Common Question Answered: Do You Need Social Media To Build Your Practice?

Let’s put this common question to rest…

Do you need social media to build your practice?

The short answer is NO.

I’ve mentored plenty of Functional Health Practitioners and Coaches who have built 6-figure practices without social media. And even though I have a social media presence now, this wasn’t the case when I started my virtual health practice 11+ years ago, and it’s not where most of my clients have come from.

However, social media can be a successful strategic marketing tool for some, and if you do decide to use it there is ONE VERY IMPORTANT ACTION YOU NEED TO TAKE…

With TikTok facing a potential ban in the U.S. this coming Sunday, and the uncertainty around Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) after Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement to roll back censorship – you need a backup plan (as I’ll discuss below) to preserve connection with your audience that will withstand any platform changes.

Regardless of where you focus your marketing efforts, here’s the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to know and do…

The #1 goal of any marketing plan should always be to move people onto your email list. 

Think about this…

If Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok were to shut down today, you would lose contact with your entire audience and potential clients. An email list is like backing up the data on your phone or computer – it’s your marketing insurance policy.

If you’re doing an in-person talk, attending a networking event, or marketing yourself in any other way, collecting email addresses is critical for following up with any client opportunities after.

Email is how you can continue to connect more intimately and consistently to build a higher level of trust and rapport with people over time, which is essential for cultivating more client enrollments, and here’s why…

Marketing Research indicates it takes at least 20 touchpoints and upwards of 500 before a person becomes a customer.

You can accumulate some of the necessary touchpoints from places like social media, in-person talks, and networking groups, but ultimately, an email list is where you have the best chance to continually accumulate touchpoints that nurture leads into customers. 

For example, on average, I know a person is on my email list for 6 months before they book a Discovery Call and enroll in one of my programs. It takes time to build a relationship with potential clients – it’s like dating, as I discussed in this blog recently. 

Everyone’s email list starts at zero, and that’s ok. No matter where you’re at with building an email list, remember…

It’s the only piece of marketing real estate that you own and have control over. 

Here’s a little secret about my business…

I’ve created a successful multiple 6-figure business with a relatively small email list. Full transparency, my email list currently sits around 4K contacts after being in business for 11+ years.

In my first year of business as a Functional Health Practitioner, I made 75K with less than 200 people on my email list.

Having a small email list and building a successful health practice is contrary to what you might hear out there in the marketing world. There’s so much chatter about how important it is to build a large email list and all the ways to do it.

In my experience, success isn’t built upon quantity, it depends on quality.  

Having a large email list doesn’t matter if it’s full of poor-quality contacts who aren’t your ideal clients or don’t engage with you.

Poor-quality contacts on an email list can actually hurt your email deliverability and open rates if they aren’t engaging with your content.

Engagement is the bridge that improves email marketing outcomes while building rapport and trust with people, which gives them the confidence to invest in the services and unique gifts you have to offer.

Again, this is just another example of why it’s so important to move people from social media platforms or other marketing opportunities, such as speaking events, to an email list. 

I’ve even helped practitioners build an email list to easily enroll clients WITHOUT having to be on social media, simply by doing what I’m about to share below.

Here are the top 3 strategies I’ve used to build a high-quality engaged email list…

#1 – Tap Your Network
Your next 5 clients are likely within 6 degrees of separation from you; all you have to do is get your message to them. Consider the law of attraction; you generally surround yourself with similar people, and if you’re passionate about the work you’re doing, those around you will likely find it intriguing as well. 

Since everyone’s email list starts at zero, to initially get mine started, I tapped into my network by exporting all of the contacts from my phone to my email marketing system. I then crafted a business announcement email centered around sharing my personal health story and the transformation I had experienced from doing the work I do – this established rapport and trust immediately. 

From this initial single email, I instantly enrolled two clients in my 3K program.

Offering workshops at my local yoga and kettlebell studio with sign-up sheets to collect email addresses, going to Meetup.com groups, establishing referral partnerships with my chiropractor, acupuncturist, and fitness industry friends, and co-hosting webinars with entrepreneur colleagues who offered complimentary services to my work are other ways I’ve tapped into my network to build an email list and connect with ideal clients.

Don’t underestimate the power of your immediate network. This is the low-hanging fruit in your business that is often overlooked!

#2 – Commit to Consistency
Remember, marketing research indicates it takes at least 20 touchpoints and upwards of 500 before a person becomes a customer.

You’ve got to commit to consistently creating touchpoints if you’re going to grow an engaged email list that will produce client opportunities. Consistently emailing your list not only nurtures potential clients into actual clients but can also inspire the people on your email list to share your valuable content with others to organically grow your list. 

Consistently showing up in some type of marketing capacity, whether it’s through in-person talks, social media, networking groups, or something else is critical for driving traffic to your email list. 

If you don’t build consistency, it’s like planting seeds but never watering them to flourish.

Right from the beginning, I set an intention to email my list weekly with valuable tips and information to help them reach their health goals. I also invited my list to share the info with others who would benefit from it to organically grow my email list.

The more touch points you create, the more rapport and trust you’ll build with your list, increasing your chances of enrolling clients or having them refer someone to you.

Pause right now, pull up your calendar or project planner, and plug-in consistent weekly or bi-monthly times to email your list. It’s time to commit to consistency.

#3 – Share Your Story
As motivational speaker and coach, Bo Eason said, “People follow your story, not your resume.” As health professionals, we tend to nerd out about all of the cool science stuff and our credentials – the “resume.” But that’s not what your ideal clients really care about. They want health transformation and social proof that you can help them.

By sharing your personal story, you are:

• Showing them what is possible for them
• Providing social proof that what you do works
• Being personable and creating a connection to increase trust quickly

Storytelling is the marketing technique that draws people in and encourages them to engage with you. When they hear your story, they think, “That sounds like me! They get me.” They will want to read on, learn more, and eventually schedule a call or enroll in a program with you.   

Now you might be thinking, “But I haven’t healed myself yet, so I’m not confident in sharing my story or my ability to help others.”

It’s cool. We all deal with imposter syndrome sometimes, and here’s the awesome part…

By sharing your story, you’ll never attract anyone more advanced than you that you can’t help, because why would that person resonate with your story if they were beyond what you were sharing?

And there are a TON of people two steps behind you who need the solutions you have to offer at this exact moment.

You’re on my email list, so watch how I implement these 3 strategies not only here, but also on Instagram and other places where I speak and have appearances. These marketing tips are part of the foundation for your success. 

P.S. Some of the most common questions I get asked by Functional Health Practitioners and Coaches are…

Where can I find my ideal clients?
What social media platform should I post on?
Do I have to be on social media to get clients?

The answer to these questions depends on who your ideal client (aka niche) is. When you are clear about who your ideal clients are, you will know…

• Where they like to spend their time
• What social media platforms they prefer (if any)
• How they like to receive info (i.e. video, written, talks, etc.).

These insights then become the guidebook for the marketing strategy that will be most effective for you, giving you the greatest return on your time and effort. 

NOTE: See my live talk about Profitable Practice Strategies this weekend during the Reinvent Virtual Conference this week for more insights to get clear about your niche to easily find and enroll clients!  Grab Your Ticket HERE.