Should You Use Done-For-You Products in Your Health Business?
Since DFY products are becoming increasingly prevalent in the online marketplace, I thought I would re-post this! Here’s your cautionary tale of using done-for-you products in your health business…
You’re just getting started as a new Health Coach or Online Wellness Entrepreneur and your head is swimming with all. the. things.
- Getting clients, finding more clients, then retaining all those clients.
- Your website, blogging, and creating content that your target audience actually wants.
- “Showing up” on your social media channels and coming up with engaging posts and other types of content.
- Gaining subscribers, building your list, and email marketing… and on, and on it goes!
With all that you need to do in your new business, the thought of having to spend even more time creating your own coaching program (even though you might not even have clients yet), well, it just adds to the deluge.
So, using a “done-for-you” (DFY) health & wellness coaching resource or program can certainly be alluring when you’re navigating all of these business priorities.
Here’s the exact question I received when a colleague asked me why I had stopped nutritional consulting altogether, and switched to offering DFY products for other health pros. (This was back in 2017, but I had already started ghostwriting for health pros in 2016.)
Why would people even want done-for-you stuff for their business anyway?
Don’t they want to use their own content and resources, so they can customize it and really target it to their own audience?
SKIMMER’S NOTE: If you’re wondering why I’ve now trimmed down on offering DFY stuff (when I first thought that’s what I would specialize in), then watch the vlog for this post!
Ideally, you want to create your own wellness coaching program to use with your clients – one that you feel holistically aligned with.
But, does it really make sense to spend time (and money) creating your own program when you may not even have clients yet?
That’s where DFY products can “hold you over” in your business, so to speak, especially when you’re just starting out, while you’re still developing your own customized and branded systems and methods.
However, there’s so much more to it than just grabbing a DFY program, plugging it into your business, and getting started with it!
The Dirt on Done-For-You… DRAWBACKS
1 | It doesn’t tick all of your boxes. It’s very unlikely that any one DFY product or program will have everything you want or will align with your personal and business health systems and methods. Just be aware of that when looking at a program’s features and materials you’ll be getting.
Moderators from The Holistic Nutrition Hub FB Community asked:
Have you used DFY products or programs – what is your experience with them?
Check out the wide variety of insight from actual group members!
“No. I thought about it once but I feel I prefer to work with people one-on-one, and not have an online program that doesn’t really customize to each person differently. I feel real changes can be made with a more personal approach, but that’s just me, I’m sure others have found them to be very successful for them.”
~ Anonymous HNH community group member
2 | Updating, customizing, and personal touches. You will undoubtedly need to spend some time customizing — and you should do that anyway! It will likely be less time spent than creating it 100% yourself, but understand that there will still be an investment of time and energy.
“I purchased a couple DFY products when I first started coaching a few years ago (before I ever thought I’d sell my own) but I never felt like they were my own. So, I spent a lot of time writing my own content and reinventing the wheel.
But it also kept me STUCK. I didn’t put myself out there as much as I should’ve and I see other coaches struggling with that.” ~ Claudia Petrilli, Health Coach & Graphic Designer
3 | Marketing, promotion & selling still required. Budget some more time and energy here too, because you’ve still got to market and sell the thing before getting any clients or buyers for it.
4 | Take it on the run, baby. If you’re going to use a program with your clients (who you undoubtedly value and respect), you need to be 100% comfortable with the resources you’re offering to them. That’s why you’ll need to review all of the materials and take things for a test spin so you can feel really good about the program and, in a sense, take ownership of it.
5 | Re-seller? Has someone else created a DFY program, only to customize it and re-sell it as a DFY program to you? Say what?! You may never know if this is the case, so just always purchase from reputable and credible sources!
“Being a web developer, I work with a lot of health and wellness practitioners who develop DFY programs for both clients and other practitioners, so I’m fortunate (maybe unfortunate!) to get a sneak peek of these programs from behind-the-scenes.
And I can tell you, there are some really sub-standard products out there! And unfortunately, that means that a lot of unsuspecting people are paying for low-quality products.
Often times these practitioners have purchased a DFY from a 3rd-party and have “repackaged it” to resell as their own DFY (sometimes without even customizing it to their own branding!) while others have taken the product and significantly modified the products to reflect their own approach. It’s rare you find DFY products that are done from scratch by the person selling them.
Either way, I find it astonishing (and depressing) that people think it’s ok to sell low-quality programs to their clients. It’s really the equivalent of a car salesman trying to sell you a lemon car.
I think we need to focus efforts on developing credibility, and we owe it to our clients to provide high-quality products so even if we choose to use DFY programs exclusively, we must also ensure that using these products doesn’t interfere with our ability to provide high-quality service to our clients.” ~ Michael Smith, Web Developer
SEO Rankings & The Google Effect
This particular drawback gets its own heading because it’s that important…
Speechless Web Design says,
“Many people think that filling their website with tons of low quality and duplicate content is a good way to get great SEO rankings. Unfortunately, it’s boring and doesn’t provide its readers with anything of value.”
