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Interview with Anna Le Grange, Lactation Consultant and Mindful Breastfeeding Coach

March 18, 2019 By sophie

Sophie interviews Lactation Consultant Anna Le Grange about mindful breastfeeding, some of the pitfalls facing parents in the UK around feeding, and what she thinks makes good preparation for feeding. She also discusses the training she offers doulas and other professionals around breastfeeding support. For more information about Anna go to www.mindfulbreastfeeding.co.uk or follow her on Facebook or Twitter

Click here to read our blog on well-meaning advice and how helpful it is

Click here to listen to Sophie’s blog on breastfeeding support and antenatal preparation

Click here for more information about doulas and how they can support new parents

10 simple but powerful ways to TOTALLY Ruin your Doula business!

January 21, 2019 By Kerry

1. Don’t join a networking group

Ok, I confess. I used to view networking groups with a wary eye and admittedly I’d still rather pluck the hairs from my cat’s bottom than sign up to one of those suited and booted networking groups where you ‘have’ to introduce a certain number of people each year and pass on a certain amount of business. Ick!

However, times are changing and as more and more people (and particularly more women) choose to be self-employed, lots of small friendly networking groups have popped up across the country. And they can actually be quite fun!

Fancy networking with other working mums? BizMums have a growing community of meetups across the UK.

Based in the countryside? Visit the Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE) website to fine your nearest meeting.

Do your research, find a meeting that suits your style, then take a deep breath and get networking. Don’t forget to take some business cards!

2. Don’t bother creating a cover image for Facebook and Twitter

Your cover image is the first thing potential customers see when they land on your Facebook page or Twitter profile which makes it business promotion gold!

So, rather than just a plain image, use the space to communicate your mission or values. If you’re running a special offer or want to draw attention to a certain aspect of your business your cover photo is a great place to really shout about it.

We often switch up the Nurturing Birth social covers to reflect and promote what’s happening in the business at the time. We use Canva to create our cover graphics, why not give it a try?

3. Never create a gift guide on your blog

Recommending products and services you like and including an affiliate link is a great way to bring a little extra pocket money into your business and as a doula you’re perfectly placed to signpost your community to the books, equipment and tools you like to use. Visual gift guides are a great way to display lots of products and services without a pushy sales message in sight! Think inspirational and informative and let the images do the rest!

4. Don’t sign up as an Amazon Associate

Going deeper into affiliate opportunities… if there’s a product that your customers would love, chances are it’s sold on Amazon. And if you have an Amazon account it’s quick, easy and free to sign up as an Amazon Affiliate. Review books on your blog, create ‘best of’ or ‘best for’ shopping or gift posts and link to the products you’re talking about using your Amazon Associates account. If a customer clicks through your link and buys, you’ll get a cut of the cash!

5. Never ever swap social media mentions with other businesses

Expand the reach of your content on social media by tracking down other pregnancy, birth and baby businesses in your local area or industry and asking them if they fancy doing a mutual shout-out. Ideally you’re looking for people who have a similar target market to you, but sell different products or services to your own.

Drop them a line to introduce yourself and ask if they fancy sharing a recent post or even giving your latest blog post a shout out on their social media in return for the same on yours. You’ll be surprised how many people say yes!

As a doula, potential people to approach might be:

Lactation Consultants

Pregnancy and Baby Yoga Instructors

Maternity, birth or Baby Photographers

Hypnobirthing Practitioners

Antenatal Class providers

6. Don’t ask for testimonials and even if you get them, don’t bother using them

When it comes to convincing potential customers that you are all sorts of wonderful, nothing makes a bigger impression than client testimonials. Testimonials Ask for them and use them everywhere you can. Got a great Facebook Page review? Use it on your website, make memes using Canva and share them on all your social media channels.

7. Do a disappearing act on your customers

Regular contact… and regular content makes your customers feel safe, secure and connected with your business and whilst life may sometimes get in the way (and family always comes first) try to maintain regular contact with your customers.

Don’t pressure yourself though, find a rhythm that suits you. Don’t have time for a weekly blog post or newsletter? Aim for one a month. Taking some time off? Pop a post on your Facebook page that says so, turn your out of office on and use scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Later to post for you whilst you’re away.

8. Forget to set your alarm for customer-o’clock!

Do you know what time your customers are online? Is it early morning or… right now? Take a look at your Facebook Page Insights and schedule your posts when your stats are highest to reach more of your crowd. With organic reach at an all-time low, it’s little considerations like this that can give you a slight advantage!

