What You May Not Know About Facebook Check-ins

You have a Facebook page for your massage business, right? 

Not only is a great way to get keep in touch with clients and reach prospective new clients on Facebook, it's a helpful tool for reviews.

Clients can leave reviews on your Facebook page which can then help sway new clients thinking about schedule a session with you.

But how do you get clients to leave a review on your Facebook business page? One easy tip is to have clients check-in at your business.

Facebook will automatically

ask them the next day to leave 

a review of their experience.   

It doesn't get any easier than that!

First, you'll want to make sure that the ability to check-in at your business is enabled in your Facebook. Then start working to get clients to check-in.

Ways to encourage clients to check-in on Facebook:

• Have some signs posted at your massage business with a reminder to check-in
  
  
• Offer an incentive like an upgrade to a service or being entered in a drawing for an upgrade or special service or gift when they check-in
  
  
• Partner with a charity
  

Check-ins increase brand awareness and recognition with your clients and their social circles, but did you know that it also helps your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? 

Google values and accordingly rates businesses that are seen as trusted providers with a high number of check-ins. It helps to increase the legitimacy of that business and therefore Google will trust it more, which in turn will help your massage business be more visible in search engine results.

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

SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR GROUPON SUCCESS {Guest Post by Cath Cox, LMT}

I am a certified Groupon geek. 

Using Groupon to build my practice fast has been the single best decision I’ve made for my business. 

But it was one I resisted. I’d heard that only cheap people use Groupon, that they just come in for the deal and never return, and that I’d get so booked with Groupon clients I wouldn’t have space for anyone else. What I hadn’t heard is that Groupon provides massive exposure for your practice in exchange for a highly discounted service, and when used strategically, can create rapid, sustainable growth.

In any marketing campaign, planning is the most critical step. 

Unfortunately, it’s often neglected or skipped entirely. I’ve identified five critical skills and tools to planning a successful Groupon campaign. Let’s take a look at what they are, why they’re important, and how they can make a Groupon deal work for you.

HAVE A GOAL

Before we begin any promotional activity for our practice, we need to be clear about what it is we want to accomplish. “Get more clients” is way too vague. How many more clients do you want? Take a look at the number of clients you average per week now and decide how many more you want to have on the books each week. So if you’re seeing 10 clients per week now and you want to be seeing 25, your goal is to attract 15 more clients per week.

Having a goal allows you to evaluate how effective your marketing strategy is because it can be easily measured. 

It also helps you set the monthly maximum for your Groupon deal. This limit not only determines how many vouchers can be sold per month; it’s the metric used for the algorithm that determines where your deal shows up on the Groupon website. High visibility will sell more vouchers to a more varied group of members. Lower visibility means your deal will only be seen by those searching for massage. The monthly maximum can be adjusted to sell more or less vouchers while your deal is active to give you the best results.

USE A TARGETED DESCRIPTION

Who exactly are you trying to appeal to? It’s easy to fall into the “anyone who wants a massage” trap, but what’s going to really create growth and fulfillment in your practice is serving those who you are the best fit for. If you love and are really good at giving the most relaxing massage in your area, then you want to help people looking for that find you. They’re the ones who are going to enjoy what you offer, want to return, and tell others about you.

Massage is a popular item on Groupon, which can work to your advantage or against you. It’s become a go-to directory for those looking for a new massage therapist because they can try us out without breaking the bank. It can also make it harder for us to be seen among the numerous choices. A targeted description of your deal will set you apart from other massage therapists and make you resonate with those who want your unique skill set.

MAKE IT EASY TO RETURN

Once you get a new client, what do you do to inspire them to become a regular client? Aside from giving an extraordinary experience from beginning to end, clients may need a little financial incentive to visit frequently enough to get great results and stabilize your income. Having an enticing loyalty program, membership or discounted package will increase conversions dramatically. These types of incentives make frequent visits easier and keep your schedule fuller.  After all, isn’t the whole point of using Groupon in the first place to bring in more clients who will keep coming?

