What to Do When Social Media Isn’t Filling Your Practice

Going viral is not the end goal.

Yes, social media can be a helpful tool in the marketing toolbox, but it was never meant to be the only tool.

And for holistic health and wellness practitioners…

It absolutely should NOT be consuming 90% of your marketing efforts.

If you’re pouring your time and energy into Instagram or another platform and getting nothing in return except for feeling burned out, this post is for you.

The real problem is that you’ve been made to believe that social media is your fast-pass to growing your audience and booking out your practice.

It’s not.

Social media was never designed to do the heavy lifting of attracting and converting clients on its own.

In this post, I’ll walk you through:

• Why it’s a mistake to make social media the sole focus of your marketing
• What to focus on instead if you want more traction and momentum
• Practitioner-friendly tools to simplify your content creation and actually grow your business

Because yes, social media can support your wellness practice.

But only when it’s working within the context of a more complete marketing ecosystem.

Why it’s a mistake to make social media the sole focus of your marketing

Let’s just name it:

Relying on social media as your main marketing strategy is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a wellness practitioner.

Maybe you’ve been told that consistent posting is the secret.

Maybe you think that if you just keep showing up, eventually the right people will find you.

So you post. You try reels. You write thoughtful captions.

You spend hours editing, tweaking, and second-guessing…

But all that effort?

It rarely converts to clients.

Instead, it often leads to:

• Exhaustion from constantly churning out content
• No creative energy left for the parts of your work that actually light you up
• A handful of likes but no real client bookings
• A creeping sense of imposter syndrome
• And eventually… burnout

It’s easy to get caught in the trap because social media feels productive.

But when it becomes your primary strategy, it can quietly drain your time, energy, and motivation—without delivering the traction you actually need.

Social media can keep you stuck

When social media becomes your main marketing channel, you’re building your visibility on shaky ground.

Because:

• You don’t own your audience. Your Instagram followers? They belong to the platform. Not to you. If your account gets hacked, flagged, or shadowbanned, that connection can disappear overnight.
• The algorithm decides who sees your content. You could share your most brilliant, heartfelt post and still have it shown to a tiny fraction of your followers.
• There’s no built-in path to conversion. Even if someone loves your content, there’s often no clear next step that guides them from interested to invested.

And when this is your only strategy, you don’t have a foundation to fall back on.

So when engagement is low or the algorithm shifts, you may be starting from scratch.

This creates a cycle of over-efforting and underperforming.

You're doing everything right and still wondering why your client calendar isn’t full.

What to focus on instead for your marketing

Where you focus your marketing efforts depends on where you are in your business.

If you're still building the foundation, that's your priority.

This is the stage where you want to:

• Create a lead magnet that speaks directly to a core client need
• Set up an opt-in page and welcome email sequence
• Map out a clear funnel and client journey that guides people from curious to paying client
• Optimize your website and messaging so your online presence is clear and compelling

Once those pieces are in place, then you shift your energy toward visibility.

That includes—but is not limited to—social media.

At this point, you're ready to explore:

• Local networking or strategic collaborations
• Guest podcast interviews or speaking at wellness summits
• SEO or blogging to drive organic traffic
• Paid ads to expand your reach
• And social media to stay connected and visible

In this context, social media becomes a supportive part of the whole.

It’s all about the marketing ecosystem

No single marketing strategy can do it all.

Think of your marketing like a living system.

Every part needs to work together to support the whole.

Social media can absolutely be part of that system.

But when it’s your only focus?

The whole thing becomes fragile and unsustainable.

A strong marketing ecosystem includes:

• Clear messaging that reflects your values and speaks to the right people
• A client journey that nurtures and converts leads (even while you sleep)
• Visibility strategies that match your energy and business stage
• And yes, intentional use of social media

The key is knowing what to focus on when.

And giving yourself permission to stop chasing likes and start building something that actually brings clients in the door.

→  Need help with consistent content?
Try Nurture Unleashed® for just $1. You’ll get done-for-you captions, emails, and Canva templates + AI tools to personalize everything quickly and easily. Get the trial offer →  

→  Ready to set up a customized & organized system for content creation?
Grab my free guide, Chat Made Simple. It walks you customize ChatGPT and optimizing it for your wellness practice. Grab it for free →