How To Build Your Massage Business With Customer Retention

When you first opened your massage business, customer acquisition was probably a top priority. Getting your name out there and convincing clients to give you a try is critical to any business’s early success. But if you’re still focusing all of your attention on gaining new massage therapy clients, you may be missing out on one of your business’s greatest assets--its existing clients. 

Loyal clients are the solid foundation on which your business will grow and thrive. 

When you invest in nurturing long-term customer relationships, you gain: 

• Higher customer lifetime values (CLTV). Each time the client books an appointment, the total value of your earnings from that client increases. A client who books monthly sessions each month for 5 years has an average CLTV of $4000. Compare this to a customer who books just one or two sessions in total. 
• Free word-of-mouth marketing. Your loyal clients are more likely to recommend you to their friends. Plus, consumers consider reviews and recommendations from existing clients as among the most credible sources of information about a business. 
• Less client management stress. Established clients are familiar with your business, and you are familiar with them. You’ve made it past the onboarding stage. This means there’s less risk of misunderstandings and small mistakes are more likely to be forgiven.
• Increased sales. Research indicates that established clients tend to spend more per visit than new clients. They are also more likely to try new products and services. 

Now, let’s take a look at how you can execute a customer retention plan and reap these benefits for your massage therapy business.

How Should You Start A Customer Retention Plan?

Convincing someone to book their first session is just one milestone in their customer journey. With proper attention, you can extend that journey for many years. This is the art of customer retention. Here’s how you can begin building your loyal client base. 

Identify Your Targets

First, identify the clients you want to target for retention. Target people who have visited you in the past, but haven’t booked a session for a while. If you are using ClinicSense, our app keeps track of each of your clients and their appointment dates for you. You can keep track of this information by using a spreadsheet or notebook as well. Just make a list of all of your clients and record when their last visit occurred. Keep your list updated by adding new appointment dates when they occur.

Build An Engagement Plan

Next, decide when it has been long enough between visits that you should try to re-engage with a client. How often do your regular clients visit you? This is your benchmark. For example, if your regular clients visit you once a month, you would set this duration as your benchmark. 

Set Up Your Engagement Group

Now, look back over the list you created in step one and flag those clients who fall outside your benchmark. In our example, this would be clients who haven’t booked an appointment within the last 30 days. These are the clients you’ll target with a re-engagement campaign. 

Connect With These Clients

Once you have your list, your final step is to get in touch with these clients and give them a little nudge to encourage them to book another appointment. How? 

There are many methods to use to touch base with your clients and give them that nudge. You might send a “We miss you” email that offers a discount on their next booking. Or, you could send a newsletter that discusses recent wellness news or introduces your latest products and services. Personal phone calls or text messages are also a good way to maintain your connections with your clients.

Use Technology To Succeed

Leverage automation to keep your retention plan running smoothly. ClinicSense customers can efficiently and consistently build customer loyalty by putting their retention plan on auto-pilot.

Our email campaign tool uses the benchmark period you specify to identify lapsed clients. No more making a list and updating and checking it manually. Clients are automatically sent an email message inviting them to rebook if they haven’t visited you during the designated period. These messages keep your massage business top of mind without consuming your time.  

Want More Tips On Getting Clients To Rebook? 

For more information on how to get clients to rebook, check out our recent article that outlines 7 easy steps on how to get clients to become recurring revenue for your business! 

If you are committed to customer retention but are not sure you have the time to invest in making lists and sending emails, give our automated recall solution a try. It’s an easy, affordable way to stay in touch with your clients and increase your bookings and revenue.