Social media can be a great tool for massage therapists to meet their target audiences where they are, and build a strong following. However, diving into this can quickly become overwhelming, especially when it feels like you're competing with so much other content out there. That's why we're going to walk you through a simple, manageable process that will allow you to create content consistently, reach your target audience, and stay top-of-mind when they're ready to work with you.
Don't worry, you won't have to be on every platform, post twice a day, or waste hours every day just to crank out content. You don't have to become an "influencer" to do this because it's not about showing off but showing up.
All you need is a simple, consistent system designed just for massage therapists. Just follow along and you'll be able to use our step-by-step guide to find a social media system that works for you.
You don't have to jump into every platform from the start. The goal here is to begin with one or two platforms that best suit your target audience. If you're new to this, you just have to pick one.
Now, if you're somewhat familiar with social media already, choose one you know well and another you'd like to spend more time learning.
This may seem like you're moving into new territory, which may feel a bit uncomfortable, and that's okay! Sometimes, to grow, we have to step out of our comfort zones and challenge ourselves.
The good news is, we'll walk you through it! You won't be going in blind, but you will have to do some work to keep your social media efforts consistent.
The best bets for massage therapists are Instagram and Facebook. They're highly visual, reach your local audience, and offer plenty of tools and metrics designed for small businesses.
You can use them to post photos of your space, promote offers, and showcase your services. If you're already using MassageBook, you can link your social media directly to your booking page.
You might also consider:
So, for this action step, go ahead and choose your social media platform (or platforms) wisely. Just remember that you can start small, get consistent, and expand later if you want.
Another reason that social media can seem overwhelming is that we don't always know why we're posting.
That's why it's crucial to establish a clear goal from the start. This helps you to focus on more specific content and allows you to see if that content is driving your goals.
For this step, you simply have to answer this question: What do I want my social media presence to do for my business right now?
Think about your current goals and what you want to achieve right now. That's not to say you can't plan for your future but you need to set a goal that will appeal to you now and keep you going.
For example, you may want to:
Do your best to pick one primary goal that guides your content creation. This one clearly defined goal can help you stay focused, prevent burnout, and stay consistent over time. Your goals may change later, but let's focus on one primary goal for now!
Now that you've decided on your goals, you can approach content in two different ways.
You can wing everything you post and hope that you muster up the confidence and creativity you need when it's time to create…leading you to a neverending cycle of stress that eventually leads to burnout.
Or you can create a system that allows you to come up with more ideas than you know what to do with.
If that sounds like a stretch, the first step you need to take is to trust that you can come up with a few things to talk about. That's all you need to start. If you can do that (and we know you can), you're ready to create your content pillars.
We're going to give you an exercise that will help you define your "content pillars." This simply means buckets or categories by which you can classify your content. However, before defining these categories, you’re going to start by brainstorming some topic ideas.
Off the top of your head, what are some ways you could educate someone who doesn't know much about massage therapy? What are some tips or research-based facts you can share to inform your audience? What are some questions that clients ask you regularly?
These are just a few starting points. You can probably think of a few topics from this, so whatever comes to mind, go ahead and list your ideas. They don't have to be fully developed thoughts or titles, so just write whatever comes to mind. Set aside a few minutes to list as many ideas as you can.
Once your time is complete and you've got a few ideas down, set it aside so you can come back to it later. Enjoy a walk outside or a cup of coffee and then come back to it with fresh eyes.
Look through your list of content ideas and see if you can find any patterns that can help define your buckets or content pillars. Try to limit yourself to between four and six pillars to keep things manageable.
To give you a few examples, you could use the following categories:
Again, these are just a few categories that might work for you. You may have your own set of original content pillars, and that's great. Just make sure you know how to categorize your content based on these pillars.
Take some time each week to brainstorm a new set of ideas to add to your content pillars. You might start with the ideas first or you might want to choose a pillar and then develop new ideas within that bucket.
If you're having trouble thinking up new content ideas, you can break down broader topics into subsets, create simple listicles (like “Top 5 Home Stretches for Back Pain Relief”), take inspiration from competitors or adjacent professions, repurpose existing topics, or even straight up ask your clients what they want to know more about.
