Five Ways to Attract the Perfect Doula Clients
Are you looking for a way to make your doula business stand out from the other million doulas out there?
Get ready to learn how to attract the perfect audience to your offers because in this episode, we’re diving into the 5 content platforms that will leave you with more in-person doula clients, more e-book buyers, and more online course students.
If you’re tired of posting on social media without seeing an increase in consultations or clients, then you wanna listen up!
Things you’ll learn in this episode:
How to move beyond the content-creation hamster wheel and start creating with INTENTION…
Why you’ll rise above 99% of doulas when you start doing this ONE THING…
The one tool that holds my entire business together…
… and a whole lot more!
If you want to rise above 99% of the other birthworkers out there… you need to be doing what 99% of the other birthworkers out there AREN’T DOING!
So, here it is – the question of the century: “How should I show up online (and give value) in a way that turns strangers on social media into clients, students, and raving fans?”
The secret to standing out compared to the other gazillion doulas online is to create original, long-form content on a weekly basis.
When you create original weekly content, you’ll also immediately establish yourself as an expert.
Just think about it… if a pregnant woman is looking at hiring one of two doulas… and let’s say that “Doula A” only posts on social media every now and then, but “Doula B” is consistent on social media, but also consistently writing a blog and providing high-value content week after week…
Who’s gonna get hired? “Doula B” of course! “Doula B” will be perceived as a hire value doula because of the value she is providing FOR FREE through her blog every week.
When you create original long-form content and release it at the same time, on the same day, week after week, you are building what we call the “know, like, and trust” factor with your community.
This is *the thing* that’s going to set you apart from 99% of the other doulas out there!
Creating content on a weekly basis will help your audience get to know you on a deeper level AND it’ll help you’ll become their go-to source for information and inspiration.
Original weekly content is NOT…
Posting every day on TikTok,
Creating Instagram posts,
Promoting your services in Facebook Groups
Original weekly content IS…
Long-form content. It’s longer than the 2,000-character limit on Instagram and the 90-second limit on TikTok.
Content that lives on forever.
How does it live on forever? Because it doesn’t live on social media, it lives on your website. Which means it can be found through google searches.
When was the last time you stopped to consider, “Wait a second… my social media posts aren’t showing up in Google searches…”
Like, if someone types into google “homebirth doula in Austin, Texas”.... Your 500 Instagram posts are not going to pop up for someone on Google… but your original weekly content will.
Are you convinced yet?
Ready to build your doula business without leaving your couch?
There are three best ways to create original, weekly content and two additional ways that we’ll talk about at the end… but for right now, we are going to talk about:
Writing a blog, recording a podcast, or starting a video show.
Whatever platform you actually end up choosing is going to depend on several things…
The time that you have to dedicate to it…
The content that you're delivering…
The type of content that you like creating…
The level of financial investment you are willing to make.
But also, it really matters where your audience is spending their time and how your audience prefers to consume content!
Hot tip: Put up a poll in your Instagram stories and ask your followers, “Where do you spend the most time? Listening to podcasts, watching youtube videos, or reading blogs?”
Boom! You are going to very quickly learn where your audience is spending time… but just make sure that you’re asking your ideal client. You don't want to ask your aunt and uncle where they're spending time online. Of course, right? You want to ask people who are going to become your clients.
But it all comes back to this: you have to choose a platform that feels in alignment with you.
Before we talk about the pros and cons of each platform, I want to encourage you to choose one platform.
Just choose one and stick with it.
Please listen to me when I say that, there is zero chance that you can create (high quality) content for multiple platforms when you are still just a one-woman show.
Unless you have a team of employees and contractors behind you, start with ONE PLATFORM.
And once you're putting out consistent content every week for six months (or more), then you can think about expanding.
Let's jump into everything you need to know in order to decide which type of weekly content you will create: either a blog, a podcast, or a video show.
#1 Writing a blog
Blogs are a great entry point into the world of content creation because they are easy to produce (especially when we’re comparing them to podcasting or creating a video show.)
Blogs also have a very low barrier to entry. You don't need a lot of money to start one and you don't need any extra skills in order to start writing a blog today.
You don’t need to buy a microphone, you don't need to know how to edit audio or video. You just need to be able to write words on your phone or computer... And I'm pretty sure that you can do that already.
The pros of blogging as a birthworker…
It's very easy to start a blog
You don’t have to buy any fancy gear
You don’t need to know how to edit audio or video
Blogging helps your website get reached in terms of SEO
** Why do we want our website to get reached? Because our website is where people become invested in us. They get on our email list, they become students, and they become clients.
Plus, the more traffic your website has, the more you’ll be able to reach people who live in your city!
