Whether you’re a chiropractor or a health coach, you need to be actively growing your email list. Here are four easy ways you can do that in your practice.
Building and growing an active email list is one of the most important pieces of a successful marketing strategy. But for many holistic or alternative practitioners, it’s also one of the most intimidating things to tackle.
You love helping people, and you KNOW you have something truly valuable to offer your patients – but how do you get them to realize that? Even more so, how do you actually get them to hand over their email address?
Fortunately, as a clinician and the owner of your practice, you have a lot of options. If you’re not sure what those are or if you’re in need of some new ideas, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find out.
Why You Want to Build Your Email List
Before we start sharing how you can authentically grow your email list, let’s spend a few moments talking about why emails matter in the first place. On one hand, many marketing guru’s proclaim email as being the holy grail for boosting your practice. But on the flip side, our email inboxes are already flooded, so why bother?
But here’s the scoop: If you’re wondering if emails are still a worthwhile strategy for marketing your practice, the answer is, “YES!” Here’s why:
- Emails have an amazing return on investment (aka ROI). On average, they generate about $38 for every $1 you spend!1
- 78% of marketers have noticed a rise in their email engagement over the last year.2
- 80% believe that email strengthens customer retention.3
So, now that we know emails work, let’s talk about how you can start growing your list! Here are four simple strategies to help you do just that.
1. Ask for Emails in Your Initial Patient Intake Forms
Whenever a new patient walks in the door, they have to complete intake forms. This is the first and most important way to collect their email address.
Consider offering multiple spots on the form in case their household has more than one email address. Also, don’t forget to include a box for them to check, giving you permission to email them.
For your existing patients, be sure you confirm that the email address you currently have on file is still active and being used. This will ensure that your patient records remain accurate and any emails will go through.
2. Host a Contest or Offer a Prize
Hosting a contest or giveaway can be an effective and fun way to grow your list. Whether it’s a free immune-boosting essential oil, a collection of your all-time favorite recipes, or a limited-time offer for a complimentary 15-minute chair massage, people loooove prizes. You can ask them to sign up for the contest on places like:
- your website
- your front office counter where patients check-in
- your social media platforms including IG stories, and FB Lives
- your regular, weekly emails – ask your subscribers to forward it to their friends!
The goal here is to NOT get a zillion new subscribers for the sake of it. You want quality over quantity. So, make sure your selected prize or giveaway will appeal to your ideal patient.
3. Use Forms or Opt-ins on Your Website
Another great place to snag those email addresses is through your website. There are a couple of ways you can go about this. But, you don’t have to choose one or the other here – you can (and probably should) do both!
Use a form.
Asking viewers to subscribe to your newsletter or email list can be done a couple of ways – either on a specific page or through a pop-up window.
There are tons of email marketing services, like Mailchimp or Flodesk, that will help you keep track of the email addresses you collect. You may have to work with your IT person or marketing company to help you get it set up correctly and add each email to your master email list.
Offer an opt-in.
An opt-in, also called a lead magnet, is a free gift that you offer in exchange for a person’s email address. We’re not recommending offering expensive chocolates or a nice restaurant gift card. An opt-in is some kind of a free downloadable resource – something that helps your readers answer a question or solve a specific problem. It could be:
- an infographic on the 5 ways to improve your posture while at work
- an ebook on how to reboot your nutrition after the holidays
- a checklist on must-have pantry staples that promote brain health
The key to having an attractive opt-in is to choose a topic that’s relevant for your ideal patient. If you need help creating this resource, check out Canva for plenty of ideas and templates. Be sure to create something that really helps them with a challenging pain point.
4. Get Emails Through Your Social Media
Social media is an amaaazing tool to build a following, but what happens when the algorithms change (again)?
If you rely only on social media, you’re playing with fire. All social media channels control the email addresses so if you get banned or they go away, so do your followers.
Whenever possible, try shifting your audience from social media to your email list using your best resource or lead magnet. Here are three clever ways to do that:
- Promote your free resource wherever you can. You can use the opt-in on your site or get creative and use Facebook ads to get the word out!
- Anytime you do a live video, talk about it! Put the link inside your posts or IG Stories as well. You can even spice it up a bit by using Canva to create a fun, attention-grabbing background.
- Shoot a short “how-to” video where you explain a solution for a common problem your ideal patient faces. End it with a call-to-action that’ll make your viewers want to jump on your email list stat!
Remember – you don’t have to do all the heavy lifting here. You can drop your opt-in link in your Clubhouse or Instagram bio, or share it inside other FB groups – without being slimey. 👋 Not only does this build your credibility, it’ll also expand your reach and attract new viewers.
Just remember to include that call-to-action. This is where you ask them to sign-up for your emails so they never miss out on a chance to hear from you.
Grow Your Email List Today
The best time to grow your email list was yesterday. The second best time is today. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. All it takes is a little bit of thought on the front end.
Taking the time to create resources that provide value is essential for growing your email list. But don’t feel like you have to do all of the above strategies at once. Choose a couple, and hit them out of the park. Then, sit back and watch those email addresses pour in!
For more information on growing your practice – as well as some more list-building inspiration – send us a message or sign-up for a free marketing eval.
Sources
1. (2020, July 22). The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2020 – HubSpot …. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats
2. (n.d.). Not Another State of Marketing Report | 2020 … – HubSpot. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
3. (2020, July 22). The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2020 – HubSpot …. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats
