Everyone can benefit from massage, so from a marketing standpoint your target customer could be just about anyone, right? Wrong! Marketing to the masses is a mistake that many professionals make. It is neither time nor cost effective to TRY to reach everyone. You will find that it is much more effective to customize and market your services to a select group. In doing so, you build your reputation among this group and so increase the likelihood of referrals - always the best source of new business.
To determine the target market that is appropriate for you, ask yourself which clients do you enjoy working with. If you love working with pregnant women, create a special marketing campaign to attract mothers-to-be. Other target markets may include athletes, infants, elders, animals, military personnel, students and people with chronic pain. You'll need to customize your services accordingly. Executives may need 30-minute sessions due to their time constraints, whereas geriatric clients may need in-home services.
Geography may help you reach your target market(s). FactFinder is a neat website that breaks down the demographic of specific zip codes by such characteristics as educational achievement, household income, occupation, gender and age. If you like working with geriatric clients, you might want to locate your new office in an area near where lots of seniors live. If college students are your targets, offer them a discount and post information not only in the local colleges but other places students hang out.
Targeting your marketing doesn't mean you should turn away other business, but by targeting you stay focused and build your expert reputation. Let's face it - you want to spend your time on your clients not on marketing to everyone and anyone. Targeting your customer base will help you do just that.