Takeaway: When done thoughtfully, a rebrand can be beneficial to your business and your future potential.

Whether you’ve been practicing for one year or 10, there comes a time when you are ready for change. Maybe you launched your massage practice with a particular target market in mind but now that has changed. Perhaps you picked a name that seemed appropriate at the time but now it doesn’t fit. Maybe you’ve leveled up your skills and your work is different now.

It’s common for a small business to “reboot” and rebrand, and a massage practice is no exception. When done thoughtfully, a rebrand can be beneficial to your business and your future potential.

What Is a Rebrand and How Do I Do It?

There isn’t one strict definition of rebranding. For some, it can mean simply changing your logo and updating your website with a fresh look. For others, it can mean changing the name of your business. Or you can overhaul everything, including your target market and those you serve.

If you are generally happy with how you run your business but feel you’ve outgrown your current “look and feel,” a visual rebrand can be a great way to bring a new vibe into your business.

You can get a new logo designed online using one of the popular logo services available or work with a graphic designer you trust. You may also want to redesign your website to reflect your new look and feel. You can also update the content of your website to better reflect your messaging and tone of your massage practice.

If you feel a new business name makes sense, you have options. One way to change your business name (at least to the general public) is to set up a DBA, which stands for “Doing Business As.” It is also sometimes called an assumed name. 

A DBA is simply another name you want your business to be known by. You can keep your existing name and structure and simply start using the new DBA. For example, if your business is an LLC and the name is “ABC Massage” but you want to start going by “XYZ Massage,” then you can keep the same LLC structure but set up a DBA and start using “XYZ Massage” as your business name.

Setting up a DBA is generally free or very inexpensive depending on your state or local guidelines. You will generally need to register the DBA with your state, county, or city depending on your location, so check the rules and regulations in your area. Your locality may refer to it as applying for a business certificate or business license. 

Adopting a DBA does not usually require you to open new bank accounts or change anything about your financial records, which often makes it the most convenient method to change your business name.

Depending on the structure of your business, you can also change your business name at the entity level. This involves more paperwork and possibly opening new bank accounts as well as updating the IRS, so it can be a bit more involved.

Any time you choose a new business name, be sure to do a search on your state’s business directory to make sure the name is not already in use. If you feel stuck or confused with the process, it can help to consult with a professional such as an attorney, a tax professional, or a financial advisor who specializes in small business. 

Along with the administrative changes, you’ll probably want a new domain name for your website. This is the “something.com” that people use to find your website.

It’s gotten much harder to find a good domain that ends in .com, so you may consider choosing a domain with an alternate suffix, such as .co, .health, .me, or .info.

Telling the World About Your New Brand

So how do you tell the world (or at least your local community) about your reboot? It depends on how much you change.

If you update your logo and website, you don’t have to do anything. But if you want to make it a celebration, you can use it as an excuse to hold an open house and have a client appreciation event at your office to celebrate your new look. Or you can simply send an email announcing your new logo and website.

If your changes are more extensive, such as a new business name and/or new target market, you may want to make a bigger deal about it.

At the very least, you’ll want to send out an email to your clients letting them know your business name changed but it’s still “you” so they aren’t confused next time they try to book with you.

If you are starting to serve a different clientele, you’ll want to decide how to handle the transition and how you plan to serve existing clients going forward. Do you want to market to a new audience but continue to serve existing clients indefinitely? Or would you prefer to transition more quickly to serving your new audience? For example, let’s say you’ve had a generalized practice up until now. With your rebrand, you have now decided to serve marathon runners. You could focus your marketing efforts on marathon runners while still working with existing clients. In this case, it can be a good idea to send out a message explaining the change but reassuring your clients you are happy to continue working with them individually so they feel comfortable knowing they won’t have to find a new massage therapist.

Or, if you want to work only with marathon runners going forward, you’ll want to have a backup plan for clients you will no longer treat. For example, you could send out a message letting them know you are serving a new audience but would like to refer them to 2–3 other massage therapists you trust in your area.

However you decide to do it, be sure to communicate clearly and respectfully so your clients know what to expect and feel you are supporting them.

Change Can Be Good

There are many reasons why you might want to reboot and rebrand your massage practice. If you approach the change thoughtfully and carefully, a fresh start can be a great way to inject new life into your business.