This would apply to content that you’re publishing like a blog post – that’s why I’m not particularly a fan of purchasing or using DFY blog articles, and I actually withdrew all of the ones I had written and had for sale on my site after a colleague, who is an SEO specialist, recommended against selling them for this very reason!
Even if you customize them, then publish, Google is way smarter than that and can spot similar content a mile away.
That said, my colleague and fellow Health & Wellness Writer, Leesa Klich adds that,
“Duplicate short content can be OK to use with your current audience and subscribers (e.g. in social media and your newsletter), but it won’t necessarily help you to gain new subscribers.”
In fact, here’s Leesa’s own take on using Done-for-you Content – I love that she has her own vibe about it 🙂
So, that actually spins DFY in a positive light – which leads us to the benefits of using it!
The Joys of Using Done-For-You… BENEFITS
Ok, this post is not going to be all about peeing in your lemonade because there are definitely many benefits to purchasing and using DFY products IF you choose the right one!
✓ Less time & energy: as the name clearly indicates, the materials are done for you, so usually with some minimal changes and customization, you can get started working with clients right away – which is key when you’re just starting out.
You really do just have to GET STARTED!
“They (DFY products) can be great. Being a writer, I know there are some really high-quality ones out there. However, I would always recommend a bit of customization to tweak it to speak to your audience specifically. I’d consider them 75-80% done (you should always do a final edit), which is a huge timesaver, rather than starting from scratch.
There shouldn’t be spelling mistakes and poor quality outdated info, though. When I mean ‘final edit’, I mean for tone, food preferences, etc. – and NOT to fix a poorly done product.” ~ Leesa Klich
✓ Less cost: when writing or content creation is simply not your thing, a DFY program may be just the ticket – especially if you don’t have the budget to hire someone to exclusively create the material for you, which would cost you far more than what the average DFY product costs. Ouchy!
✓ Ready-made digital marketing tools: many DFY programs also include marketing materials such as images or graphics, social media templates, and even promotional copy to go with them.
✓ Recipes & meal ideas: clients loooooove fresh meal ideas, and there are often recipes included in a DFY coaching program. Plus, even if you’re pretty handy in the kitchen, creating recipes is probably not your gig, so again this would be a big time-saving bonus.
THAT CLEAN LIFE FOR BUSINESS is the all-in-one recipe + meal planning software I wish I had when I was still running my nutrition practice!
The not-so-final word on Done For You stuff
By the way, if you’re a classic skimmer like I am, and are only going to read this section – be sure to WATCH THE VIDEO!
Ok, continue getting your skim on my well-entrepreneurial friend 🙂
While the (over)abundance of DFY products hitting the online market has really gotten under my lemon peel lately – that doesn’t mean I’m trying to steer you entirely clear of them!
Here’s my response to that same thread in the FB group mentioned above:
DFY products… I have bought them, I have used them, and I also create them for other Health & Wellness Pros.
Like a few people have already said in this thread (and keeping in mind that there is an incredibly wide variety of products out there that could be considered “done for you”) – it really depends on the following:
- WHO your target audience is, i.e. be sure you’ve clearly defined that before you create ANY content or buy any from someone else.
- WHAT you’re looking for to engage and *wow* your target audience with, e.g. a free challenge, an e-guide, a recipe book, a detox program, etc., and…
- Exactly HOW you’re planning to use it, e.g. delivery method, free or paid, which part of your sales funnel does it “function in”, etc.
A few more thoughts if you’re considering a DFY product for your business:
- Do your research = due diligence
- Buy only from reputable & credible sources
- Understand that you will have to do some customization (and you always should!) before using it.
If you’re considering using Done-For-You (DFY) products in your health & wellness business…
DO YOUR RESEARCH! Only buy from credible sources, and understand that you will have to customize it, at least a bit (i.e. implement your own branding) before using it.
Additional things to look for in a solid Done-For-You (DFY) product or program:
– reputable & credible source – ask colleagues, read customer testimonials & reviews
– the product or program has actually been used by its creator (or thoroughly tested), with documented success & testimonials
– completely editable and customizable
– no requirement to give attribution to the content creator
– implementation guidance is included, plus marketing materials & tips for use of them
– a decent refund policy – if it doesn’t even have one at all, steer clear
– customer service and extended support after the purchase
– terms and conditions of product use are clearly outlined and made available to you
Here are some DFY products & programs that cover all of the above bases, and that I recommend from trusted colleagues whom I have confidence they’ve done their homework and due diligence in creating top-notch stuff that has proven results!
PLEASE NOTE: I would never recommend a product, program, or service if I didn’t truly loooove it, seen it in action, and have great confidence in it.
I’m simply not going to put something out there for you for the sake of a little kickback – that’s just not how we juice our lemons around here!
Check out my list of recommendations HERE.