Risk Management Mindfulness: Conduct a Marketing Self-Audit

Your online presence remains an important part of your marketing practices and a resource you want to leverage. Keeping in mind that you want to promote your services, yet not misinform, you need to sustain a balance of informative content and compliance with your marketing efforts. The Federal Trade Commission habitually monitors digital media and you want to make sure that you keep within the confines of compliant language. You do not want to be held accountable for using any verbiage that is unique to a licensed medical professional.

Build Credibility

While you might feel constrained by energy medicine’s marketing limitations, this should not deter you from promoting your practice. Successful marketing has more to do with frequency and visibility than clever wording. Conducting an audit of your online presence is a good approach to apply especially if you haven’t reviewed your content since you launched your website or posted your social media content. Before starting your marketing assessment, create a step-by-step process so the audit is methodical. To help you get started, the chart below offers some prompts.

Another effective way to plan and track your promotional efforts is with a marketing calendar. HubSpot (available online at hubspot.com) offers an excellent variety of resources that you could use to help you to promote your practice. Also keep informed about advances in the energy medicine field. If you come across news about energy medicine’s effectiveness or discoveries, announce the findings. It will add to your credibility.

Keep in mind it isn’t so much what you say about your practice, but how often you communicate your message. Remain focused on the purpose of your business of helping others. In marketing your practice, stay within compliance boundaries, and you will be viewed as an ethical professional.

Risk Management
Marketing Self-Audit

Services
- Title Avoid medical reference (therapist, M.D.)
- Description of services Avoid reference to physical or psychological disorders such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes, anxiety or depression
- Email communications Avoid using medical terminology and promises about treatment, cures and healing
- Disclaimer Set up a template at the bottom of your email along with your signature

Website
- Disclaimer Get wording from a reputable source
- Forbidden words Review to remove any forbidden words
- Description of services Avoid medical terminology and ensure compliance
- Description of treatments Avoid promising cures or health changes

Online/Social Media
- Disclaimer Get wording from a reputable source
- Forbidden words Review to remove any forbidden words
- Medical terminology Avoid medical terminology and medical advice