In previous blogs we’ve looked at marketing methods to bring your services to the attention of your target market, ranging from leaflet campaigns to mutual referral networks. In this blog we’re going to examine the value of providing learning material through seminars and web seminars or ‘webinars’.
In previous blogs we have looked at understanding and defining who your ideal clients would be, we have looked at setting SMART goals, and we’ve touched on the benefits offered by technology. In this blog, we’ll be putting that knowledge to work in creating your first marketing plan.
In the last blog, we touched briefly on planning, and you will have heard the saying that ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’. At this stage, it’s important to remember that a plan isn’t meant to be a prediction of exactly what must happen in the future. Plans need to be flexible, and you must be ready to change and amend your plans as circumstances change.
Body positivity means having a healthy body image, and not falling prey to the societal norms and ideals that can lead to negative self-image and a lack of self-esteem. We all compare ourselves to others and assume the grass is greener on the other side.
Agoraphobia is a fear that effects many people, and it does so in numerous and various ways. For some it may mean avoiding large open spaces, for others it may mean avoiding crowded places. It isn’t uncommon for people to also have claustrophobia, compounding the problem.
Coping with the first day at a new educational establishment can be a very daunting and stressful experience for some. Not knowing any of the other students, worrying about the difficulty of the work, if you are up to the right standard, and not knowing where anything is or where to go, are just some of the things you may be thinking.
Running a small business by yourself is a challenge, and sometimes there just isn’t the time or the opportunity to do all the things you need. One of the most time-consuming parts of getting your business off the ground is marketing your services. We’ve already covered some basic marketing exercises, how to plan your marketing, how to choose a message that works and how to get your message in front of potential customers through blogs and social media.
As we’ve progressed through this series of blogs, you’ve found out about identifying and characterising your customers, how and why you need to plan, and how to use technology to your advantage. Your next step is to decide how you are going to stand out from other hypnotherapy practitioners.
Claustrophobia is one of the most common situational phobias with as many as 5% of people suffering from this fear of small and enclosed spaces like lifts, closets, caves and aircrafts. It’s more common in people with a tendency towards anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and often seems to be a result of an earlier traumatic experience that featured an enclosed space. It has also been suggested that it could be an evolutionary mechanism that may have had benefits for early hominids.
Routes to a career in hypnotherapy are wide and varied, but I know many who've come to the profession that have done so through a personal experience – either having experienced the positive power of hypnotherapy themselves, or seeing it work on someone they know.
Flying is something that can make around one in ten people people nervous and anxious to varying degrees. It can stem from many causes such as claustrophobia, a fear of heights or seeing news reports about incidents involving planes, even though it remains the safest mode of transport.
For people who enjoy getting out in the open air, there is little that can beat the simplicity of a bike ride. Yet the sense of freedom enjoyed by cyclists is not something Pete Smith would have imagined before he took control of his weight, using only the power of his mind.
Every business, including yours, should have a website - at the very least a place where general audiences can find out your telephone number and the specific services that you offer. A website is a great way to bring your company to the attention of new customers, but you need something on your website to draw in the right kind of customer whose needs coincide with your specialisms.
Starting out as a hypnotherapy practitioner may seem daunting and at times, quite a lonely prospect, but there’s a good deal of support and help to be had if you know where to look for it. We are fortunate to be living through a digital revolution in business at the moment, and every day new tools, facilities and information come online to help you make a success out of your practice.
Whether you need to call a taxi, find Jupiter in the night sky or find out the name of the tune playing on the radio, there will be a mobile phone app that can do it for you. Even hypnotherapy has gone mobile with dozens of apps that promise to help you lose weight, featuring pre-recorded “hypnotherapy” sessions.
Now in its fifth year, Stoptober is back and having started on October 1st, is now fully underway. This 28-day stop smoking challenge aims to encourage as many as possible of the nation's 7 million smokers to quit. Thanks to increased innovation, research and funding, there is now an even greater range of products and services to make it easier for smokers to stop.
We all have them. Whether harmless yet irritating niggles like nail biting or swearing, or more serious afflictions like smoking and over eating, bad habits affect everyone. And if you've been doing it for a while, you're unwanted obsession is not going to be easy to shift. But fear not, there's hope.
August...one of the most dreaded summer months in the school holiday calendar. Students all over the UK will be wondering if they have made it into the next stage of their education, whether it be sixth form, college or University.
© Sheila Granger 2023.