Are You Trying To Be Everything To Everybody?

If you’re struggling to get new clients and finding that your marketing is surprisingly ineffective, then it could be because you’ve not properly defined who you work with and the problems that you solve.

This is a common amongst Health & Wellness Business Owners, so before you boost any more posts, struggle to create your own PPC campaign or update your website, make sure to read and action the insights in this article.

Imagine a queue of 100 people

I want you to imagine a queue of 100 people outside of your clinic or studio. Now imagine that each and every one of them is suffering from back pain and you ask each of them individually what it is they think they need to solve their problem. What do you think that they will say?

They will say things like, I probably need to Google it, or I need to watch YouTube and find some exercises, or take some pain relief, perhaps go see my GP, find some stretches, or use one of those rolling things you see in the gym… Some might even say that they need to see a Physio, or perhaps do some Pilates as they’d heard that it can help with back problems. Others will simply say they don’t know.

My point is that only a small percentage will have an idea that you, and your specific profession and treatment, are the person that they need in order to solve the problem that they’ve got.

We think everyone knows what we do, but they don’t. Tell someone you’re a physio, for example, and often their first thought is that you run on the pitch when there’s an injury with a bucket and sponge. And if you think people can’t possibly still think like that, then I can assure you that they do!

Why is all of this so important to grasp? Well, if we market ourselves as what we do – in other words, simply as a Physio / Osteopath / Massage Therapist / Pilates Instructor, etc – then we lose out on 95% of opportunities out there to help the people that so desperately need our services and expertise.

Your marketing needs to resonate to be effective

Your prospective clients don’t really care, and often don’t understand, what it is that you do. All they care about is what’s in it for them. Towards this, you need to think about the stress, worries and concerns that the pain they’re experiencing is causing them.

Some examples might be: I’ve got this agonising back pain, which is stopping me from sleeping; or I’m struggling to sit all day at work and worried about having to take time off; or I don’t feel physically able to pick up my grandchildren safely because of my shoulder; or I’m sick of playing football at half my potential because I’m worried about this pain in my groin.

When we think about the thoughts and conversations going around in their heads because of such problems, then our marketing becomes much more effective. People want to look at your website or see your advert appear on their feed and instantly know that you’re exactly the right person that they need to help solve their problem.

Are you running your business from a place of fear?

Part of the reason why so many Health & Wellness Business Owners try to be everything to everybody is that they’re running their business from a place of fear.

They’re fearful that if they clearly defined their ideal client, who they help and found some sort of niche, then they fear losing out on all of those other groups of people. If they stood up and said, for example, I’m an expert at working with women going through the menopause, then what about that teenager with a sprained ankle that they saw recently?

The question is really, are there enough women going through the menopause in your town or city that you could help and that is going to create the income and the opportunities that you want?

To this I say you needn’t worry. Firstly, the demand for your services is huge, you just might not realise it yet. And secondly, you can have multiple ideal clients if necessary.

The demand is there, believe me…

I hate supermarket shopping but whenever I’m walking around with my trolley I’m always amazed by just how many people are hobbling, limping, or walking in a way that I can tell is going to cause issues later down the line. It’s a sad fact but most people have some sort of pain, injury or discomfort that they’d love to have fixed. And, with the NHS struggling as it is, more and more people aren’t getting the help and advice that they so desperately need.

So, if people are in desperate need of your expertise, why are they not coming through the door of your clinic or studio? One of the reasons, as this article goes into, is that you’re too busy promoting what you do and not how you solve the problems that they’re experiencing.

Multiple ideal clients is fine BUT…

Now I know what you’re thinking at this point – can you have multiple ideal clients? And the answer is – absolutely!

However, when it comes to creating your marketing campaigns, you need to separate them out. You would need, for example, a campaign targeting ladies who are menopausal, another for mums who have just given birth, and another for women who are pregnant. The concerns of these three categories of women are all very different, and so your messaging needs to be as well.

So how do you determine your ideal client?

There are a number of different ways but a simple one is to think about your most recent appointments. Which of these sessions did you leave feeling most uplifted having made a really big impact on the person you were working with? Wouldn’t it be great to work with more people like that?

Furthermore, do you see how by working with more of the same, your drive and enjoyment for what you do becomes much higher, which positively reinforces the results you achieve, which in turn grows the number of referrals you receive through word of mouth?

So ask yourself, what were the commonalities, concerns and worries of the clients you felt most uplifted in helping? How did your treatment positively affect their lives?

And if you need further help deciding, or you want to sanity check your thoughts and ideas, then reach out and schedule a call with me. Together we’ll help you to feel calmer, more focused, and with a clearer direction in your business.