That statement may either be empowering or anxiety-inducing (or both), depending on how comfortable you are with communication. The goal here will be to position yourself authentically and compellingly. If you don't, you risk your practice blending into a sea of similar options. In this blog, we're going to walk you through the process of identifying a strong, distinct market position that:
Follow this step-by-step guide, and you'll be on your way to successfully positioning and differentiating your massage practice.
We always recommend taking a moment to reflect on why you're doing something. We've emphasized, from the very beginning, the importance of defining what you stand for. When it comes to positioning, it's no different.
Defining what you stand for should be done in two steps: your values and your strengths.
Before becoming a therapist, you probably had a specific vision for how you would run your practice.
Start by reflecting on your core values and the mission of your practice. Whatever it was that drove you to become a massage therapist, focus on that. Not only that, but also reflect on what kind of outcomes you're passionate about delivering.
For example, you might prioritize holistic wellness, cutting-edge recovery techniques, or creating a luxurious escape that feels like a retreat from daily stress.
It's time to celebrate what sets you apart. Don't just think and reflect on it, but celebrate it.
Your unique skill set is one of the biggest factors that sets you apart from everybody else. What are some of your skills, specialties, or other differentiators in your offering that make you unique?
While everybody in your field may offer massage therapy, what do you excel in? Do you use new, more innovative techniques? That is a key differentiator. On the other hand, you could specialize in "ancient" techniques. Either one could be used to differentiate your practice if you position yourself the right way.
Make sure you write as much of this down as you can in order to keep track of your progress and also for the psychological benefit of seeing it written out in front of you. This will be crucial for step 4, which is developing your UVP. More on that shortly!
Make no mistake—brand is not just a buzzword. In fact, we've been using the term in marketing for quite some time.
All you need to know is this simple definition: Your brand is how people perceive your practice.
Whether or not you take the time to help shape this perception is up to you. As long as people perceive your practice in some way, that's your brand. So, let's talk about what you can do about it.
You can start by finding out how your practice is currently viewed. You can do this through the usual methods of getting feedback.
Ask your existing clients how they see your practice, what made them choose you, and how they think other people might perceive you. Take a moment to forget everything you've learned about positioning and just listen.
Make a genuine effort to understand their feedback and refrain from trying to solve the problem too quickly. We say this because we don't want your own ideas about your practice to get in the way or to influence their feedback or wording.
If you don't want to ask them in person as part of their daily evaluation discussion, you can also use online reviews or send out periodic customer surveys. You can include questions such as:
Remember to focus on your clients and their opinions here and to look for any patterns that emerge in their feedback. If more than one person is saying something, it's probably for a reason.
It may also be helpful to have a third-party review your website, social media, and any client-facing materials to gauge your perception.
Once you understand how people perceive you, you can re-engage in thinking about how you want to be perceived.
The difference between the two is what we'll refer to as the perception or brand gap. So, the first question you'll ask is, are there any similarities between how you are perceived and how you want to be perceived? If so, great work! You're already off to a great start.
If not, don't worry; this is what we want to help you work on. Disconnects don't mean that you've failed. You simply have to adjust your positioning, and this will be an ongoing process that will change as you do.
As for what a disconnect might look like, consider the following example. Let's say you want to be seen as a sports recovery expert, but your clients describe your practice as great for destressing after work. This may indicate that your messaging needs to be adjusted.
You can learn a lot from your competitors. The more you begin to understand the market, the easier it will be to differentiate yourself from everybody else.
To begin, identify the competitors in your local area. What do they offer and how do they position themselves to reach their target audience? What does their pricing look like, if it's available? Think in terms of what you'd like to emulate and what kind of language or style points you'd stay away from.
Just like you took the time to look for gaps in your own positioning in the previous step, what do you think your competitors are missing? Since you're viewing it from the outside, you probably have a good idea of what could be changed or improved. In fact, these same pointers might be applicable to your own site. This makes this exercise particularly useful if you have trouble reviewing your own site objectively.
In addition to identifying areas for improvement, you can also look for gaps in the market that you could fill. Perhaps your local area is filled with general relaxation practitioners. This might indicate a good opportunity to specialize in stress relief for executives or injury recovery for runners.
