I’m a massage therapist. I don’t have a business name — just my own name. Would a biz name help?
On a card, do I need to say more than “therapeutic massage”? I don’t really specialize. Mostly I’ll give the cards to people I meet, but a few I’ll leave with network friends (hairdresser etc).
Maybe “Convenient appointments at your home or office?”
Benefits: Less stress – better health?
Less stress = more productivity?
Here, massage is a word-of-mouth game in a super-saturated market. My position is: I’m not cheap, but I’m good. (Cheap) massage franchises are kicking private massage’s bottom.
Do you feel there is any benefit for adding something to the cards or having a collateral piece with health info — like office ergonomics or something?
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You don’t need a collateral piece. People choose health-related professionals based on word of mouth and not ads in the paper (unless it’s an emergency).
As a general masseuse, it’s hard to stand out with all the other general masseuses. Do you specialize in spa-type (feel good) massage? Releasing pain from overuse? People in chronic pain (or just weekend warriors)?
A business name wouldn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t expect it to matter much, either. A tagline would be, at this point in your career, probably too generic (unless you start to specialize).
What you need is to generate more referrals from people who you “touch”.
The recent Guerrilla Marketing Weekly Intelligence (from Guerrilla Marketing Association) wrote: “The way to ask for referrals is with complete honesty. Just say that referrals can be very valuable to your business and that you need the person’s help. Tell them that as referrals can benefit your business, you know that your business can benefit the customer’s associates and acquaintances. Then, ask for names — just a few names to make it easy on your prospect. Giving you three, four or five names is not that big a deal.”
Marketing any business is not easy, time and thought are required. In order to make success of your career, a simple business plan is essential.
If you are renting a room out of a health care office, such as a chiropractor or acupuncturist, using just your name is sufficient. However, if you work out of your home our rent your own office space, I believe it is necessary to have a business name.
Business cards truly are the first impression. You want people to know what you do. Having LMP or CMT on your card does not guarantee that people will remember what your card is doing in their possession and will toss it aside. You can list what you do on the back of the card, for example instead of putting Therapeutic massage, list them out.
Relaxation * Deep tissue * Pregnancy * Sports Massage
These things are basic skills you learned in your schooling and will help people to know what you do. You can also have a Brochure available that explains these modalities further. Tag lines and logos help with recognition in the long run. Think of something clever that will stick to and represent your business as a whole. Think of growth and long-term goals for your business.
Also, I wanted to put a little education note in for all those who still use the term Masseuse. This term is now recognized as a Happy Ending Massage. The proper term for a professional that performs massage is Massage Therapist. I blame the media for this misconception. But if we get the word out, there will be less confusion in the long run.
I wish you Luck!
Even something short like “No Pain, No Gain? No Way!” can make someone remember your card after it’s been stuck in their wallet. Or use a unique graphic or design. A cheap gimmick: glue your cards to those refrigerator magnet sheets you can get at craft stores. Chair massage is an excellent way to “introduce” yourself to clients: before they shell out seriously money, they get to know your touch and get to trust you. (Health fairs are a great place to do this, as well as corporate massage.)