5 Ways to Use Social Media In Your Massage Therapy Practice

Social media has become a part of daily life for the healthcare industry, creating a portal through which patients and clients can engage and connect with their potential healthcare providers. Integrating social media into your business is crucial, allowing people to know you're the authority on all matters massage therapy. While social media platforms are the channels to reach your audience, they should integrate seamlessly with your website to promote your online presence, exposing you to a wider audience of potential clients and engaging with your current clients. Here are 5 simple tips for effectively integrating social media in your Massage Therapy practice:

#1 (The Golden Rule): Create Valuable and Shareable Content

Just ask yourself a simple question every time you want to post a new piece of content, whether it's a blog, Facebook post, Pinterest pin, or Instagram photo... "What is my objective and would I be interested in this content?"

#2: Integrate Social Media Where it Makes Sense

Once you start creating valuable content, the next step is getting the word out. Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past 10 years, you're probably aware that social networking is not about grabbing a drink with your fellow networking groups. While that's fun, spreading the word about your product or service has the potential to reach millions. If you're a massage therapist, you could be giving tips on reducing stress in the shoulders, among other things. Imagine if you had 500 (or 5,000!) followers on Facebook, how quickly word could get out if a few people start sharing your content with their networks of hundreds, or even thousands. See the power in social integration?

#3: Include Share Buttons On Blog Posts

Share buttons should enable your visitors to quickly share or recommend a product, service, or content. Best practices suggest that social media buttons should be displayed on the top, bottom or along the side of your homepage or blog posts. Links or buttons that remain in your navigation as the user moves from page to page are optimal. To ensure that users don’t exit your web page, create the buttons or links to your social media pages open in new windows.

#4: Consider "Boosting" Facebook Posts

In addition to organically getting your followers to like, comment on and share your content, you can promote your posts to get new (relevant) people to find you. When you create a new Facebook post, you'll see an option to "Boost" your post. Use that feature to expand your audience. You can select specific audiences based on various criteria, from location to demographics and even to specific interests, like Massage Therapy.

#5: ALWAYS Give Them A Call To Action

The ultimate reason behind social media is to grow your audience and ultimately, your client base. The reason for offering FREE value in the form of tips, suggestions, and techniques is critical; most people don't know who you are and need a reason to trust you. This trust is earned over time. While they're getting to know you, you need to drive them to your site where you either capture their email address or convert their visit into a sale. There may be times, however, that you don't need them to buy anything. Your Call To Action (CTA) could be as simple as "Share this" or "Tell me...". Asking questions is a powerful way to create engagement while extending the "shelf life" of your content on social media. So as part of your massage therapy social media strategy, be sure to get your audience engaged with a solid CTA. And with these tips, you will become a social media master in no time!