The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is the largest nonprofit, professional association for massage therapists in North America. AMTA works to advance the profession through ethics and standards, the promotion of fair and consistent licensing of massage therapists in all states, and public education on the health benefits of massage. We promote our members to the public as qualified professionals through a free national locator service, FindaMassageTherapist.org.
After years of declining membership, AMTA knew it needed to change course. We created a multi-faceted plan emphasizing rich, shareable content around our member benefits and our commitment to public education on the health benefits of massage. AMTA's website content was then amplified through social media, creating growing awareness of AMTA's value to an expanded audience of members and potential members. Messages were reinforced through videos, advertising on outlets such as WebMD, and earned media.
Through our aggressive content marketing strategy, AMTA's membership grew by 10 percent. Our growing library of engaging content has resulted in 150% growth in our Facebook audience, as well as a 300% increase in traffic to our website from Facebook.
Strategy
Engaging content is a cornerstone of AMTA's consumer awareness goals and member engagement. We translate clinical research into accessible snapshot articles for social media, consumer media or a massage therapist's waiting room.
Tactics such as our content library and expanded social media presence provide value to members and prospects as a business marketing tool. When AMTA provides information on the health benefits of massage, massage therapists in turn share it with clients to build their practice. Social media engagement rose thanks to viral articles such as 5 Ways Massage Can Improve Your Health, The Power of Touch for Tension Headaches and Massage Therapy May Help During Cold and Flu Season.
Earned media augments our content library and demonstrates our commitment to public education on the benefits of massage. Our Research Roundups, compilations of clinical findings on the health benefits of massage, are a major success with consumer media and serve as valuable marketing content for members. In 2014 we worked with outlets such as Fox News and the Chicago Tribune on stories featuring the health benefits of massage.
Videos have been especially successful, with Emmy award winning television host and noted cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Brent Bauer of the Mayo Clinic and leaders in the massage profession helping us spread the word about the health benefits of massage.
Supporting our organic content strategy is a social media strategy targeting members and potential members. We developed an approach to grow our Facebook page and promote AMTA benefits through engaging content that demonstrates value to members and consumers alike. By growing our Facebook audience and promoting key content at strategic times, we were able to amplify our messages and our value.
AMTA's content and social strategy interacts significantly with the rest of our digital outreach strategy. Advertising on Google, WebMD, Health.com, doctoroz.com and other health and wellness websites redirect to AMTA original content and are often supported by those advertisers' social media efforts.
Results
Videos featuring Dr. Oz and other health and wellness experts reached hundreds of thousands of massage therapists via Facebook.
Our Facebook audience grew by over 150% in 2014, providing broader reach. AMTA saw 300% website traffic increase from Facebook through engaging content.
Shareable content is newsworthy, and AMTA earned some 300 million media impressions, influencing a wide audience of potential massage clients.
After years of declining membership, AMTA experienced 10 percent growth—our largest membership census ever.