To find out when traffic to Facebook page peaks, go to your page, click on ‘Insights’ in the top menu then on

9. Keep your website and social media links totally secret

It sounds so simple doesn’t it? But you’d be amazed at the number of people who don’t bother adding a signature block to the end of their e-mails. C’mon doulas! You want potential customers to connect and communicate with you? Tell them how to find you every time you have an opportunity.

10. Avoid the press like the plague!

Getting coverage in local and national media can get more eyes (and attract more clients) to your business. Be aware of relevant event days and offer to provide relevant and informative content in advance. If there’s a news story breaking that covers your industry then offer yourself for commentary.

Twitter is a great place to pick up press opportunities. Check out these hashtags a few times a week for promotional opportunties:

#journorequest

#prrequest

or use them in your own tweets to showcase your products and see if anyone would like to use them for forthcoming gift guides.

How to make 2019 your best business year yet

December 10, 2018 By Kerry

As the end of another year approaches it’s natural to start thinking ahead to the next 12 months and what actions you’re going to take to grow your doula business.

But here’s the thing… How do you know whether the work you’re doing will take you in the right direction?

Did you know that just a small percentage of entrepreneurs and businesses actually write down their goals for the next year? Less than 5%.

That’s crazy! If you don’t know what success looks like for you and your business, how will you know when you’ve got there? Or if you’re even getting close?

Here’s another stat for you: That 5%, those people who write their goals down and review them regularly… they experience more business success than the other 95%.

It’s pretty clear: Goals are essential for growing your doula business.

They create momentum
They give you focus
They keep you motivated
They give you proof that you are moving forward and in the right direction.

So lovely doula, it’s time to stop dreaming and take action! If you want to make 2019 your best yet then there is just ONE sure-fire way to actually do it.

You’ve got to PLAN IT.

Set your goals
Review them regularly

Here’s how to make 2019 your best business year yet.

Step One: Review last year

By reviewing the last year, you get clear on your strengths and weaknesses. You can identify areas of your business that are successful and work on expanding them for next year and create a plan for changing and improving areas of weakness. Figure out where your money is coming from, which services are bringing it in, where your customers are coming from and what they are buying.

What were your three biggest business achievements in 2018?
What was your biggest challenge in 2018 and how did you overcome it?
What areas of your business felt right in 2018?
What areas of your business felt a bit out of balance in 2018?
What was your worst-performing product or service in 2018?
What were your three best-selling or most popular products or services in 2018? Rank them in order.
What was your most effective social media channel in 2018?
What marketing actions bought in the results in 2018?

Once you know where you are, you can map out where you need to go next.

Step Two: Make goals for this year

What are your financial goals for this year and how can you achieve them?

How can you sell more of your best products and services?
How can you sell more of your weak products and services?
Where could you save money in your business?

What are your marketing goals for this year and how can you achieve them?

What social media channels are you going to focus on this year?
How many followers/page likes etc. do you want by the end of 2019?
What is the most popular page on your website and how could you make it even better?
How can you get in front of your customers more in 2019?
How can you get and share more positive testimonials this year?

What are your customer goals for this year and how can you achieve them?

Do you have a system in place for collecting customer e-mails?
How are you going to grow your customer mailing list this year?
Are your customers taken care of at every step in your business?
How will you communicate with your customers in 2019?
How could you reward your most loyal customers this year?

Once you’ve got answers to the questions above you can start to set your goals for 2019. Don’t get overwhelmed, you’ve got a whole year to achieve them!

Try setting 1-5 monthly tasks that take you closer to your goals, any more than this and you risk spreading yourself too thin.

Step three: Review your goals regularly

Once you’ve got your goals you MUST review them regularly. Writing them down and sticking them in a filing cabinet won’t help grow your doula business. Post them on the wall, stick them on the fridge, make them a part of everyday life.

Review your goals each month to check your progress, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve missed one or two, chart how far you’ve gotten and make reaching that goal a priority for next month.

Reading this post in June? No worries, it’s NEVER too late to start setting goals for your business.

Just start today.

Like this? We’ve got lots more tips and ideas for growing your doula business in our blog: How to get your doula business in front of more potential clients

How to create a positive mindset and grow your doula practice

November 28, 2018 By Kerry

A positive mindset is one of those things that takes time and concerted effort to develop – it’s not enough to simply be aware of the fact you have a certain mindset issue, like fear or negative self-talk, it’s important to constantly challenge the way you think.

