Adding Community Events Into Your Business

If you haven’t already, you may want to consider adding in some sort of community events to your practice, like workshops and classes, things like that. So let’s look at if this is a good fit for your business and how you can go about it. 

While massage and retail are probably the only two money-making avenues you associate with a massage practice, teaching small classes or workshops to the public can be a great income stream and for many, compliment your massage practice really well.  

Why should you consider it? 

Workshops may seem foreign to your business ideas, but they may very well be a great addition to your services. It’s going to provide extra revenue for one. They’re a wonderful way to add a little extra income to your books; and the great thing is that you’re spending the same amount of time. The audience size is the variant that determines how much you make. It can also help to build your audience. Ever feel like you’re talking to the same few people with every email or social media post? Want to reach more people in your area and know without a doubt that they fit your ideal clientele? Workshops are perfect for that. Simply tailor your subject to fit those ideal clients and start inviting. And it also gives them a sneak peek at who you are and what you offer without the big investment of booking an appointment right off the bat. Let’s face it, a lot of people don’t want to drop $50-$100 on a service they’re not sure is going to be worth it, and on a total stranger whose skills they aren’t certain of. Having the chance to speak to these people and communicate your skills and knowledge in a no-pressure environment is the perfect opportunity to sell yourself without really having to sell yourself. 

Alright, so you think this might be something you want to pursue? Great! Now what the heck do you teach? Well, I can’t tell you exactly…this is going to be as unique as your business. Don’t forget that every workshop should be entirely tailored to suit your ideal clients. So, what best suits you, your brand, and your business? Here’s just a few ideas to get you started…  

Couples Massage  

Teaching couples how to massage each other is a great first step into hosting workshops. You’re teaching something you know so readily, that it’s often the perfect introduction to the whole concept of workshops for you. If you’re in a single room, one couple at a time is perfect, but if you have the space, or can rent out a conference room to host several couples at once, even better!   

Or how about Essential Oil Blends  

If you sell essential oils, try offering a workshop that teaches people the basics of it all, safe use, and how to blend them for certain benefits. They can have some fun, learn a bit, and get something to take home.  

Or, you could do a Make Your Own Spa Products workshop

Body and foot scrubs, lotions, oils, creams, and anything else you like! You provide the supplies and recipes and let them have fun mixing and making their own concoctions. This is a fantastic girls’ night out event, or you may even offer it for private parties, like baby or bridal showers.  

If that kind of stuff isn’t your thing, how about Help for Specific Conditions

This is where you can come up with dozens of ideas! What conditions do you like to treat as a therapist? Are there some self-care routines and safe stretching techniques you can teach them to use to battle their condition? From Fibromyalgia to joint replacements, what do you want to show people you’re an expert on? You can even team up with other healthcare providers and host these workshops together. You’ll each expand your reach by getting in front of the other person’s audience, and you’ll have another expert to lend their insights. For example, you could have a workshop alongside a personal trainer or physical therapist who can give them exercise options that coincide with your massage and self-care advice.  

Now, the real question everyone wants to know…what do you charge for this type of thing? 

This is going to vary greatly depending on what you’re teaching and where you’re located. If you’re doing something like the essential oil or spa product class, your overhead is much higher than something where you’re just talking to them and maybe handing out some pamphlets, so you’ll need to run your numbers and charge accordingly. This should be profitable! You may charge just $5-$10 for a simple hour-long speech type workshop, like educating people on self-care for a specific condition, or upwards of $30-$50 for a workshop where they can make their own products. It really depends on so many factors. Just make a profit…the point is to increase your revenue and build awareness. Start with smaller, simpler, and less expensive classes at first and work your way up. 

Have you ever considered that, while these types of workshops are fantastic in-person, you can have an even greater reach if you host them online? You may be intimidated by the tech side of this sort of thing, but you can keep it super simple. Set it up to book their spot in the class and charge them like you would with online booking, and then go live in a private Facebook group or have a Zoom call where you just email them the link to it. It doesn’t need to be complex. With just a little forethought, you can take your workshops to the next level by reaching an online audience as well. You can still target those people local so they can convert into paying clients, and you may reach people who are willing to drive a bit of a longer distance than they normally would once they see what you have to offer. Or you can have it open to people from all over if you’re not so worried about converting people into massage clients. 

Getting people to attend your workshops may seem like you’ll have to do something different while you’re still trying to learn this whole marketing game for massage clients, but you can use the same marketing techniques you already use for massage, to advertise your workshop. You can send out personal invitations to your existing audience along with a request or even incentive of some sort to bring along a friend. You may want to print up some flyers and share them among businesses who have the same ideal clients, run an ad on Facebook, or post some teaser videos leading up to the workshop to build some hype. This doesn’t have to be some crazy extensive process, market it like you do your massage. 

Part of building a successful business is expanding your revenue possibilities. In the hourly exchange we’re all used to, that can be difficult. How do you increase revenue without increasing your hourly output or your rates, right? But with a little forethought, there are actually quite a few avenues to do so, and workshops may be the perfect solution for you.