Understanding your target market is crucial to the growth and success of your massage business. The more you know about your clients, both current and potential, the easier it will be to develop a specific marketing plan and provide exactly what your clients are looking for.
To pinpoint your target market, identify your clients’ demographic and psychographic factors. Demographics include statistics such as age, gender, income level, occupation, education, and geographic location. Psychographics, also known as lifestyle factors, include health care needs, wellness goals, cultural involvements, special interest activities, social factors, and philosophical beliefs. Take into consideration factors such as the average number of sessions your clients book and the reasons they choose to use specific services; this general target market profile gives you the basic information you need to design your marketing plan.
If you are unsure where to begin, here are a few examples of common target markets for massage practices.
- People who have a high-stress job, like a business executive, CEO, attorneys, or company owners (both large and small), are often in need of massage services to help relieve the side effects of stress.
- Athletes commonly use massage to help with injuries, pains, or general strengthening and relaxing of muscles.
- Pregnant women are common target markets, as they are dealing with a multitude of pregnancy-related issues (aches and pains, mental stress, or simply wellness for both mom and baby). Infants and children also fall into their own target market.
- Patients who are in recovery from injuries, addictions, illnesses, or surgeries are frequently in search of services to aid the recovery process. Along the same lines, people who battle specific health care issues are also common target markets for massage therapy.
- Students often look to massage for relief from the pressures of school and day-to-day life.
- Seniors and patients of other health care providers are common groups in search of services.
- Clients who are focused on a healthy lifestyle and overall wellness are a big target market in the massage business.
These are just a few of the possible target groups massage practices can benefit from marketing to. Although it seems time consuming and will require a certain amount of research, it is well worth the effort to really focus your marketing strategies toward the particular needs of your target market. Compiling a list of the demographic and psychographic factors of your current clients will help you determine who is most likely to become a client in the future.