Massage Deals On Groupon – Please Don’t Do It!

It’s not just Groupon, it’s any large-scale deal websites.

The reason I’m asking you all to avoid these kinds of deals is because as a profession, the long-term use of such deals devalues the entire field of massage and bodywork. Why would anyone pay full price for a treatment when you could follow the deal sites around continuously for crazy savings like 80% off?! The more we use them, the more they’ll pop up everywhere. Considering more than our wallets, we take into account the value we’re placing on our therapists/practitioners as well as our own health. Do you think the therapists get paid from a deal like that? Likely it makes them just enough money to pay the rent for their massage space – maybe not even that.

Investing In Your Health

On the level of personal wellbeing, we need to be sure that we are investing in our health. Whether that is through food, physical activity or bodywork treatments, recognizing the true value of these things beyond the financial cost in important. Deal sites market healthful services at unrealistic prices, perpetuating the mentality that wellness only needs to be a small investment, feeding into the larger paradigm of “quick fixes” and “instantaneous gratification” – but that’s a whoooole other can of worms…

It Also Doesn’t Help Your Business Growth

Having been a part of numerous deal-site campaigns prior to creating Navina™, I saw first-hand the effects of these deals. There were many occasions where clients showed up late for their session, because well, they only paid $20 for the treatment so it didn’t really matter to them. But the more important element to understand as a business person is retention. It wouldn’t matter so much if these people became long-term clients, and it would be considered an investment. The thing is, they don’t. After doing about 300 massage treatments, only 2 people ever came back. As far as marketing goes, that’s a huge waste of money and an even greater waste of time.

It Takes Two to Tango

But let’s face it – if the deal wasn’t there in the first place, no one would buy it! So business owners and self-employed massage professionals, this is for you too! Value yourselves and your services. It’s not a great business building tool, and it’s taking valuable time away from other strategies that have a much more profound return on investment. The only real benefit to such a campaign is the initial “hit” of cash inflow. But if you really evaluate this for the effort and time needed to treat all your new “clients”, you’ll end up realizing it’s not at all worth it and that you may actually be paying them when all the numbers are crunched.

Instead

So what should we be doing to promote our services and market ourselves effectively? There are a number of great options to look through to see which best works for you and your business:

• Postering with a limited time offer on treatments in your neighbourhood
• Walking around to local businesses to offer employees a special discount and to let them know you’re in the area
• Having ‘mates rates’ for a particular population-group that you promote to
• Client referral program, where discounts are offered based on referrals to their friends and network
• Align with other like-minded individuals/professionals and utilize joint efforts and networking potential

The next time you are thinking about promoting your services through a deal-site, or you see massage deals on groupon that look enticing – please take a minute a consider the larger picture. Place a greater value your own services and on your wellbeing. Take a minute to strategize to determine the best course of action as a business owner – there are many easy and more effective alternatives to deal sites. As a client, try to see the benefits of truly investing in your health and creating lasting relationships with the practitioners of your choice to support total wellbeing.