In my experience, offering a single session and a package of three in your deal gets more conversions in the long run because those who purchase a package are more interested in receiving massage frequently. Have an expiration date for your package (I use 90 days from date of activation) and stick with it. You can always offer to let them pay the difference for expired sessions (most likely they won’t, so those are free money). Use the pricing of your ongoing program (or special for returning Groupon customers) as a guide to price your deal (anything less than 70% of what they would pay for your discounted services is going to make converting them more challenging). You may not sell as many vouchers with a higher priced deal but you’ll retain more of the clients who buy them.

FOCUS ON THE BIG PICTURE

It’s human nature to seek immediate gratification. You will make some money from the sales of your vouchers, but using Groupon isn’t about making money from the deal itself. It’s about helping customers who want what you do find you. Getting them to come back is up to you.

Being successful with Groupon requires you to see it as way to attract more clients so you can then blow them away with your awesomeness. You won’t retain every Groupon client, but you most likely won’t retain every new client who hears about you from other sources either. Focus on those who do rebook rather than those who don’t. Keep the big picture of a full, thriving practice in mind. If you can’t get past the highly discounted rate you’ll receive from Groupon for your services, it’s not the tool for you.

USE ONLINE SCHEDULING

If you’re already using online scheduling, I don’t have to tell you how much it streamlines the booking process. If you’re on the fence about trying it, I encourage you to take the leap. Bodywork Buddy offers a free trial period, so you have nothing to lose. Any concerns you have about optimizing your schedule or not having control will be minimized once you experience the freedom from phone, email and text tag you’ll have. It also provides an added convenience that many clients will appreciate, especially when you have an influx of new customers AND you’re busy working so aren’t available to answer the phone. I wouldn’t recommend doing a Groupon deal without it.

I’m not going to tell you that working with Groupon is all butterflies and moonbeams. It can be very challenging because you’re dealing with well-trained salespeople. It’s your responsibility to make the best decisions for your business and not let them steer you toward a deal that won’t serve you. But with a sound plan, it can be an unmatched option for growing your practice faster. Give some thought to what you want to achieve and create a strategy to support that BEFORE contacting Groupon. Then you’ll be prepared to negotiate a campaign that works for you and those who need you to reach their wellness goals.

Cath Cox has been a licensed massage therapist in Colorado since 1999 and is the creator of the Booked and Busy in 90 Days System™. Her mission is to heal the world by inspiring independent massage therapists to build thriving practices of their own so they can work authentically for as long as they desire. She currently provides Ashiatsu barefoot deep tissue massage exclusively in her private practice. You can learn more about Cath and her journey at cathcox.com.

How To Customize Your Online Client Intake Form

Need help with customizing the default intake form in your Bodywork Buddy account? This video walks you through the basics of changing your form.

Let me know if you have any questions!

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

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.

How to Take Control of Your Passwords

In today's tech world, we all have a million passwords for a million different accounts. Your bank account, your online scheduling account, your business Facebook page... and these are just a handful that are only for your massage therapy business. How do you remember or keep track of them all?! Especially when they are cryptic words with special characters, a specific amount of numbers, some lowercase letters mixed with some uppercase letters.... 
Well, good news. There's a new school of thought on what makes a strong password.

Previously, security experts recommended the use of password manager apps to ensure users' accounts were protected.

"The old wisdom... we found that it does everything negative for usability and really, not a whole heck of a lot for security." - Paul Grassi on All Tech Considered

The new suggestions for what makes a strong password are:

• Long passwords
• phrases
• spaces
• lowercase typical words, no need for uppercase letters mixed in
• no need for special characters
• no expiration

It's suggested to have a password manager. There are lots of useful apps available to store your passwords and make your life easier. That combined with the new rules for what makes a strong password, I think we can all breathe a little easier and stop putting so much energy into creating and remembering our keys to all of our accounts!

3 Ted Talks About the Power of Touch

Published on Apr 19, 2016

Throughout your day today, how often and for how long have you been touched by someone? How often have you touched someone else? Massage therapist Jane Anderson explores the powerful effects that touch can have on our lives.

