Marketing is an ongoing facet of running a massage practice. While there are many holidays and events to focus on all year, planning year-end marketing promotions early enough to capitalize on opportunities is just as important. The promotions you run in the last few weeks and months of the year can create one last push to help you reach your annual goals. They can also get you and your clients thinking about the year ahead.

Before you begin planning a promotion, take a few moments to understand what you hope to accomplish. Generally, promotion goals will fall into a few different areas.

Knowing your goals will help you determine the right kinds of promotions to select, as well as how, when, and where to offer them.

A FEW COMMON GOALS FOR PROMOTIONS INCLUDE:

• Get new clients
• Get past clients to return/come in more often
• Increase overall sales
• Sell gift certificates
• Get PR/media coverage
• Introduce/increase sales of a specific product or service
• Help a charitable cause or organization
• Grow email list or social media followers

Whatever your goals are, there are many ways to reach them. Let’s explore a few strategies to cap off 2023 and begin setting 2024 up for success.

1. Staying Connected & Following Up

If you have been out of touch with your clients due to summer travel and holidays—or maybe have never connected with them on a regular basis—this is the perfect time to get organized and reach out. Following up with clients after their initial visit, and then in an ongoing way, will help keep you in the TOMA (top of mind awareness) so they can take the best care of themselves.

See Also: What’s Happening with Hiring? Employment Trends in the Massage Profession

Putting some simple practices in place to regularly communicate with your clients is some of the best marketing you can do and will help all your other promotions be more effective.

› Sample Promotion: Email campaign.

Email marketing is an easy way to share information and stay top of mind for your clients. You can collect clients’ emails on intake forms, on your website, in your office, and at events. Always ask for permission to communicate with them and market to them by email—this can be done right on the forms they add their email to—and keep that list confidential because no one likes to be spammed, and, if you are not following the guidelines set in the CAN-SPAM Act, you could be breaking the law.

Once your list begins to grow, send regular (perhaps once or twice a month) emails to share information about training you’ve received, case studies, new services, current specials, policy updates, and more. Services such as Survey Monkey and Constant Contact—and some website providers—have templates built in that can make your emails attractive and more likely to be read. Though it takes some work and planning, even a monthly email can open the door for past clients to book appointments, purchase gift certificates, or send a referral.

2. Events, Collaborations, and Partnerships

Fall and winter are a time of coming back together in our communities after being away for summer vacations, trips, and time off from school or work.

There are ample opportunities to create events to connect with your clients and community, with events you hold alone or in collaboration with other local businesses.

These events do not need to be focused on gift giving, although gift certificates can be a successful year-end promotion. Instead, consider seasonal themes or events, such as Thanksgiving or gratitude, charitable giving, stress reduction, or year-end healthy habits.

› Sample Promotion: Collaboration.

Team up with a local fitness studio or yoga center to provide a pre-holiday stress management class sharing tips, tools, and exercises. Promote the class to clients of both businesses and the public via email, social media, and in-house signs.

Ask clients to invite a friend and share on social media. Agree to share the contacts from the event with all professionals who participate so everyone grows their list. Consider charging a registration fee that allows you to include a take-home massage tool or product, hand/foot/chair massage at the event, gift certificate for a complimentary service upgrade, or special pricing for a service if the client books and pays before they leave the event.

3. Seasonal Gift Giving Promotions and Packages

The end of the year puts gift giving in most people’s minds. That said, many people want to give something meaningful while not having to work too hard. By having a few appealing options in different price ranges, you will generate sales for traditional holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah, as well as birthdays, anniversaries and personal care.

These need not be discounted offers—though that is an option anytime you are trying to generate sales. Before cutting any prices, however, be sure to evaluate how much of a discount you can afford to give.

Sample Promotion: Offer discounted holiday packages.

Whether you offer a multi-session package of the same service—five or 10 one-hour massages, for example—or a combination of different services, such as a one-hour massage, one hour of reflexology, and 30-minute aromatherapy foot bath, is up to you. The idea is to sell more services to one person at one time, and increase the number of times they (or other clients if you allow the package to be shared) come in because of the savings.

› Additional Sample promotion: Buy this, get that.

To encourage purchases of new or underused services or gift certificates of a specific dollar amount, consider creating some “free gift with purchase” promotions. The gift could be another service or upgrade for the new service or an item from a collaborative merchant partner. If you already sell retail items or have samples of products you would like clients to try, these could work as well. Note: the cost of the product can be built into the package cost.

See Also: 4 Tips for Better Massage Client Retention

There is no end to the kinds of promotions one can offer throughout the year. To be successful in all your promotions, begin with understanding your goals and set a promotion up that will help you reach them. Give clients a clear call to action or step to take that ties directly to your goal for the highest level of success and a positive end to the year.