'm excited to tell you about this great resource bundle that I've had the pleasure of being a part of! There's only two days left to get the 2016 Massage Resource Bundle.

It’s a small investment that will deliver tremendous value and new ideas to help you advance in your massage career. I don't want you to miss out.

Right now you can get over $800 worth of CEU classes, business classes, Ebooks and bonus offers for only $39.95. I think you’ll agree that is one amazing bundle!

I love that this kind of support is available now. When I started doing massage, there was little to no online support. New and seasoned therapists alike were left just floundering on our own.

Included in this bundle is my own ebook on growing your massage business with referrals, as well as a discount when joining Bodywork Buddy for your online scheduling and business management needs. (Plus LOTS of other great courses, ebooks, and bonuses from leaders in the massage profession!)

Check out just a few highlights included in the bundle:

Ok so... the countdown is on - jump on this now!

3 Ways to Share Client Testimonials on Social Media

Testimonials and reviews are a great marketing tool for your massage business. They are social proof of the work you do and build trust with prospective clients. As we MT's know, building that trust is especially important in a field like massage and bodywork.

85% of consumers said they read up to 10 reviews before feeling they can trust a business. (Search Engine Land)

While it's great to share glowing reviews on social media, plain text might get lost in the noise. Make it fun with images* and designs that get noticed.
*Make sure you're using images you have permission to use.

47% of Americans say Facebook is their #1 influencer of 

purchases. (Jeff Bullas) 

Here's a few tools to help you do that:

Canva

Canva.com is super easy and they have the dimensions for social media images all laid out for you. Simply click the first choice of "social media" to get started on your design. 

They have tons of images for you to choose from that are free and you're allowed to use. (Also an option to upgrade for more options, or choose from images with a price-per-image.) I searched "massage" and "spa" and got tons of images at $1/piece. But you could also just use one of their free graphic images.

Here's one that I created using one of their free designs:

Canva Testimonial
www.canva.com

You can download it to your computer after you've created it, and they even give you an option to post to social media right from there.

Screenshot

If a client posts a nice testimonial publicly on FB or Twitter, you could simply take a screenshot. Here's a handy site that guides you through how to do that from specific devices.

Below is a screenshot of some kind words about BWB from one of our members that was posted on our FB page. (Thanks, Mary!)

I just took a partial screenshot, highlighting only the comment that I wanted to take a pic of. (On my mac, it's command + shift + 4.) The image saves to your computer, which you can then upload to share to social media. Or if they've posted it right on your page, you can share right from within the comment itself, too.

Screenshot Testimonial

Bodywork Buddy

BWB has a new feature that allows you to easily share published testimonials from within your BWB account right to your FB page. (It also makes it super easy to collect testimonials by automatically emailing clients after their massage asking them for a review. You'll be amazed how the testimonials just roll right in!)

From within your account, from dashboard > account > client testimonials > click the "share" button next to the published testimonial you want to post > select which page you want to post it to > don't forget to add a personal note to encourage clients to schedule with you online and include your microsite link to make it as easy as possible for them!

Bodywork Buddy
Free trial www.bodyworkbuddy.com

It includes the image that you have on your microsite as your main image, and you have permission to use this image posted from BWB to your FB page. Clients can also click right into the image to be taken to your microsite to schedule or read all of your testimonials.

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

Entrepreneurs: How To Beat Stress [Infographic]

Here's a good infographic on beating stress at the office, specifically for entrepreneurs.  It's a great thing to share with your clients on your fanpage or your website (easy ways to share at the bottom) - adding in, of course, that MASSAGE is a great way to beat stress!





What are some other tips that you would add in to help beat stress?

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 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

4 Free Facebook Timeline Pictures

Our latest poll revealed that many of you would like more Facebook timeline pictures for your massage business page.  So... Here you go!  These are the exact size you will need for your timeline picture.   Here's a review of How to Install a Facebook Timeline pic in case you need it.  

If you like these timeline pictures and use them, we'd sure love it if you would 'like' us or share some of our posts on Facebook, or share this blog with your massage friends, retweet us, etc.  (Easy ways to share on the right column of this blog.)  Thanks!

                                                                                                                   

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 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

How To Install a Facebook Timeline Cover Pic

Have you not added a timeline cover pic to your Facebook page yet simply because you haven't had the time to figure out how?  Here's a simple tutorial on how to add or change your cover pic.

Go to your Facebook business page.  (Or personal page, for that matter).
Click on the "Add a Cover" button.

Click on "Upload Photo".  Then choose a photo from a file on your computer and click "open".  (Massage pictures and directions on how to save them to your computer are in this post: 6 Free Marketing Posters).

The photo will then appear as your timeline cover pic.  You can left click on the pic and drag it into position. Once you have it where you want it, click "Save Changes".

And there you have it.  A nice new timeline cover pic for your massage business Facebook page.
I know many of you have already figured this out, but I have seen several pages without cover pics lately, so I thought this little tutorial might come in handy.

Are there other tutorials you would be interested in?  I'd love to hear your feedback and ideas for other how-to posts in the comments below.

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 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Create Free Massage Brochures With ABMP

Are you a member of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals? Did you know your membership includes an awesome ability to create beautiful brochures for your massage business?

After logging in to your account on ABMP.com, hover over the Marketing Center tab, then click Client Brochures (customized).  You can then add your own contact info in the lines provided, and upload your own logo.

There are 23 different types of brochures to choose from!  Everything from sports massage to maternity massage.

Once you choose the brochure type, click Generate.  You will then be presented with a link to click, which will download the brochure in a PDF onto your computer.

You can take this file in to your local print shop and have them professionally printed.  Or, you can even upload them to sites like Vista Print for printing.

To upload to Vista Print, save your PDF brochure in Adobe as a jpeg file.  This will create a file for each of the 2 pages of your brochure.  You can then upload the 2 pages separately to Vista Print.  (There will be a video tutorial on how to do this coming soon - so no worries if you need clarification).

Make your own brochure at www.abmp.com

Pretty awesome, right?  So easy, and it's a free benefit of your ABMP membership!
Have you made your own brochures with the ABMP generator?

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 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Learn How to Customize Marketing Posters

Last week I shared 6 Free Marketing Posters for you to use on your website and Facebook page.  While the photos look fine on their own, I've left some space in some of them for you to add your own contact information.

To do this, you will first need some type of imaging software.  There's a great site where you can download free software: Ninite.com.

For this tutorial, we're going to use Paint.NET.  (listed under Imaging, about half way down the page.)

Once you've downloaded Paint.NET from Ninite.com, you can follow along in the video to add your own contact information to the free marketing materials from last week's post.

(If you make a mistake, simply click on Edit, and choose Undo.)

Did you add your contact info to some of the marketing posters provided?  Comment below with a link to your site so we can see how it turned out!

*Please note* you should not add your info to other people's pictures unless you have the permission to do so. 

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 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com