Therapy Masters is a professional massage clinic dedicated to educating and treating individuals through massage therapy and soft tissue techniques. Their Blitz challenge will be to let people know that they offer some of the best massage therapists in Canberra providing the best possible services that really do help.

Lisa LaMaitre, Therapy Masters - 2 October

It's been exciting, educational and rewarding to have been given the opportunity to work with such outstanding businessmen as Phillip, Steven and Clint. It's been wonderful to meet and connect with other local business owners – Rowena, Duncan and his team. We have been very lucky in that the group has clicked together from the get-go, and that we all want to see each other's businesses improve and do well. We've all been a little bit like kid's on Christmas Eve – wondering what next fabulous surprise awaits us round the corner!!

For Therapy Masters it's wonderful to have something physical and meaningful to take away from this. We've got a new look to the website (although the staff are still grumbling about photos – perhaps next time there needs to be alcohol instead of coffee and cake), we finally have an eNewsletter (please feel free to subscribe) and a postcard design to help promote the launch of the eNewsletter and our business in general.

For me personally I've learnt the value and presence that a brand needs to have in today’s market. As a business owner we spend so much time building up our business and brand, and working in the business that we become complacent and forgetful of our audience. We all know we need customers to survive but we get so busy and focussed that we forget to check back in with them. The Blitz has given me the opportunity to step back and check out my construction to date. In checking out my handywoman skills, I think the best analogy/concept I can come up with for a "brand" is that of a shield. We spend all this time, energy and money and invest it into a "shield" for our business. This shield is what we want people to see, remember and relate to when they think of our business. Once we've built this shield we then hide behind it and carry on with our work. We get so busy behind the shield that we forget that there are people on the other side that don't know what we do, can't see us and don't relate to us. Branding in today's market is about making part of that shield transparent. Your customers need to know who they’re dealing with and what you do, so they can make a connection with you that builds a relationship. I'm excited to be able to able to now take the Therapy Masters brand to the next stage of development!! Thank you for the insight gentlemen.

Finally I wish my fellow Blitzees only the best of good fortune, prosperity, abundance and happiness. It's been a privilege and a pleasure to be a part of this talented group. Blessings to all.

Clint Wright, Threesides - 25 September

The final week of the Blitz and we’ve been putting the finishing touches on the first Therapy Masters e-newsletter, and a promotional flier that Link Digital are designing.  The guys at Link had a good idea to integrate a promotional tracking code onto the flier with a strong call to action to redeem a value added offer online or over the phone.  This will allow different codes to relate to the various distribution points to evaluate places that work the best then investigate other promotional opportunities in those locations that are frequented by people interested in massage therapy. 

Following a quick session on Vertical Response we’ve set up a Therapy Masters account and sent an opt-in email to the Therapy Masters client database.  Privacy is a key issue that we deal with in marketing and it’s important that people opt-in to receive electronic information from your business – not only is it illegal to contact someone without expressed or inferred consent under the Spam Act, though it could also be annoying for the person you contact creating more harm than good.  For more information see www.adma.com.au  Lisa has also added an opt-in tick box to her client sign-in forms to cover off on new clients they see. 

Although there were nearly 500 names on the client list that included an email addresses, the opt-in email received a 25% bounce rate - emails that didn’t reach their destination due to incorrect email address.  This is a key challenge for any business to keep updating their database to ensure it is ‘clean’.  The next step is to try to reengage those bounce rate contacts through other means.

Looking forward to getting the first Therapy Masters e-newsletter on the streets!

Steven De Costa, Link Digital - 25 September

I met with Lisa and Dave on Tuesday night and gave them a few pointers on their site and a few restructuring suggestions, see the attached Mind Map (we love Mind Maps at Link). We also discussed the promotional flyer that Lisa had already been brainstorming with Clint from Threesides. In playing around with it to incorporate details of an offer redeemable online, Link’s writer proposed a revised creative and, following further input from Therapy Masters, the design has progressed to near completion. The flyer is promoting an additional 15 minutes treatment with Therapy Masters at no extra charge.  The cover can be viewed here. The final version should be available early next week.