As you learn about your competitors and similar offerings, feel free to expand beyond your local area. You could certainly learn a lot from the best and highest-paid practitioners out there (no matter where they are), so if you can look them up, be sure to take notes on how they justify their pricing or use positioning to reach their target audience.
Now, it's time to identify your UVP, or "unique value proposition." This is a clear statement that defines the unique benefits you offer, outlines your approach to client problems, and explains why you're the best choice for your target market. It sounds like a lot, and that's exactly what makes it tricky to get right.
Thankfully, if you've been following our guide and taking notes along the way, you have plenty of information to build your UVP. The key to creating one that resonates with your audience is to highlight what differentiates your services from others. This is where we want to leverage the skills you excel at and the outcomes you help clients achieve.
You can probably brainstorm and come up with numerous reasons why your practice and skills stand out. Go through this brainstorming exercise and single out a few that you think will have the most significant impact.
Remember that we want to ensure this statement highlights the best aspects of your practice, so avoid settling for a generic catch-all statement. For example, if you tend to specialize in therapeutic massage, don't just say, "I offer therapeutic massage." Instead, get more specific with your skills and outcomes, like with this statement: "I specialize in helping desk workers eliminate neck pain and regain focus with targeted recovery treatments."
See the difference?
Feel free to adjust your UVP until it feels relevant, impactful, and truly resonates with your target audience. Once you've reached a point where it feels right, you can use it to set the tone for the rest of your marketing efforts. That being said, don't be afraid to take a little bit of time on this exercise. Since you'll be using it throughout your messaging and marketing, it's worth getting it right the first time around.
If you're having some trouble finding the right way to word your UVP, it might be helpful to record yourself talking. Since you typically use the same verbiage in day-to-day conversations, imagine having a regular conversation with one of your clients.
Additionally, feel free to run your new UVP by existing clients to gauge their feedback on whether it suits you and your practice.
So, we've covered defining your UVP, and you've gathered plenty of notes on your unique strengths, skills, and client outcomes. You have a lot to work with, but you may still be wondering about the rest of your messaging, consistency, alignment, and how to adapt to evolution over time. We'll cover all of that in this step, as it's a very ongoing process.
With your UVP in hand, ensure that you adjust all your messaging to reflect your positioning. Take the time to clarify disconnects, gaps, or messaging that feels out of place. All of your wording should play well with your UVP and vice versa.
If your UVP is centered around "helping athletes recover faster," ensure your offerings include sports-specific packages, mobility assessments, follow-up plans, and any other services that athletes would be concerned about. Adjust your wording to maintain consistency, professionalism, and a focus on the clients and the value you bring to their lives.
Throughout all your website, social media, and promotional materials, ensure that you emphasize your positioning. You've spent the time to develop your UVP and refine it, so don't let it get lost in the rest of your messaging.
Utilize the language from your UVP wherever appropriate, whether it's testimonials, blog posts, or case studies (even using your UVP-specific language to conduct client surveys). For example, you can highlight your UVP while sharing how your client successfully recovered after their first marathon. Overlapping verbiage between your UVP and your client's story about recovery only makes it more (not less) impactful.
Positioning is not static. Your practice is bound to change over time, as are your clients' needs. Don't be afraid to embrace this evolution and adapt as needed.
Regularly review your positioning to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with your goals. As you gain experience over time, you may find yourself needing to make small adjustments or significant changes.
Either way, ensure that you maintain consistency, professionalism, and a client-focused approach. Continue to excel at what you do and view your messaging as an extension of that. With this mindset, it will be easy to maintain consistency and uniqueness while still resonating with your audience.
The key to successful positioning is to align your strengths, client needs, and market opportunities. You have the skills to excel at your craft, you simply need to find a way to express it impactfully and resonate with your ideal audience.
If you need to revisit previous steps to build your positioning more effectively, please do so. It may help you get back on track to creating messaging that you're happy with. Take your time with this positioning exercise to reflect, research, and refine it.
When you pair strong positioning with skills that back it up, you will unlock amazing opportunities to build a thriving practice.
Want to learn more about the fundamentals of marketing in a successful massage practice? Check out this article: Massage Therapy Marketing: 15 Effective Ideas to Explore