Establishing these content pillars gives you a way to organize your content strategy so you can explore new ideas, create content in batches, and eventually space out your posting to maintain variety (or create a multi-part series that dives into a single topic).
You've got your platforms, goals, and content ideas, so your next step is to create content consistently. You can do this by coming up with a posting schedule that works for you. Remember that you want to do your best to stay consistent and post regularly.
For this step, you will have to figure out what posting frequency is best for you, ideally one that's sustainable and realistic.
Remember, you don't need to post every day. If you need to stick to one post per week and you can do that consistently, great. If you think you can comfortably do two or three each week, that's even better.
A great way to plan this out is to map your posts in advance. This technique has the added benefit of keeping you from viewing each post as one big, scary individual post.
Take a look at your content pillars and schedule posts from each category throughout the month.
You can use a simple calendar (Google Calendar works just fine) or you can use tools that help you create and post on a schedule, like Later. There might be free ones available, or you might decide that investing a small monthly fee is worth it to post consistently while retaining your sanity.
Set a time each week to sit down and create content based on your pillars, goals, and list of content ideas. One of the biggest benefits of using content pillars is that you can create content in one bucket in batches. This makes the process simpler, faster, and less stressful. If you're already dialed in on one topic, why not create a bunch of posts on that topic at once? If you can set aside an hour or two each week and do this consistently, you'll be surprised at how efficient you can get at this.
Then, simply post your content on a schedule that works for you.
One recommendation here - don't get caught up on details like the best or worst time to post. Even if we assume this information is correct (and that algorithms don't change, which they do), the time at which you post won’t make a noticeable difference. However, posting consistently will. So, we'd much rather see you posting consistently than see you afraid to post at a specific time.
Let's talk about another tricky topic - promoting your services without sounding "salesy." We've covered self-promotion in a previous post, but all you need to know is that self-promotion is not necessarily selfish. Remember that you offer a service that improves people's lives and that's a beautiful thing.
Promoting yourself and your services allows you to reach more people who are looking for what you offer. However, there is a way to do this in a way that focuses more on the client than you, and that's how you can promote yourself tastefully.
Your content should show people that you understand their struggles and you can help alleviate them, thereby improving their overall well-being. So, you should be using your content to speak to how you address specific pain points like back pain, stress, and fatigue. Use your testimonials and customer success stories that will resonate with potential clients in similar situations. Help them imagine a world where they have less pain and more ease. Where appropriate, link directly to your booking page, and don't be afraid to let people know you're accepting new clients.
Aim for a balance of about 10% that are strictly promotional posts and 90% that are your regular posts that focus on adding value, building trust, and staying connected. When these promotional posts are done right, they should sound more like an invitation to wellness than a sales pitch.
Posting on social media isn't a one-way street, so take advantage of your ability to stay connected and build relationships with your audience. Otherwise, you're posting in vain.
You don't need to spend all day on these platforms, but we do recommend spending maybe 10-15 minutes per week engaging with your audience. You can respond to comments or messages, comment on posts from other local businesses, and ask simple questions or run polls to engage with your people. For example, you can ask, "What's your favorite way to relax after a long day?"
Again, you don't need to worry about building a huge following. If you can build consistent, meaningful connections with a small but engaged audience, it will only be a matter of time until you're booked solid.
Social media can help you stay visible, build trust, and create opportunities to book with more of the clients you love working with.
All you need to do is show up consistently, even if it isn't perfect. Just keep your content goal in mind, build your content pillars, and continue to create valuable content. At first, it may take some time to find your voice. However, soon enough, you'll be able to show up as yourself, which makes you more likely to attract clients who truly value what you offer.
So, plan your posts, trust the process, and don't forget to engage with your audience. You've got this and your business will be able to thrive because of your consistent effort!
Speaking of building a thriving business, websites work hand-in-hand with social media to help businesses build. Check out our blog on "Why you need a high impact website for your massage business" for key insights and tips.
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