Are you blogging for your functional or naturopathic clinic? If not, it may be time to start!
Building a new practice from the ground up or expanding your existing practice requires constant nurturing and attention. You must balance the needs of your business with patient care – all of which takes a great deal of time and effort.
Your exceptional patient care gives you a front-row seat to your patient’s transformations. And it allows you the opportunity to make a positive difference in many people’s lives. But, to build the thriving practice of your dreams, you must first attract your ideal patients by utilizing a killer content marketing strategy.
As a piece of your strategy, you’ve likely dipped your toes into content marketing with social media posts, newsletters, or reels. Or, perhaps you’ve jumped in completely, and you’re making online classes, YouTube videos, and more. But I’m guessing that blogs (a longer form of content marketing) are dropping to the bottom of your list.
I get it! Making the time to plan and write a thousand words can feel daunting. Perhaps writing isn’t your thing, and the idea of a blog is overwhelming. Even if you’re unsure what a blog is, you’ve probably encountered a few at some point. In fact, if you’re reading this, guess what? You’re reading a blog for functional and naturopathic providers!
You might want to reconsider if your business doesn’t have a blog. Blogs can help you develop an online presence, prove you’re an industry excerpt, and attract quality leads. If you’re contemplating creating a blog for your functional or naturopathic clinic, or need a boost, keep reading. Here are my top 5 reasons functional and naturopathic clinics need a blog.
Why Functional and Naturopathic Providers Need a Blog?
Healthcare is one of the few remaining industries that primarily happens in person. Telehealth does exist, but most of your patients will meet you in person at some point. The kicker is that most of your potential patients will determine if you are the right provider for them based on your online presence. They evaluate your website for updated, accurate information relevant to their concerns.
One of the easiest ways to provide this information to potential patients is through a content marketing strategy. Content marketing is developing and sharing materials online, including social media, opt-ins, websites, and blogs.
As a health and wellness provider, blogs can be an easy way to share relevant, updated information with your patients. But, here is why I like incorporating blogs into a content marketing strategy.
1. Articulate Who You Are and What You Do.
Since most potential patients will scope you out online before scheduling an appointment, you have a fantastic opportunity to share who you are and what you do. Plus, you don’t have to sound like a cheesy infomercial while you’re at it.
Blogs allow you to articulate your experience, personality, approach to care, and so much more. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. For example, listing out all of your medical school training can feel impersonal to a potential patient. But talking about what led you into medicine or what excites you about your business helps your patients understand you.
Bonus, this helps you narrow the focus of your practice and articulate precisely the types of patients you want to see.
2. Establish Authority.
As a functional or naturopathic provider, your patients want to feel like they know you before they entrust you with something as important and personal as their health. They want to ensure that you’re an expert in your field and that you present unique and exciting ideas about their health concerns.
Because blogs are a longer form of content marketing, they allow you to both engage with and inform your readers. Blogs can grab your reader's attention and keep them entertained with engaging material while giving you the platform to share what makes your practice unique.
With time, your audience begins to know and trust you as an authority in your field.
3. Differentiate Your Services.
Functional and naturopathic practices are growing in popularity all over the country, making the need to stand out even more critical. Blogs allow you to differentiate yourself and your services so that people can see the results that you know are possible.
4. Grow Organic Website Traffic.
Organic traffic is a big one!
When someone has an issue they need to solve, the internet is the first place they turn to. And search engines want to provide those users with the answers they want. If your website has blogs that help address these people’s issues, then, ideally, your website comes up in their search results.
This is organic traffic. And it’s essential for every small business.
Let’s pretend you’re a naturopath that specializes in pregnancy and postpartum support for women. If someone searches for ‘postpartum herbal support,’ it would be fantastic for your website to pop up with a blog about your favorite herbs for postpartum support.
This one blog can not only help the person who searched, but it can also bring additional patients into your office.
5. Build a Library of Content
One of the biggest challenges with content marketing is the shelf life of content. Content like social media posts might only have a shelf life of a few hours or days. Blogs, on the other hand, can maintain their viability for up to two years!
On top of that, you can repurpose blogs for so many different uses. You can create a social media series based on a single blog. Or you can use your blogs to help fill out a newsletter. And possibly my favorite, blogs can be excellent patient education tools. If you have a patient struggling with a specific issue, point them to a blog you’ve shared that may be helpful.
Ideally, you can pull from your library of blogs repeatedly. Blogging can be an investment to get started, but the long-term payoffs can be significant.
Hiring a Functional and Naturopathic Copywriter
Blogs are one of the best content marketing strategies that allow you to engage with and inform your ideal audience. Blogs can help build your authority, establish credibility, and differentiate you from other providers. Plus, you can use your library of blogs over and over.
The key to blogging is consistency. I recommend posting researched, SEO-optimized blogs two to four times per month.
I know that can feel like a lot, and that’s where a medical copywriter can help! Medical copywriters can incorporate keywords that will help you build organic traffic, help build your brand’s unique voice, and establish a cohesive online presence – allowing you to regain your balance and focus on seeing the desired results.
Interested in learning more about how a medical copywriter for functional and naturopathic providers can help you build your blog? Drop me an email at julie@jbryantagency.com or schedule a free consultation to get started.
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