6 hard truths about marketing your health and wellness business

I feel the pain of so many health and wellness practitioners who studied to support people. But then get stuck in the weeds of administration, advertising and promotions within their business… But marketing your health and wellness business is a necessary task, and just like your 9-5, there are always going to be tasks that light you up and tasks that don’t. I also subscribe in part to the 10,000-hour concept. An author, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book that suggests that 10,000 hours (practised with the correct technique) is the amount of time needed to become a true master of a craft - and this is a concept that famous basketballer, Kobe Bryant also became known for. Each morning, he would practice deliberately until he had made 800 shots each morning, and when his other teammates were also focused on generalised skills, Kobe would practice one particular skill, over and over again until such time as he had mastered it. Marketing. Takes. Practice. But here are another six hard truths you need to know to have success in marketing your health and wellness business:

1. YOU CAN NOT POLISH A TURD

Sorry, I know it’s crude, but it’s still, to this day the best analogy I have. Facebook and Instagram will not save you if what you're doing organically (ie. without paying) isn't working. They'll amplify success, or amplify failure, and the hard truth is that you cannot just slap up a Facebook Ad and it will do all the heavy lifting for you. Learning how to grow and resonate organically has to come first.

2. HACKS, TRENDS, HASHTAGS, MEH

Trending audios, Reels, hashtags - you could literally never use any of those and have an account that goes gangbusters. Or, you can spend your time knee-deep in trying to find trending audio for your niche and post 2654 Reels with 30 intimately researched hashtags and your account will go nowhere. You don't need trends, you need a strategy. One thing I find so many health and wellness practitioners get sucked into now - is this concept of trending reels and looking at the Instagram Accounts that post them, seeing their oodles of followers and believing that’s the ticket to success. Actually…. Anyone can have an account that goes viral. Within Health and Wellness that might look like:

Reposting viral content from other people
Posting memes all day like My Therapist Says or Beige Cardigan

But the difference is that doesn’t translate to sales. A well-rounded strategy is not based on going viral, it’s based on getting eyeballs for your ideal client, showcasing your credibility and building trust, and then leading your Cloud 9 Clients towards working with you.

3. YOU CAN’T PAY YOUR BILLS WITH FOLLOWERS

So let’s continue above… stop looking for inspiration from influencers with large followings if you're a service provider. Followers don't pay the bills. Customers do. And what gets the likes isn't always what gets the ideal clients. And you don't need 10k followers in order to have 10k months. I hit my first $100k with only a few thousand followers. THAT SAID…

4. IF NOBODY KNOWS YOU EXIST, NOBODY CAN WORK WITH YOU

If creating and running an online business were an instant and easy process, everyone in the world would be doing it.

You have to learn how to grow your audience
You have to make the time
You have to be visible
You have to show up consistently

And then you get to reap the rewards Yes, it’s hard yakka to start, and yes in the beginning it’s a process to learn direct response copywriting, how to use tools like Canva and how to create content that gets seen and actioned - but it’s so incredibly worth it, and visibility is one of the major differentiators between success and staying stuck.

5. QUALITY AND QUANTITY

If you're dogged by perfection and rarely post, you'll struggle to grow, particularly if you're in the growth and early stages of your business. 1 post per week x 6 months = 26 posts 2 posts per day x 6 months = 360 posts = 360 data points, pieces of free advertising and opportunities for your Cloud 9 Client to find you, love you and take action vs just 26. Don’t get dogged by perfection - post and test, post and test. Don’t get fancy with design or aesthetic or sit in Canva templates - focus on your content and having that speak, and just put out the shitty draft. Sometimes these are the posts that hit home the most!

6. IT’S JUST LIKE THE GYM

In that... You won't feel like it, you'll feel tired and you'll struggle with motivation. But you have to show up anyway. Discipline over motivation. You won't see results when you start. But... if you keep going (especially when others quit) and keep improving - in 4-6 months' time you'll start seeing awesome results and everything just might increase exponentially. P.S. The doors to Fill your Funnel are open for just another 24 hours! This is your complete roadmap to gaining visibility, building trust and becoming the go-to service provider in your health and wellness niche - click here for all the details.