You see, starting your own doula business, is an incredibly rewarding journey to take, but often it’s far from simple or easy. Building a successful working career is a challenge, but doing it on your own terms, in your own way, presents a whole new set of challenges!

And here’s the vital killer… we’re often a lot harder on ourselves than we should be, frequently berating and belittling ourselves for our perceived failures, whilst usually minimising our successes.

Mindset is a funny thing, but there are four key areas I’ve noticed that people struggle with. Individually they can be an issue. When you have to contend with more than one at a time they can be utterly crippling.

However, master these mindsets and you’ll be well on your way to reaching your full, genuine potential…

Mindset Issue #1: Having A Fixed Outlook Rather Than A Growth Mindset

Do you view the world with a fixed outlook, or with a growth mindset? Here’s how to find out… If you find yourself encountering problems in your work, relationships, and personal life you will likely react in one of two ways:

This is just the way it is, I either have to live with it, or remove myself from the situation (i.e. find a new job, end my relationship, find new friends, give up that hobby, etc.)
This is just an obstacle to overcome, and once I’m on the other side of it everything will be better/easier.

The former is known as a ‘fixed outlook’, and is characterised by the belief that certain things in life are set. The latter perspective is a ‘growth mindset’, the perception that all things can and do change, develop, and grow.

A fixed outlook holds you back from reaching your potential, because there are self-imposed boundaries you never truly strive to break, simply because you believe they are unbreakable. A growth mindset holds that where there is life, there is growth, and therefore your level of success, happiness and achievement can continue to expand and evolve for the whole length of your life.

Which is pretty awesome, right?

Mindset Issue #2: Approval Seeking

Approval seeking is a habit we begin in childhood. You do something for the first time and instinctively look to an authority figure to tell you you’re on the right track, reassure you, and give you confidence.

We naturally carry this habit into adulthood and often repeat the pattern with authority figures, particularly with those we respect and admire.

And it’s an understandable impulse. The problem is that when you seek approval for everything you do in your business, you’re actually undermining your own ability, success and potential.

You never learn to trust your gut. You second guess everything you do. And when you can’t get a second opinion (or you’re too nervous to ask for one) you’re more likely to hold yourself back and pass over opportunities for fear they’re the wrong move.

Worse still, you might seek approval from the wrong people. Great Aunty Pat means well but she probably doesn’t understand your business. Other people may give you advice based on what would be right for them, but that isn’t right for you.

Mindset Issue #3: Social Envy

The rise and rise of social media has given us all a bit of an obsession with the way we appear online, and the way other people appear too.

In our personal lives we may find ourselves envious of the picture-perfect selfies or astonishing holiday snaps our friends share. We forget that people only show the best moments of their lives on social media, and often tweak those images to make them as perfect as possible.

We can easily do this in business too, coveting the number of followers a fellow doula has or how many people are liking and commenting on their stuff, how great their memes look, and the awesome YouTube channel they’ve got going on. But these snapshots are just as carefully chosen as the images our friends share.

So when venturing into the treacherous waters of social media, do remember, everything you see there is (to some extent) a performance.

Mindset Issue #4: Lack Of Self-Belief

Success in business hinges on your ability to believe you’re actually capable of doing it. Many of us carry fears and worries that it’s going to be more than we can handle, or that we will ultimately fail.

A little self-doubt is perfectly natural, but if you’ve ever heard the expression ‘thoughts become things’ you will have an idea of why self-doubt can be so detrimental.

When you’re perpetually thinking you will fail, you will more than likely fail. Not because you’re a failure, but because you’re expecting it to happen and reacting as if it already has.

When you’re convinced you can succeed, and that success is inevitable, you will act and react completely differently. If you’re convinced that you can totally do this (and you can!) then success will come.

Need a little help with creating your positive mindset? Consider working with a mentor to build your self-belief, sharpen your focus and over come challenges. Why not find out more about the Nurturing Birth Doula mentoring program for beginner and experienced doulas. Click here to discover more about doula mentoring

Search Engine Optimisation – A TOTAL beginners guide!

October 24, 2018 By Kerry

SEO… Three little letters. They sound so harmless, but toss them into a chat about your website and suddenly your doula brain is thrown into a frenzy of panic and confusion.

