There are so many ways to reach your client base in meaningful and authentic ways that don’t leave you feeling out of alignment with yourself. Real and relevant connection is made when we put clients first and treat them like human beings instead of a number to analyze.
In a big, noisy, overcrowded world, how do you stand out? It can be a tough question, for sure. You may have heard experts say you can be the first, the loudest, or offer something unique if you want to find success. But success is personal for each of us, right? We all have our own definition of what success means. There isn’t one way to run your business even if there are best practices like email and content marketing.
Knowing your own goals for your health-based business will help put a value on the kinds of marketing you do.
- Are you in it for the long-term?
- Do you want to stay a small organization but have incredible reach?
- Maybe you prefer to work individually with people.
- Maybe you thought you did and that’s why you got into the field then found out you prefer to be more administrative or business-building/entrepreneurial in focus.
None of these is better or worse. It’s all in knowing where you are today and where you imagine you would like to go. Also, these things change over time. What doesn’t change is the need to create a flexible foundation that can morph with you.
If you are a small health practice with one or two people on staff, how do you build a business that is profitable, deeply helpful, and allows you to both serve your clients and live the life you want while still being scalable?
If you have a bigger practice with lots of staff or different specialties offered within your offices, it still comes down to serving and living a life that is balanced and scalable as well as profitable. Big doesn’t always lead to a bigger return on your investment or reaching your goals more efficiently.
It’s all in how you run the many areas of the company including marketing. And if you want to see your efforts today still paying it forward in a year or five, content marketing is your best bet.
There’s a balance between creating a service-based business and also building streams of income that are more passive and scalable. If you need X number of clients a day to make it possible to stay in business, you are trading hours for dollars. If you get sick or hurt or can’t perform or your client count is down, how do you keep the lights on? There are many scalable options that you can develop but for those to work, it’s important to have a good, healthy, trust-based relationship with your customers.
In this instance, content marketing is the best long-term strategy there is because you are developing and nurturing relationships with clients and patients by offering them the chance to be more than a consumer through sharing insight, information, and motivation. Over time, the relationship strengthens so that they value you and what you offer.
Give more than you get and you will be amazed at the loyalty your clients have for you.
And that means they send referrals your way – which is always awesome, right? They’re more open to other services and products – whether it is a book you write, a live workshop you offer, an online video course on a subject you teach, supplements, essential oils, herbs, devices, other products that aren’t a one-time purchase, and certificates or coupons for multiple -visit discounts. You may not be doing these things today, but what about in the future?
Think about the lifetime value of one customer.
What does that customer/client/patient mean to you financially over the long-term? That will help you prioritize your marketing efforts between short-term, one-time ads versus longer-term efforts that you continue to benefit from over years. It takes both to succeed and you have to find the balance for your business.
Another question to ask yourself is what they mean to you relationally over the long-term. Do you want them to feel good about how you relate to them? Are you doing this for more than the money? Because it will show in your interactions if that’s what you care about.
Set an intention to communicate with people in a way that lets them know how you value them. It’s sometimes tough to do. You provide a service. I know how hard this can be because when you are concerned about money or short-term issues, the message and image can get twisted. It’s good to check in with your heart regularly about your ‘Why’. Then, communicate from that space.
The 2019 Business to Consumer (B2C) report from Content Marketing Institute (https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2019_B2C_Research-FINAL-PDF-12_10_18.pdf ) stated the two key pieces of content marketing are email campaigns and educational content if you want to nurture subscribers, audience or leads. Fifty-eight percent of respondents say they’ve used content marketing successfully to nurture subscribers, audience, or leads in the last 12 months. The top two methods are email (80%) and educational content (71%).
The report they did interviewed companies doing B2C – business direct to customers. It showed how the companies increased their content and formats in the past year.
- 69% increase in audio/visual content including videos, livestreaming, and webinars.
- 64% increase in written digital content such as articles, blogs and ebooks
- 63% increased the amount of images they share- including infographics, photos, charts, and GIFs
- 37% did more in-person content such as events, presentations, and workshops.
- 30% increase in Written Print Content including print magazines, books and brochures
- And finally, Audio-only Digital content went up 27%. This includes podcasts and audiobooks.
I agree with their takeaway: Make sure your content fills an informational need for your audience, not just a marketing need for your brand.
How are you reaching out to your audience or client-base? What kind of content are you providing regularly?
Content you can use to grow a loyal clientele include
- Videos and social media stories
- Live and virtual events to grow community while teaching and motivating
- Podcasts that inspire, illuminate, and educate
- Articles, guides, newsletters, etc.
If you are looking for help creating this content, check out the rest of our website. Find out how our magazines, graphics, and books can be put to use as content upgrades, email marketing informational gifts, and lead magnets to grow your business. If there is other content you’d like created, contact us at admin@bewellcontent.com.
Have a beautiful day,
Andrea Mai
Be Well Content and Be Well Books
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