How to keep your customers loyal

Starting your own business is an exciting and somewhat daunting experience, especially in todays massage therapy market. Many businesses have had to keep their doors closed for months and maintaining customers using means such as text messages, social media and newsletters has proved pivotal. But how do we continue to keep customers for longer, and why should we?

 A recent study highlighted that staying in touch with your customers when they are not in your setting could encourage them to remain with you three times longer than if you stayed quiet. And those extra sessions could see them spending almost ten times more than customers who you are not connecting with.

 Although newsletters can be quite time consuming, texts and a good social media campaign can be a quicker alternative. There are many tools available to schedule your posts when you are quiet, allowing customers to hear from you when you are having a much-needed rest.

 It is also important that when your clients come to you they feel relaxed and comfortable. Take a walk around your setting, both inside and out. What does the exterior look like? Does it make the customer want to enter or run a mile? How does your setting smell? If your reception or treatment room smells of the takeaway next door it could be putting your customers off. However there are many accessories you can buy – candles, ambient music, imagery – to make your setting more welcoming, most of which are available in our shop.

Once your client has arrived it is also important that they feel like they are in control so take the time to discuss with them any needs they may have, what you could do to help them and what they could be doing between sessions. Chatting with your client will help them relax but make sure you are aware of whether they want the conversation to continue through the massage or to stop, you do not want to talk your customer away!

After each session with your client it is important that they are refreshed and feel looked after. A simple offering of a bottle of water can be all the difference between them heading elsewhere or coming back again. Explain how their treatment went, if you noticed anything they should know about and offer to book them in again if they want to. Make a note of their concerns (if any), ailments and treatment on their records so when they do revisit they feel you took the time to know them.

Whatever you decide to do make sure you do all of it with a smile.