Blogging might be for you if…
You love writing…
You’re a photographer…
You want to get started FAST…
You have no desire to learn the editing skills needed for podcasting or creating videos
#2 Starting a Podcast
The pros of podcasting as a birthworker:
It creates a deeper connection between you are your audience.
They hear your beautiful voice! They get to know your personality!
Podcasts are easier than blogs for your audience to consume
What does that mean? Your audience can listen to your podcast in the shower or at the gym, or while they walk their dog, or cooking dinner. With podcasts, you audience doesn't have to be sitting in front of a screen and reading something to soak up your wisdom…
You can reach a bigger audience.
Once your show is set up on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other streaming platforms, those platforms actually automatically help you reach a larger audience.
They're showing your show to new people on the platform every single day. That doesn't happen on a blog.
The cons of hosting a birth-focused podcast
It’s more time-consuming than writing a blog. (Up to 3x more time-consuming!)
It can be stressful to keep up with the demand of producing a podcast episode every single week.
It can be hard to find the time to actually record the episode.
There is a startup cost. (A microphone, microphone stand, editing software, podcast hosting platform, transcription software… it can definitely add up, especially if you’re starting your business on a budget of ZERO, like I was.)
There’s a pretty steep learning curve and it can feel really overwhelming at first.
I’ll be honest, podcasting was very overwhelming for me at first…
…But now that I did it and I've created 50 plus episodes, it's a piece of cake! And I’m just getting started!
So, if it's stressful for you at the beginning, please hold onto the fact that there is going to be a learning curve but once you figure it out, it’s actually pretty easy.
There are several people absolutely killing it in the birth industry right now with their podcasts.
My friend Katelyn has the Happy Homebirth Podcast.
I also love the Birthing Instincts podcast (I interviewed Dr. Stu on this episode), Freebirth Society podcast, Birth Warrior Project by IndieBirth, All About Pregnancy and Birth by Dr. Nicole Rankins.
There are so many killer birth-focused podcasts, all with an incredible mission and all making a last impact on the global birth community.
#3 Creating a video show
This is by far the most time-intensive way to create long-form content… but it does have the biggest payout!!!
Video is the most powerful way to create a connection with your audience because not only do they get to read your words, not only do they get to hear your voice, they get to see your beautiful face.
They get your personality, they get your energy, they get your passion… they get all of it.
So, the connection you're creating with your audience – when you create a high-value video show, week after week – is way higher than a podcast or blog.
But I do have to warn you that it takes a lot more time, effort, and even money than producing a blog or a podcast.
It does. There’s no way around it.
But it has a really huge payout.
The cons of creating a birth-focused YouTube Channel
It takes a lot of time.
The cost of equipment.
There is a lot of time and money that goes into creating a high-quality YouTube show.
And you might be thinking, “Well, does it really have to be high quality?”... Yeah, it does.
If your audio is not high quality, people are going to click away. If your video is not high quality, people are going to click away.
You need to produce high-quality content – and with that – comes the cost of equipment.
If you’re reading this, and you’re like, “You know what, Kyleigh… I’m gonna go for it, I’m gonna create a YouTube channel,” then I want you to go check out Bridget Teyler.
Bridget’s company is called “Built to Birth” and her YouTube channel has almost half a million subscribers!
Full disclosure: I know Bridget because I hired her to teach a lesson inside Birthworker Academy to all the students. If you join us for the next cohort of Birthworker Academy, you’ll get to see behind the scenes into how she created such a successful video show and how it affected the rest of her business and life.
Those are the three most impactful ways to create original long-form content online to attract the perfect doula clients and students for your online courses.
But… you probably noticed that this blog is called “The FIVE ways to attract the perfect doula clients”...
So what about those other two ways that we haven’t talked about yet…?
The truth is – blogging, podcasting, or creating a video show is what will set you apart from 99% of the other doulas out there.
But if you feel like those three things are just huge tasks, and if you are thinking like, “I'm just not going to do it. I'm not going to do it….”
… I want to tell you about two other ways that you can get in front of your audience every single week to help you become that go-to leader in the birth community.
#4 Go live on social media every single week.
The first pro is that going live on Instagram or Facebook requires nothing to start.
You can start 10 minutes from now with zero preparation.
You can click “go live” and you can be live without scripting a show, creating a website, recording a video, or editing anything.
Another pro of going live on social media every week is that it’s a really great way to introduce your social media followers to your offers.
Here’s how. At the end of your Instagram lives or your Facebook lives, you can invite them to click the link in your bio and download your free resource, and voila, now they are on your email list (which is where we want them to be).
Another pro of going live on social media is that you can actually invite guests to go live with you, and then you’re getting in front of their audiences too!
The cons of using “going love on social media” as your original weekly content.
The number one con is that your content will live on social media. If anything happens to your Instagram account, you’ll lose all of your content.
Me? If my Instagram account gets hacked, I wouldn’t lose all of my content, because my BEST content lives on my podcast (and on my blog).
