Thinking about setting up your own massage therapist business? Read these insider tips to help ensure your business is a success.
Massage therapy is booming as people start to invest more in their wellbeing and prioritise holistic health services. If you’re thinking about setting up your own massage therapist business, we have a few insider tips to help ensure your business is a success.
It goes without saying that the first step is to get qualified and get some experience under your belt. You might work for a larger gym group in the beginning to utilise your training and practice working with customers. When you’re ready to make the leap to operating your own business, try these tips.
As a new business, there is the temptation to think you are too small to warrant a professional booking system. But the thing you need to remember about your customer is that they don’t need to know that you are a small business just starting out.
As far as they are concerned, you are an established and professional outfit, and your booking system should reflect this. So skip the “DM to book” and invest in proper booking software that will allow you to get things right from the start.
One perk of a proper booking system is that you’ll be able to make the most of things like email and text marketing to help encourage repeat bookings.
A massage is not like any other spa service; it’s an entire experience and should be treated as such. Think about how the customer is going to enjoy this experience and what steps you can take to make it more enjoyable.
Remember that the customer experience starts as soon as they book. The booking process should be clear and simple. If you charge a deposit for bookings (to reduce the risk of no-shows) make it clear how this deposit is used and what might cause the customer to lose their deposit.
Next, think about pre-appointment communications. It’s often nice to let customers know what to expect. Assume they have never had a massage before and give them a quick primer on how it works.
You should also think about the experience when they arrive. It’s common to use scent, sound and lighting to set a relaxing mood, but this should all be flexible to the customer’s needs.
And finally, think about the follow-up communications. Let customers know that they can expect to enjoy the best sleep of their life following a massage. You can also warn them about the potential of feeling a little under the weather in the days after their treatment. This kind of reassurance can help them to feel reassured and also confident in your expertise.
It’s common for new businesses to focus on attracting new customers and to neglect the possibility of generating repeat business. Customer retention is all about effective post-service communications. You could also consider a loyalty programme to encourage customers to book again.
Reviews are essential for a new business as they will bring legitimacy to your business and help to encourage new bookings. Many people will rely on reviews of businesses to help them to decide if they would like to try your services.
For newly established companies, it is therefore essential to ask customers for feedback to help get your name out there. If asking for a review doesn’t feel natural to you, consider including this in your post-service email communications. This can direct customers to the review site you would like to use.
In the early stages of running your business, you can afford to offer discounts on your services as discounted bookings will bring in more money than no bookings. However, be wary about keeping these promotions running for too long, as you could be devaluing your services.
If customers get used to paying a lower price, you might struggle to make them see the full value of the service. A great way to get around this would be to offer a shorter service or a simplified service as part of your discount scheme. Customers have the option to upgrade, or they can stick with the shorter and discounted service. This will ensure they appreciate the value of the full service.
Starting your own massage therapy business can be incredibly rewarding with the right planning, dedication and tools. From building a loyal client base to managing bookings and payments, every step matters. Ready to simplify your setup? Schedule a free demo of Salon Iris and see how our software can support your massage therapy business from day one.
