Strategies For Success In Today's Economy
What holistic healthcare practitioners are investing in, when clients are cutting costs
Hello! I’m Nicky, the founder of Circe Health and Circe Studio. We bring modern business tools to holistic healthcare practitioners who are looking for sustainable success.
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How do you best navigate the current economic downturn and uncertainty in the world as a holistic healthcare practitioner? Whether you’re working for a clinic or managing your own space, everybody is feeling the pressure one way or another - it’s not just you!
Instead of ‘going with the flow to see what happens’ this is a time to take an active role and make sure your practice and career grow steadily, instead of crumble under pressure. And don’t worry, there’s no need to completely change the way you work and promote yourself. But there are small, strategic moves you can make so you’ll have a consistent flow of clients coming in, and with that a sense of financial stability in today’s shaky economy.
I hear from many holistic practitioners that making the finances work can feel like gymnastics, a rollercoaster of emotions with some fantastic months followed by months that are dry like the desert. This might have already been the case for some of you before the cost of living crisis, and now these shifts in costs and client flow is a reality for many more. The thing is, your clients are spending their money differently and what previously worked (in marketing and in business) doesn’t work anymore today.
So in this time when consumer behaviour is in constant change, and many of your clients are looking to cut costs and invest their money wisely, let me share the strategic moves you can make to bring some certainty in this time of change.
And I want to start off by sharing a word of encouragement. In these times the care you provide to people and the attention you give to their wellbeing, is more important than ever. Know that in these times of change and uncertainty more and more people are looking for your high quality, holistic care - online and out in the world. But it’s your job to make sure these people can find you. And I’m here to help you do just that. Below you’ll find straightforward actions you can take to sharpen your positioning, improve your client communication, and make it a no-brainer for clients to decide to come see you for treatment.
Reassess your pricing, but not in the way you might expect
Of course I’m going to start with pricing! Many people are now more conscientious with their spending and they’ll want to be prepared with all the information on costs before they contact you or make their bookings.
I know it can feel tempting to lower your rates to make it more affordable for more people. But discounting without a proper format might hurt your own long-term financial sustainability. When you offer discounts or lower your rates without a framework around it, your clients might see your services as lower quality which of course isn’t what you want - and it isn’t true. So price yourself according to market rates, and when you do offer lower-cost or discounted treatments make sure you explain why these are lower cost. And remember that discounting your treatments one time will get you stuck in discount mode because your clients are now less likely to pay full price in the future. So either stick to your pricing as is, or add some lower cost options to the mix, so that you can honour both your time and work, and your clients’ needs.
If you need to increase your pricing because your costs are going up, communicate that clearly with clients and share with them why you’re doing so - that way they’re more likely to continue to come see you.
Here are some ways that you can design special offers in a way that support your long-term financial success plus your clients needs. For example, you can offer shorter sessions for a lower cost, package multiple treatments up for a discounted price (usually 5 for the price of 6, or 3 treatments with a 10% discount), set up payment plans for those in need, or offer discounts for those who are on lower incomes or unemployed.
It’s also absolutely worth looking at your most profitable treatment types or packages and prioritising promoting those. This way you can mix these most profitable treatments with the offer of discounted rates for those who most need them.
Most importantly, don’t hide your pricing. With the current cost of living people want to know about costs so they can figure out if it fits their budget. Making it easy for future clients to find this information online will help them decide to book with you or not. If this information is missing from your website you’ll miss out on many potential clients. So be transparent about costs. You don’t want to miss out on potential clients because they assumed you’d be out of their budget, instead offer clear information so they can make an informed decision.
Create your professional safety net
It’s a turbulent time for clinic spaces, from rent rises, lease changes, and abrupt closures. Your clinic space isn’t permanent, but your own brand absolutely should be. You certainly don’t want your career and professional life to be at the mercy of someone else’s decisions. So future proof your career as a holistic practitioner working at a clinic by having your own online presence. Just as other professionals have a LinkedIn profile to build their network for future jobs and opportunities, your website and online presence are your safety net when things don’t go as expected with the clinic space you used to rely on for consistent clients.
Have a professional website functions as your online business card. It can be simple and done at a low-cost, but in today’s online world you need a website so your past, current and future clients can find you. Plus, this gives you a way to communicate with your clients directly when your locations or availability changes. And you’ll be a more interesting hire for your next clinic space. Or you might just find out that you can start out on your own!
Clearly communicate expectations
People are still investing in their health, and they’ll need more support with their emotional wellbeing in these uncertain times, but they want to feel certain that their choice is right. You can help build their confidence by clearly communicating what clients can expect from your treatments or consultations on your website and in your communications.
In your marketing and website copy focus on the results they can expect to make the ROI as clear as possible to them. And double down on sharing client testimonials to build much needed social proof. These stories from previous clients can speak to your future clients in ways you might not do so yourself as the practitioner.
Highlight the quality of your care
Clients are researching before booking, especially in tough economic times. So you want to make sure you stand out with the quality of your services. This starts with a clear, trustworthy website. A professional and consistent online presence will help you attract clients who feel confident investing in your care.
Make sure your online presence reflects the quality of your treatments, from professional photography and branding to the way you’re communicating in your website copy and other online places. Highlight your credentials, years in practice and continued professional education.
If you want to know how you can improve your online presence to clearly communicate your quality and attract more clients, you can book an Online Presence Review with me here. Or if you want to redesign your website, I’m happy to help - you can reach me by replying to this email.
Client relationships
If you’re very short on time, invest in nurturing the relationships with your existing clients over finding new ones, because it’s always easier to bring people back who’ve come to see you before. And don’t hesitate to encourage your current clients to share your info with their friends and family for word of mouth marketing. This is also where email marketing plays a big role and makes a real difference to get you to long-term growth. More on that here:
Partnerships
I’ve seen the partnership approach work so well for many practitioners; the network you built can be very influential in your career. From just having a support system where you can share experiences, to finding colleagues you can collaborate with and refer to. Invest in these connections and professional partnerships so you don’t feel as silo’d in uncertain times, and it add to the ways future clients might find you too.
Where to invest for sustainable success
Your natural instinct might be to cut costs, but investing in your career and practice now could very well be the action that will help you grow. This is where your entrepreneur mindset comes in. From investing in your brand, upgrading your clinic space, spending money on marketing - investing in your career now increases the chances that you get through this period stronger and helps you stand out in a busy market.
And your time and energy? I know it sounds cliche, but take care of yourself first and foremost. Working through money stories and patterns is something you’ll benefit from for the rest of your life. After that, I’d advice investing your time into newsletter marketing, your online presence (from a Google Business Profile to joining directories for brand exposure) and a quality website - in today’s digital world those are the most impactful tools to help you attract more clients.
1:1 support
If you’d like 1:1 support to set your strategy, you can schedule a 45-min Strategy Call with me to receive in-depth and personalised advice. I also offer website (re)design services to make sure your website brings you steady growth in uncertain times.