Teach Soap

We are doing a health fair and I was curious what it is you use or have used in the past to bring in some clientel. I'll have the massage chair and the Dr. with me. We are planning on raffleing off a gift certificate and giving away some coupons. And other suggestions?

I stand in front of my booth and pass out business cards and/or greet people as they walk by when I'm not busy.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I'm an LMT from Ohio and have participated in many health fairs, bridal expos, open houses, etc. I have literally given away thousands of free chair massages to promote awareness about the benefits of massage. These types of events are usually hit or miss. In my area (think economically repressed), folks usually attend these health fairs to pick up freebie items such as magnets, thermometers, bags, toothbrushes, and to enter drawings to win gifts.

I've discovered that being a massage therapist requires constant public education. My best advice to you is to have a website, collect email addresses for news letter purposes, and have a good referral system. Can you create a pamphlet that contains FAQ's and the benefits of massage to hand out at the health fair?

It has been my experience that most clientele comes from word of mouth and internet searches. Do you work for a chiropractor?

Yes, I do work for a Chiropractor. He will be there with me. We'll be giving away a gift certificate, i'm on the website (should i have my own?), we send out newsletters (front desk takes care of that), and we have a pamphlet discribing what each of does here but since the receptionist just left it's a little out dated and we didn't think to fix it first...

I've been doing massage for a few years however this is the first time I've had to do any marketing. At my pervious jobs it's all been taken care of for me.

It sounds as if you are doing everything right! If you are allowed to sell gift certificates at the health fair, I would. You could offer $10 off any 1-hour massage IF they book with you right then and keep their appointment. And, have the doctor talk you up to his patients so they can become yours too! Lots of insurance companies pay for massage when it is done at a chiropractors office, especially the Bureau of Workers' Compensation. I'm not sure what the laws are where you live, but in Ohio you have to become a preferred provider with the BWC to be paid for claims. I'm sure the doctor you work for accepts insurance, so he's probably set up already. If not, I would look into it. Trust me, it's worth your while money wise!

I wish you the best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

Best be careful with the term "raffling". Many states do not allow raffles where they must purchase a ticket to win. However, you can have a free drawing for a prize. Have them fill out a form and then one of the forms is picked at a specific time.