If you’re a holistic counsellor, health coach or wellness practitioner, chances are you started your business because you’re passionate about helping people.
You love the work you do. You believe in the value of your services. But when it comes to marketing your business and finding new clients, things can start to feel a little overwhelming.
You might find yourself wondering what to post on Instagram, whether you should be sending emails, writing blogs, creating a free resource or trying something completely different.
And when business feels a little quiet, it’s tempting to think the answer is to do more.
More social media posts. More reels. More content. More time spent trying to be visible.
But here’s something I’ve learned through many years of working in marketing and the health and wellness industry:
More marketing isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, what your business really needs is more clarity.
And that’s where having a simple marketing plan can make all the difference.
1. Being Busy With Marketing Doesn’t Always Mean It’s Working
Social media has become such a big part of how small businesses promote themselves that it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking marketing and Instagram are the same thing.
They’re not.
Instagram can be a wonderful way to connect with your community, share your knowledge and build trust. But it’s just one part of your marketing.
You could be posting regularly, creating beautiful content and spending hours on your socials without necessarily bringing new clients into your business.
And that’s frustrating, particularly when you’re already juggling client appointments, administration and everything else that comes with running your own practice.
I’ll be the first to admit that I love Instagram. It’s probably the one social media platform you’ll find me on most days.
I follow lots of health and wellbeing accounts, including other holistic counsellors, therapists and wellness practitioners. I genuinely enjoy their insights, the experiences they share and the communities they’re building.
And that’s one of the wonderful things about social media. It gives us an opportunity to connect, share our knowledge, add value and build trust with people who might one day become clients.
But something I’ve noticed is that I’ll sometimes come across a practitioner sharing really valuable content, only to visit their profile and find myself wondering exactly what they offer or how I could work with them.
Perhaps their bio isn’t clear, their services aren’t easy to find or there’s no obvious next step.
And that’s a missed opportunity.
Because while they’re doing a wonderful job of building a community, they haven’t necessarily created a clear journey for someone who’s interested in becoming a client.
Being visible is important, but visibility alone doesn’t always translate into enquiries or bookings.
Before creating another post, I’d encourage you to ask yourself a different question:
Is the marketing I’m doing actually helping me achieve what I want for my business?
It’s a simple question, but an important one.
2. Start With Clarity About Who You’re Helping
One of the most important foundations of a marketing plan for holistic practitioners is understanding exactly who you’re trying to reach.
And I don’t just mean their age, location or gender. I mean understanding what’s happening in their lives.
What are they struggling with? What are they hoping to change? What might be stopping them from reaching out for support?
When you understand the people you’re trying to help, your marketing becomes so much easier. You can speak directly to their needs rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
For example, instead of simply telling people that you offer holistic counselling, you might talk about how you support women who feel overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves or unsure how to move forward.
Suddenly, your message feels more personal and relevant.
And when people recognise themselves in what you’re sharing, they’re more likely to want to learn about how you can help.
Good marketing starts with understanding your clients, not choosing your next social media post.
3. Look at the Bigger Marketing Picture
When I work with holistic practitioners, I encourage them to look beyond individual marketing activities and consider how everything works together.
Think about the journey someone might take before becoming your client. They may discover you through Instagram, a Google search, a local event or a recommendation from someone they trust.
From there, they might visit your website, read a blog, download a free resource or follow you for a while before feeling ready to book.
Every one of those interactions is part of your marketing. That’s why a good marketing plan isn’t just a social media calendar.
It considers the different ways people discover you, get to know you, build trust and eventually decide to work with you.
For your holistic business, that might include:
- Your website: Does it clearly explain who you help, what you offer and how someone can work with you?
- Social media: Are you creating content that connects with your ideal clients and supports your business goals?
- Email marketing: Are you building relationships with people who are interested in your services but aren’t quite ready to book?
- Blogs and SEO: Are you answering the questions potential clients are searching for online?
- Community connections: Are there opportunities for referrals, collaborations, workshops or local networking?
You don’t need to do all of these things. But you do need to understand which activities are likely to make the biggest difference to your business.
I’m currently helping a practitioner who has built a successful online membership business. She’s been running her business for years, investing her energy into social media and paid advertising.
But when we started looking at her marketing more broadly, we discovered that her website wasn’t appearing prominently in relevant organic Google searches. Despite having an established online business, search engine optimisation (SEO) hadn’t really been part of her marketing strategy.
Her website pages and blog posts weren’t consistently using the keywords potential clients might search for, and there were opportunities to improve how her content was structured for search engines.
It was a good reminder that even a successful business can have gaps in its marketing.
Of course, SEO takes time, and there are many factors that influence Google rankings. But improving your website’s content and search visibility can help potential clients discover you without relying entirely on social media or paid advertising.
