Marketing Considerations

Introduction
I'm going to be honest here. Reiki can be a hard sell because it's hard to explain - unless you happen to be practicing in an area where people are really familiar with energy work and alternative medicine. If that's the case, then you're off to a good start. Otherwise, you may need to offer free or discounted treatments so people can get more familiar with what Reiki is and what it can do for them. Once they've experienced it they'll be more inclined to buy your services.

The Pros and Cons of Free Treatments
Freebies can be a good way to sell Reiki, but you should try not to give away too many. There's a weird psychology when it comes to pricing; generally the higher the price the more valuable people *think* something is (whether it really is or not). If you do a lot of free treatments people may not think they're worth paying for. So, my advice is to keep your freebies short - long enough for the person to actually experience the energy but short enough to make them want more.

If you're not getting a lot of business but want to keep building your power by treating people, consider volunteering your services at organizations that wouldn't normally be able to pay for them, like hospices, safe houses, and maybe an open-minded medical facility (there are a few out there). This may not sound like an idea to include under "Marketing," but it is, because you may actually get real business from it (if someone sees how much Reiki helped their friend, relative, or themselves). So be sure to always have business cards, and maybe even brochures, handy if you're volunteering Reiki anywhere.

Marketing Materials
At the very least you'll need business cards and brochures. You can give cards to everyone you know and many people you meet, and brochures to people who want more information but may not have time to talk to you or get even a brief treatment.

Business cards should include not only your name and phone number but also a very short blurb about what services you offer. You can make up your own on your computer, get free or inexpensive ones online, or get them professionally designed and printed. Whichever way you go, I have a couple of tips:
Don't put any vital information - like your phone number - close to the bottom edge of the card. Some people do still use Rolodex-type card files, and if they punch holes on the bottom edge they'll lose that information.
If you're not practicing out of an office, leave your address off your card. In other words - if you're working out of your home your address shouldn't be on your business card. This isn't just for safety reasons; some business licenses require it.

Brochures should explain what Reiki is and how it works. You can include a brief description, maybe a brief history, and what to expect during a treatment. FAQs and lists (with bullet points) are a good format, especially if you're dealing mostly with business people - they're fast to read and answer most common questions. If you don't want to write your own brochures you may be able to get ready-to-go info from your professional organization.

Networking & Communication
It's a good idea to join local business and social groups, like the chamber of commerce, to get the word out about what you're doing. If the area isn't that open to alternative therapies you may have to do some explaining, so have brochures handy and develop a short "spiel" that you can memorize and recite to people whenever they ask. As they get to know you and experience some of your treatments this will get easier. Plus, they'll be able to do their own explaining to people they know about what Reiki is and how it works - and that's good "word of mouth" marketing for you.

Remember, too, to *always* have business cards with you - you never know when you're going to need them.

Keep in touch with your clients. At the end of one treatment you should ask them when they want to schedule their next one, and preferable get the appointment then and there. If not, you can always call them to remind them (if they're okay with that), or send a postcard. A newsletter is also a good idea. It doesn't have to be long - maybe even a postcard with a snippet of info (like "Did you know...") mailed out periodically to your client list. Of course you need to make sure you get names and addresses in order to do this.

If there are any local groups of Reiki practitioners, join them. It's good to keep in touch with your colleagues; you'll get to know what they're doing, how they run their practices, and what kinds of customers they're getting. Plus, you can exchange ideas with them on everything from how to run a practice to how to deal with difficult people. You can also give - and receive - referrals this way (for example, if you meet someone who'd like Reiki but can't commute to where you are). And you may end up in partnerships - for example, taking Reiki to large groups of people that would be too much for one practitioner to handle, or sharing office space. Finally, you can participate in Reiki "shares," where groups of practitioners get together to do Reiki treatments on each other. Remember - you could be treating a lot of people, so you need to take of yourself too.

If there aren't any other Reiki practitioners in your area, at least stay in touch through the internet. Then you won't feel like you're operating in a vacuum.