Effective email strategies for alternative health practitioners
Diversifying different forms of communication strengthens your client relationships.
In the dynamic world of digital marketing, email stands out as a remarkably effective tool. It may not be the flashiest new platform on the block, but its ability to forge and maintain personal connections is unparalleled. For alternative health practitioners, whether you're a chiropractor, massage therapist, therapist, yoga instructor or other healing arts practitioner, email marketing offers a unique opportunity. It's more than just sending out occasional updates; it's about creating a dialogue, educating your audience, and building a community around your practice.
How do we define email marketing? Email marketing encompasses various forms of communication ranging from newsletters sharing the latest developments in your practice, to personalized appointment reminders, educational content about health and wellness, or even exclusive offers for your services. Each type of email serves a purpose in maintaining ongoing engagement with your clients and positioning your practice as a trusted source in your field.
Why email marketing? Numbers speak volumes
I know, not every promotional email that lands in our inboxes is a cause for excitement. The ones we don’t want that land too often quickly become nothing but unwanted spam. But as bad ad bad emails are, there are some good ones. Many of us, myself included, actually look forward to hearing from our favorite brands or newsletters.
The efficacy of email marketing is backed by data. According to a HubSpot report, there are 4 billion daily email users, highlighting the vast audience reachable through this channel. More impressively, the average return on email marketing investment is reported to be $36 for every $1 spent. This figure is nothing short of remarkable, yet surprisingly, only 64% of small businesses are leveraging email marketing to connect with their customers.
Building your email list: more than just collecting emails
I’m sure you’ve figured this out already, but unfortunately, great contact lists don’t grow on trees. Building it requires care, respect, and a thoughtful approach. Yes, you’ll want lots of people on it to the degree needed to support your business, but even more than that, you’ll need quality and engagement from your subscribers. In other words, the people who get your emails should genuinely be interested in your services and content, forming a community around your practice.
Active subscribers: The heart of email campaigns.
What makes a good email list?
Engaged subscribers: Prioritize individuals who interact with your emails through opens and clicks. They are your most interested and engaged audience.
Segmented lists: Organize your list based on interests, behaviors, or demographics. This will give you the option to make your emails more relevant and personal, which done right, will drive up your engagement rates.
Organizing your list without fancy tools
Start simple. You can use spreadsheets to segment your list manually based on information like appointment history for clients or areas of interest they've expressed. Everyone does this differently, so organize in a way that works for your brain. As your list grows, it might be time for affordable email marketing tools like the ones outlined in a blog I read from emailtosender “Cheap Email Marketing Services.” Many platforms offer free plans or low-cost options and provide easy-to-use features for list segmentation and management.
Compliance and ethics
Navigating the legal landscape, like GDPR, is crucial. Always obtain explicit consent for email communications and provide easy options for unsubscribing. Remember, legal compliance should be the bare minimum. Ethical considerations, like respecting subscriber privacy and avoiding excessive emails, are equally important in building a list that trusts and values your communications.
Segmenting your audience: a tailored approach
Audience segmentation and targeting is a very common practice in marketing but it can feel a bit foreign to some healing arts practitioners who think “wait a minute, I want to help everyone.” The point of this exercise isn’t to exclude, but rather connect more effectively. When you tune your message to resonate with the unique needs and interests of different groups within your audience, you’re empathizing with them. Most people will appreciate the relevant content and being spared from information that might not pertain to them.
Crafting emails that connect: striking the right chord
Okay, so we’ve talked about the importance of email and audience segmentation. Now, what to say in your emails? Let’s move onto the art of crafting content.
If you're like me, you've probably signed up for a newsletter or two expecting juicy, relevant content, only to be bombarded with what feels like endless drivel. It's either a thinly-veiled attempt to rack up subscribers for future sponsorships or a non-stop promotion of products that have zero relevance to your interests. Trust me, I've been there, and it's a one-way ticket to the 'unsubscribe' button.
The reality is, there’s not a cut and dry answer here to the exact kind of content to include in each email. The broad strokes are to deliver value through insightful articles, sharing personal stories or experiences, and occasionally checking in with a friendly, 'How are you doing?'
This can take the shape of newsletters, one-off promotional emails, or even personalized messages to valued clients, as long as the invitation into your customer’s inbox is honored. If you’re interested in more content ideas, any of which could be promoted via email, check out my blog, “Seven content marketing ideas to educate and attract clients for healing arts practitioners.”
Personalization and design: beyond “Hi [First Name]”
"What is email personalization anyway?" This is a question that many overlook in the rush to add a first name to an email template. True personalization means crafting content that speaks directly to your reader's interests, needs, and preferences (after you’ve segmented your audience, above). This way, you create the feeling for readers that each email was written just for them.
This concept is more than just a nice-to-have. According to a RedPoint Global and Harris Poll Survey, 63% of customers now expect personalization as a standard of service. That's a clear signal to step up your game. But how do you do it effectively? Here are a few tips:
Segment your list: As mentioned earlier, segmenting your email list helps tailor your messages to specific groups. This could mean sending different content to beginners and advanced practitioners in your yoga classes or varying your newsletter content based on the services each client has used.
Use behavior-based triggers: Send emails based on actions your clients have taken. For example, if a client books a massage therapy session, follow up with emails on aftercare or the benefits of regular sessions.
Customize content based on interests: If a segment of your audience showed interest in a particular topic, like stress management techniques in therapy, send them more content on that subject.
Design for your audience: The visual aspect of your emails should resonate with your practice and audience. A clean, calming design might work well for a therapist, while something more vibrant could suit a fitness-oriented practice like a personal trainer.
