The Best Way to Promote Yourself
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008I love all your advice. I live in a tiny town in South Africa and have a health practice - massage, reflexology, Indian Head Massage etc. The place is actually too small to specialise, which is why I have branched out. My question is -
What is the best way of attracting new business (apart from word of mouth)? How do I go about promoting myself?
The short answer is:
No one can tell you what the best way is for you. You need to test it out.
The longer answer: Specialise!
You say that you live in a tiny town. That is actually ideal. It makes it possible that you get known much more quickly for what you do.
Specialising does not mean to say: “I do Indian Head Massage only”.
Specialising means defining what problem you solve and for who.
Maybe you are a stress buster. People with a headache (often developed through stress), you use Indian Head Massage, people with tight muscles (often developed through stress) you massage and where the stress has manifested in problems with the organs, you use reflexology.
In each case, you make sure that your clients feel rejuvenated and relaxed after the treatment. My guess is that happens anyway, so it is just a matter of pointing it out.
You become the expert on stress, chronic stress, acute stress, etc.
Why?
Specialising puts a spin on your promotion. It does not limit what you do.
The biggest reason for putting that clear spin on it is that people can talk about you more easily and consistently. I know you wanted something else than word of mouth. And I ended up here anyway.
There is no way around it, word of mouth is the most effective marketing tool. With your help, it works faster and more effectively. Being a specialist with a clear message is one ingredient.
Giving a great service that over-delivers on your promise is the second important ingredient.
The detailed answer:
The Passionate Training consists of 25 detailed exercises to help you promote yourself.