Urgh! What on earth is search engine optimisation anyway?

Is it important? Do I need it? Do other doulas use it?

How can I get started? Can I do it myself or is it going to cost me a small fortune!

Help!

Don’t worry lovely doula. SEO sounds complicated, but in fact, it’s not really. And the good news is that with just a few small tweaks and regular updates to your website, you can totally optimise your website yourself in just a few hours. Hurray!

What is SEO?

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the technical, geeky term for the variety of little things you can do to help your website feature in search results. You see, billions of searches are made for services like yours on search engine sites like Google, Yahoo or Bing every day.

And if your website is featured in the top results it can make a real difference to the number of people visiting your website. Even (in fact, especially) if your local market is very small.

Did you know that…

One third of all searches that people make online are for local products and services; and
Almost half of people who make a local search on their phone will visit a shop that same day or the website immediately after.

Which means that your potential customers could be online searching for someone like you right now!

So, how do you go about getting your doula website to feature well in search results? Here’s a quick guide to getting started.

Step 1: Find out if or where your website ranks right now

If you’re using the Chrome browser, start by logging out of Google, then open a new incognito window by clicking on the icon with three little vertical dots in the right-hand corner of your browser. The result ‘New Incognito Window’ should be the third one down.

If you’re using the Microsoft Edge browser, you’ll need to log out of Google and then click on the icon with the three horizontal dots in the top right hand corner. Next, click on ‘New InPrivate Window’.

Next spend 5-10 minutes using a variety of search terms that a customer might use to find your website and see where you come in the results. For example, if you’re a doula based in Bristol here’s a few examples of what you could use:

Doula in Bristol
Doula services in Bristol
Doula UK doula in Bristol
Pregnancy support in Bristol
Birth doulas in Bristol
Postnatal doula in Bristol

If you’re based in a rural area, try using your village, local town and nearest city in your research. If you feature on page one of results for most search terms then give yourself a pat on the back! If not, then you’ve got a bit of work to do.

Step 2: Pour yourself a cuppa and start SEO-ing your website

So here’s the super secret to simple SEO… search engines are actually looking at just a few vital things on your website and they’re all based around the same thing… Is your site easy for your customers to use?

Does your website load quickly or is it slow and clunky?
Can your potential customers find what they want quickly and easily or is your website confusing?
Is your website interesting and useful, does the content interest potential customers?
Does it look good on all devices? Including desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones?

Asking a friend or family member to take a look at these things and feedback to you is a great way to get started. There are also a few free online tools you can use too.

Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights Test or the Pingdom Website Speed Test to find out if your website loads quickly.

Use: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly to find out if your website looks great on mobile devices

Step 3: Tweak the words on your website to get more Google love

In order to display your website to the right people, Search Engines need to understand three very important things

Who you are
What you do
Where you are

If you want search engines to show you in relevant local results, you need to make these things crystal clear on your website. Avoid fancy schmancy terms and stick to simple, plain English language that’s easy to understand. And always have in mind: What would someone looking for this service type into Google to find it?

Step 4: Build backlinks to your website

A back-what now? A backlink is a link from another website (like this one) to yours. They are important because out of all the things search engines look at to rank your website backlinks are one of the most highly regarded.

You see when another website links to your site, it’s like a little vote for you. The more backlinks you have, the more search engines like you!

But… beware! Your links must always be relevant or natural. So don’t go running off to get your best pals veggie box business website to link to yours! Try to swap backlinks with other people in the same industry as you who appeal to the same audience. People like…

Hypnobirthing Practitioners
Pregnancy and Baby Yoga Teachers
Independent Midwives
Private GP Surgeries
Lactation Consultants
Birth and baby photographers

And that’s it! Once you’ve followed these four simple steps you should start to see your search engine ranking improving. Give it a try and let us know the results you get.

Interview with Emma While from Courage & Chamomile on baby sleep

October 16, 2018 By sophie

Sophie chats to Emma While, Sleep Educator and Mummy Mentor from Courage and Chamomile about her work with new parents navigating baby and child sleep. They discuss working with instincts, understanding patterns of sleep and realistic expectations.

For more information about Emma visit her Facebook page – facebook.com/courageandchamomile/

Click here to watch Sophie’s video blog on sleep-deprived parents

Interview with Anna Le Grange, Lactation Consultant and Mindful Breastfeeding Coach