Using Facebook can help you to build your massage business and also supplement your income but Facebook is becoming a more hit or miss as far as getting posts in people’s newsfeeds as I tested last week on my own Facebook Page with this post on Massage Practice Builder
(Sidebar: How to embed posts on your website: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/embedded-posts)
The way the Facebook newsfeed is working right now is that it will often change the way it is shown to people in this little setting:
Top Stories vs Most Recent
This little setting has a mind of it’s own and often changes on it’s own and users won’t even know that it has changed.
It keeps reverting to Top Stories which means that it shows the most popular stories. To get a post to be in the top stories, it has to be popular and get a high interaction level in the form of comments, likes or shares. So you have to get people to interact with the post so that more people will see the post.
So how do you do that?
For starters people on Facebook really want to be entertained. They want to read things or see images/videos that are entertaining, short and informative. They want something that they can relate to. They still only want to know what is in it for them also.
As far as promoting your Facebook Massage Business page, creating images that have sayings on it can help. I have been trying to create them and share the one’s that I see on my Facebook page.
Some ideas for posting on Facebook:
- The latest news stories about athletes using massage or massage for health reasons. (Follow my Pinterest board on massage news or my Pinterest page for the latest news stories on massage.)
- The latest research and what it actually means. (Take a research literacy course so that you can learn how to interpret the studies. Just because there is a new study out doesn’t mean it is good.)
- Take images and post quotes or sayings on them. (See Ryan Hoyme’s aka massagenerd massage stock photos) and my previous post on how to use images on Facebook. You can not take images from other sites or from Google Images!!!! Here are some massage quotes on my other site www.massageschoolnotes.com
- Post about how massage can help various conditions. Many times clients don’t really know it can help things like fibromyalgia or carpal tunnel or herniated discs or headaches when they may just be coming in for back pain.
- post your latest openings for the day.
- Offer special discounts for Facebook fans only.
- Hold a contest offering a free or discounted massage for giving a title to a picture that you post and getting the most likes for it. (Read Facebook Contest Rules)
- Create posts that say fill in the blanks – something like this…. Where would I be without my massage therapist? __________
- You also can ask people to share your posts or like them. It may seem obvious but isn’t always to people. People will like more when you ask.
What not to post on Facebook:
The thing that no one really seems to talk about though are the privacy issues that come up around using Facebook. You want potential clients/current clients to interact with you on Facebook but in doing so there is a risk of them compromising their personal health information. Yes they are often clearly doing this willingly but it is up to you to protect their health information from others. So some things to watch for are things like:
- Having a client ask you questions about a certain health condition that you may have posted about
- Having clients comment on a post and you asking them – how was your massage the other day or how is your back or whatever it was that you worked on.
- Clients referring their friends/family to you through Facebook may also cause issues like a family member asking did so and so come in for their massage or did you help them with whatever – not allowed!
- If you are sharing a story about how massage helped one of your clients, you need to be sure you change the information like the clients’ sex and details about them. If they can tell that it is them from the info you post even if you don’t use their name, it could be an issue. Never post a name, initials or any identifying characteristics (mole on the left elbow!)
You have to remember that anything you post on Facebook is NOT private no matter how much you think it is especially on your personal profiles. Anything and everything can be taken out of context and used differently than intended!
Facebook is really just a supplement to getting clients. Because it is so hit or miss, you have to post 3-5 times a day or more.
The real power is in having a website that works for your massage business. When your website is working, it will be on the top of the first page of Google results for your main keyword – some variation of ‘massage , your city/zip’ which means that people are finding you naturally. That builds a certain level of trust as compared to them finding you through an advertisement. A website that works will also be full of quality content that readers will want to share and will also make them trust you right off the bat. They will know you know what you are doing and you will be the expert with a content rich website that explains how massage works and everything they need to know. You can find out more in my ebook – Get More Clients with a Website that Works!