The REAL Price of a Photo

I'd like to welcome Ryan Hoyme as our guest blogger today.  Ryan (aka Massage Nerd) is a wealth of information in the massage industry - especially videos and photos.  He is now offering a service of stock massage images that are not only royalty free, but are very accurate depictions of real life massage.  (no heads turned to the side with rose petals strewn about!) 

It's very important to keep legalities in mind when using images for your marketing.  I spoke with Nick Borger, an attorney in Minnesota who practices in the area of social media law, and he pointed out that if not using images legally several things can happen.  Unlawful usage of images could result in judgments against the user and unwanted legal costs and injunctions. Statutory damages can be imposed, which can run the user of the advertisement thousand of dollars per use. Obviously, the bill can get high very fast.

For that reason, people who take images off the Internet for marketing should obtain written consent from the owners of the image prior to use. Usually, they can use those paid image galleries,but they need to make sure that the license they obtain specifically permits the use they are intending.

I highly recommend using Ryan's image services as he's a name we can trust in the massage industry.
*please note: this is different than sharing pics and posts on Facebook, etc.  Ryan and Bodywork Buddy often share posters for your social media marketing use (that include our watermarks) and our permission to repost and share them.  But if you ever aren't sure, just ask! 

The REAL Price of a Photo

I often see this response on the Internet concerning photos: Since it’s on Google images, or other places, it’s ok for me to use them. Well, that might be true in a few cases, but not for most.

Here are some things you need to consider when looking for photos for your marketing:

• Is the photo copyrighted?

• Do you have to give the owner credit?

• Can you use it for commercial advertising?

• Are you allowed to edit the photo?

• Are you allowed to sell the photo, if you edit it?

• Did the people in the photos sign a model release?

Those are just some of the questions you have to ask yourself, before using a photo on the Internet.

It can be really tricky, because some people take other people’s photos, and give them away to others for free. They even say they own the copyrights to it, but there is no way to be 100% sure in most circumstances.

First step: Make sure you are dealing with a reputable company (search the name of their business on the internet, to see if there has been any complaints).

Second Step: Read the Terms of Service, and see how you can use the photos. Do you need a lawyer to read over their Terms of Service (if you do, it probably isn’t a good idea to use the photo)?

Third Step: Even if you purchase them, it doesn’t give you the rights to plaster them all over the Internet (look into it more).

Forth Step: Contact the company via email or phone, to have them answer any more questions you may have.

I have people on a daily basis taking my photos and videos, and using them to market their business without my permission. It’s pretty frustrating to constantly go through the web and flag the photos and videos.

I made mistakes like that when I first started delving into the Internet, but I learned my lesson really fast, once I started teaching massage, and realized all the trouble people can get into. I even know people that were contacted by Getty Images, saying that they used one of their photos, and they are required to pay a fine for using it. Take a look are their rules: www.gettyimages.com/Corporate/LicenseInfo.aspx

So, the next time you see a cool massage photo on the Internet, and you want to use it to market your business, make sure you research it first.

Ryan Hoyme
www.RyanHoyme.com

6 Ways to Stop Ruining Your Massage

The truth is, relaxation begins prior to your session...

Have you ever rushed in to make an appointment, and then felt scattered and anxious through the first half of the session?  While this may not be a huge deal for say... an appointment with your accountant (who doesn't feel some anxiety about taxes?), it's really a shame for this to happen for your massage appointment.

It's easier to sink into a deep relaxation and get the most out of your massage session when you include some time in your schedule before the appointment to begin the relaxation process. (Before you even get on the table.)

Here's some tips to help you prepare for your session and ultimately, get the most out of your massage:

1. Include some buffer time in your schedule so you're not coming directly from traffic or a meeting.
   
2. Turn off your cell phone.
   
3. Don't eat just before your massage, but also don't show up starving.
   
4. Take several slow, deep breaths before you even walk in to your massage therapist's studio.
   
5. Use the restroom.
   
6. If your mind is still racing during the massage, focus on how the work feels on your muscles.

Learning to take some extra time and preparing can help deepen your experience, making the effects much more far reaching.

What other tips do you have for the best massage experience?

Tweetable: The truth is, relaxation begins prior to your session.

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 

Make or Break Your Massage Business With Testimonials With Cindy Iwlew

Last week I was on Massage Nerd talking to Ryan about creative ways to collect and use testimonials in your massage business.

