Ask Felicia: The Most Common Marketing Mistake

Q: Dear Felicia -

I am preparing to start my own practice and begin marketing my services. However, I want to save myself as much pain and heartache as possible when it comes to promoting myself. I have a limited budget, so every penny must be spent well. Before I begin I'd like to know the most common marketing mistake massage and spa professionals make so I can avoid doing the same thing myself.

Thanks!

~ Ready For Success

A: Dear Ready -

Though there are certainly plenty of mistakes people make when marketing themselves or their businesses, I'd have to say one of the most common errors is not knowing who your audience is and what they need or want from you. Without knowing this crucial piece of information - that is WHO you are trying to reach with your marketing and advertising efforts, you can waste countless hours and dollars trying to fill your practice and appointment book.

To get an idea of who your best audience is, think about the type of work you do the best and/or love the most. Who is the most likely kind of person to be helped by it?

Example: Let's say you love doing sports massage and have a real talent for helping average yet athletic people improve their performance and/or recover from overuse related to their activities and training. Then your target audience would consist of people who engage in sports or physical activity such as running, tennis, golf, weight lifting, and so on.

You might have some success reaching these people through networking groups or running ads on social media. However, it might be more effective to meet these folks through places where they already are. Consider partnering with a gym, golf or tennis club, running association, and other similar groups to connect with their members, students, players, etc. You could offer to write articles for their newsletter, provide a massage at their events, or find other win-win ways to connect with your similar, shared audience.

By knowing the identity of your audience, you're more likely to create marketing that speaks to them while saving a ton of time, energy, and money promoting yourself. Properly targeted clients who try you out and get services suited to their needs are more likely to be happy, come back, and send their friends.

Best of luck with your new practice!

~Felicia