Showing up online in itself isn’t easy. When you’re ready to take that leap of faith into private practice, branding is the key to your answers. To be the best nutritionist online, you have to have confidence. Confidence comes from identifying how and why you connect with your audience emotionally. In this blogpost, we’re reviewing how you can leverage branding to show up better online for you and your target client.
What Does It Take to be the Best Nutritionist Online?
Obviously this entire blog post can be subjective – we all measure “best” in different ways. So, take this with a grain of salt. We recognize we are writing this blog post from our perspective and what we see from clinicians alike.
There are multiple facets that make up you being the “best” nutritionist online. Consider your referral rate, education, online presence, connections, offerings or visual identity. Let’s review all of the criteria it takes to be considered the best nutritionist online.
Share Your Education & Experience as a Nutritionist Online
Just yesterday, I had a discovery call with a psychotherapist who is brand new into private practice. On our discovery call, I asked about her practice name, ideal client or overarching goals she had of working with our design studio.
One of the main points she made, was being unsure of her practice name. She recognized that most clinicians use their name as their brand – but wanted our opinion as to if this was the most strategic way to go about it.
Our answer in short – yes.
Your credentials as a clinician are what differentiates you from the “wellness professionals” or “influencers” who act as an online influence in your area of expertise. But, let’s face it – you didn’t go to all of that schooling for nothing.
To be the best nutritionist online, you have to have the credentials.
Whether you are a dietitian or nutritionist, the real difference here is key. To be the best dietitian, I truly believe that having those credentials behind your name is vital.
Most individuals actually don’t know the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian. If you are one of those people, let me explain:
This graphic from yourlatinanutrition.com explains it so well – in short, anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist”. A dietitian, on the other hand, has obtained credentials (RD, RDN) via a bachelor’s or masters and a dietetic internship. Registered Dietitians are also licensed to give nutritional therapy counseling and provide suggestions accordingly.
In summary, to have confidence: show off those credentials 🤗
Pick A Niche or Specialty That’s Marketable in the Online Nutritionist Space
Niching is something that is very controversial in the entrepreneurial world. Check out this post we have on niching and why we are so for niching down! It’s truly changed the trajectory of our studio.
For the purpose of this post, in order to show up as the best nutritionist online, we believe you should have a clear specialty (or niche) that’s marketable.
Note that I said marketable. Picking your niche cannot just be a personal preference or something you enjoy – even though this is a big part of it. There comes a lot of research into picking a niche or specialty that is right for your online practice.
Research who the best online nutritionist’s market to.
We never want to replicate someone’s business, but there is a beauty into gathering data and insights from around us to see what’s working and what’s not.
This is why in our intake questionnaire we ask our clients to list out 3-5 competitors and explain what they are doing well at and not so well at – purely market research.
Anyway, research some of your favorite nutritionist’s and see who they market to – is it just women? Is it diabetes in men? Is it women aged 50+ who struggle with heart conditions?
At this point, consider researching areas of specialty that you think you might like to participate in. However, in doing so, take note of how many competitiors you might have in that area and how well those individuals are doing.
Most of the time, successful practices come to fruition because the business owner was smart about when / where / how they entered into their specialty.
Establish an online presence via social media and website immediately.
Something that most successful nutritionists (and other clinicians alike) have in common is an established social presence with another end-point of contact in mind.
Usually, that end point being a website or an email list. In our case, we’d recommend going the website route.
Why is having a website important to be the best nutritionist online?
Being a website designer for dietitians and therapists, we’re a bit biased but we truthfully believe that having a website is crucial to any nutritionist online.
Having a website allows you to:
- Reach a different audience
- Expand your organic reach
- Grow passively
Honestly, sometimes the best dietitians out there have websites that aren’t anything special 😅 – BUT, they do have something up and running, which is the most important!
Craft a brand that’s not just pretty – make it functional.
If you are like me, you want to make sure that everytime you spend money, it’s for a purpose and has some sort of return on investment.
Branding, website design and copywriting services are one of the largest industries for return on your investment. Having a clear-cut marketing plan starts with your branding, and we’ll explain why.
Every business decision you make will stem from the basis that you uncover in the branding process:
- Values
- Tone
- Brand messaging
- Target audience
- Design style and preferences
- Industry standards
- Consistency
But what’s the most misunderstood thing about branding is that it’s just something you “like”. In the real world, our preferences of style (as in – fashion) changes every few years. The same will go for your branding.
One day you’ll love it, the other you won’t – IF you base it just on looks.
If you base it on strategy, you are guaranteed to be one of the best nutritionist online. Why? Because you’ll have confidence that as your brand awareness increases, the more your audience will resonate with what you are pushing out.
When they resonate with your content, the buying process becomes a given.
Create an individualized approach that only you can provide.
This point might come at a later time in your practice, but I know that all best nutritionist online have an approach that is specific to them.
Take Laura Schoenfeld’s Nutrition Business Accelerator. Laura is a very well-known business coach for the best nutritionist’s online – and she’s recognized that way because of her unique approach programs, like her accelerator.
Having a program, group or offering that you can only get from you is key – yes, others might be able to replicate the “idea” of your offering, but if you create something within your offering that they cannot get elsewhere, it creates urgency.
To create your individualized approach, look at the things others’ tell you they come to you for. From there, craft a marketing plan and offering around it. BOOM. Value.
Leverage other referral’s from nutritionist online.
Friends, referrals referrals referrals!
Usually when you are new in practice, referrals will be your best friend. This is because another practitioner might find that a client isn’t suited for their speciality, so they send them your way because you are a better fit.
This is so great 🙌🏻 However, as you grow, you want to continue leveraging those referrals from other clinicians.
Maybe you partner with a therapist who can provide additional support to your eating disorder clients.
Or, maybe you partner with a local chiropractic studio to provide nutrition education for healthier bones.
There are so many ways to leverage your connections, but I would never stop reaching out and making friends in your network! You never know when you might need them.
That’s A Wrap!
There are numerous ways to become the best version of yourself while diving into private practice. By reviewing these 6 tips, we know that the confidence you have will only grow into other aspects of your business.
Either way – our team is always here to support every clinician alike!
When you are ready to hire a professional to outsource your branding, website or SEO work, consider reviewing our services or joining our email newsletter to see if we are a good fit for you.
