5 Common Mistakes Mindfulness Teachers Make In Their Marketing & How to Avoid Them
As a teacher of mindfulness, you probably want to help as many people as possible. And your guidance is truly needed - especially in these like these!
So how do you best connect with more people who need your services?
You have to keep growing your reach. That usually means marketing yourself and the value you provide through expanding your online presence.
If the word "marketing" is sometimes enough to make you cringe, you're not alone. But the good news is, you can absolutely take a more mindful approach to online marketing.
It's all about understanding and connecting with your ideal clients on a deeper level.
While helping mindfulness teachers grow their reach by creating engaging content for their websites, blogs, and social media, I notice these common five marketing mistakes that prevents so many of them from reaching more people.
The good news is that being aware of these mistakes can help you be more strategic about avoiding them so you can focus your efforts in the most effective manner.
Here they are:
1) Not Having a Clear Idea of Who Your Ideal Client Is
While we all want to help as many people as we can, the truth is that no individual person or business can help everyone! We all have different needs at different times in our lives. We all resonate with different teachings and energies based on our current circumstances.
Think back to the first time you learned about mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or breath-work. If you would’ve come across these concepts five years earlier, would you have integrated them into your life at that time? If these concepts came from a different teacher than the one who brought them to you, would you have approached them with the same eagerness?
There is a group of people whom your energy resonates with most. These are the people who are still working on overcoming what you’ve already figured out how to overcome. And these are the people you can help most.
Perhaps it’s middle-aged professional women who have already heard of mindfulness but who are “too busy” to learn more about what it can do for them. Perhaps it’s young moms who have tried all sorts of different ways to relieve stress but nothing seems to move them forward.
This is about more than just demographics. It’s also about understanding their psychographics such as their values and pain points.
Whatever your ideal client looks like, you resonate with them. You’ve probably been in their shoes. This enables you to connect with them on a much deeper level than anyone else could. Your online marketing efforts should be directed specifically at them.
Avoid this mistake by speaking directly to your ideal client.
The words you use on your website, in your blogs, newsletters, and social media posts, should be catered to that particular group. By making your message specific and relatable, they are much more likely to want to learn more about you and your services.
Download my free Ideal Client Questionnaire here to help you maximize your marketing efforts.
2) Not Showing Your Client How They Will Benefit From Your Services
It is wonderful to provide helpful content and resources on your site. But if your client will get the most benefit from actually booking a session with you or buying your online course, you need to guide them to take that step!
Your ideal client is probably someone who wants less stress and more presence in their life. Doesn’t what you have to offer help them relieve that stress and bring more peace? Then don’t be shy about letting people know that this is how you can help them most!
I often see too many websites of mindfulness teachers who in their attempts to explain what they do lose focus on how this will help their ideal client. Either they don't have a clear and concise list of offerings/services to begin with – or they don’t provide compelling enough reasons why the reader should do business with them.
When someone visits your website, they are already curious about what you have to offer. They want to know how it will benefit them – otherwise they wouldn’t even be on your site to begin with!
Avoid this mistake by clearly listing your services and offerings on your website.
Imagine someone who has never heard of mindfulness asking you what you do and how it could benefit them.
Listing the benefits of your services is the most direct way to connect with your ideal clients on their level. It is a way of letting them know you understand their pain and are there to help them get beyond it.
3) Not Having a Clear Call to Action
What specific action do you want your prospect to take as a result of visiting your website or seeing your social media post? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter so you can stay in touch with them? Or do you want them to go ahead and book a session with you right now?
If you’re not directly asking them to take a specific action, they are much less likely to do so. They may enjoy your latest blog post but will likely go back to scrolling through Facebook - if you don't directly ask them to do something else!
You already know how short people’s attention spans are these days. Don’t let them get distracted before they click that button to schedule a call with you or to sign up for your newsletter!
Every great fairy tale has a guide who helps the main hero on their journey of transformation. You’re like that fairy godmother for your clients. They need your guidance. But first you must challenge them to step out of their comfort zone.
Avoid this mistake by clearly stating what you want your website visitor to do next.
Contact you via email? Call you? Sign up for your newsletter? Buy your online class?
Your prospective clients need you to challenge them to take the journey into exploring mindfulness to help them reduce stress. Otherwise, they'll stay stuck in their old routines.
4) Not Staying in Touch With Those Who Want to Hear From You
Did you know that it takes an average of 8 contacts before your prospect will consider scheduling an initial call/meeting with you or before they finally enroll for your course? By sending out frequent email newsletters that contain helpful insights, you are helping your potential clients understand ways you can provide value to them!
It is not enough to just provide a section on your website for visitors to subscribe to your email list. You then have to actually stay in touch with them! If they don't hear from you until weeks – or months – later, they are likely to forget why they even subscribed to begin with. Don’t let that happen.
There is a reason that these people agreed to receive emails from you in the first place. They were looking for something of value they could get in exchange – whether a fresh perspective or educational and engaging content.
Avoid this mistake by delivering on your promise to stay in touch with them.
Send out newsletters that let them know that you're out there with services or insights that can change their life! Be consistent with your message. Set a clear schedule of how frequently you will contact them - whether that's weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. (But the more often, the better!)
5) Not Having Fresh and Updated Content That Provides Value
Your website visitors are already interested in learning more about some aspect of mindfulness. Give them more than they expected and they are much more likely to do business with you! Provide them with fresh and relevant content that integrates your knowledge and experience.
Having a consistently updated blog not only helps you grow your reach but it also helps readers see you as an expert. Websites that have keep their content fresh get more traffic and engagement than "stale" websites.
If you are strategic about using SEO keywords throughout your blogs, you also increase your site’s relevance and authority in the eyes of search engines. This organically boosts your site's traffic!
When you have more organic website visits, you can spend less money on advertising! A blog post lives on your site forever and generates momentum over time. Unlike constantly buying ads, each blog post is only a one-time investment of your time (or money - if you choose to save time by outsourcing this service to a professional copywriter). Consider these 7 reasons why every mindfulness teacher needs a blog here.
Avoid this mistake by always having fresh and updated content on your website.
Set a consistent schedule to release blogs or helpful new resources and then repurpose them by sharing them on your social media or in your newsletter. That's one piece of content that you can use to grow your reach in multiple ways!
Awareness is often the first step to change. Being mindful of your marketing practices helps you make the most of your efforts so you can touch more lives!
If these five common pitfalls helped you recognize something you may need to change in your online marketing, you're already one step ahead!
If you would like more guidance on how you can integrate these into your business to help you grow your reach, save your spot in the next enrollment for Online Marketing for Mindfulness Teachers. Gain a step-by-step understanding of all the strategies and processes you need to have in place to maximize your impact while running a sustainable mindfulness business.