Hello and welcome back!

Today I want to talk about a topic on everybody’s mind… how can we position our marketing as we gear up to go back into practice?

My clinic has been closed for almost nine weeks, which seems roughly average in the United States. There are some states that just opened this week. Some acupuncturists are back in practice already, and others (like myself) are preparing to return to clinic in a few weeks.

But clinic isn’t going to look the same for awhile, is it?

The NCCAOM gave a very detailed and helpful presentation about how to safely resume the practice of acupuncture in the United States. You can watch the free replay here – I’m referring to the recording from May 6th.

Here in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State there’s a phased approach to reopening.

I’ll be honest – I’m not in a huge rush to open up, out of an abundance of caution.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not marketing in preparation to open eventually. Like I said at the start of COVID and quarantine – we’ve all got to keep marketing. We’ve got to stay VISIBLE in our communities.

So if you’ve got a few more weeks before going back into practice, how should you approach your marketing?

Throughout COVID-19, I’ve been teaching a lot of about shifting your marketing goals and marketing messages based on those goals. And this is no different.

Pre-COVID, most people’s marketing goals were simple: “Get more patients on the schedule.”

And so our marketing messages reflected that goal. The idea was to educate your patients, remove barriers that prevent them becoming your patients, and build trust so they make an appointment.

Then during qurantine, the goal of “get more patients on the schedule” no longer made sense, right?

We couldn’t really ask people to make an appointment when we have no idea when we’d be able to reopen. (Unless you’re doing telemedicine, of course.)

And this is still sort of true, because a lot of us have a vague idea of when we may be able to reopen – but no concrete date.

So even now, it’s still hard to ask patients to get on the schedule.

So what do you do with your marketing?

As always, start with re-assessing your marketing goals, and then adjust your messaging accordingly.

I mentioned earlier that previously, our marketing goals were oriented around three main concepts:

• Educating people so they understand not only the value of acupuncture, but how it applies to them specifically
• Eliminating the doubt that prevents people from becoming patients
• Building trust

And this hasn’t changed. We still need to focus our marketing on these big concepts: educating, removing doubt, and building trust.

However, the way that we do it (what we teach and talk about) is going to be different.

Let me share my plan for marketing my acupuncture clinic in the next few weeks. I hope providing this as an example helps you outline a clear plan for your marketing as well.

New Marketing Goals as I Prepare to Reopen My Acupuncture Practice After COVID:

• Explain in detail ALL the changes that will be occurring at the office (wearing masks, social distancing protocols, symptom pre-screening, etc.).
  • This is to help relieve doubts and fears that may prevent people from coming back right away.
  • Some people will avoid making an appointment simply because they don”t know what to expect. And others will feel comforted to hear the precautions you’ll be taking to protect them.
  • So I’ll be doing a LOT of talking about this on my social media, and writing up a blog post about it, as well as creating a separate page on my website where everyone will be directed.
• Focus on educating people about how much acupuncture can help anxiety and managing the emotions.
  • Since it’s recommended that patients must wear their masks for their entire treatment in NYS, that means no cosmetic acupuncture for me (my specialty).
  • While I plan to continue teaching about skincare in my marketing (particularly what people can do at home), I’m going to start talking a lot more about how much acupuncture can help with anxiety.
  • I love treating anxiety and people need help right now with managing their stress and bringing their nervous system out of “fight or flight” mode.
• Emphasize the cumulative nature of acupuncture in anxiety treatment
  • Educate people on how important it is to get acupuncture regularly for anxiety management.
  • We can shift the balance of the nervous system in favor of the parasympathetic, but that takes time. This is especially true after the months of high stress we’ve been experiencing.
  • Talking about this regularly in my marketing helps manage patient expectations AND increases the likelihood that patients will reschedule.

New Marketing Messages I’ll be Using:

• “While a specific date isn’t set in stone, we may be opening in 2-3 weeks. I want to share the changes we’ll be putting in place to keep everyone safe once we’re open, so you know exactly what to expect.”
• “How will a visit to Seneca Falls Acupuncture be different once we reopen? And importantly, how will it be the same?”
• “Did you know acupuncture can help manage anxiety?”
• “If you feel like your emotions are out of control because of COVID, you’re not alone – and acupuncture may be able to help.”

Now, I teach this to ALL my students inside Acupuncture Marketing School:

Don’t be afraid to repeat the same marketing messages over and over again.

Repetition is normal and necessary in order for marketing to work. People need to hear your message several times before they’re ready to take action.

So in the next few weeks, you may feel like you’re repeating yourself a lot. That’s okay. Keep doing it.

And this is important, too, although optional: Share your message on video as often possible.

Video builds trust quickly, because people get the chance to see your face and hear your voice while you’re teaching them something.

For efficiency, I usually record a video for Instagram, and then share is on FB as well. I may even upload a video onto the landing page of my website. Seeing the face of a real human is comforting for people!

I know video is hard for a lot of us, especially if you haven’t tried it before. But most acupuncturists who go for it usually message me to say that after recording their first video, it gets much easier! It’s just getting over that initial barrier of recording your first one.

So I highly encourage you to take the leap and record some of your marketing messages on video for social media. Your patients would love to hear your voice! And potential patients will learn to trust you faster.

Your videos do not have to be perfect. Now more than ever, people appreciate those who show up with authenticity online.

Don’t worry about whether your appearance or home are “Instagram-worthy.” People care much more that you showed up, shared something useful, and are someone they can relate to.

I hope this gives you some direction and structure for your marketing for the next few weeks!

Of course I highly recommend that you continue checking in with the regional and national acupuncture associations where you live to stay on top of any new re-opening recommendations.

I know things are a little scary because we won’t know what being back in practice will look like until we’re doing it. I feel anxious about it, too! I’m right here with you.

Feel free reach out, even if it’s just to stay hello! >> michelle@michellegrasekcom

And I’d love to hang out with you over on Instagram @michellegrasek, where I spend most of my time 🥰

Stay safe as we prepare for the new normal!