4. A Simple Marketing Plan Can Help You Feel Less Overwhelmed
When I talk about creating a marketing plan, I don’t mean a complicated document filled with spreadsheets, targets and endless tasks. For most small holistic businesses, a simple, realistic plan is far more useful.
Start by considering these five things:
1. Your business goals: What would you like to achieve over the next three to six months? Perhaps you’d like more regular client bookings, to launch a new offering or to grow your email community.
2. Your ideal clients: Who are you trying to reach, and what do they need to hear from you?
3.Your key message: Can you clearly communicate what you do, who you help and why your approach might be right for them?
4. Your marketing activities: Which two or three activities will best help you reach those people? Think about where your potential clients spend their time and how they look for support.
5.Your time and capacity: How much time can you realistically dedicate to marketing each week without it taking over your business or your life?
Once you have clarity around these areas, you can start making more intentional decisions about where to spend your energy.
And importantly, you can stop feeling as though you should be doing everything.
5. Choose Marketing That Works for You, Not Just What Everyone Else Is Doing
One of the things I feel strongly about when mentoring holistic practitioners is that there isn’t one marketing formula that works for everyone.
Your business is unique. So are your strengths, your personality, your values and the way you want to work.
Some practitioners love speaking on camera and connecting through social media. Others are wonderful writers, enjoy running workshops or build strong relationships through local community connections.
And that’s okay. You don’t have to force yourself into a marketing approach that feels completely unnatural just because someone else is having success with it.
Of course, growing a business sometimes requires stepping outside your comfort zone. But there’s a difference between challenging yourself to grow and constantly pushing yourself to do things that leave you feeling exhausted.
I’m currently work with a therapist who, when we first started working together a few years ago, was very clear that she didn’t want to be on social media. And I understood that.
She gives so much of herself in her one-to-one client sessions that finding the time and energy for marketing felt overwhelming.
So rather than pushing her towards Instagram or telling her she needed to start creating reels, we focused on other areas of her business.
We looked at making sure her website was optimised, that visitors could easily find the information they needed and that automated emails were in place to support people interested in her programs.
Importantly, we broke the processes down into manageable steps because she was feeling overwhelmed by the technical side of marketing.
And over time, something interesting happened.
She started becoming more open to social media, even enjoying creating the occasional talking-to-camera reel when she felt inspired. There was no pressure to post every day or follow a rigid content calendar. And that was enough for her at that stage.
Recently, she reached out and said she felt ready to start optimising her social media presence.
I love this example because it reminds me that marketing doesn’t have to be forced, and it doesn’t all have to happen at once.
Sometimes we need to build confidence, put the right foundations in place and take things one step at a time.
My approach to business mentoring is about finding that balance.
Combining practical marketing strategies with a deeper understanding of who you are, how you work best and what you want your business to become.
Because ultimately, your business should support the life you’re creating, not consume it.
6. Creating a Calmer, More Intentional Approach to Marketing
When you have a clear marketing plan, something shifts.
Instead of waking up wondering what you should post today, you have a direction.
Instead of comparing yourself with what everyone else is doing, you can focus on what matters for your own business.
And instead of feeling as though you’re constantly chasing new clients, you can begin building a more consistent approach to attracting and nurturing the right people.
That doesn’t mean every marketing activity will work perfectly, or that business growth will always feel easy. Marketing still takes time, testing and consistency.
But with a plan, you have something to guide your decisions and help you recognise what’s working and what might need to change.
And that brings us back to something I believe is so important for holistic practitioners.
You can be ambitious about growing your business without feeling constantly overwhelmed by it.
You can create visibility without being everywhere. And you can build a successful practice in a way that feels aligned with your values.
A Calm Business Reflection
Before you plan another week of social media content, take a moment to consider:
- What marketing activities are currently bringing people into my business?
- Am I spending time on marketing because it works, or simply because I feel I should?
- Is it easy for someone to understand what I offer and take the next step?
- What could I simplify to create more space and clarity in my business?
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do for your business isn’t adding another task. It’s giving yourself the space to look at the bigger picture.
Not Sure What Marketing Your Business Actually Needs?
If you’re feeling unsure where to focus your marketing efforts, I’ve created a free resource to help.
What Marketing Does Your Business Really Need?
This checklist is designed specifically for holistic practitioners who want to take a closer look at their marketing, recognise what’s already working and identify where they might need more support. It’s a simple starting point for creating more clarity around your next steps.
Download the free checklist HERE
And if you’d like more personalised guidance, my bespoke business mentoring and Marketing Clarity Review pack can help you look at your business as a whole and develop practical next steps that suit your goals, strengths and capacity.
Because building a successful holistic business doesn’t have to mean doing more of everything. Sometimes, it starts with doing the right things, with more clarity, confidence and calm.
I offer a FREE 15 minute connection call you can book HERE if you want to share where are struggling with your marketing and discover how my bespoke coaching can help.
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