Jane Anderson is a professional, multi-disciplined massage therapist for chronic pain relief and medically complex clients. Jane has founded multiple massage therapy schools and taught learning outcomes on par with the highest national level. Her work has affected the lives of all kinds of clients, including end of life and post surgical patients, athletes, animals, and children.

Published on Apr 8, 2016

In this talk, David Linden explores the science and complexities of touch on human health.

David J. Linden, Ph.D., is a Professor of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His laboratory has worked for many years on the cellular substrates of memory storage, and recovery of function after brain injury, among other topics. He has a longstanding interest in scientific communication, and served for many years as the Chief Editor of the Journal of Neurophysiology. He is the author of three best-selling books on the biology of behavior for a general audience, The Accidental Mind (2007) and The Compass of Pleasure (2011) which, to date, have been translated into 19 languages. His most recent book, Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart and Mind (2015) was recently published by Viking Press (USA/Canada).

Published on Dec 30, 2014

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. As children we need touch to be able to handle stress and develop normally. Loneliness happens to be one of the greatest life hazards of our times and touching is a key element in connecting with people and forming relationships. Touch seems to benefit us in so many ways.
http://www.tedxgoteborg.com/videos/

Helena Backlund Wasling and her team or researchers has mapped how a soft touch activates the parts of the brain that controls our emotions. 

The Best Spa Hotels in the World {Guest Post by Jay Williams}

The Best Spa Hotels in the World

A definitive list of the best spa hotels is always going to be subjective and open to individual’s expectations, but a great hotel spa should leave you feeling relaxed, re-energized and ready to take on the world. The setting, the treatments and the customer service are all major factors that should be taken in to consideration when searching for the perfect spa, and some of the following spas excel in all three of these areas.

So while each of these spas may not suit everyone, we tried to pick unique spas that not only offer a range of relaxing treatments but also offer something a little bit special, have proven themselves over many years and have great, consistent feedback. Read on to discover some of the best spa hotels in the world.

Thallassa Spa, Anassa Hotel, Cyprus

A regular in the top spa lists and for very good reason, this visually stunning spa with its Roman-style swimming pool and 18 treatments rooms offers a huge range of treatments whether you are looking to detox, improve your fitness or indulge in its beauty services. For those looking to make their spa experience a bit more active they also have a fitness room and squash court.

Aman Spa, Tokyo

Another regular award-winning spa, Aman spa is situated in one of Tokyo’s most stunning hotels, matching a traditional Japanese look and feel with a modern style. Located on the 33^rd floor you’ll feel like you’re floating amongst the clouds as you relax and unwind with the unique and soothing treatments on offer.

Nihiwatu, Indonesia

If you want something a bit different and some isolation then this private resort around an hour’s flight away from Bali is ideal. Running along a beach and integrated seamlessly with the local culture, the spa does not compromise on luxury with skilled therapists, treatments and adventures on offer. The sound of the waves, the beach sunset views and the seclusion offered at this great spa make it worthy of a place on any best of spa lists.

Rancho La Puerta, Mexico

This destination spa is a perfect hideaway retreat, its rustic styles, local traditions and modern influences mean that you can relax in absolute comfort and bliss. Unlike some spas, this one puts an emphasis on fitness as part of their overall well-being offering, so whether you fancy getting fit with judo, dancing or soccer then you’re in luck here with a selection of special events.

Mandarin Oriental, Thailand

If you’re looking for iconic then the Mandarin Oriental fits the bill perfectly, recently celebrating its 140^th birthday it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing. With a huge range of treatments across its garden wing, you can indulge yourself with your favourite treatments or try some new ones. If treatments are not your thing then there is other activities on offer such as yoga classes, rituals and detoxes that are sure to peak your interest.

If you’re UK bound and looking for a great spa, then it’s worth checking out this great selection of Spas from The Principal Hotel Company who have range of award winning spas spread out all over the UK.

  

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Jay is part of the community team at De Vere Hotels, responsible for engaging with their community and beyond. As well as having an obsession with all things travel, Jay is a family man, and lover of self-improvement and life hacks.