As a massage therapist, your success isn’t just about mastering techniques; it’s about building connections. A strong massage therapy network can be the key to growing your practice, attracting new massage clients, and integrating more deeply into your community.
Networking helps you find colleagues to collaborate with, potential hires for your practice, and a steady stream of referrals. By investing time and effort into building a solid professional network, you create a foundation for a thriving business and a fulfilling career. This article will guide you through the steps to establish and nurture an active massage therapy network.
Why Is Networking Important For Massage Therapists?
Networking is crucial for your success as a massage therapist. It connects you to potential clients, supportive colleagues, and valuable referral sources. By building a strong social and professional network, you create a powerful foundation for growing your business and achieving lasting success.
How To Build A Strong Network As A Massage Therapist
- Show Up: Go places with the intention of meeting new people.
- Introduce Yourself: Approach people you’re interested in connecting with.
- Ask Questions: Be genuinely curious about the people you meet.
- Follow Up: Reach out to people after the initial meeting to get to know them better.
That initial meeting is just the start of your relationship. Building a network you can depend on requires staying in touch. To build strong connections with other professionals and members of your community, invest time and effort into nurturing those relationships.
Places To Network As A Massage Therapist
If you’re looking to grow your network, and grow your business as a massage therapist, there are opportunities all around you. Attending local events, massage conferences, and meetup groups are excellent options for in-person networking. There are also many online communities designed to connect professionals and local community members.
CMMOTA
As a member of CMMOTA, you not only get comprehensive insurance and exclusive CMMOTA partner perks, you’re also invited to CMMOTA networking events. This is an excellent opportunity to meet other therapists in the industry. The connections you make at these networking events could lead to new friends, job opportunities, business and educational opportunities, or maybe even a new hire for your practice.
LinkedIn is a great place to network with other business owners. It’s also a good place to find job candidates, if you’re looking to hire a massage therapist to join your team. If you’re looking to build a network of fellow massage therapists, join a massage therapy group on LinkedIn. If you want to build your network of local professionals and business owners, search for local leaders in your neighborhood, connect with them, and strike up a conversation.
Facebook Groups
There’s a group for everyone on Facebook. Many towns have their own community groups on Facebook. Join yours to connect with local residents and business owners. This can help you become more visible in your community and engage with your neighbors. If you want to connect with other massage therapists, join a massage therapy group. Find one that’s active and whose mission resonates with you.
Massage Conferences
Attending massage conferences like the Canadian Massage Conference or the American Massage Therapy National Convention is an excellent way to meet and engage other massage therapists. The energy at these conferences is so empowering and uplifting. You’ll have a chance to learn from some of the greatest professionals in the industry, as well as network with a whole sea of your peers.
Community Events
Being active in your community allows you to connect with more neighbors than you would otherwise meet. You can show up as a massage therapist doing chair massage at the marathon, or you can show up as your off-the-clock self with your kids in tow. Take part in community events you’re interested in, either as a participant or a volunteer. You never know who you might meet.
Local Networking Groups
Explore local networking groups designed to connect people with similar interests or missions. Check out your local chamber of commerce, search online, or use apps like Meetup to find these groups. If you can’t find one that suits you, consider starting your own.
How To Create A Professional Referral Network?
Creating a professional referral network requires time and effort. Start by identifying the professionals you want to connect with and reach out to them personally. Introduce yourself, educate them about your services, and collaborate with those who would benefit from cross promotions.
Reach Out To Health & Wellness Professional In Your Area
Make a list of health and wellness providers in your neighborhood who might treat your ideal clients. Create a letter of introduction or educational material explaining how your services can help their patients reach their wellness goals. Visit their offices to personally deliver it, and bring a small treat for the receptionist.
Put On A Lunch & Learn Seminar
Create a 30-60 minute educational presentation to teach others something valuable related to your practice and theirs. Offer a community event open to the public on managing a specific issue. If targeting a particular healthcare provider, focus on a topic relevant to their practice, such as workplace stress. Alternatively, tailor it for their patients, like a lunch-and-learn on massage techniques for TMJD for a local dental practice.
Have An Open House
Hosting an open house is a great way to introduce your business to the community. To build a professional network, send personal invitations to local business owners and wellness providers you’d like to meet. Open your doors to the public and entice them with free offerings like food, drinks, or mini chair massage sessions. Welcome everyone, explain what you do, and put your best foot forward.
Collaborate On Cross Promotional Opportunities
Once you meet a business owner or practitioner willing to refer clients to you, be proactive. Collaborate on ways to help each other and benefit each other’s customers. For example, you might offer members of a local gym a small discount on your services as part of their membership benefits.
Stay In Touch
A strong massage therapy network is built on familiarity and communication. It’s important to stay in touch with the people in your professional network. Make a point to meet for coffee on occasion, say hi when you’re inside their business, and find ways to connect online to keep the flow of communication open.
How To Set Up A Client Referral Program
Your massage clients are an important part of your massage therapy network. Create a client referral program that rewards existing clients for introducing their friends and family to your business. Offer a special discount for the referred client’s first visit, and give the person who referred them something special too.
Decide How You’ll Reward Referrals
Your clients are often willing to refer others to your business without a reward—all you have to do is ask. However, to boost word-of-mouth marketing, incentivize referrals by offering a discount, free upgrade, or product to the referral source of a new client. When someone mentions a referral, thank the referrer and provide their reward.
You can pass out referral cards to your clients as a way to track where new clients came from. Another way to find out who referred a new client, is to ask that question on your intake forms.
Tell Your Clients About Your Referral Program
Use email marketing to inform your entire client list about your new referral program. Share the details, and thank them for their loyalty and support. If you create special referral cards for clients to give to friends and family, hand out a few before they leave your practice. Additionally, simply ask your clients to refer anyone who might benefit from your services.
Remind People About Your Referral Program Periodically
Life gets busy, and things slip your mind. It happens to all of us. That’s why it’s essential to remind your clients about your referral program at regular intervals. Sending automated client referral requests is a good way to keep your practice top-of-mind without overdoing it (or even remembering to do it).
Using massage therapy software makes this easy to automate, and, as a member of CMMOTA, you can save 50% on massage therapy software, so you can grow your business and save money while doing it.