ATMS SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT

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Emily Banks

Ahead of the ATMS Accelerate your Practice Seminar + AGM we had the chance to do a Q&A with Emily Banks, who will host ‘Building Marketing Funnels for your Practice’. As the founder of Verve Natural Health and Prac2Pro, Emily is a Naturopath and innovative entrepreneur.

ATMS – Speaker Questionnaire

How did you get into your area of expertise and why do you stay?

After starting my own business, I naturally started to educate myself about marketing and advertising, so that I could make my business work. It seemed like a very important part of success – but a part that no one was really talking about. I developed many systems and processes to bring a better flow to the running of my business and my clinical work as a Naturopath.

One of my innovations was a health assessment tool. I didn’t know how valuable it was until I started talking about how I used it with other Naturopaths! I developed it into multi-use software and stepped into sharing my passion and knowledge for marketing and advertising with other practitioners (alongside continuing to run my multi-modality clinic and consult). I haven’t looked back because unless we collectively become more intelligent about our business and marketing skills, then Naturopaths won’t have the other tools they need to be successful, and I’m very passionate about Naturopaths being as successful as possible – not only for our profession, but for all those that we serve.

What has been the main focus or outcomes of your research/work over the past year?

I am always furthering my clinical skills, and a large focus this year has been in expanding the application of herbs in my clinic and integrating more mindset and emotional techniques to help people overcome psychological and emotional blocks to healing and long-term change. I have also been fascinated by ecogenetics and biotypology, and how these genetic and environmental factors can change how I treat my patients.

How has your field changed in the past 5 years? What new areas are emerging?

Things change quite quickly in the marketing and advertising industry, even in the short space of a year. Marketing and advertising are evolving to be a more personalised experience, which means that we, as business owners, need to be even more attuned with the soul message of our business and brand, because this is what people buy into nowadays. Consumers are no longer buying products; they are buying emotional connections.

What do you predict will happen in the next 5 to 10 years in your particular field?

In the next decade I think advertising will be an entirely different experience and will be largely influenced by artificial intelligence.

In the last decade, our search engines have become more aligned towards our own biases, and I think in the decade to come, this will continue so that the world around us is reflective of only the things we enjoy. Everything that doesn’t resonate with us will be filtered out of our experience. Whether this is positive or not is an entirely different discussion! Given how much money is put into neuro-emotional marketing techniques at present, it will be interesting to see how the conditioning of brand loyalty amongst consumers may change, and what values the new-age consumers will bring to marketplace. It’s promising to see how much demand there is for sustainability and earth-friendly alternatives in the younger generations.

What is the number one way we, as natural medicine practitioners, can make a difference for our clients?

The most important thing we can do for our clients, in my opinion, is to spark hope, and to be fluid in how we provide this to the person in front of us; whether that be through education, emotion, motivational techniques, or simply active listening. Sustainable change is only possible when fuelled by love and hope, and I think if we can provide this for our clients, half the battle is already won.

What’s the questions you get asked the most often in your field, and how do you answer it?

Do I need a website? If you want to be found online, then yes. If you think people aren’t searching for you online, think again!

Where do I start with marketing? Wherever you feel inspired. The answer is not the same for everyone, it depends on the people you want to treat and where they hang out. How can you get in front of them and inspire them? Start there. Start with one thing, build it into your routine, and then expand. Don’t try to do everything at once. Master one platform before taking on another.

How do I make sure my marketing isn’t lost amongst everyone else’s? Be genuine and authentic in what you say, and you will attract people who resonate with you, want to learn from you, and be helped by you. Don’t be scared to be controversial or to do something differently. So many people don’t publish their true opinions because they are worried about backlash… when, it could be the defining thing that makes someone feel that you are their person and you get them! Don’t focus on people who aren’t liking what you’re putting out. Good marketing inspires strong emotion, and strong emotions aren’t always positive… but inspiring a reaction is always a win.

Fun Fact for the Readers: Tell us who inspires you / or who your professional idol is and why?

Personally, I am inspired by people who dare to live their lives differently. These range from people I’ve never met, like Freddy Mercury and Elon Musk, to people I meet regularly, like entrepreneurs! Anyone who has the courage to boldly be a circle in a world that prefers people to be squares inspires me, because it reminds all the rest of us circles that it’s a beautiful thing to be different.

Professionally, I am inspired by those that have accumulated the wisdom of the ancients and melded it with the understanding of modern science. These include the likes of Matthew Wood, Dorothy Hall, and, most significantly, Dr Alberto Garoli.