The replay is below, and you can also signup for a free checklist detailing these ideas at www.bodyworkbuddy.com.

Many thanks to Ryan for having me on his show!
Just an update - I have more details about using testimonials for marketing in Canada.  I'll write a post soon with that info for our friends to the North!

What unique ways do you collect reviews?  How do you like to incorporate them into your marketing?

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 

Network Marketing for MT's - Guest Post by Jess Weagle

There are many massage therapists would like to expand their business, but don’t want employees. And are trying to find a way to enjoy some passive income from their website and don’t know where to start.

And let’s face it, being a solo LMT isn’t the best long standing business model either. If you get hurt or can’t work you are SOL without a backup plan.

The great thing about a network marketing company is that people have to buy from a rep, and that gives the solo business owner a great advantage. I like to think of going this route no different than
buying into a franchise. Just like a franchise you need to buy into the name and there are franchise fees. But joining a network marketing company cost a lot less capital!

Joining a network marketing company takes care of all those problems and can be a great option for your back up plan. The industry however, has a bad rap with a lot of people. But just give me a moment of your time and I will explain a way to integrate network marketing products into your practice that is classy, won’t offend clients, and add extra money to your bank account.

Your first task is to find a product line that you believe in and will stand behind, there are so many to pick from you just need to decide what direction you would like to go. Here were my must haves when I was researching companies.

1 – Must have products that I can use during a massage

2 – Be able to sell the products retail

3 – Have an online store and be able to blog about the different products

If any of my must haves weren’t meant the company was out!

You also need to be ready to spend money to join there are quite a few that you can join for just $35, but you will also need to spend money on product every month and the amount varies from company to company. And don’t ever feel like to need to buy a big fancy kit. So that is something you need to plan for, but if you are proactive you can meet that requirement by selling that as retail.

Having their online store is also a great way to sell the products online and have them shipped to the person’s home without having to worry about having product in stock and shipping. Network marketing companies also have all the marketing material done for you for a small fee. So your clients can take home a professional looking catalog and order products when they are ready or they can add what they want into your monthly order.

A lot of people complain that the mark up isn’t high enough version traditional retail. Which is true, but if get enough reps under you that will pay for your products that you need to buy. But you just don’t have anyone sign up as a rep. Don’t ask your clients to join (keep your clients as your retail buyers) that’s just tacky and could cause problems down the road. Instead focus on other holistic business owners. Talking to random people about your business opportunity is just wrong on so many levels and you would never market your massage business that way. So market your network marketing company just like your massage business, know your ideal retail customer and rep.

And in doing lots of research on different companies I found most of them have a great support system you just need to take the time and look for what you need or ask the person that signed you up for help.

If you play your cards right pick a great product line for your business within a year you could be gain same great passive income.  And this will help to the take pressure off of always having to worry about finding new clients and can recession proof your business. And bringing in a product line will help to attract different clients into your business.





Jess Weagle has been an LMT since 2001. 
She owns Deep Relief Massage Therapy
www.deepreliefmassagetherapy.com in West Boylston, MA. 
You can also check her fan page www.facebook.com/deeprelief.

New Microsite Design!

We're excited to announce our newly launched microsites for Bodywork Buddy members.  (The microsite is the online scheduling page where clients can schedule.)

The new design includes many features that we feel will benefit your massage business.  Not only does it offer online scheduling, it's also customizable.

As we know, a picture is worth a thousand words.  The new microsite design has been built with this in mind!

Here's a few of the features:

• Edit your own text to tell prospective clients more about you.
  
  
• Choose our stock images or upload your own images to add to your services.
  
  
• Choose your own keywords for better SEO. (Search Engine Optimization)
  
  
• Automatically assigned a Google Analytics ID to track your microsite visits.
  
  
• Choose our stock images or upload your own to add to your client testimonials.
  
  
• Choice of massage videos provided by Ryan Hoyme.
  
  
• 100% MOBILE FRIENDLY.
  
  
• Add "Schedule Online" button to your existing website or embed the scheduler into your website. (This isn't a new feature, but is definitely worth mentioning).
  
  
• Or use the microsite as a standalone website. (You could even use your own domain name).

Below is an example of the new design using the embed feature:

www.relaxationbusinesscoaching.com

www.ryanhoyme.com

Here's a quick video tutorial detailing how to customize your microsite.

For the clearest quality, choose 720p HD from the settings by clicking on the gear icon at the bottom of the video and watching in full screen mode.

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