As a midwife or birth center administrator, you might be wondering, “Do I really need a blog on my website?”
If you want to attract clients and grow your business, the answer is YES.
Blogging has come a long way from simply being an online journal. (Here’s a fun fact! The word “blog” originated from two words: web log.)
Blogs are an important marketing tool.
Some of the world’s most popular brands have active blogs loaded with interesting content. Etsy and General Electric are widely regarded as two of the best.
And since folks like to digest information digitally, many brands that parents love leverage blogs to promote their products and services. Two of my favorites are The Latched Mama and Aden & Anais.
What does this have to do with birth centers and midwifery practices?
Well, as Dr. Seuss wrote in The Lorax, “Business is business, and business must grow.”
Blogging is an excellent way to grow your business!
6 reasons your birth center or midwifery practice should have a blog
1) Blogs build your brand.
If your birth center or midwifery practice is new, building your brand is especially important. Blog posts help your target audience learn who you are and what you’re about.
But even if you’ve been around a while, building your brand is still essential. It’s never too late to start a blog.
Blogging gives your business a voice, helping your birth center or midwifery practice stand out. Your prospective clients begin to know and like you before they ever make an appointment.
Connection is such an important part of healthcare. Don’t you want it to begin early?
2) Blogs position you as the expert.
In a world where we all go to the internet for our information, don’t you want to be a trustworthy source? Blogs give you the chance to share relevant information and educate readers.
This is absolutely critical, especially when it comes to pregnancy and birth. There are so many misconceptions about midwives and unmedicated birth.
Blogging is your chance to be an expert and to shed light on an often misunderstood profession. When you share your expertise, readers will want to learn more about what you have to offer.
3) Blogs are great for sharing on social media.
Your target audience is using social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest. Possibly all of the above.
One of the most well-known and effective social media marketing strategies? Posting original content.
It’s a must. If you’re not sharing content from your website, you’re not getting optimal engagement on social media.
Blogs provide that original content. And readers love helpful, interesting blog posts that are relevant to them.
4) Blogs increase traffic to your website.
This is really the initial goal of blogs — getting people to click on your website and read your content. (Motivating them to act is another, but I’ll get there in a minute.)
If your blogs are search engine optimized, website users should find your posts through Google. I already mentioned social media as a way to tease blogs, and an email newsletter is another way to promote your posts.
Why does it matter that users are clicking on your website and not only engaging with your social media accounts?
Well, because you control the user’s experience when they’re on your website! You don’t have to worry about confusing algorithms, distracting ads or cat videos.
I’m not putting down social media. Remember my previous point; you should be using it to promote your business. However, you should view social sites as a means to guide users to your website.
5) Blogs help you build your email list.
If you have an email list — and you should! — blogs are an effective way to add to it.
Email newsletters are great because, again, you control the experience. You can track who’s opening your emails and if they click on the links.
When you post blogs, you can offer something in exchange for the reader’s email address. In marketing, we call this a lead magnet.
For example, if you post a blog about what to pack in your birth center bag, you can include a free packing checklist. When users enter their email, they get a downloadable PDF!
6) Blogs turn readers into clients.
Attracting new clients is always the number one goal of marketing, including content marketing like blogs.
When blogs are educational and entertaining, readers will feel like your blogs are for them. Relatable, conversational blogs build trust with your readers, and trust encourages them to seek healthcare from you.
Thanks to relevant calls to action, you can motivate readers to take the next step. Maybe they’ll sign up for your email list, attend a free information session or schedule a birth center tour.
These are steps toward becoming a paying client.
Takeaways about blogs for birth centers and midwifery practices
One final note.
Marketing is a long game strategy. Not every reader engages right away. Some might enjoy a post, bookmark it (physically or mentally) and move on without action.
But in a year or two or more, that potential client may encounter a struggle with irregular periods. She might get pregnant and want to explore unmedicated birth. She could have a poor experience with an obstetrician and seek midwifery.
And she will say, “I read a blog on a birth center website once. I wonder if that midwife can help me.”
And your phone will ring.
Are you ready to build your business with blogging? Learn more about my writing services!