Lisa LaMaitre, Therapy Masters - 24 September

The final week of the competition has seen us completing the work on our first e-newsletter ready for publication and distribution, finalising the design of the postcard that will help launch and promote the e-newsletter, looking at photographic images (mine and some stock photos at Steven’s suggestion) for inclusion on the Therapy Masters website, and a rethink of the way the website is currently constructed.

We got to have our one-on-one session with Steven from Link this week. No flu or rain or thunder or wind would stop him!! We appreciate him venturing out to our neck of the woods at a time that was more convenient. He shared his thoughts and advice on how we can improve the Therapy Masters website, and gave us feedback on how he found the usability of the site. Neither Dave or I are web designers, and it was valuable information coming from someone with Steven’s level of experience and knowledge.

We also finalised the design for the postcard. I have found this to be a challenging process, as I am not used to other people having creative rights to my business. As Rowena from Striped Mouse said at our first meeting, part of the Blitz competition, is for us as the competitors to be challenged and pushed outside of our comfort zones. Allowing Clint and Steven to design the postcard has definitely taken me outside of my comfort zone and triggered my control issues! Being a small business owner normally gives you control over every tiny detail of your business. Generally if you don’t think of it and implement it, it doesn’t happen. When you start to deal with other professionals to help with your business, you start to give up some of that control to them.

Let me just say it hasn’t been easy from my perspective. Part of me wanted control for control’s sake, part of me was missing not being involved in the creative process (because to date I’ve designed everything at Therapy Masters – from the layout and decor of the treatment rooms, to the colour and design of the logo) and part of me just likes to learn new things so I can get better at everything I do – maybe that’s another sign of being a control freak!?!  Anyway, by explaining and clarifying my position on some design aspects, allowing Clint to teach me the value of goal setting around marketing plans and Steven sharing his design and graphics expertise –I think we have come up with a winning look and feel for the first piece of “professionally generated” promotional material for Therapy Masters. At Steven’s suggestion we’re also adding a specific redeemable campaign to the postcards so we track how well they are taken up, once distributed.

I’ve also had a number of emails and phone calls with Clint as we finalise the content for the e-newsletter and start the process of extracting email addresses from our new client database. Initially we have to confirm that people want to opt in for the email due to the implementation of the anti-spam laws. This is something that we had overlooked (but now rectified) as we have only considered sending e-newsletters in the past few months. Clint will send in an opt-in email for us first, and then with the confirmed list of subscribers we will be ready to send our first e-newsletter! We’ve decided on a basic format that will remain each month which includes: an special offer, a topical piece around massage and the industry – this month we’re looking at the Cost Effectiveness of Massage Therapy, and Therapy Masters in Focus which will highlight a therapist or treatment. In our first edition you can become better acquainted with Richard Martensz one of our talented therapists.

Keep your eyes open for some changes to the Therapy Masters website in the few days. I’ve spent the day planning out the changes that Steven has suggested and selecting photos for inclusion. Now I’ve just got to persuade my dear husband, and personal chic geek, to make said changes for me. Wish me luck...

Clint Wright, Threesides - 18 September

In marketing, when plans and strategy move to developing and implementing marketing tools and activities, content is usually king.  Content for websites, content for promotional collateral, content for media releases etc.  Lisa has been quick off the mark with developing the draft content (text and images) required for the first of a monthly e-newsletter for Therapy Masters and promotional flier that will be used in the clinic, gyms and other events to drive people to her website and sign up for news and special offers.  Threesides and Link Digital are currently reviewing this content and working together with Lisa to make sure the messages are clear and the copy is written in an engaging style.  Words are just as important as pictures when it comes to communicating a message, and often get left out in the graphic design process.  We often see many business owners turning their hand to writing content for their brochures, websites and advertising which can turn out a dogs breakfast without the input of a professional writer to give the words a clear and consistent style that works with the design and really communicated an organisation’s brand.  

This week I also provided Lisa and her husband Dave who looks after the Therapy Masters website with an overview of a web based e-newsletter tool we use with many of our clients at Threesides  www.verticalresponse.com  This tool is really cost effective and you only pay for what you send with costs based on a sliding scale – one I sent last week came in at 1200 emails for $20.  It comes complete with the code to implement subscription options into your website, manages your contact lists, provides a self-build design tool for your e-newsletters and provides useful statistics to track the value of e-marketing campaigns.  Hard to beat and we’re planning on sending Therapy Masters first monthly e-newsletter using this tool. 
 

