If you’re an acupuncturist, chiropractor, or another wellness provider you, you may not think of your patients as having a “buying cycle.”
But they do.
Especially, if they haven’t become a patient of yours yet.
See, there are three primary states of mind before they become your customer and that’s what we’re calling the “the buying cycle.”
The 3 Stages of Becoming a Patient
1- Knowing your practice exists (this is known in marketing circles as “awareness.”)
2- Knowing your solution can help with their problem and considering your practice.
3- Choosing to make an appointment.
This is a simplified version first dreamed up by marketing legend Eugene Schwartz back in the 1960’s and it’s all based on psychology.
Let me explain.
Think back to the last computer you bought. You probably didn’t wake up in the morning and decide “today’s the day for buying a new computer!”
I know I sure didn’t.
Instead, you probably asked around for recommendations, read reviews online, browsed Amazon or another e-commerce site. You thought about, it was a considered decision. One that you came to in days, weeks, or maybe even months.
Here’s how that applies to you as a wellness service provider. Yes, you’re
Your potential client has started thinking about a solution to her problem. Maybe she has chronic neck pain and is seeking a natural source of pain relief. She may go to a local Facebook group and ask for a recommendation. She may google “natural pain relief solutions” and similar terms.
These are the habits of a person who is seeking for a solution to a problem.
If you have the solution, you want her to find you.
Preferably via both Google AND social media referrals.
Let’s say you keep up with your blog and have developed a good understanding of Blogging for SEO. You pop up in the search for “natural pain relief solutions in your city” and she likes what she reads. She visits your “About Page,” likes what she sees, and you’re recommended by others so she books an appointment.
The whole process takes anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks depending on how motivated she is to find a solution.
In both of these, you can see “the buying cycle” in action.
Awareness – She becomes aware there may be a solution for her neck pain. Then she becomes aware of your practice (because you’ve followed the best practices of online marketing).
Consideration – She reviews your site, asks for recommendations, probably looks at other websites too.
Decision – Books an appointment.
This is also why it’s so important to be found online in your community.
How Blogging Helps Wellness Providers Connect with Future Patients
Blogging is a good tactic for acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, and other small practices because with a decent SEO strategy and consistent action, you can be known, build credibility, and get found by your potential patients.
One of my long-term clients is a chiropractor practice. I’ve been blogging for him for 6 years. As a result, his website traffic has doubled and he’s the “go to” chiropractor in his town.
One approach I use is to create a keyword strategy based on frequently asked questions and frequently searched for questions.
Here’s an example.
Google keyword planner tells me how many people search for topics like “pinched nerve” and “low back pain.” Armed with that information, I wrote blog posts that incorporate those terms – “Find low back pain relief with chiropractic care” and “What is a pinched nerve?”
It’s all about being helpful, relevant, and strategic.
People Google those terms, find his posts, see all of the other helpful content there, see his testimonials, and guess what? He’s now the chiropractor they think of. When they’re ready, he’s the first one who gets the call.
That’s the “buying cycle” in action. Want to find out more about the blogging for business? Over 650 people have taken my Business Blogging for Beginners class.
