Marketing as a concept is huge! Some might think it’s just the advertising, or promotions, or sales techniques, but really it encompasses every touch point your business has with potential and current clients and even the community as a whole. I learned it as the “4 P’s of Marketing”: product, place, promotion, and price. These days there’s often a 5th P: people. As you can see that pretty much includes every part of your business. It’s much more than having a logo, a website, posting on Facebook, running some ads, and printing up flyers. But for this resource we’re going to focus on those communication avenues to get the word out to new people rather than what happens inside the practice and how you engage with your clients.
Social Media
(Remember social media is where you engage with your audience… NOT a place to just push content and ad messages.)
- Facebook
- Personal profile (this can’t be the sole way to promote business per Facebook’s terms, but it be optimized to direct people to your page, website, etc.)
- Business Page
- Photos, posts, videos, reviews, about page, etc. are all important
- Facebook live
- FB messenger marketing
- Groups (join groups run by other as a place to connect and network with your audience or learn from others like you)
- Groups (start your own)
- Pinterst
- Snapchat
- Google+ (oops, it’s closing soon, but Google My Business is still an important tool)
- YouTube
- Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Kik, etc.)
- Anonymous apps (Yik-Yak, etc.)
- OTHERS: Tumblr, Flickr, Reddit, Quora, Vine, Periscope, Delicious, Digg, and more
Advertising
- Online
- Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Search Engine
- Website Banner Ads
- Geo Targeting
- Video (YouTube pre-rolls, etc.)
- Re-marketing (targeting people who have visited your website or took specific actions on your site)
- Mobile Apps
- Broadcast (TV)
- Print (newspapers, magazines, etc.)
- Radio
- Outdoor (billboards, lawn signs, buses, etc.)
- Build your own email list
- Promote your message via other email lists
- Ads
- Guest posts, editorial, advertorial, etc.
- Affiliate promotions
“Free” Media / Publicity
- News releases or pitches to get
- Articles in newspaper, magazine, etc.
- Interviews on news shows on TV or radio
- Blogs or websites to write about you/your services
Event-related marketing
- Events or displays at other businesses
- Be an event sponsor
- Create your own events
- Partner on events
- Be a speaker at an event
- Advertise in event programs or related options
Networking
- Networking events
- Local events that offer you to set up a booth/table
- Volunteer
- Meet with referral partners
- Craft your elevator pitch
- Position yourself as an authority
- Interact in groups and forums both on and offline as applicable
- Find genuine ways to keep in touch with connections
Content
- Blog posts (your website or other websites)
- Video (create your own YouTube videos, etc.)
- Social media content
- Bookmark and sharing sites
- Podcasting
- Interviews (can be blog, video, podcast, etc…)
- Webinars
Direct Mail
- Send postcards/mailers to a mailing list
- Run ads in other direct mail marketing pieces
Website
- Lead generation
- SEO (Search engine optimization – attracting new audiences through search engines)
- Inbound links
- Landing pages
- Information
Contests
- Via email, social media, in person, etc.
- With partnerships
Promotions
- Sales, discounts, offers
- With partnerships (nonprofits or other businesses)
- Cooperative with brands you sell
- Targeted campaigns
Partnerships
- Referral partners
- Cross promotion
- Event partners
- Networking partners
- Sponsorships
- Affiliates
Printed materials
- Business cards
- Flyers
- Rack cards, brochures, etc.
- Postcards
- Signage
- Door hangers
- Bookmarks
- Magnets
- Promotional items (pens, mugs, etc.)
And that’s not all…
While this list is huge, it’s by no means 100% comprehensive. And it’s not even remotely a suggestion that you need to use all of these, or even half of these. Instead it’s a way to brainstorm and think about what best fits with the audience you are trying to reach and helps you stretch past the main couple ways people get their marketing messages out to maybe add one or two more as you can. Let’s call it the “think beyond Facebook list” because there’s a world of opportunity to find new people who can benefit from reflexology (and we’ll NEVER call it the “everything you need to successfully market your business list” because that is just CRAZY.)
The goal of OnPoint Holistic Marketing is to make it easy for you as a reflexologist to market your business with done-for-your and ready-to-implement content that is affordable and simple, yet most importantly effective.