Whether you’ve learned barefoot massage already or are pondering your possibilities, it’s important to decide who your ideal client is for barefoot massage.
Really, you should know this even if you haven’t even considered the possibility of taking our classes!
1st consideration
You can’t serve everyone.
Think of big chains.
While it may seem like they serve everyone, they’ve probably narrowed it down something like this-the person
- wants the convenience of a membership
- doesn’t mind seeing a wide variety of therapists
- wants a less expensive massage
- is willing to buy products
2nd thought
In trying to have everyone as your client, you are missing out on those who want to find someone who specializes in XYZ.
This brings us to specializing in a modality.
You don’t have to be a barefoot nerd like we are. Some massage therapists love taking a wide variety of CE classes, and we’re into that as well.
But when you offer 37 items on your massage menu, it:
- creates confusion with your potential clients
- it makes it harder for them to make a decision
- ultimately, they’ll probably leave your site
- you aren’t seen as an expert in any one field-you look more like a dabbler in modalities.
- Just pick a couple of things and get really good at them.
Be known for something specific.
3rd idea
Now that you’ve chosen a thing or 2 to specialize in, who do you want to work with?
My ideal client used to be someone like me (Mary-Claire)-a parent who didn’t have a whole lot of money but wanted to take care of themselves. As a result, I didn’t charge a whole lot.
While noble, that’s not a great idea if you actually want to make a living doing massage therapy.
When deciding your ideal client (also known as an “avatar”), get super specific.
Do you want to work with:
- men or women
- athletes or wanna be’s
- someone who’s working from home and is stressed out
- car accident rehab patients
- oncology patients (not for barefoot massage, though)
- etc. (you catch my drift, right?)
What’s their name?
Do they have kids? How many? Ages?
Pets?
What are their hobbies?
What kind of work do they do?
Be specific as you can. For instance, mine looks something like this:
Bob is a 54-year-old married dad of 2 whose kids are out of the house. He has a Labradoodle named Sals who he takes on walks twice a day. He is an upper-level executive of marketing with Procter and Gamble and likes to hike on his days off. He loves deep tissue massage and is a foodie.
What 3 important facts does this tell me?
1. He has a reasonable amount of disposable income with his job and his kids being out of the house.
2. Bob likes being outdoors and getting exercise.
3. Being a foodie, he is open to new experiences.
Therefore:
1. He would probably like stretching added into his barefoot massages (which I want to do)
2. Bob has enough money and time to take care of himself with regular massage.
3. As a matter of fact, Bob is an ideal client who can afford to come 2x a month to receive massage.
4. He is willing to try new-to-him techniques such as side-lying,
Knowing your ideal client will help you target your social media and marketing to the right potential client.
Interested in learning more about barefoot massage?
Visit us at www.barefootmassagecenter.com
We have tons of Tip and Tricks on YouTube!
And check out our Facebook page
Don’t forget Instagram!