Massage Therapy Canada

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What’s your social presence?

December 18, 2020  By mindZplay Solutions Staff


Photo: © DragonImages / Adobe Stock

signing up for all the major social media platforms at once is an understandable impulse when trying to get your name out there in business. But, if you don’t know where to find your target audience, this can be a big waste of time.

Social media is a great way to drive people to your website and online appointment book. However, it’s important to understand the online habits of the people you want to reach. Most people use only one or two social media sites frequently. Before you invest time in a platform or online directory, understand who uses it and why.

Social media platforms are not interchangeable. Each one has its own purpose. You cannot treat LinkedIn the same way as Facebook for the same reason you would not put tomatoes in a fruit salad. Both fit the same “technical” definition, but their practical applications are very different.

Some choices are simple. When it comes to online directories, the most important place to be is “Google My Business” (Formerly Google Places). This free listing will get you on Google Maps. It will also give your clinic website a small boost in regular search results. Google is popular across all demographics, making it an obvious choice. While being listed in more places is not a bad idea, you want to focus on the directories most used by people in your area.

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Here are a few of the major platforms used by massage therapists:

Facebook: Users most often go to Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, and share life experiences. The biggest age demographic are people 18-49 years old. Facebook also has more users over 50 than any other platform. Facebook users are usually there to interact with people they know in real life. This means you will have a much easier time reaching people in your local area.

Twitter: The majority of Twitter users are not here to talk about themselves or share things with friends. They are here for news, information, and discussion. Twitter users want to engage with those who share the same interests. Those they engage with will often have no real world connection to them at all. Keep in mind the platform limits posts (tweets) to 280 characters. Your audience here will expect short, frequent updates. Twitter has a younger user base, with most being 18-29 years old. Those who do use Twitter check it frequently and are often not on any other platform. So, it’s at least worth a quick look to see if you can find your target audience here – especially if they are young, well educated or tech-savvy.

Instagram: Instagram is another good example of how “social media” is a very broad label. Many sites allow you to post images, but on Instagram images are the entire purpose of the site. Like Twitter, the average user here is 18-29 years old. You will find Instagram very popular with photographers, hair stylists, and makeup artists. If you work inside of a spa or salon, you may find a lot of your client base here. With that said, for massage therapists the visual aspect of this platform is often a challenge. Instagram can be a good way to show off photos of your treatment space. If you want to use it for more than that, you should keep in mind there are often legal/licensing requirements to be aware of when it comes to using images you did not take yourself.

Pinterest: Here users collect visual references and store links on topics that interest them. This can help keep you on the radar of your existing clients and also help to position you as an expert to those already looking into your business. Keep in mind that reaching anyone who does not already know about you is quite difficult on this platform.

What’s next? Once you know where you can reach your ideal clients online, research. Every social media site has its own unique culture and unspoken rules. Get familiar with a site by creating a personal account first and spending time on the platform. What are both your clients and competitors doing there?

Social media websites are set up to show people things that engage them. The more a person interacts with you on a platform, the more likely they are to see your content.

This not only helps you to reach more people, it helps the people you reach to feel more familiar with you and your practice. COVID-19 has made it more important than ever to build trust with your existing and potential clients. Familiarity builds trust, and clients who refer others to you are those with a lot of trust in your business.


mindZplay Solutions Inc. a provider of massage therapy websites and practice management solutions. To learn more, visit massagemanedger.com.


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