Could your use of AI be turning new clients away?
We have truly reached the futuristic age of automation. Where once hours of work would be required for creating marketing materials, it can now be done in the blink of an eye – with an ‘AI’ to be precise. And while AI has many benefits for small business owners, it also comes with many problems and not just the ethical and environmental issues. The hard truth for holistic therapists is that AI just isn’t the best tool for marketing if you’re using it verbatim.
So the bad news is, if you are using ChatGPT to write your blog, social media posts or produce marketing material, it may lose you more potential clients than it attracts. That’s because AI is not a substitute for authenticity and genuine energetic connection, which are at the heart of all holistic and healing work.
AI is programmed to act in a predictable way. Its voice is now recognisable because it follows algorithms and formulas designed to produce rhythmical, structured text. As AI use increases, its patterns are becoming more noticeable, even if not yet consciously recognised by all. Our subconscious can pick up subtle clues. Another example of this is that most of us can now quickly detect AI images and videos, no matter how convincing they first appear. We question and doubt the authenticity. Many people don’t yet realise the same process is happening with their text-based social media posts. As complementary therapists we really don’t want clients to be doubting our authenticity do we?
For holistic practitioners marketing themselves online, authenticity, trust and connection really matter. How our posts land with others is important feedback to know and it’s worth requesting feedback from trusted sources, especially if you are someone currently using a lot of Chat GPT generated content. Some potential clients may not yet consciously notice the formulaic, poetic, hyphenated, emotive, emoji-sprinkled paragraphs that are several of the AI tells, (though many will,) but they may still sense a tension and dissonance between the subject and its delivery.
When you give your voice over to AI, you give away your unique selling point – yourself. AI output lacks personal energy, the building blocks of connection. A generic AI image may look pretty and the text may sound polished, but pretty and polished is no substitute for your own imagery, your treatment space and your authentic voice.
One of the hardest challenges some small business owners face is the need to be visible online. Social media can take up a lot of time and can fuel our insecurities, but the truth remains: people connect to people, so some form of visibility is necessary. But potential clients aren’t just seeing what you are offering, they are feeling into it too. Behind your intentions, words and images is the energy you radiate, which has the ability to attract people who are an energetic match.
As everything is an energy exchange, machine-made, carbon-splurging content doesn’t contain your personal energetic imprint, and the response you receive will likely mirror that absence of energetic connection, through the online equivalent to tumbleweed. The result is often the same: a lack of connection, a lack of engagement, and ultimately a lack of attracting new clients.
There are exceptions to this, for those whose social media model is all about creating AI images and memes, for distraction and amusement purposes, but it rarely works when you’re a therapist trying to make authentic connections with people in the real world.
Magnetic marketing principles, a phrase coined in the 1990s, is based on the law of attraction. Using AI verbatim on social media can block this principle because it removes your personal energy from the interaction. AI may generate words that sound right and appear professional, but without your own unique voice and energy, they can sound too polished, formulaic and just not quite ‘right’. AI bots can’t replicate your personality, your friendliness, your own welcoming space, or your years of experience. All these uniquely ‘you’ facets make up your energetic frequency. Clients, whether they are aware of it or not, are seeking connection – to you and the qualities inherent and projected in what you offer.
Using AI text and autogenerated, generic imagery to create your online identity as a holistic therapist, creates a gap between your authentic offering and its presentation. Words like ‘authentic’, ‘heart-led’, ‘soulful’, or ‘resonance’ may appear in your text, yet without your authentic energy behind them, sensitive readers will pick up on this mismatch.
We could liken it to a wholefood restaurant serving microwaved meals – what it delivers doesn’t resonate with its purpose and message.This gap and tension can create a lack of engagement and at worst, result in a lack of confidence and trust in what you offer.
The good news is, you don’t have to abandon AI entirely. If you rely on it for ideas, quick instagram post writing or organising your thoughts, it can still be a useful tool, but you must take the time to infuse it with your own words, your own energy. This does not have to be draining or time-consuming.
Most holistic therapists love what they do. Use that enthusiasm to write about your work yourself, from the heart and share it. If you must use AI, despite the environmental impact, it can provide helpful inspiration, suggestions, spelling and grammar checks, or marketing insights about untapped niches, but your own words and energy must be infused and radiating throughout, clearly and strongly. You can even learn prompts that ask AI to retain your voice, to edit lightly, to organise but not to homogenise.
The online world is constantly changing. Algorithms are unfathomable. Instagram these days feels like a void, and is a shadow of its former self when it comes to user experience. It’s now designed to benefit advertisers and shareholders, not its users. It can still work as a ‘shop window’ for holistic therapists, but originality and authenticity, however unpolished, will always outshine genericism in the long run.
These days your ‘reach’ will likely be more about depth not breadth, but a handful of genuine followers attracted and responding to your authentic words and energy are much more valuable than chasing a purely numbers game.
Remember that polished perfection does not automatically equal professionalism and connection. When the energy of your offerings meets a clear call to action – your what, where, whys and hows – your marketing falls into greater alignment and the magnetic principle is engaged. Give your potential clients something genuine to resonate with and observe how differently they respond.
Jo Bourke
Usui Reiki & Shamanic Reiki Drum Practitioner (master/teacher), Writer, Intuitive Business Mentor & former marketing and communications manager.
Nature-focused, Shamanic Reiki Drum, Reiki & Reiki Massage, Forest Therapy 