Building Community Despite Social Distancing
We are all in this COVID-19 pandemic together, even as we purposefully spend time apart.
Across the world, people are doing their best to connect while apart. Italians are singing to each other from their balconies, Spanish are playing musical duets, French are dancing to old musicals. And they’re all applauding the health care workers.
Social distancing done right can have a profound impact on flattening the curve of growth of COVID-19 cases. And at the same time, it means that we need to radically change the way we interact with each other.
As a health coach, there are many ways you can still build community and stay connected, even as you hunker down in your home office.
Connect with your colleagues regularly for support
It can feel lonely if you work solo in your health practice, and even more so if you’re practicing social distancing. Having a virtual support network of fellow health coaches or health practitioners can help.
Supporting each other through business challenges and cheering each other on can boost your morale and reduce your stress.
Sharing your wins and celebrating successes helps you improve how you support existing clients and gives you new ideas for attracting new clients.
Here’s how to create your own virtual mastermind / accountability group:
- Choose anywhere from 4 to 8 health coaches or practitioners – smaller groups tend to work better
- Create a regular schedule of meetings or check-ins – once a week or biweekly
- Start a private Facebook support group or meet on Zoom
- Set daily and weekly goals for your practice
- Check in with your group about your progress
Build community by connecting with existing clients
If you have been working with existing clients, now is a great time to reach out to all of them. You can send a broadcast email to simply check in with all of them, asking them how they are faring through this challenging time.
If you have clients that you worked with in the past, now is a good time to simply reach out and let them know that you’re thinking about them.
And if you have a specific offer that supports immunity, let them know about it.
Don’t have an immunity offering?
You can use one of the done-for-you nutrition plans in MBODY360 that supports overall wellness and immune health, such as the 28-Day Clean Eating Challenge or Mediterranean Plan.
Attract new clients with special broadcasts
People are working from home, becoming stand-in teachers for their children, finding ways to entertain their kids, or looking for ways to improve their health or simply distract themselves.
As a result, internet traffic is at all-time high levels.
Now is the perfect time to ramp up your online communications through social media. You can use Facebook Live, record videos and post to YouTube or Instagram Stories, or write more blog posts on your own site or on Medium. Share your media through all your social channels.
You could also attract new clients with a short, online challenge in a Facebook group. Offer the app for free for a 7-day Food Diary Challenge or a 14-Day Clean Eating Challenge.
After the challenge ends, you can offer 1-on-1 coaching or a group program to those who are excited about the progress they made in the free program.
Social distancing is a temporary condition that feels like it will go on forever.
It is also an opportunity to take advantage of the online tools you have available to grow your health coaching business in ways you may not have ever imagined.