How to Market Your Health or Wellness Business Without Social Media
Is social media part of your marketing strategy? Or is it the only strategy you have?
If your Instagram account is the only way you’re marketing yourself, or if it’s just there without a strategy, I’m glad you came across this post.
Because if those things are true, chances are you’re not seeing enough relevant results to make up for all the resources you pour into your social media channels.
As a therapist, nutritionist, dietitian, health coach, pilates trainer or whatever purpose you serve in the health and wellness niche, it’s important to direct your resources where they matter the most.
Understanding the role of social media in your marketing strategy (and if it’s for you or not)
Social media is only one possible marketing channel, and it shouldn’t be the entire marketing strategy.
There are plenty of alternative marketing channels other than social media. That means you don’t even have to include it in your marketing strategy (for real!) if you don’t want to.
Showing up constantly, dealing with algorithms like they’re the ones PMSing while creating short life content can be exhausting. Pair that with a launch during which your chronic illness flares up or just life getting in the way and you got yourself a not-so-sustainable brand strategy (your marketing strategy is part of your brand strategy).
What you can do instead is build an ecosystem around searchability, relationships, referrals and owned assets (like your email list).
You don’t have to abandon social media overnight (or at all if you don’t have to). But if you’re looking for alternatives to social media marketing, let me show you how your business can run successfully without a (constant) social media presence.
I also left social media out of my strategy, so if you want more behind the scenes stories about that and sustainable ways to help more women, join Copy Chat.
Choose your alternative marketing channels to social media
Take a look at the most common channels you can include in your marketing strategy that have nothing to do with Instagram, Threads or other channels.
1. Website
The center piece of marketing, the cornerstone of your business and the not-so-optional-anymore piece.
Your website should be one of the first things you build, even if it’s just one page to start with.
It acts as your online business card, a place where people can find more information about you, your offers, and how you can help them. Plus, it starts to build connections and trust right away.
2. Newsletter
Start building an email list as soon as possible. Why? Because it’s a marketing asset you really own – unlike your social media account that can vanish overnight – and it will be full with people who already want to hear more from you.
Here, you can build intimate, direct conversations with your women, share news with them, stories from your life and business or tips and tricks they can apply right after they read your email.
3. Host or attend events
If you like be the hostess, you can create webinars or workshops (prerecorded or live) that position you as an expert in nutrition, therapy, coaching, yoga and so on.
If you however would enjoy more to be part of someone else’s event, whether that’s online or offline, you can apply to be a speaker in a niched conference to build up your authority (and even meet a few women there who need your help).
4. Podcasting
This can be the space you can tackle longer, more profound discussions. That gives potential clients a chance to hear you and your thinking process in more depth.
5. Youtube Channel
This is still the main platform for evergreen assets in video format and the second largest search engine after Google.
You can explain more complex concepts and debunk myths in your industry in the long run. Plus, it can act as your primary source of content, out of which you can repurpose in blog posts, mini-podcasts, newsletters (or even social media posts).
6. Public Relations (PR)
Which basically means going as an invitee to a podcast, having media appearances on TV, or publishing expert pieces in well-known magazines in your niche.
This type of alternative communication channel brings exposure outside of your normal internet bubble so you can reach a wider audience, usually in an evergreen or repeatable format.
7. Partnerships
Find other people that serve the same audience as you and see how your services or products could benefit their audience.
You can do a webinar together, a newsletter swap or promote each other’s products or services. Using partnerships in your strategy helps you immediately gain the other person’s audience trust.
Make sure you are discoverable without social media
1. Focus on SEO
Not only can you get discoverable more easily on Google or YouTube searches, but on AI searches too. Plus, working on your SEO helps you discover topics and questions your women are looking for that you might have not considered before.
Which brings us to the next point…
2. Add a Blog
You can create relevant blog posts by looking within (to your clients, discovery calls, direct messages, newsletter replies etc.) and by getting inspired from your market or SEO research.
That helps you attract the women who need you more easily with evergreen long-form content that serves you for years.
3. Consider Pinterest
While many put it in the social media box, Pinterest acts more as a search engine. It’s great for expanding your SEO efforts, while bringing new people into your health and wellness business.
It's most powerful for service providers, but if you decide to have a shop, you can even connect your product catalog to Pinterest to bring in sales.
Pinterest keeps your content circulating, surfacing your thought leadership and expertise when it’s needed (and hey, roughly 70% of the users are women).
Wrap-up
So I’m curious: how do you feel about marketing without social media?
Of course, you don’t need to include everything. A personalised mix for your marketing strategy goes a long way. Pick whichever channel suits you, your business and your long-term brand strategy.
In any case, you’ll have (or should have) at least a website. If you decide to work with someone to help you on that, make sure they focus on building a website ready to convert both in terms of copy, but also design.
Because if you work hard to have traffic but you can’t move people to the next step (such as book a discovery call, download your free guide or contact you), then what’s the point?
If you want to market your women’s health or wellness business without relying (only) on social media, you’ve come to the right place.
Join Copy Chat – the newsletter where, beside sharing delicious recipes, I talk about how I'm building a business that doesn’t rely on social media and how you can do that too.
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Hey, I’m Patri!
Welcome to the Sales Copy Corner.
I’m the #endogirl you call when you need warm & intentional sales copywriting to support your business and yourself.
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