Overcoming Your Fear of Social Media to Build a New Chiropractic Office

Social media comes with many caveats, mental health issues was one of mine…it doesn’t help when you want to start a brand new (brick and mortar) business…during the middle of a pandemic where digital marketing is the only way to reach all those patients held up in their homes with 6 months worth of food and toilet roll.

Here’s my story of;  how I got here, what it took to break the wall, and working with someone you trust to grow your business authentically in the digital world.

How did I get here?- Fear of judgment, failure & overwhelm

I’ve been struggling with social media for years. I always felt like it was a world I never wanted to be in, and that I lacked the understanding of how to use it effectively. When we first started planning my new office years ago I knew I could bank on what I think is my best skill, talking to people face to face. The present-day is March 15th, 2020 and I just got let go from my job COVID-19 had me fearing what this might mean if I go back to my Plan A and open my NUCCA Chiropractic office – the unknown of social media is scary, even more so for me is putting myself out there for others to judge.

‘You’re so brave!’ my girlfriend at the time would tell me. I didn’t feel that way at all, but she meant well. Sure, it was nice to see people with the same experiences as you showing their successes, having perfectly taken videos and photos, all of it being posted without fear of judgment on social media.

I know I should have been more grateful for her words of encouragement rather than feeling anxious about everything being in plain sight all the time- but it can’t be helped sometimes when we look back and remember just how much our childhoods changed overnight when social media and endless scrolling became the norm.

If you’re asking why am I telling you all of this?

You are one of the lucky ones! I have met many people over the years who have cracked under the IG spotlight and highlight reels who are either keeping up appearances or like me feel like an imposter.

Anyways…

I opened my doors in October 2020 after a lot of struggle (definitely a story for another time) and nothing was going to stop me, I was brand new to San Diego, Ca having never lived here I knew no one!… I was also stuck in my lease so commuted 81 miles one way from Riverside, Ca to San Diego, Ca 5/6 days a week

Yup, you guessed it!

I either was extremely stupid or very trusting in my skills- enter the wise teachings of Dennis Yu this social media expert whom I heard on stage at an exclusive event for entrepreneurs.

I didn’t know who he was, to be honest, he wasn’t the headliner but he gave the most tangible information and advice of them all. He even made a lot of the audience get uncomfortable and come up in front of 500+ people and record live videos on their WHY

Dennis said social media is a numbers game and how many people you reach and how you target them based on a simple testing strategy of “$1 a day” this was just the starting point to begin my branding, content wheel, and target audience creation.

All this information was good but extremely overwhelming, as a one-man army with a tight budget hiring and outsourcing was a no-go at the time, coupled with the mental blocks it didn’t help. So much to do! I put it off and didn’t make a post on any platform for 10 months!

In this one aspect, my business was like an anemic person, tired all the time functioning but barely because the blood (patients in this case) that is supposed to be oxygen and iron-rich to keep us thriving are far and few in between.

Even with my above-average resume, I was feeling like an imposter and not putting myself out there to fulfill my dream of building a healthier community, to be a resource to them.

A year on from when I saw Dennis live for the first time and many conversations and hours listening to the genius behind Content Factory I finally had the budget to work with him not for long but enough that just maybe if he is right I will be able to generate enough to keep on working with him.

What you should be asking is what switched for me to be able to comfortable to begin posting, executing..etc

I had listened to many people and professionals but Dennis’s humility and approach to his craft was the example I needed to see…

• Being authentic in your posts and who you are
• Dealing with the haters by not dealing with them, letting his work speak for itself
• Viewing the numbers like they are supposed to be viewed- A post with few likes and shares..etc is not a big deal keep testing
• Finding the right formula and confidence through repetition-Create another and another until you get the hang of it

So then one day, things changed; they shifted a little bit from impossible to possible I hired an agency that specializes in marketing online strategies for chiropractic offices. Suddenly, all those fears became smaller as they explained and showed me their strategy! We now have an account with them and are up and running on all forms of social media: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, TikTok, Instagram.

I am now in charge of how my practice is portrayed to the world! I can post pictures and content with confidence – knowing that what we are putting out there!

In all honesty, a few posts have been perfect while others were not. But everything has fallen into place as I’ve learned more about marketing myself and sharing the knowledge that I spent many years gaining to be an expert in my field

The change has been profound – not only are we now number one in our area but it also helped us find the patients who resonated with the specialty services we offer in the office.

My name is Dr. Vivek Soham founder, and CEO of Nimbus Brain & Spine in San Diego, Ca, and Dennis helped me to reach my community better.