When you’re trying to get visibility for your midwifery practice, there’s no need to let a limited budget get you down. Established brands may have more money, but you can still have the smartest marketing strategy around. Discover 15 budget-friendly (and some free) marketing tips for small business owners, so you can reach more potential customers and get the most from every cent.
11 cost free marketing tips for midwifery practices
No midwifery marketing staff member? No problem. Even beginners can implement great marketing tactics without spending a dime. Here are 11 midwifery marketing tips that you and your team can implement right now.
1. Providing Advocacy Resources into the Community
Add value with education and resources on the internet and within your community. Start a Youtube channel. Create a website that has many tabs for information about the practice, midwifery, and breaking down barriers to accessing your services. Talk at the local nursing class about midwifery. Be on your local news station. The more people can learn about midwifery and its benefits, the more likely they will choose a midwife!
2. Re-engage past customers with email newsletters
Most marketers identify email marketing as the best way to achieve customer retention. By sending regular emails with valuable content, you can keep existing customers (who spend 31% more than new customers) coming back. A weekly or monthly email newsletter is a great start. Build loyalty by regularly updating customers on your business, current promotions, industry news, and more. Create a referral program for past clients to send new pregnant friends your way!
3. Offer value through blogging
Blogs are excellent content marketing tools that allow you to position yourself as an industry leader. You can build trust by writing in-depth blog posts answering specific questions your target audience may have. For example, a landscaping business may write a blog post about artificial grass installation, detailing what it is, how to do it, how much it costs, and how professionals can help. To ensure your blog reaches the right readers, use search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. Inserting keywords—for example, “artificial turf” and “artificial grass installation”—throughout your post, linking to other pages on your website, and linking to external sites with high domain authority can help you rank higher on search engine results pages.
4. Optimize your site for best results
Another key SEO tactic is website optimization. Search engines don’t just take your content into consideration when determining your rank; they also consider how easy your site is to use. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly, your navigation is well-organized, and your web pages load fast. Pro tip: Reducing file sizes can help.
5. Boost engagement with video content marketing
Video is expected to make up over 82% of consumer internet traffic by 2022. Plus, Facebook and YouTube—two major platforms for video—are the world’s most popular social networks, while TikTok is quickly rising. You don’t need professional video editing skills to take advantage of this online marketing tactic (or even go viral). With just a smartphone camera, you can use video to:
- Do live Q&As with potential clients
- Give followers a behind-the-scenes look at your business
- Explain a process (like how to fix a clog for plumber marketing)
- Do a product demo
6. Start conversations with social media marketing
No digital marketing conversation is complete without mentioning social media, which 72% of U.S. adults use. From Facebook and LinkedIn to Twitter and Snapchat, social media platforms drive conversations, which help build brand awareness and relationships with clients.
Beyond publishing social media posts that offer value to your followers, make sure you’re engaging with your potential clients. Respond to comments and direct messages (DMs), share posts you’re tagged in, and join trending conversations relevant to your brand.
7. Generate word of mouth with a referral program
Even with the power of the internet, word-of-mouth marketing is still a powerful marketing tool. More than 80% of consumers trust recommendations from family or friends, which means direct referrals can help you get some of the highest quality leads.
Don’t wait for clients to refer you on their own. Use your email marketing tool to automate a follow-up email request within a day or two after a client buys from you. To incentivize your customers, offer rewards like gift cards or discounts for successful referrals.
8. Amplify satisfied customers with reviews
Most potential clients trust online reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends. When a client gives you a positive review online, they’re basically referring thousands of people to you at once. But if you want to keep getting great reviews, you have to respond to all your reviews. When you claim your Yelp Business Page, you can start managing your online reputation by responding to every review in a timely manner. Thank your happy customers for their reviews to build loyalty, and respond professionally to negative reviews to show your stellar service. Some reviewers may even upgrade their star rating as a result of your courteous responses.
9. Partner with local businesses
A great way to generate more referrals is by partnering with other brands like doulas, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, chiropractors, naturopaths, and private medical practices. Work only with reputable brands offering complementary services so you can share exclusive referrals. Like minded business will have customers that are more likely to choose your midwifery services.
10. Build a brand that sells itself
No matter which of our marketing tips for small business owners you add to your marketing plan, excellent branding should be part of all your efforts. A consistent brand experience can help you gain loyal clients, build trust, and help consumers remember your business. Get started with small business branding by:
- Using the same visual branding (colors, logo, font, etc.) across all marketing channels
- Using the same tone of voice for social media, customer support, and beyond
- Sending the same key messages in all your marketing campaigns
11. Reach your exact target audience with paid ads
Most digital advertising platforms offer sophisticated tools for reaching the right users. With these targeted online ads, your marketing dollars go toward users who fit your ideal client profile, and you pay only when you earn a click. Plus, you can set your own budget for ad campaigns, so you never have to overextend yourself.
Some platforms allow you to target your audience based on interests and demographics while others, like Yelp Ads, let you target specific locations and keywords.
With Yelp Ads, your brand will show up above search results for select keywords and locations, so you can capture more clicks and calls from quality leads. Plus, you can adjust your budget at any time, and you only pay when a customer clicks on your ad.
Expand your midwifery customer base today
Whether you’re a growing business or the most popular brand in town, you need marketing to reach more potential customers. Implementing these 11 marketing tips for small businesses—from using your social media channels to gaining more reviews with a Yelp Page—can help you stand out from the competition without blowing your budget or your time.
Check Our Midwifery Marketing Courses;
1. Marketing your Midwifery Business