The Ultimate Guide to Getting Clients Online

Ok, hands down, the number one issue we see health and wellness professionals asking for help with is: how do I get more clients?  And it’s a popular ask for a reason.  In order to build a sustainable business, you’ve got to be able to regularly attract and sign clients to work with.  

That’s undoubtedly why you started your business in the first place -- to serve people and help them attain their health and wellness goals with your guidance.  Well, look no further.  In this post, we’re sharing seven surefire ways to land clients online, and honestly, it’s a lot easier than you think.

Stop passively waiting for clients to show up in your inbox

A surprising amount of business owners believe in the old adage, “build it and they will come.”  Unfortunately, you can’t run your business that way.  Sure, nearly every business owner has had a client come out of nowhere and think, “How in the world did I land this client?”, but that isn’t sustainable.  

Instead of waiting for your clients to come to you, think about how fortunate we are to have a business in the digital age.  It’s never been easier to find exactly who you’re searching for online.

Instead of asking yourself, “Why aren’t my ideal clients finding me?”, ask yourself, “How can I find my clients online?”

Ready to build momentum in your business?  Instead of investing in another course, you need 1:1 support and a clear strategy to start landing clients/making sales consistently.  Check out our Rescue My Marketing Intensive!

Be clear about who you want to serve

Have you ever heard this saying before, “The riches are in the niches?”  It’s certainly worth a bit of discussion here.  If you are crystal clear about who you want to work with (your niche), you will have a much easier time marketing your services than if your niche is too broad.  

In fact, the narrower that you can make your target market, the easier it becomes to land clients because:

1. It’s easier to find them.

2. You’ll be able to better position yourself as an authority because you’ll have less competition. (Usually, the smaller the niche, the smaller the competition)

3. You’ll quickly learn the nuances and pain points of a very specific niche, which helps you offer the perfect solution.

Let’s consider the example of a holistic nutritionist named Alisha who wants to work with millennial women.  Seems specific enough, right?  Actually, we can narrow Alisha’s target audience a bit further.  

After working with a variety of millennial women, Alisha finds that she most enjoys working with millennial women who are first-time, breastfeeding mothers.  Because Alisha got super specific about who she wanted to work with, she is able to easily find her clients by searching for breastfeeding support groups for millennial women. From there, she can identify who the first-time mothers are.

Being very clear about who your dream clients are will (in theory) prevent you from showing up in places (such as Facebook groups) where your target audience isn’t likely to be.  A great idea is to ask yourself, “Does it make sense for my target audience to be here?”, and if the answer is “No”, then that’s not the place where you want to focus your effort.

Verify that your service is something that your market actually needs

It is a lot harder to consistently land clients if your current packages aren’t what your ideal client is looking for.  Your service has to be aligned with where your target audience is right now, and what they are actively seeking help with.  Wanna know a great way to figure this out?  Market research.  

We’ve written an awesome blog post on how to conduct market research if you haven’t already done it.  If you know who you want to work with, and you’re able to directly survey your target market then you’re well on your way to creating packages that will actually sell.

Have conversations

Since we’ve decided that we’re not going to just wait for clients to show up in our inbox anymore, a great way to be proactive is to aim to connect with those ideal clients/members of your target market every week.  

If you have committed to showing up in places where your target audience is likely to be, it can be as simple as introducing yourself and letting everyone know what you do and who you serve. Truth be told, if you are in the right place, even your introduction should encourage someone to inquire about your services/learn more about your business.  

We understand that sometimes, groups or forums are strict about promotion, but have no fear!  An easy way to workaround to the no promotion rule is to ask members if they would be interested in taking a survey for you (this doubles as market research), that way, you still retrieve valuable insights.

Another way to converse with your ideal client is through connection calls.  Here at Humble & Whole, we make time for connection calls or virtual coffee chats (as they are also referred to) every week.  These calls are a great way to be casual and still learn valuable information about your target market.  We don’t advise randomly asking people to jump on a call with you because that’ll be seen as suspicious.  

Instead, seek to connect with people who you already have a relationship with.  For example, if you regularly comment on someone’s post/videos/blog, it’s a great idea to suggest hopping on a 20-30 minute call to learn more about them.  Or, if you notice that someone frequently engages with your content, don’t hesitate to invite them to a call.

Don’t treat a connection call like a sales call -- meaning, this isn’t the time to pitch your services.  Treat it as a casual conversation, just as you would get to know someone offline.  As you share more about what you do and who you serve, you’ll find that some of your virtual coffee dates will result in a new client.  In fact, coffee chats are one of our highest converting calls here at Humble & Whole.

Have a funnel in place

We’re firm believers that every business should have a funnel or client pathway in place to help convert prospects into clients.  When most people see the word, “funnel”, they immediately think of an email sequence.  Your funnel doesn’t have to be an email sequence, but we do encourage the use of email marketing because of it’s characteristically high ROI.  

To put it simply, a funnel is just a series of content with the aim of helping your prospects/leads make the decision to hire you or purchase from you.  For a more detailed example of a funnel, check out our marketing trio bio post.  

If you do decide to set up a traditional email sequence funnel, make sure that your opt-in is actually related to your service that you’re trying to sell. This is important because you want to be confident that your email list is of leads (people who are actually interested in your services), not just random subscribers.  

For example, if you are a nutritionist and your signature program is a 3-month paleo package, your opt-in could be a 7-day paleo challenge.  You know that every single person who signs up for your challenge is interested in eating paleo (and they are seeking guidance to do so), so that would make them very qualified leads for your signature package.

Be strategic about your value posts

It’s common practice online for business owners to share content on social media that are considered “value posts.”  These posts are often long form, and some can even be mini blog posts.

If you’re strategic about these “value posts”, you’ll see an ROI from your content marketing efforts.  For example, instead of prompting your followers to buy from you or sharing your coaching availability, why not post a client testimonial or “brag” about the results your clients are getting?  

Are your clients reporting that they’ve got to go shopping for new clothes because they’re losing so much weight?  Or maybe they're reporting that symptoms of their autoimmune disease are practically non-existent?  Let your work speak for itself sometimes when you’re sharing content on social media.

Create a referral program or partnership

No one is a better marketer for you than your past clients!  People are more likely to work with you if a trusted friend or family member refer you.  

Create a referral program for your signature package.  You can offer clients a kickback, a referral gift (such as a gift card), or a discount on their next month’s payment for referrals.  

You may also want to consider strategic partnerships with others in your industry.  Is there another health and wellness entrepreneur with a similar target audience to yours?  Can you refer clients to each other?  Can you collaborate for a joint workshop to offer to your audiences?  Don’t underestimate the power of referral programs and strategic partnerships to help build your client base.

There you have it.  Seven surefire ways to land clients for your health and wellness practice online.  Don’t feel as if you immediately have to do all of these things at once.  Simply get clear on who your dream clients are, don’t wait for them to find you, and commit to one strategy if it seems too overwhelming to correct everything at once.  We promise that you’ll find landing clients to be easier than you think!

P.S.  Are you an entrepreneur in the health and wellness industry struggling to land clients? Then you’ll want to check out our free video series, 5 Days to Consistent Clients!