Doula Business Advisor: Market Your Doula Business

marketing your doula businessWhat are you doing to market your doula business? Who is your ideal customer? Catherine, a doula business woman/friend of mine recently spent a few thoughtful hours answering this question for herself. Once she had formed a clear picture of her ideal customer in her own mind, she created new messaging addressed to that person and integrated it into her website content. A few months later, she happily reports that her doula business is growing steadily and that she is, indeed, attracting her ideal customers. They can afford her services AND she enjoys working with them. In other words, they are a good fit. We need to know who we are talking to!

Seth Godin is one of the marketing gurus Catherine listened to and studied. Seth teaches that it is “only a little interesting” to know your customer by demographics (for example, pregnant women who live within a 30-mile radius of my town). That’s a starting point to narrow things down a bit, but it barely scratches the surface of the who. “What we need to know is: What do they believe? Who do they trust? What are they afraid of? Who do they love? What are they seeking? Who are their friends? What do they talk about?” The answers to these questions give us a more in-depth understanding of our audience. Once you understand motivations, your message changes.

A number of years ago, I visited a naturopath whose “healing center” in the country featured a variety of medicinal herb gardens. As we toured the gardens, she described her process in creating this fascinating place. She reported that she clearly stated her intent, at the beginning, that she only wanted to attract people who truly wanted to heal themselves. This made a strong impression on me at the time because I had been mired in a homebirth midwifery practice wherein a disproportionate number of my recent clients were ending up with transports for hospital births, due to a variety of reasons. I decided to set my intent as well. It went something like this: I only want to attract women who truly desire a homebirth and will take responsibility for creating that outcome. Such internal clarity, I believe, helps us manifest our intentions in the real world. It works!

Patty Brennan is the author of The Doula Business Guide: Creating a Successful MotherBaby Business, 2nd Edition. Now offering The Doula Business Guide Workshop — an inspiring workshop (also available as an online class) for doulas covering the nitty gritty of establishing a small business and growing it into a sustainable income. Offering 7.0 DONA contact hours for our next workshop on October 24.

Posted by Patty Brennan on August 6, 2015 • Filed under
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