As a doula, you provide an incredible service to the moms in your care: aiding her through the labour and delivery process, acting as an advocate, and providing comfort.
In spite of your experience acting as an advocate for pregnant moms and their babies, you may find that you struggle when it comes to advocating yourself - that is, putting together your marketing plan so that you can reach an interested audience.
If you're struggling to put together your digital marketing plan, start by considering these key elements:
As a doula, you're passionate about childbirth and supporting moms. You likely have a wide knowledge base about an incredible array of things that are of interest to moms, especially those considering your practice: breastfeeding, nappies, labour and delivery, and more. Putting together a content library that includes a range of information can offer a number of benefits.
It brings in moms who might be interested in your services (and not even know it yet).
Pregnant moms do a lot of research. Many of them, from first-time moms to moms with multiple children at home already, want to know all about the latest advances in everything to do with their new baby. Some of those moms might not have realised that they need or want a doula yet - but your content can help convince them.
It increases your online visibility.
The more quality content you produce, the more visible your business is to search engines. A wide content library focused on the keywords that mean the most to you as a doula can help significantly increase your overall visibility - and all without a substantial expense.
It provides excellent information for your existing clients.
Chances are, there are some things that you end up repeating over and over to your clients. While putting together blog posts and infographics won't prevent you from having to repeat yourself entirely, it can provide a valuable source of information for your moms to browse through at their convenience. Not only that, it's a great resource for them to have when you aren't available.
Your content library alone can go a long way toward boosting your online presence - especially if you harness it correctly. Keep in mind that content isn't just blog posts, though those can go a long way toward helping establish your online presence. You should also include infographics, videos, and more. Videos offer a powerful way to connect with your customers. Many pregnant women are already dealing with strong emotions as they imagine labour, delivery, and life with their new baby - and video is a great way to help highlight those emotions and connect them to your practice.
As a doula, your social media presence is a great way to spread the word about your services. You can get involved in online groups, promote your practice using your blog posts, and connect with potential customers in a place where they already are: that is, scrolling Facebook or Instagram.
It's important, however, to ensure that you choose the right social media platforms for your practice. As a doula, you may work independently or with only a couple of others. You may not have the time or the resources to market yourself across numerous channels, and trying to keep up with multiple social media accounts can cause you to spread yourself too thin.
Instead, choose the social media platforms that most make sense for your business. Facebook, for example, is already filled with pregnant moms in a wide range of groups, making it a great place to find potential clients. Take the time to carefully consider what other platforms - if any - you want to use for your business. If you discover that one isn't generating traffic for you, it's okay to delete your profile to focus on the ones that are working more effectively.
When you do choose a social media platform, it's important to keep up with your posts. You want your business to be highly visible to potential clients, with posts coming through regularly; but you also do not want to flood their news feeds with posts. Posting a handful of times a week is a great way to keep your practice highly visible while avoiding information overload.
You may also find that creating and moderating your own group is a great way to connect with moms who have questions about your services - and in many cases, your current clients will help answer their questions and help keep up with the group.
When moms-to-be search for doulas near you, do they find your practice, or do they find themselves looking at a list of your competitors? As part of your digital marketing efforts, especially as you're building your practice and your presence, take advantage of paid search ads.
Choose the right keywords, and make sure that you narrow down your geographic terms so that you only get paid site visits from people within the geographic range you actually cover. As a doula, you may choose to cover a relatively narrow geographic range so that you can easily get to your moms when they go into labour. As such, you don't need hits from across the country! Instead, narrow your geographic range down to the specific area that you actually cover.
Paid search ads are often a great way to inexpensively boost awareness about your business. Many people automatically trust Google's recommended businesses or the top three that show up when they conduct a new search. Not only that, over time, your paid search ads can boost your organic search ranking as visitors come to your page and stay there to learn more about your practice.
Need more help with your doula business? Become a member of IICT. With the competitively-priced insurance available through IICT, you will be able to focus more successfully on your business and on the moms who need you most. Find out more today.