Lisa LaMaitre, Therapy Masters - 17 September

This week has been a struggle to keep my eye on the game. I’m wonderfully sick and finding it difficult to channel the ability to type, let alone for anything creative (thank God for spellchecker otherwise you’d need an interpreter to read this!!)

Thankfully I got our photo shoot finished before the flu hit me and I’m really happy with the photos (and anyone who’s met the photographer in me, knows she’s really hard to please). I’ve managed a little time online looking at other massage businesses websites to look at their page layout and any photos they have used. I don’t know why people think that “happy snaps” hold any appeal or corporate value when placed on a website? As Steve mentioned in our phone hook-up last week, there was a lot of “no that’s not how photos should be put on a website”. I’ve tried to take some very non-standard images and hopefully this will help make the Therapy Masters site memorable for the right reasons!

I also managed to finalise the content for the e-newsletter and an updated draft of the promo postcard to Clint. Unfortunately we’re a little behind getting any photos through to Clint and Steve for the e-newsletter and postcard template designs due to sickness but hopefully I will have some of the images through to them by tomorrow. As we all know when I small business owner gets sick the entire train comes to a screeching halt, until we are well enough to leave the station again!

Anyway that’s about it from me. I’ll go and continue my regime of antibiotics, fluid, vitamin tablets and Panadol, and further my investment in the Kleenex company. I’ll be easily recognisable tomorrow as the one with the deep, husky voice. Happy Blitzing team!!!

 Lisa LaMaitre, Therapy Masters - 10 September

Well, what to say about the Blitz experience to date? I’m getting on top of quite a few things that I’ve been meaning to do for a while. I’m finishing the revamp of our website that we started a few months ago, taking photos for our website, organizing the E-Newsletter that we planned, and learning the limits of the new CRM we have installed.

It’s the double edged sword of being a small business owner: the freedom of having nobody to answer to, and the lack of drive that comes (at times) when you’re by yourself. It’s wonderful to be re-energised from other passionate business owners and to meet and connect with them. I’m always looking at other businesses, watching business shows on the tele, and flicking through magazines for ideas and inspiration. A great idea can come from anywhere and as Clint (from Threesides, my project manager for the Blitz) has discovered this week – I never lack for ideas!!

This week Clint has started me thinking about the Therapy Masters brand and how it is perceived externally. I know my products, the benefits of massage therapy, the massage industry and where I want to take the business. I now need to filter all that down into a single message that becomes our brand. As usual my head is going ten to the dozen, and poor Clint’s going to be drowning in my ideas come Monday!!! This is going to be fun!!
 

Clint Wright, Threesides - 4 September:  Visit to Therapy Masters

After our initial meeting to discuss the marketing challenges facing Therapy Masters, Lisa invited me over to check out the clinic. Although the location is a challenge for Therapy Master – upstairs in Citywalk building - I was really impressed with the clinic and layout. Lisa has really thought out the experience: from the welcome area, through to theming of the clinic rooms and the wide range of services and retail. She even provides dedicated spaces for her staff to escape and relax, as massage therapy is quite physical work. Whenever we’re working with new clients at Threesides, it’s really important that we visit a business premises and meet the staff to get a feeling for the culture and brand of the business. Sometimes the perception that a business owner has about their own business, and the reality of that business can be quite different places. It’s the old adage of seeing things through a fresh set of eyes. When I say 'brand' this is much more than your logo – it’s how your staff and customers perceive you and talk about you and it’s easy to see things through rose coloured glasses in your own business. It’s important to take a step away at times and look for feedback from staff and customers to make sure the messages you are putting out to the marketplace actually align with the products, services and experiences you deliver. And if they don’t, figure out where it’s going wrong. Mystery shopping can be a useful activity for businesses to undertake and is a good way to independently review your situation when your staff are not on their best behaviour!

Lisa and I also spent some time defining our challenge for September and we are working on a strategy to communicate regularly with current clients through an e-newsletter, and raise awareness with potential new clients. Activities will include establishing an online data capture and e-newsletter tool, hosting a VIP event for Schmooze members, where they will get a taste of the range of services offered by Therapy Masters .

Lise is also keen for us to collaborate on defining the key values for the Therapy Masters brand and strategies to drive visitation to her website. Looks like a big September!