The 5 Most Common Website Mistakes that Acupuncturists Make
It’s not easy to translate the magic you do in the clinic to digestible, yet satisfying bits of information for the general public. In fact, a lot of our work as acupuncturists doesn’t really fit into a nice, clean job description. Sometimes words just don’t do it justice.
But there are ways to use words and content to at least start the discussion. Your website has the ability to move people to action and make that first appointment.
Let’s tackle some of the ways we’re doing it wrong so we can do it right.
The Top 5 Acupuncture Marketing Mistakes
1. You want to share ALL the amazing information you know, which turns value into overwhelm.
You spent 3-4 years in acupuncture school (and countless hours since) wrapping your head around the intricacies of Chinese medicine. You’ve discovered (through these endless intricacies) that Chinese medicine is kind of amazing. You want to tell the world! And you want to tell them why. These are good intentions and work well sometimes, but they’re often poorly executed. Too much information about too many topics feels like a lack of confidence. Worse, feeling overwhelmed motivates people to leave your site. Your website is the digital face of you and your practice, not the entire potential of Chinese medicine (phew!).
2. You want to sound professional but end up with "textbook" information with little emotional pull.
It’s quite likely that someone interested in acupuncture for endometriosis already knows what endometriosis is. They don’t need a full run-down of signs and symptoms, and they certainly don’t need to be bombarded with a brand new set of strange-sounding TCM diagnoses from the get-go. What they need to know is how you specifically can help. Have you worked with endometriosis? What symptoms can you alleviate? What’s a treatment with you like? Do you have a plan? Is there hope for me? Connect on this level and let WebMD do the rest.
3. You’re great with patients in the clinic, but don't know how to connect on the web.
Acupuncturists who haven’t pinned down what they really do in the clinic tend to stick to the nuts-and-bolts basic pages: What is acupuncture? What is cupping? That’s fine, but it doesn’t tell your visitors why they should book a visit with you. And it certainly doesn’t reach your ideal audience (turns out, few people are googling “what is tui na” when looking for back pain relief in Ann Arbor. Go figure). Rewire your website to educate patients, not to summarize your techniques. This takes a bit of psychology and planning, but it does wonders for your web presence and serves your community better in the end.
4. Your content is written for the acupuncture student, not the average person.
Chinese medicine is one of the most interesting, captivating medical traditions out there — to acupuncturists. Sure, there are the occasional star patients who want to dig in deeper and learn the nuances of Chinese medicine, but the average person visiting your site for the first time has no business reading about “counterflow qi.” These people are going out on a limb, trying something new and foreign that involves a needle-wielding stranger. Save these ideas for the clinic room (if you dare) and focus your website content on establishing trust.
5. You don't like writing, so you leave your site too simple with unanswered questions.
There’s a happy medium between bare-bones and word-vomit. Let’s call it effective simplicity. These days, we are bombarded with too much information, so there’s something to be said for a simple, straight-to-the-point website. But we still need to give enough to create that mutual connection between our words and our patients’ minds. They’ve come with questions, you have to provide the answers.
Here’s the Fix…
Clear Navigation
Set yourself up for success with focused pages that position you as the clear answer to a problem.
Your landing pages, site navigation, and content need to be crystal clear to someone who is looking for a few simple things: someone they can trust, a solution, and a way to get in touch.
Smart Ideas
Enhance your website with consistent blogs that are written to interest a patient, not a practitioner.
Blogs are an amazing way to communicate the wonders of acupuncture with your current and future clients, but give information in small, specific doses. Teach your patients in a way they can understand and feel intrigued — not totally overwhelmed and skeptical. Low on content? Start here.
A Polished Finish
Put the finishing touches on your website with a thorough website review and edit.
A pristine and professional reading site can only help you build trust as a healthcare practitioner. Errors, poor layout, or unclear information will have your audience shopping around. How clear is your site?
A better acupuncture website not only improves your practice, it helps all acupuncturists. The better we represent Chinese medicine and holistic medicine, the more trust we will build as a whole.
