Are you exhausted even thinking about what the heck you should post on Facebook? Or finding just the right pic for Instagram? Are you still stuck on sharing pics of your lunch and showing how healthy you are, but not resonating with your potential patients’ problems? Are you sharing high level medical wisdom to show your expertise, but no one comments except your colleagues and maybe your mom? If you’ve handed the task over to reception and it’s falling flat…. and you are feeling a bit resentful – you are not alone!
If you’re already struggling with Facebook and Instagram, then you probably don’t even want me to get started talking about YouTube! But I will dare to ask anyway — how much time have you wasted trying to figure out whether or not you should jump on this trend and what kind of videos would you make?
I know, I know…. How on earth are you ever going to find the time to make all this content between everything else you have going on? It’s overwhelming!
The thing is, your potential audience is already looking for you on all of these channels right now. How much opportunity are you losing by not being seen online? Let’s look at the stats:
- Facebook has 1 billion users
- Instagram has over 100 million users and is rapidly growing
- Youtube has 1 billion active users
Yep, your past, current and potential patients are online, even if you aren’t. I chat with experienced doctors all the time that used to have a full schedule of bookings and are starting to realize they aren’t that way anymore. It’s because the people that need them aren’t just taking their neighbours’ word for it and rushing in as a qualified referral. Instead they are going online to see you and learn more about what you do, but they can’t seem to find the right connection. Sad, but oh so true.
And sure, that’s a world wide audience and not everyone is your target (lord knows you can’t handle THAT many new patients) — but what about your current and past patients who are checking their emails everyday? Do you send them any valuable resources that keeps you top of mind and considered an expert source of info? (And please don’t say they receive your newsletter — because you know as well as I do, no one likes making newsletters and rarely does anyone ever read them.)
You say your website has people visiting it. That’s great! But are you capturing those visitors and building an online rapport with them? Are you finding ways to help them along in their decision-making process, nudging them towards your solution as the answer to their problems? Or do they come and go like stars in the night and you don’t really have anything to show for it?
Your potential patients can be found in many different locations online, consuming the insights and expertise of others. Meanwhile, you are likely not making the best use of any of these platforms, let alone all of them at once. Am I right? (Hands up, I already know the answer.)
So, what can you do about it?
Great question!
You need to adopt a strategy that will allow for solid growth of an audience who sees you as an expert — without it literally sucking the life out of you and making you want to throw in the towel.
Let me tell you a story of one of my clients, an amazing doctor that built a large multidisciplinary practice. She had everything under one roof, but no one was flocking to see her or her colleagues. She sat back and wondered, “Should I just hire someone to do my SEO?” So she did and guess what? She spent a ton of money only for unqualified people to call from the ad, hear the price, and not book. She was so concerned about paying all her staff and her massive rent when she met with me and I introduced her to my content strategy and broke down the goal and all the steps to get there. Sure, she had been using some platforms like social media and email, but she was mainly pushing products and promotions and was coming across as way too salesy. It just wasn’t working. Once she began to implement my strategy, her business had a massive shift. Any guess why?
She had thousands of people watching her videos every time she made one, responding to her posts, and reading her blogs. And just like that, she immediately started to build a rapport with her audience. This switched the course of not only the volume of patients, but the way her team used marketing in the clinic. She had past patients coming back, because the emails she was sending stopped being so salesy and started delivering true value, not promotions. She reduced her stress, increased her revenue, and started getting featured on podcasts, summits and receiving referrals from people she didn’t know.
We laugh at it now, but in all honesty, so much wasted time and money was spent before realizing the key thing — people are vulnerable and their health is not an easy thing to put in the hands of others. They really want to know they are making the right decision and they aren’t making that decision from the long list of services on your website. (And frankly, not even from the call with reception.) They need to have gotten to know, like and trust you through your presence online. In my client’s case, the desire to see the doctor was so strong, people were willing to jump on her waiting list to be seen.
So, if you are ready to learn how you can gain clarity, focus, and increase your brand awareness and expertise online to build an audience of raving fans, then it’s time to get started! Discover how digital marketing experts, big brands, and your esteemed colleagues are doing it with these 10 steps…
If you would like to watch the video I’ve recorded breaking this strategy down, click here
Step 1: Brainstorm topics you believe to be valuable to your ideal client.
For example, stress management, sleep issues, weight control, healthy eating for kids…. I could go on. Or, you could just download the free topics list I made for Natural Health doctors here.
Step 2: Take those topics and flush out a 1800-2200 word article.
Don’t get too science geeky or take yourself too seriously. Remember, when communicating with your audience, you need to speak at a grade 4 to 5 level. Be conversational and engaging. Your content needs to resonate with your audience, not your colleagues. Save that chat for conferences!
Step 3: Take that article and make a video.
