What Exactly Am I Marketing, Anyway?

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What Exactly Am I Marketing, Anyway When designing your website or marketing materials, what should you be focusing on? What does everyone want to know when looking for a new product or service?

What's in it for me?

Spend some time watching commercials on tv or ads in a magazine. Cosmetic ads promise you will look younger and have "radiant" skin. Clothes will make you look and feel thinner. The latest technological toy assures you will be more efficient, enjoy better quality sounds and sights, or just look cooler than the guy with the older model.

Services are little trickier. For certain products and brands, there is a level of expectation. I expect to have exceptional service and high-quality accommodations if I book a hotel room at a Ritz-Carlton. If I decide to stay at a Best Western it's because of the value-pricing, and my expectations are much lower in terms of the amenities and overall experience. For services from individuals, I want to be sure to receive timely and courteous service, an enjoyable experience, and I want to like, know and trust the provider.

So what about your birth pro services?

Spend some time thinking and writing about the following:

What is your philosophy about birth or the postpartum period?
Who is your ideal client? Create a mental picture of your ideal client.
How does your philosophy align with your ideal clients?
What is your personal style? Are you the grandmotherly type? More spiritually-based? Hip or crunchy?
If you were to hire a doula (or other birth pro), why would you be looking for one? What problems do you have, and how will that birth pro solve them?
What benefits will your ideal clients receive from working with you?
How will they feel as a result of working with you? Confident? Empowered? Safe?
Where will you find your ideal clients?

How does all this translate into your marketing materials and marketing efforts?

Your personal style will be communicated in the look and feel of your marketing materials. Your logo, your business name, your personality should come alive in your website business cards and brochure.
Direct your marketing efforts to avenues that will reach your ideal clients.
Connect with professionals and businesses who serve your ideal clients and see how you can help one another with referrals.
Your goal is to make a connection with your ideal clients. When they read your materials, will they be nodding their heads in agreement with you because you have identified their problems? Are they relieved when they see how you can solve their problems? Are they looking forward to feeling the results your clients experience?
Your experience and philosophy also play a part in their search and should be in your materials as well. This will help them learn more about you and get to know you.

In their search for a doula or other birth professional, women and partners are going to be looking for results. If you can pinpoint the results they are looking for and communicate how you are uniquely qualified to help them get those results, your marketing efforts will differentiate you from other practitioners. This will lead to more interviews, where potential clients will be able to make a face-to-face connection with you. Even in your interviews, continue to focus on the solutions potential clients are looking for, and be authentic in your responses about your ability to follow through in order to meet their needs.

Could you use some help with getting more clear about your marketing and the activities you should be doing to attract new clients? Here's an opportunity to do just that!