Writing the content for your massage therapy (or other health & wellness) website can feel pretty daunting. As you might expect, this is something my clients ask me about a lot.
How do you write good content when you aren’t, well, a writer?
It’s understandable! After all, most people are not used to doing a lot of writing. Sure, maybe you wrote some essays in school, or you’re used to doing short updates on social media. But writing for a website? That feels really daunting. Especially since websites are a major marketing tool for your business and practice.
So what’s a non-writer to do?
Well, you could go the road of hiring a content writer to help you with this. That’s a wonderful option if you have it in your budget. They’ll ask you lots of questions about your practice and help you craft great text that attracts great clients.
But what if that’s just not in your budget? If you’re doing a DIY website and need to write your own content, how do you do that in an effective way?
Is cutting and pasting content ok?
I know this is a common way that people get content for their website.
Some folks revert to cutting and pasting text from their regulatory college, certifying body, or association. You end up seeing a lot of bullet-point-lists of ‘things massage therapy can treat’ or ‘reasons to see a personal trainer’ that look pretty much exactly the same on everyone’s website.
Sure, explaining the reasons for seeking massage therapy, or the ways a personal trainer can help you are important. And it’s the same no matter what you do – people should know what you do, how it can help them, and why they should pay you money for your services.
But does cutting and pasting a list really do your business justice?
Of course, the answer is no. You’re not a bullet-point list, you’re an individual with your own style of working, way of interacting with clients, and things you’re really good at. You’re not a cookie-cutter of everyone else in your profession, so why should your website read like you are?
Here’s the right way to craft your massage website content:
Ask your clients for help!
Think about it: if you ask your clients what they like in a website and what content appeals to them, then write your own content based on that (plus your own personal take on things), you’re going to appear a whole lot more attractive to new clients. People are going to relate to what you’ve written because you did your homework and because you’re being more genuine.
Your website is about you, not about your entire profession. So it should sound like you and be attractive to the clients you work best with.
So take a moment and think about which clients you already have that are a great match for you and your business. They’re exactly the kind of client you’re hoping to have more of. Clients that fit a certain demographic or group you want to attract (such as athletes, pregnant women, seniors, or children). Or, clients that fit your way of working, such as those who are interested in doing self care, or those who are interested in following a specific treatment plan. Whatever the group is that you love to work with, ask some of your clients who fit that group some questions about why they chose your practice and what would be attractive to them in a website.
Not sure what to ask? Or, don’t have specific clients you can ask about these things?
Well, I’ve got an entire e-book on crafting great website content that I give to my clients and my mailing list. If you’d like a copy, just sign up below and I’ll send you one. 😊
What’s the next step after doing research?
You might be wondering at this point how you can make effective use of all this research you’ve done. Research is great, but it doesn’t do the writing for you, after all!
Well, once you’ve done your research with your ideal clients, you’ll have a much better idea of what appeals to them, why they booked with you, and what problems they were having that made them look for treatment in the first place. Take that knowledge and your professional experience and use it to write about what it is that you do, why people choose you, and how you can help others with similar needs. Write from the heart and based on your real interactions with people.
That’s far more attractive than a copy and pasted list, and far more likely to connect with the right kinds of clients!
While you’re here: don’t forget to grab a copy of my e-book (it’s totally free!) to help you along with this process by filling out the form above. Happy website creating!
