Why You Really Hate Marketing Yourself

If I had a dollar for every health practitioner that hated marketing, I could buy Necker Island straight off Richard Branson - in cash, baby.

As a rule, health practitioners have a real aversion to sharing their offers and services. But unfortunately, this means fewer people are able to benefit from them and transform their health!

So like any good health practitioner, let’s get to the root of the problem here. It’s time to dive into the biggest reasons why you really hate marketing yourself.

You’re not confident in your own value

One of the first issues to show up when it comes to practitioners marketing themselves is how they value their services and expertise.

I often see it in newer pracs, but it’s just as common in those pracs who have been ‘getting by’ for years or even decades.

This might show up in thoughts such as:

• I’m not expert enough

• I can’t charge that much for my time

• If I increase my fees, I’ll lose all my clients

• Health practitioners can’t/shouldn’t make huge profits from their clients

Remember - there’s a good chance you’ve invested 5-6 figures of your own money into becoming a practitioner in the first place! So you charging 3 figures for a 1:1 appointment is not only reasonable - it’s a massive saving for that person.

And let’s not even mention the potential ripple effect through their life that gives them more time, money, freedom or a combination.

The solution?

Give yourself permission to be someone who can contribute to the conversation about your area of interest, rather than pressuring yourself to be the absolute expert.

After all - I’m not a marketing expert compared to those in the marketing industry, BUT I do know and invest more into the field than most health pracs. That’s why I show up and share as much as I do!

You assume other people’s finances and priorities

This is another common one I hear from practitioners - people don’t have the money for my services.

This one came up A LOT over the past year. Which is interesting, because there were oodles of health practitioners who became busier - even those who are here in Melbourne.

So just a little reality check for you:

• There are people paying hundreds and even thousands of dollars for offers, courses, programs etc from people with zero qualifications. This includes single mums, uni students and couples going through IVF.

• There are others who spend thousands every year on designer clothes, accessories, makeup and skincare - yes, even some people who are working in the supermarket or the local fish & chip shop!

So the idea that people don’t have finances for health isn’t accurate for the majority of the population - it’s that they need to see it as an investment.

The solution?

Start assuming that the right clients for you will prioritise the support they need.

Give people your pricing without justification or pre-negotiating it for them.

Now don’t get me wrong - I do know that some people go into areas and niches where people genuinely struggle to make ends meet. But it doesn’t help anyone if you also end up struggling to make ends meet!

This is where it might be worth creating lower-cost offers, or putting aside a specific number of low-income slots per month. You might even choose to volunteer your time to a specific cause or charity - but again, put a limit on it, especially if your income is a needed contribution.

You’ve been told you have to do marketing a certain way

This is the one thing that pisses me off the most when it comes to business coaches, marketing coaches, whatever their specific title is.

They spend a whole lot of time and energy trying to give you that FOMO feeling because you’re not using Instagram reels/Tik Tok/Clubhouse/Facebook lives/whatever it is.

If someone tells you that you absolutely cannot build a successful biz without <insert marketing tool or platform here>, you know they are just trying to sell you their way to use that thing.

But the problem is that this paralyses a lot of practitioners. They feel like they can’t market because they’re not onto the latest form of marketing, so they just give up completely.

The solution?

You do you, boo.

Choose forms of marketing that make you feel good, or at the very least comfortable.

You can always add more down the track as your confidence grows.

The best form of marketing for your business is the one you can stick with consistently and use to reach your clients. The rest is just window-dressing.

You’re doing it all by yourself (and burning out)

Is marketing one of 50 things on your to-do list every single day?

If so, you just answered your own question of why you hate marketing - it’s one of way too many things to do.

Excuse me while I get my ranty-pants on.

Do you know how many successful practitioners that I know who are running their business, seeing dozens of clients, creating new leveraged offers, sorting their bookkeeping, showing up daily on socials, and still being an amazing partner/friend/parent with a work-life balance all by themselves?

ZERO.

Every single successful health prac I know or work with has a team. Some outsource one or two things, and some outsource it all. It might even be that they outsource their own health care or chores.

If you’re still trying to do it all and have it all at the same time, you’re on a one-way train to Burnout Town.

The solution?

Find something you can outsource - whether it’s marketing related or not. It might even be getting a cleaner in each month for $50-60.

When you take things off your plate and give yourself space to focus on the important, income-generating stuff, you get results.

And there’s a good chance that sharing your offers will become fun instead of just another item on the to-do list!

You’ve only ever noticed pushy marketers

We’ve all had THAT experience before. You know the one - it might have been:

• A friend who signed up to network marketing and spammed you with messages even after you said no

• The telco that pushed you to go for the latest phone model

• The car salesman who wanted to manipulate you into buying way above your intended budget

The details don’t even matter - what happened was that someone made you feel uncomfortable or even violated through the sales process. And I bet ever since, you’ve felt like marketing is only ever pushy or icky.

How do I know this?

I had exactly that happen to me at the start of my career as a practitioner.

In fact, I would say the experience plays a big part in why my first business failed.

For me, it was a chiropractor who had a room for rent. When I went to check it out, he told me he would be taking me to networking nights locally and it was my job to convince someone in my elevator pitch that they needed to book in with me. And then he hounded me about the room until I told him my mother was going in for major surgery and I was going to be her caregiver for a few months.

UGH.

But the thing is there is more to marketing than this icky kind of approach.

There are plenty of people out there who market without breaching your boundaries or manipulating you. But you also probably don’t even notice these forms of marketing because they’re not in your face or trying to force you to choose.

The solution?

Have a proper look around your socials - because there’s a good chance you’re following heaps of businesses. Scope out the ones that you resonate with, and see how they market themselves.

For example, I love me some of Tammy Guest’s content - and I never groan when I see her face or get an email with her latest offer.

Ask yourself:

• Is it that they give heaps of value, then follow it with a natural offer?

• Do they tell a story every time they share a selfie or image of themselves?

• Can you get a real feel for their personality and flair through their content?

See how you can emulate their style of marketing. Here’s a hint: they’re probably doing all of the above, plus looking at their services from a place of offering rather than selling!

So how can I market myself in a way that feels good?

It all depends on what suits your strengths - the options are endless!

To learn more about making your marketing fun and easy, jump onto my mailing list right here. That’s where I send juicy blogs, offers, news and more!

Psst - want more Sam in your life? You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram.