While holistic and mental health practices, medical spas, and on-demand fitness programs are not new, over the years, there has been a change in how business owners market their services. The rise of technology and social media has turned many small businesses into not only service providers but content creators. From blogging, vlogging, podcasting, and more, business owners are feeding the information-hungry consumer the content they crave. However, by doing so, they run the risk of jeopardizing their professional license and or running afoul of state laws that limit specific actions.
WHAT ARE DISCLAIMERS
For example, in many states, a professional license issued by that state is required to make diagnoses and provide specific care. If business owners are not careful, their mission to inform clients of their services can appear to violate those laws. Enter disclaimers. Disclaimers are a way for business owners to limit their liability by minimizing the scope of their service, relationship, or responsibility. They serve as an announcement or warning to third parties they cannot rely on you as the business owner for certain things.
WHEN AND WHERE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD USE DISCLAIMERS
Health and wellness entrepreneurs must use disclaimers when publishing content that could be mistaken for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This applies to blog content, videos, presentations, and social media content. Using disclaimers can limit your liability as a health and wellness entrepreneur, but only if it is visible. An excellent place to put disclaimers includes website footers, terms and conditions, social media bio, or even the caption itself. You can add a disclaimer to your slide presentations but be cautious of relying only on a verbal disclaimer. Verbal notices quickly turn into he said she said situations since there is no physical evidence the disclaimer existed.
BOTTOM LINE
There is no denying that social media and technology make reaching ideal clients easier for small business owners. Health and wellness entrepreneurs have risks associated with creating content that could be mistaken for advice, treatment, or diagnosis. Disclaimers can reduce those risks by informing third parties that the content serves a limited purpose. Do you need a disclaimer? Download a four examples below.