Test and learn: Use A/B testing to see which designs and types of personalization resonate most with your audience. This could be as simple as testing two different email subject lines or trying out different layouts.
Automation and integration: the smart way to stay connected
Email automation: Your tireless digital assistant
Email automation in marketing is like having a diligent assistant who works tirelessly behind the scenes to launch your email campaigns. However, it's important to strike a balance: while automation can streamline your email marketing at scale, it's not always necessary right off the bat. In my own journey of writing a blog and running a business, I've often caught myself debating whether to engineer systems for scale that, upon reflection, would be more complex than my current needs warranted. It’s tempting though.
Having been responsible for some sophisticated marketing automation systems in the past, I feel like I need to share as a PSA that at least in my experience, there is no such thing today as a true “set it and forget it” type of email campaign. To make the automation tech work for you, you need to become an expert in it (in addition to your expertise in the content of the email itself), and then you still need to program all the settings before the automation will do much for you. In other words, value isn’t immediate, and overengineering can be a trap.
So, when is it worth it to consider automation? Here are a few signs:
Time consumption: If you find yourself spending an excessive amount of time on the mechanics of sending out emails, it's a signal to consider automation.
Growing list and segments: When your email list becomes lengthy and your segments numerous, managing everything manually can become unwieldy.
Increased engagement needs: If you're planning to ramp up your email marketing efforts with regular newsletters, follow-ups, or personalized communications, automation can help manage this increased engagement efficiently.
Analyzing success: the truth in numbers
Unlike automation, which becomes more relevant as you scale, understanding a few key performance indicators (KPIs) for your email campaigns is invaluable even when you're just getting started. By getting into analytics, you gain a clear picture of what resonates with your audience, allowing you to continually refine and enhance your strategy.
Big tech companies often use the the mantra of "fail fast" when it comes to leveraging these KPIs to test their programs. I know that phrase doesn’t sound like a direct route to building success, but the spirit of the concept is solid: quickly identify what's not working, so you can stop pouring resources into it and pivot towards more effective strategies. It's about learning from today's efforts to make better decisions tomorrow.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. ”
So, what should you be questioning when it comes to your email campaigns? Here are a couple essential metrics to keep an eye on:
List growth rate: Presumably you want your email list to grow with your business, so keep an eye on this metric to see how your list is keeping up (also check in to make sure your spam numbers don’t get too high, I’ve seen people try to grow lists too fast and end up inadvertently spamming folks who don’t care).
Open rate: This is crucial, especially if you're experimenting with different subject lines. It gives you an insight into what catches your audience's attention.
Conversion rate: Ultimately, you're looking to drive action, whether it's booking appointments or another call-to-action (CTA). Monitoring your conversion rate helps you understand how effectively your emails are achieving this goal.
There are a ton of other metrics to track too but by keeping track of these core ones from the start, you're not just throwing emails into the void and hoping for the best. You're actively learning, adjusting, and improving your approach to ensure your email marketing efforts hit the mark.
Common pitfalls: Navigating the email marketing landscape
Confession time: as much as I advocate for the power of email marketing, it's not always at the top of my list of fun tasks. It's incredibly effective, sure, but it can also be tedious. I also may be a bit sour on it having spent a significant chunk of my early career getting lost in its minutiae. So, let me save you some time and headaches by sharing common pitfalls that early email marketers often stumble upon:
Neglecting mobile optimization: This is a big one. With over 60% of emails opened on mobile devices, according to Campaign Monitor<>, ignoring mobile-friendly designs is like ignoring a majority of your audience.
Not conducting A/B testing: It's essential to test different elements of your emails to see what works best. This could be anything from subject lines to call-to-action buttons.
Lack of attention to detail: We're all human, and mistakes happen. But in email marketing, a small error can lead to sending an email from your personal account instead of the business one or messing up personalization tokens. Always double, or even triple, check before hitting send (trust me).
Not setting clear goals: As I've mentioned in “What's holding your SEO back? (Hint: it probably isn't what you think),” goal setting is just as crucial in email marketing. Know why you're sending an email and what action you want your readers to take.
Sending too many emails: Overwhelming your clients with too many emails is a surefire way to get them to hit unsubscribe. Balance is key.
Poor content quality: It may seem obvious, but your content needs to be engaging and relevant to your audience. Otherwise, what's the point?
Tailored strategies for your practice
Colorful creativity: Reflecting your practice's unique essence.
Crafting an email strategy that mirrors the unique essence of your practice not only enhances its effectiveness but also injects a bit of fun and creativity into the process. This way, your your communications are as distinctive as the services you offer.
Let's start with the basics - the words you use. For instance, a chiropractor might focus on sharing valuable tips for maintaining spinal health, while a massage therapist could highlight the transformative benefits of regular sessions. It's crucial to refine your messaging to ensure it aligns seamlessly with what your practice stands for and offers.
But it's not just about what you say; it's also about how you present it. The visual aspect of your emails should be a reflection of your brand's identity. This means considering the colors, fonts, and imagery you use and ensuring they are consistent with your overall branding. As I discussed in “Colors that connect: how to choose the right palette for your practice’s website and branding,” aligning your email's aesthetics with your brand's visual identity is not just about looking good - it's about creating a cohesive and recognizable brand experience across all touchpoints with your clients.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a vital tool for alternative health practitioners. It’s more than just regular communication – it allows you to build deeper relationships and trust with your clients. By focusing on creating personalized, engaging content and using smart strategies like segmentation and automation, you can significantly enhance your practice's outreach and client engagement. Embrace this journey with an open mind and a commitment to continuous learning, and watch as your practice grows and flourishes. Remember, each well-crafted email is a step towards a stronger, more connected community around your practice.