Health and wellness practitioners have been shifting to the online space for several years now—developing programs, podcasting, growing their social media followings, running ads, etc., etc. At the same time, however, many of you have stuck with the brick-and-mortar model of practice and remained quite successful!

Until 2020.

Amidst the pandemic, some practices have been forced to close their doors. Those who remained open for patient care have seen a decline in-office visits. There’s been a rush to set up virtual appointments to avoid a complete loss of revenue and patient follow-up.

And there’s more.

As we all adjust to the idea that we might be dealing with COVID for the long haul, you might be starting to look for new and innovative ways to use the internet to grow your business. There’s an opportunity here if you’re willing to take it.

The 4 keys to online success below are based on my experience working one-on-one with practitioners like you. I wish I could say these are “steps,” but the reality is that the process isn’t linear. You need to follow these strategies in a synergistic way, weaving them together for a complete plan. Just know that what you’re about to read are tried and true methods that some of the greatest business coaches and online marketers are talking about right now. What’s even better is that they can work for YOU.

Key #1: Clarify Your Marketing Message

“If you confuse, you’ll lose.”

It’s the StoryBrand mantra and a rule I live and write by. When somebody lands on your website, you only have a few seconds to capture their attention and let them know how you can help. It’s the same (or even worse) when people are scrolling their social media news feed.

Show up with a confusing message? Nobody has time for that. They’ll move on to the person or practitioner or business that is clear. Here are the most fundamental parts of a clear message:

• Who do you help?
• What problems do those people have that you solve?
• What products or services do you offer?
• How do people get it?
• What can people expect after they buy your offer?
• What horrible things do you help people avoid?
• How do you make people’s lives better?

If you can answer these questions in your sleep, you’re golden. Stutter or stumble at all, and you’ve got some work to do. I recommend reading Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller to get started on clarifying your message. You may need some help, which you can get from a StoryBrand Certified Guide (like yours truly).

Regardless of whether you’re just starting out in business or been at this for years, you can always benefit from a clear message. It will be easier for you to create content for your business and far easier for people to understand how you can help.

Key #2: Show Up With Content

While it would be amazing for people to find you quickly on a Google search, click over to your website, and fall in love with you instantly….that’s probably a pipedream. Even if it happens once in the next year, I’m guessing you need more than one client per year.

To be successful in the online space, people need to see you showing up. Some people need more than 10 exposures to your content before beginning to trust who you are. Others don’t need your services now but one day will. Here’s the important thing to understand: most people don’t do a ton of research before making a purchase. They buy what’s convenient and in front of their face at the moment they need it.

That’s why you need to consistently be there.

Showing up with content looks different for everyone. Maybe you love being a guest on podcasts. Maybe you love to blog. Maybe Instagram is your thing. All of these things are great, and the more platforms the merrier. I also highly recommend you work on building an email list and sending emails on the regular. It’s one of the most intimate ways to stay in touch with your tribe and can be a great way to generate sales.

Need help showing up with content?  If you’re looking for an efficient way to share evidence-based and reliable health content without doing all the research yourself, check out Nurture Unleashed.

Key #3: Automate Your Sales

You can be successful online by only following keys #1 and #2. Having a clear message and consistent content will get people to quickly understand how you can help and believe in you as a trusted guide. These strategies can be sufficient to fill your pipeline with plenty of motivated and qualified clients who are ready to buy.

The beauty of adding key #3 into the mix is that it can dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend SELLING. It also introduces the possibility that you might be able to charge MORE. What you do when you automate your sales is to pre-sell your products or services so that closing sales becomes a breeze. I recommend doing this with a simple sales funnel, like this:

• Give away something free and valuable, like a downloadable guide or recipe book (some call it a lead magnet or freebie)
• Collect an email in exchange for that freebie
• Follow up with an automated sequence of emails that provide value AND invite subscribers to take the next step—whether that’s a free discovery call, booking an appointment, or purchasing a product

You can set up a simple sales funnel system in a weekend and let it work like your 24-hour salesperson from then on. Once you have it in place, you can share it in your social media posts and profiles or direct traffic to it with paid ads. Automating your sales is one of the smartest ways to leverage your time and to turn your online followers into paying clients.

Need help automating your sales?  Start a Project. I’ll take care of all the details—from crafting a sales page for your offer to writing the perfect lead magnet and email sequences.

Key #4: Get Help to Scale

Scaling a business means something different for everyone. For some, it means hitting the million-dollar mark, or the “double comma” club. For others, it means hiring a team, serving more people, or building passive streams of income. What all of these have in common is that scaling means you can serve more people or make more sales in a time-efficient and cost-effective way.

If your business depends on one-on-one consultations or patient visits, one of the simplest ways to start to scale is to develop an online program to complement your care. When you package up some of the most common recommendations you make for your clients, you can put in the work once and then sell it multiple time over. Another option is to offer a group program so you can work with multiple clients at the same time.

Scaling doesn’t happen overnight or in a weekend. I highly recommend you find a mentor or coach to help you work through the stages that are right for you. The beauty is that if you’ve already implemented keys #1, 2, and 3 into your online strategy, scaling is the next logical step.

Here’s to Your Success!

My sincerest wish is to see more health and wellness businesses thrive amidst the chaos of current times. I know you can make this happen when you embrace the world online.