Our studio specializes in website design for healers, therapists, and anyone in the holistic healthcare scene. A question that we’re often asked (especially by folks who haven’t tried any holistic healing services themselves) is why we specialize in creating websites for healers. “Why this market?” they ask.
When folks pose this question, they’re usually curious about how we got interested and connected with the holistic healing sector. While that’s an exciting story, it’s also important to discuss why professional healthcare providers of all kinds need a different service when seeking a new website than other small business owners, or solo entrepreneurs do.
Suppose you are a healer (and we define this very broadly – mental health professionals, physical therapists, massage therapists, life coaches, reiki masters, spiritual healers, acupuncturists, chiropractors, or other wellness practitioners). In that case, there are elements of creating your website for your practice that is unique.
Though you have many things in common with other small business owners, a therapy practice is quite different from a plumbing business, a boutique store, or a coffee shop. The critical difference is that healers are doing their work because they sincerely want to be of service in this world. And this means, on the one hand, that the way that their websites should work is different, and it also means that working with them as clients is different.
elements that are unique in creating websites for healers.
- You have trouble marketing yourself (pssst…. it’s time to re-frame that.)
- You are limited by the FDA in the language you can use (yikes)
- it is essential that your site conveys a personal connection
- You have a lot of explaining to do to help people understand your offering
- Packages are super important
1. You have trouble marketing yourself
As a studio creating websites for healers and generally working with all kinds of health and wellness professionals, we find that many of the practitioners I speak to feel genuinely uncomfortable with the idea of marketing themselves. This is because their core motivation is helping others and being of service. So for many healers, it’s’ not just that marketing isn’t something they are familiar with. Instead, they feel negative and actively opposed to the idea of marketing themselves.
To combat this, I often work with my clients to shift their thinking around the idea of marketing. Instead of thinking of marketing as the goal of getting a sale or making money, we need to begin thinking about marketing as the way to find and connect with the person who can most benefit from your help. After all, unless someone can find you and understand what you do, they won’t be able to receive the valuable support you’re ready to provide.
Sum Up: Do whatever you need to in order to re-frame marketing into something positive.
In the beginning, we had a hard time marketing and selling our services… to get a new perspective on this, we read the book, The Go-Giver. The Go-Giver is all about this necessary mindset shift, and I highly recommend any healer who feels that marketing is disingenuous. Ultimately, building a website for healers is about marketing that healer, their unique gifts and talents, and what might make them the perfect fit for a potential client. Healers who spread the word about their services aren’t just filling schedules; they’re reaching out to those who are not getting the help they need.
2. Websites for healers are limited by the FDA in the language that can be included (yikes)
Holistic healers are held to a very high standard regarding the language they’re allowed to use when discussing their services. This has to do with the scope of practice and FDA guidelines for how you can talk about healing and symptomatology. It’s wise to avoid words like “healing, cure, patient, and therapy” implying formal or traditional medical training. Practitioners can focus on the idea that they are “helping people feel better” rather than claiming they’re “curing conditions.” This extends to listing specific conditions, such as migraines, IBS, depression, or anxiety. When medical terms of diagnosis are used, it implies that these issues can be solved. To be well within the guidelines, avoid listing specific conditions and focus on the advantages of general well-being instead.
Note that many states have more specific guidelines about language use. We know that this can be overwhelming at first, but I encourage you to refer to our blog on this topic for a description of the FDA guidelines. If you need help, our web team is very experienced in working with healers of all kinds, so we know what to look out for to help you steer clear of FTA worries.
3. Websites for healers should create a personal connection
We found that many clients looking for holistic practitioners feel that they need to connect with their practitioners personally. This is true for practitioners of all kinds – acupuncturists, chiropractors, reiki masters, spiritual healers… that personal connection is vital. Clients want to feel like they’re understood, like their challenges are taken seriously, and that their symptoms or issues will be able to be overcome.
So when we’re building a healer’s website, how do we craft a personal connection? We suggest you share your story. Share your goals. Share what makes you unique among other healing practitioners. We also recommend sharing funny anecdotes, favorite foods, and things you love to do. Finally, we strongly suggest that you plan to have a professional photography session in preparation for your website build. Professional photography helps put your best foot forward and ensures you show up confidently to your future clients.
Sum Up: Strive to make a personal connection.
4. You have a lot of explaining to do to help people understand your offering.
When creating a website for healers or health care practitioners, we always talk about the importance of explaining your modality in the simplest terms. There are so many modalities out there (Reiki, Myofascial Release, Polarity Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage, the list goes on) and that many clients may not have ever heard of your modality. It is essential to speak in0depth in simple language, explaining how your modality works and what kinds of symptoms or challenges it is most successful in treating. We suggest trying to do this without the use of jargon or buzzwords.
5. Packages are super important
In building websites for healers, we’ve found that crafting packages for clients is essential in helping clients understand how you can be of service to them. This is because your modality may not make sense to the client, or they may have trouble grasping how it can help them. With our clients, we suggest creating a health care package that speaks to your specialties.
If you’re a sleep specialist, put together a package that helps clients understand what kind of sleep benefits they would be getting when they use your services. Even for acupuncturists and chiropractors, who can address all sorts of symptoms, we suggest that they try creating specialty packages in the areas they want to work in. When a client is browsing your packages, they’re bypassing the work of connecting their symptom with your services. Instead, the package description is doing that work for them. This leads to higher conversion and more accurate expectations for your future clients.
Sum Up: Use packages as a way to explain and clarify your areas of specialty.
Conclusion
Whether you’re building your own site or seeking assistance for your build carefully think through the points above and incorporate as many elements as you can. We’ve built 100+ websites for healers and spiritual teachers and we’ve learned a lot in the process. The above are just some of the key elements we’ve found in the course of creating these sites. We understand that some of these elements can be overwhelming. If you’d like a little help, sign up for a FREE Discovery Call, and we’ll talk it through together!
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