As I talk to massage therapists about their concerns, one of the most important issues facing massage therapists today is how to market themselves. Most massage schools do not teach in-depth marketing techniques and so independent massage therapists are left to figure it out on their own. The good news is that today more than ever, there are a number of newer online tools that can help you market your practice at little or no cost. I'm talking about social media.

Social media refers to networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as blogging and video sites (like YouTube). Social media is allowing more and more people to connect with others in many different ways and can also be of great benefit to business owners and professionals who want to network and meet new clients. Here are some ways to use social media to help market your massage practice.

1. Friend your clients on Facebook and place them in their own list. This way, you can click on this list any time to see what your clients are up to. If you notice that they are posting information about significant life events, you can send them a note of congratulations about good news. You can also look for opportunities to suggest ways that massage can help and encourage them to book an appointment.

2. Maintain a blog and give away health tips. The more useful you make your blog, the more people will read and share it with others. Then, when your readers are ready for a massage, guess who they will think of? Be sure to post your blog articles on Facebook and Twitter, as well. Consider asking local chiropractors and other health care professional to write guest blogs for you to help cross-promote.

3. Search for prospective clients on Twitter. Consider setting up a Twitter account and then doing regular searches on keyword like "back pain" in your area. You will be surprised at how many people are complaining about ailments via Twitter. Contact them via Twitter and make them a special offer.

4. Interview some of your clients and post the videos on YouTube. For about $150, you can snag a nice Flip video camera (or borrow one) and do short 1-minute interviews with your clients in which they explain how massage has helped them recover from injuries and other health issues. Post these videos on your website, as well. You do have a website, don't you?

5. Optimize your LinkedIn profile. Instead of just putting your last name in the "last name" field in your profie, add the text "- Massage Therapist" after it. For example, if your name is "Jane Smith", your LinkedIn profile should say "Jane Smith - Massage Therapist". Doing this can improve your search engine rankings so that when someone searches for a massage therapist in your area, your profile may have a better chance of popping up. LinkedIn has a very high ranking in Google and you can leverage this fact by optimizing your own profile. Naturally, this also means that you will need to set up a complete LinkedIn profile and link it to your website.

I know that many massage therapists that I talk to are a little uncomfortable with social media. However, if you give it a chance and spend some time learning the basics, you may be surprised at how useful it can be in growing your business. Good luck and enjoy a prosperous Summer!