Your video should be 3-5 minutes long. If you’d rather begin with a video because writing is not your jam, then get that video transcribed by Rev.com. (It’ll cost a bit, but well worth your time.)
Step 4: Upload your video to your social channels.
Take that video and get it out there by uploading it to Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Keep in mind that Instagram will only show 60 seconds. Use this as a teaser and send your audience to Facebook or your Youtube channel for the full video. Build subscribers and video views on Facebook so you can retarget them with ads later on.
Step 5: Break it down.
Remember that article you wrote? Pull out 15-20 different tidbits of info. Keep them interesting and short. Then make graphics for each using your brand colours with a free software like PicMonkey or Canva. Be sure to use images that are free for commercial use to avoid copyright issues. Sites like Pixabay or Pexels are great sources.
Step 6: Schedule your posts.
You don’t want to be tied to your device, posting constantly to your Facebook and Instagram accounts. You have a life to lead and patients to see. Schedule your posts in advance and then leave them be. You will need a paid scheduler for Instagram if you want to upload videos, but it makes life so much easier to schedule everything in one spot. I recommend Later.com.
Step 7: Put your article on your blog.
Be sure to add in a link to the Facebook video, using a screenshot as the picture. This will help to build up your video views on Facebook that you can retarget with ads later on.
Step 8: Print the article and have it in your office.
Make your article available for everyone to read, so your patients are reminded of your expertise, whether or not they follow you online. Retaining existing customers and building referrals is one of the most important things your business needs to focus on!
Step 9: Send a truncated version of the article to your email list.
Again, you want to get your words out there, whether your prospects follow you on social media or not. Begin with something like, “My thoughts on X topic and how it may affect you or your loved ones…” Then include part of the copy as a teaser. To read more, people can click the link to view the full article on your blog, or for more, they can check out your Facebook video.
Step 10: Rinse and Repeat.
You did it! You wrote one article that can be shared on your blog, with your email list, and as a hardcopy in your office. You then leveraged your subject matter to make a video, and created all the content you need to populate Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. That wasn’t so hard, right?
Right. At this point you’re probably asking yourself how the heck you’re supposed to find the time to do all of this. Even writing an article can take a few days (especially if you are quick to doubt yourself, worried about what your peers may say, or nervous about being judged online). If the key to being an online expert is to offer consistent content, you might be wondering if this means biting off more than you can chew.
That’s fair. The truth is, most of the people you see online are paying others to do the work for them. With that comes both challenges and costs including your time (which we can both agree is super valuable) to ensure others are doing it right and meeting your standards.
Now, one strategy is to pre-plan for the year and start writing your articles when you have time. Just make sure they are written to target the right audience and using the appropriate conversational tone so they are well-received.
Another strategy is to develop a monthly plan, where you assign yourself one article to write, which you set up during the first week of the month. However, this is still a bit of a time suck, I must admit.
OR, you could work on it weekly…. but man, that’ll eat up your time like nobody’s business! You need to be realistic with your expectations and what you can reasonably achieve, otherwise you’ll likely fail at staying consistent.
Now, what if I had a way for you to make use of this strategy to grow your audience and be seen as an expert in as little as one hour a month? Would you be up for it? Many of your colleagues are already using this strategy and getting great results. They get to look and feel like experts without forking out tons of cash each month or stressing about meeting their content deadlines.
The thing is, using social media to build an online audience doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like planting seeds and waiting for them to grow. You just can’t stop planting while you sit there and stare at the dirt. Social media has a cumulative effect when done across various platforms, allowing you to open up alternative channels of communication with potential patients.
Over time, you will start to become a familiar and friendly voice to your viewers, readers, and subscribers because you’ll be speaking to them in terms they understand about health issues they are already likely aware of. We all know how vulnerable people can be when seeking help with their health. Chances are each individual’s journey has already been filled with negative experiences, unanswered questions, and unsuccessful results. Show your expertise — but also allow people the space to get to know you, to like you, and to trust you!
When people get to know you online, they have the opportunity to connect with you multiple times before making the decision to reach out and buy. It’s no wonder having a strong social media and online presence is a valuable tool in attracting your ideal patients.
This is the strategy I have used to build a six figure business in just 6 months. It’s also the same strategy my consulting clients pay me to do for them so we can grow their brand. Why am I giving it to you for free? Because I want you to thrive! I want you to help build awareness about natural medicine every single day. Together we can educate people about how to live healthier lives, tune into their bodies, and become their own best doctor.
Are you ready to do this?
Click here to see what having a complete content strategy done-for-you is all about. Yep, I said that right! You just need to make a few videos, the rest is all done! Sounds crazy, I know…. BUT, your colleagues are doing it and loving it. And let’s face it, sitting on the fence never served anyone well. The choice is yours — take immediate action to get more visible online and grow your brand or stick to the slow lane while others pass you by! What will you choose?
Want to know more but prefer a good old phone call, no problem, let’s chat.