Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard it all before, right?
“I don’t have time to work out.”
“I don’t have time to eat right.”
“I can’t worry about that right now – I’ve already got too much to do.”
Here’s the problem: your health club, yoga studio or wellness center’s marketing won’t even register with people who are thinking like this.
So to get their attention, help them tackle what they see as the real problem:
“No time? Let’s fix that!”
Try this: Offer a free “tech cleanse seminar” or “tech detox.”
How it works: participants unplug from all computerized leisure/non-essential activities for one week, two weeks or even a month.
That includes non-work email, instant messaging/chat, Twitter and Facebook, DVDs, computer games, Wii and Playstation, and smartphone apps.
The payoff: It’s amazing how much time it frees up – and how often it leads to personal reflection and new priorities. Like losing weight, eating right, de-stressing…taking care of yourself. Now their eyes and ears are open – and they may be ready to think seriously about your wellness programs and services.
If you’re familiar with our stages-of-change wellness marketing model, you’ve moved them from pre-contemplation or contemplation to the preparation stage.
Implementation tips
- Consider partnering with a counselor, wellness coach or life coach in your network.
- Use a two-meeting approach for a week-long cleanse
- The initial meeting kicks off the week-long tech detox.
- The second, wrap-up meeting’s a follow-up where people discuss how it went and what they learned.
- In the wrap-up session, make sure you help each participant plan a “next step” for how they’ll invest this newly-discovered free time.
- You can also host one or two 30–minute videocall or teleconference during the detox for support, encouragement and problem-solving.
- Hold additional support meetings or teleconferences if you host a longer cleanse
- Spread the word – this is a timely topic that can create a PR opportunity with local media.
