Marketing your practice.
When you read that phrase, what happened? If you rolled your eyes and sighed deeply, you’re in the right spot.
For many alternative healthcare practitioners – and maybe even you – learning all the tips, tools, and strategies to market your practice is exhausting.
You want to spend your time helping others feel better and live healthy, beautiful lives – which is what you went to school for in the first place. But in order for you to have that kind of impact, your perfect patient has to know you exist. And that’s where marketing enters the scene.
If you’re looking for a few simple ways to market your clinical practice without freezing with fear, you’re in luck! We’re sharing five of our go-to marketing tips for wellness practitioners in this blog. These are our tried and true tips – ones that we’ve seen work wonders for the hundreds of practitioners we work with. So, let’s get started, shall we?
1. Use Video, Even if It Makes You Nervous
You have zero problems with face-to-face appointments, phone calls, or hopping on a Zoom call for that health coaching session. But there’s something about hitting that little red ‘record’ button that releases a thousand butterflies in your stomach.
When it comes to creating a video or going live on your social feed, it’s easy to freeze up. You think you need to look your best, sound your best, and be well-rehearsed (but also sound completely natural at the same time). It’s enough to make you want to pull out your hair and not post anything at all.
But the reality is, people prefer videos. In fact, every 1 out of 2 people would take a video over a post any day of the week. You probably even love watching videos yourself! And when you watch your favorite content creators on camera, are you…
… criticizing the person on that one piece of hair that’s out of place?
… judging them for fumbling over their words?
… condemning them for their outfit choice?
Because you’re a heart-centered practitioner, probably not. And guess what? Your ideal patient probably isn’t either. So put yourself in that frame of mind as you hit the record button.
If you still need a little extra nudging, here are some jitter-busting tips to get you going:
- Do a couple of practice rounds. Record the videos as if you’re going to publish them for all to see. Those practice rounds will help you feel more confident. Plus, if you don’t like it, you can delete it!
- Use notes. If you’re afraid of rambling or worried you’re going to lose your train of thought, jot down a highlights on a sticky note and post it right next to your camera. It’s totally okay to take a peek at them while you’re recording to help keep you on track.
- Get comfy – but not too comfy. We’re not saying to wear your PJs, but you do need to be comfortable. Make sure you dress in clothes that fit well, feel good, and reflect your shining personality. Don’t let your outfit be your distraction.
These simple tips will help boost your confidence and leave you feeling like a superhero every time you show up on camera.
2. Check Your Stats on the Reg
Whether it’s your website visitors, email open rate, or your social media account, set aside some time each month to go through your statistics. This will help you better understand what’s resonating with your audience and where you can improve.
Here are some important metrics to keep in mind when getting the word out about your practice:
- Website: traffic sources, page views, bounce rate
- Email marketing: open rate, click rate, bounce rate
- Social media: impressions, reach, and engagement
To keep it simple, focus on one thing in each of these three buckets each month. See what’s working and what’s not. Then, make a few slight tweaks and watch for improvement. For example, do you notice that when you post about a certain topic, you get the more engagement? If so, try creating more content like that. Really – it’s that simple.
3. Remember – Variety Is the Spice of Life
We’re going to tell you a secret that a lot of marketers who are pushing their programs won’t tell you: There’s no magic formula for marketing your practice.
Sure, there are strategies and tactics that do better than others. But really, it’s about finding what resonates most with YOUR ideal patient and then doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Easy peasy!
The best way to do that is to test, test, test. If you’re not getting responses or engagement on your social posts, change up your topics or swap out a post for a video. If you’re drawing in a different type of patient than you want, tweak your messaging. If your numbers aren’t where you want them to be, don’t sweat it. Just course correct and try something else!
4. Find a Mentor or Business Coach
We’ve said this before, but we’ll say it again. When you went to school to become a practitioner, you learned the technique and gained the information you needed to become a stellar, rockstar practitioner. Chances are, though, that you weren’t given what you needed in order to run a successful, and highly profitable business.
That’s why we’re HUUUGE advocates of finding someone who can help you avoid the speed traps and potholes that can really trip you up. You can go it alone if you want but we’ve seen that practitioners who have a mentor or business coach are able to really grow their practices quickly and easily. If you need more convincing, check out this quick list on why a mentor is crucial to your success as a practitioner.
5. Batch Your Work
Think about the last time you did laundry. Did you wash one piece of clothing at a time until it was all done? Of course not! That’s definitely not the best way to stay on top of your laundry. (Plus, it’s a tooootal waste of water. 😊)
The same goes for marketing your practice. One of the most efficient ways to stay on top of it is to batch your work. Not sure what batching means? We put together a quick resource to help you understand the ins and outs of batching which helps you save time and make faster progress.
What Will You Do Today to Market Your Practice?
When you decided to become a practitioner, you probably weren’t signing up to be a marketer too. But to grow your practice and serve more patients, marketing is a must. It’s something you have to stay on top of if you want to keep growing momentum.
But sometimes, marketing can feel like you’re fumbling around in the dark. So, let’s flip the lights on and take out some of the guesswork!
At Clinical Catalyst, we’re all about helping practitioners build their online visibility and attract their ideal patients. One of our favorite ways to do that is by providing free marketing evaluations to see how well your efforts are working. If you’re serious about finally getting your marketing done right, you’ll want to grab this right up!
We love helping chiropractors, health coaches, acupuncturists, nutritionists, massage therapists, and other clinicians nail their marketing and grow thriving practices. If that sounds like something you want more of, head here to set up your complimentary marketing evaluation. We’re excited to hear from you and help you market your practice!
