Why do I need social media and a website?

The first question that comes up when it comes to tech in a health practice is ‘do I really need social media? Can’t I just work via word of mouth?’ While some practitioners do achieve this, these days it is almost impossible to achieve.

You need exposure

What’s the first thing you do when you need a service, or hear of a business? You Google it, or look it up on Facebook. This is the first thing that almost everyone does, because we live in Technology Land!

So for people to be able to find you in the first place, you have to have a corner of the internet. It doesn’t have to be huge or fancy, but it does need to exist.

Social media is particularly good for letting your followers get to know you. People love behind-the-scenes shots, learning about the projects you’re working on, and your development as a practitioner. It makes you feel more relatable, and that means they are more likely to work with you!

Why a website?

Some people run their business completely off Facebook, and don’t bother with a website. This also has its downfalls. Technically you own nothing of your own Facebook page, and they could shut it down without a moment’s notice. That’s why it’s best to use both social media AND your own website to build up a client base.

But a website also has other benefits to it. It allows you to:

• Build up your SEO – basically how friendly your name and site is to Google

• Share content via your blog

• Allow people to contact you directly

• Link people up to your booking page

Tips for setting up your social media and website

It’s not easy getting thrown head-first into the online world. So here are a few tips that will get you over the most difficult bumps in the road.

• Have a clear idea of what you want to do with it. Know your goal and your target audience. Get to know your niche – you might not have it perfect at first, but you can tweak it. It’s better to target one small group well than to target everyone at once.

• Set aside a budget for professional photography. Professional photos make the world of difference to how your website and social media feels. Selfies are fun, but they won’t cut it when it comes to your homepage.

• Don’t share other people’s shit all the time! Every time you share a blog from Food Matters, or Natural News, or whatever it is, all you’re doing is sending your readers AWAY from you. If you love a blog topic, note it down and write your own take – THEN share it.

• Have consistency. Figure out your branding, colours and logo, and keep to those. The more cohesive your imagery, the more you build your brand.

• Get a copywriter to write your About page – and preferably the rest of your pages too! A professional knows how to write for both SEO purposes and for readability. I use Samantha Gemmell as my go-to health writer.

• Set up a proper domain and email as soon as you’re able. People are a lot more likely to take you seriously if you have your own domain instead of a free Wix site, and an email linked to that domain instead of @gmail.com.

At the end of the day, if it’s all too much – outsource what you can’t do. I’m happy to help you out with your website and design needs. Shoot me a message today and we’ll get you started.