Are you an online nutrition coach wondering if you need a big presence on social media to be successful? The short answer is: it depends. People have had major success in the past and are currently still successful with their nutrition coaching business without a large presence on social media. However, times certainly change. To use social media nowadays can make the road to a successful online nutrition business easier. It helps you reach a large group of people in a short amount of time. You can also reach people in places you would otherwise be unable to due to your geographic location.
Before we dig a little deeper into this topic, allow me to introduce myself!
My name is Tony Stephan, and I’m a dietitian business coach. I help RDs make more IMPACT and more INCOME through nutrition coaching. Before becoming a dietitian business coach, I was a dietitian nutrition coach. I served thousands of nutrition coaching clients over a time span of 12 years. My successful nutrition coaching business is what led me to where I am today. Now, let’s review some ways YOU can utilize social media to have a thriving online nutrition business!
Why Use Social Media As A Nutrition Coach?
Marketing your business on social media takes time, effort, and consistency to be effective and not everyone has the patience to learn the ins and outs of social media marketing.
Having a presence on social media is fantastic, but you don’t want to be sharing information and tips just for the heck of it. You need to have some sort of a system in place. You want to connect with your followers in a way that helps them get to know, like, and trust you.
What Platforms Work Best?
Assuming you do want to use social media to build your business, choosing two platforms and sticking with those for a while is suggested. Otherwise it can get overwhelming rather quickly!
At this time, social media video sharing platforms like Instagram and TikTok are at the top of the popularity list. However, this doesn’t mean you MUST be active on both. You may want to pick one of those, then utilize the power of Facebook Groups or Communities to help move potential clients along your funnel.
What Should I Be Posting?
Remember how I mentioned you want to get people to know, like, and trust you? Well, here are some ways to help people feel like they know you:
- Post about your day or what you’ve been up to
- Share your meal or snack ideas to help inspire others
- Share your thoughts on trending topics related to health, nutrition and fitness
- Share grocery store hauls or what you just bought at the store
- Show your face (not everything has to be educational graphics!)
People will like you if you show up authentically. The more authentic you can show up on social media, the better! If you like cracking jokes, make silly TikTok videos that can be used as “info-tainment” or “edu-tainment”. If you like to dance, try that as well!
People will start to trust you the more consistent and reliable you are with the content you share. Imagine if you only posted 4-5 times a month. Then you try sliding into peoples’ DMs asking if they’re interested in working with you. How do you think that would end? Probably not well.
The Takeaway
Social media can be extremely useful as an online nutrition coach. The goal is to get people to know, like, and trust you by posting valuable, purposeful, and shareable content. Here is another great blog post on social media tips for online coaches. And remember: consistency and value are key!
If you do not want a social media presence and still want to build your business, it is possible. But it will require you to get your feet wet and actually get out there to attend workshops, conferences, networking events, and more. As an entrepreneur, consistency is key! So you will have to get out there on a regular basis.
After reading through this post, send me an email at tony@tonystephandietitian.com. Seriously — I WANT to hear from you! Tell me this: Do you enjoy using social media as an online nutrition coach? Why or why not?
If you’re a dietitian looking to start your own nutrition coaching business, you’re in the right place. I’m proud to be a part of the movement of dietitian entrepreneurs who are making more IMPACT and more INCOME! Check out some of our free resources below!
