How The User Journey Can Help Therapists Drive More Sales
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 25, 2022
- 6 min read
Written by: Sibora Halili, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Understand the 3 crucial stages users go through before becoming paying clients (incl.Menopause Treatment Case Study). Online marketing can be confusing, especially if you're a therapist or health coach who truly cares about helping human beings rather than how to lure them into buying. Still, you can't run a business without clients, can you?
Is there a way to turn your compassion into an authentic client magnet?
Yes, there is! And it all starts with the User Journey (previously known as the customer journey). To create a user journey that works, you must begin by understanding who your users are and why they visit your site. You can divide this process into these 3 stages:
Awareness
Research
Ready-to-book
So when and how do you reach your prospects? Read the following user journey case study to learn more (Menopause Treatment Example). Meet "Louise" Louise is 50, in Menopause, works as a part-time career counselor at a local college, is married, has 3 children, and lives in Leeds, UK.
These are the two issues Louise is currently struggling with:
Hannah, her youngest, just started University in London. They talk on WhatsApp daily for at least an hour as Hannah has difficulty settling in. Louise worries about her and keeps imagining the worst-case scenarios.
Recently, Louise also gained weight rapidly and is overly concerned about her appearance. She wonders if her best years are already behind her or if there is still time to start something new and exciting.
Louise User Journey Stage 1 – Awareness
Louise enters the first stage of her user journey by finally acknowledging how she feels: lonely and constantly on edge. She's also annoyed because most of her clothes don't fit anymore. Being overweight is unusual for her as she's been in good shape all her life without watching her diet or working out regularly. Her husband, Tom, is very invested in running his business, and merely at home, he doesn't provide the leaning shoulder she was hoping for. Which leaves Louise questioning even her marriage.
Key Learnings
Louise is
noticing the first physical symptom weight gain
in emotional distress (nervous, worried, lonely)
not sure about the real problem or how to name it
unaware of possible solutions to start feeling better
not ready to take action
Conclusion
You can't help anyone solve their problems if you don't know what they're struggling with. As your prospect becomes more aware of their situation, you become more aware of who that person is. Louise is getting worse Louise is developing intense mood swings and lashes out at her loved ones. She feels bloated and unwell, wondering if losing some belly fat will improve her overall well-being and mood. In Louise's case, the first obvious problem is physical ‒ weight gain. Does this mean she'll start working out more? Change her eating habits or start a new diet? Or perhaps start Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss? Read on to find out.
Stage 2 – Research
Louise suspects her weight gain has to do with hormonal changes and starts her investigation by googling "how to stop weight gain in Menopause?" She's not keen on going to the doctor, taking medication, or signing up for the gym. While doing her research, she comes across many suggestions, from leaving out Carbohydrates to High-Intensity Interval Training to Hormone Therapy. Nothing speaks to her until she comes across one specific article that is not only about weight loss but also highlights the struggles of Mums in Menopause.
Who are you apart from being a Mother and wife?
Is your mommy's brain finally unplugging?
Are you still responsible for everyone's every need?
+50 You look back and wonder: Was that it?
Louise finds this incredibly interesting and subscribes to the author's Newsletter. Her name is Brooke, and she's a Clinical Hypnotherapist. Upon subscription, she'll receive an email every week. The first six emails cover the following topics:
Now Drama – 3 simply ways to handle your anger outbreaks
5 Superfoods and how to naturally stop Weight gain in Menopause
How do Mums best deal with an Empty Nest in Menopause?
Are you meant to divorce in your 50s, or is there still hope?
Can you survive Menopause without medication? Try this
See how Clinical Hypnotherapy helps you manage Midlife
Key Learnings
Brooke facilitates the educational process on how Menopause can affect your life and what you can do about it. Her content is exclusively addressed at Mums in Menopause.
Conclusion
Your ideal client is someone in a place looking for change but not yet ready to book your services. It's beneficial to reach them at this point, as you can guide them from the very start of their user journey and be there when they need you the most. Louise reaches a critical point in her life Louise is starting to have more and more fights with her husband. She is focusing too much on what he is doing wrong. Her children are gone, and now Louise fears losing him too. She reopens Brooke's last Email and clicks on the booking link at the bottom, which forwards her to Brooke's web page.
Stage 3 – Ready to book
Louise learns more about Brooke's approach, what the Hypnotherapy sessions with her entail, and how to book the appointment. Before booking, she reeds all the testimonials provided, discovering incredible similarities to her own story. Although she hasn't met Brooke yet, or ever spoken to her, she trusts her expertise. Prior, Louise even had a few misconceptions about Hypnosis, but Brooke cleared those up in the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). She is also intrigued by trying something new and natural, as she is not keen on taking medication or dwelling on her issues for months in Psychotherapy or Couples Therapy. Louise is ready to take action.
Key Learnings
The Weight gain issue is simply an entrance point for Hypnotherapy in Menopause. It could have been anything from increased anxiety, anger management, hot flashes, insomnia, relationships and so on. Which one you choose to get started depends on your Expertise. The solution (to book a session with Brooke) is NOT immediately introduced but when most needed within the user journey. Let's sum it up
Know your ideal client(Awareness Phase)
Be extremely helpful (Research Phase)
Let them come to you (Ready-to-Book Phase)
Once a prospect turns into a client, they've gone through the entire user journey, from awareness to research to ready-to-book. When they're ready to take action, you will be their number one choice as you have already given them so much value. You have become a trusted source and established yourself as the go-to expert in their mind. Is there a shortcut?
Yes, you can also create a landing page and bid in Google Ads for
Hypnosis for Menopause (average $ 2.45 per click)
Hypnotherapy for Menopause (average $ 1.83 per click)
This works too but will be more expensive long term if you don't have a client magnet for Email subscriptions. Usually, only 1-2 % of users will book directly. The other 98% will most likely leave your web page and visit another. And this is when Email Marketing comes in. Instead of getting one-time visitors, you gain further access to your audience.
Top Tip: You can still go for the shortcut if you live in a big enough town and advertise locally. It allows you to optimize for phone calls and get in-person sessions.
Keep this in mind
Menopause is a big topic to cover as it includes various issues. But how will you create a lead magnet for your Newsletter? How can you be compassionate and helpful if you don't have access to the people you can help the most?
You can't address everyone or every possibility at once. Instead, you focus on the exact problem your website visitor is looking to solve. And before you know it, you're part of their unique journey.
PS: Are you interested in in learning more about Niche Marketing? Then you might enjoy reading this free case study.
PPS: If you're interested in a free and comprehensive Hypnotherapy Marketing Guide ‒ click here.
Sibora Halili, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sibora Halili (short: Sibi) is a Hypnotherapy Marketing Expert. She first discovered Hypnotherapy from a client's perspective when she transitioned into motherhood. Experiencing the power of Hypnosis firsthand was a game-changer for Sibi. Now she helps Hypnotherapists find a profitable Hypnotherapy Niche. There is a lot of Myth and Misconception around Hypnosis. Sibi designs unique positioning strategies to overcome them. While everyone else jumps on Social Media, she focuses on Google Power Search. She helps Hypnotherapists reach untapped client pools and secure long-term business success. Sibi has a Master's in Digital Media Technologies and founded the Seabee Design Studio in 2015. Also, she's been teaching at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences. Her story began in Vlorë, Albania. When Sibi was a toddler, her artistic family moved to Austria. Later, she lived in Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Norway. Today she's settled in the Austrian Alps with her family. Being multicultural, she loves working with clients worldwide.
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