Another con with using Instagram Live as your weekly long-form content is that if people aren't watching it live, they aren’t likely to go back and watch it on their own time.
People don’t typically go to social media to consume long-form content. Social media made is for quick consumption – people are looking for that dopamine hit.
Another con is that, for the most part, only your followers are going to see it – unlike a blog that would show up on Google searches, unlike a podcast that people would find in their podcast app.
The last con is that social media in general is very distracting. If someone gets a notification at all, they're gone, they're off to the next thing.
If they get a text message, if someone sends them a DM, if someone comments on one of their posts… they get that notification and they’ll click away.
I promise, going live on social media isn’t ALL bad.
Using “lives” on social media as your weekly long-form content is still definitely a step ahead of not having any long-form content at all…
…but if you are in this to create a sustainable, long-term, full-time career, you want to choose podcasting, blogging, or creating a video show.
#5 Sending long-form emails as your weekly content
The biggest advantage of using email as your content platform is that you can start as soon as you have an email list. You don't need a microphone, you don't need anything fancy, you essentially just need your phone to type up the email and send it.
Another pro is that you can develop an amazing fan base that opens every single email you send.
If you have people opening every single email you send, by the time you have an offer (like a workshop, coaching session, a new placenta encapsulation service, etc) they love you, they trust you, and they’re ready to buy.
That is a huge, huge, huge benefit.
Let’s get into the cons of *only* using email to create valuable weekly content…
The biggest con is that you’re only reaching the people who are already subscribed to your email list! You’ll have to grow your email list before you can ever share your content with anyone.
This alone should make you say, “Okay, I'm going to do something more than just sending a weekly email.”
Just think about it, if you have a blog, a podcast, or a YouTube channel, you can share it to the world and anyone can find it.
But if you are only sending emails to your list, someone has to be on your list first in order to read it. That sucks. That’s not doing anything for you in terms of growing your impact and audience.
And the last con – that is actually pretty huge – is that when you’re only sending a weekly email, you’re not doing anything to help get the juices flowing in terms of SEO (search engine optimization).
When you create weekly content and put it on your website (like you do with a blog or podcast) you’re telling Google that you have content that is worth consuming. And because of that, your website will start to show up in google search results… that doesn’t happen when you’re just sending emails.
So, which one are you going to pick?
A blog, podcast, or video show? Or maybe going live on social media or sending weekly emails?
Remember, I want you to choose from one of the top three, and if you're not going to do that, I gave you those two other ideas just to help you step it up a notch so you can have an advantage over 99% of the other doulas out there.
The bottom line is, that when you commit to creating quality, value-driven content designed specifically to improve the lives of your audience, you’re committing to creating continued growth, a loyal community, and a sustainable foundation to build your business on.
You are building that “know, like, and trust” factor with your audience.
But you don’t just want your audience to know you and like you… you want them to see you as the go-to leader in your very specific space. That’s why you, as a birthworker in some capacity, are not going to be creating content about surfing, dog walking, home renovations, or other things that you’re not able to directly relate back to your niche… make sense?
We want to have a very clear path from our social media, to our original weekly content, to our email list, and into our offers (whether that's in-person doula support, online courses, workshops, or something else).
You should always be talking to your future clients and future students. Your messaging should always be geared towards them – to the people who are going to become your clients and your students.
Now it's time for you to choose.
Think about what platform is the right fit for you… What does your brain say? What does your heart say? What does your soul say? What does your intuition say?
I promise you, that once you make your decision, so many other things are going to fall into place.
Once you begin to create this original weekly content and put it out every single week – rain or shine – people will start to count on you for that valuable content. They will turn to you for your wisdom for years to come.
bonus tip…
At the beginning of the blog, I promised that I would share the ONE TOOL that I used to plan, create, and organize, all of my content for the Birthworker Podcast and the Birthworker Blog…
That tool is called AirTable.
Airtable is like Google Sheets on steroids, sprinkled with the most amazingly nerdy fairy dust.
If you want to learn more about how I use AirTable in my doula business, and if you want to learn about a dozen other tools that I use behind the scenes to make my life easier… click right here to download a free gift (exclusively for you and my other podcast listeners).
It's a resource I put together of all my favorite business tools… and it is a HUGE hit with the students inside Birthworker Academy.
Once you download it, you’ll be able to see all of the systems I use behind the scenes in my business to save time and make my life easier. I’m all about making life easier for me AND you, so we can spend more time doing what we love.
thank you for listening
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Meet your host, Kyleigh Banks, a side-gig doula turned CEO of a multi-six-figure birth-focused business. Her passion? Teaching birth nerds, like you, how to build an incredibly successful doula business that allows you to quit your day job, stay home with your kids, and most importantly, make a lasting impact on the world.