3 Foundational Steps to Build and Retain Your Women’s Health Community
So, you've started a business to improve people's lives...
However, gaining their attention ethically and welcoming them to your community as loyal members is harder than it looks.
Selling your services can also feel like a dirty deed, especially when it seems like the rest of the market is using trickery to gain clients.
While these other businesses use fear and manipulation to gain short-term wins, their chances of building a loyal client base are very slim.
The disconnect between what they want (the sale) vs. what their prospect wants (a solution) is why gaining and retaining a loyal client base can be challenging.
By focusing on providing solutions instead of making sales, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field.
Marketing your women’s health services is simple when you start with your purpose and define who you want to help.
From there, you can build a community of quality clients who are ready to make an ongoing commitment to your services.
Here are three foundational steps I consider essential building blocks to any loyal customer base.
#1 Find Your People 🙋♀️
As a leader in women’s health, you probably think everyone needs your services, and as someone who values your services personally, I agree.
But it's important to remember that not everyone wants your service, meaning your efforts to reach everyone are wasted.
And by trying to target everyone, you miss out on reaching the magic pocket of people who are ready and waiting for your help.
This is one of my favourite quotes that defines the power of identifying your people in the vast ocean of everyone:
“This dye, sold as a powder, is quite bright and tiny bit goes a long way. Once the powder touches the moisture on your skin, it blooms into a bright purple and won’t easily wash off. Drop a teaspoon of it into a swimming pool, and all the water in the pool will become permanently bright purple. But if you drop it in the ocean, no one will notice.”
Seth's message is simple.
Just as dropping dye in the ocean will go unnoticed - so will your marketing efforts if you broadcast your message to everyone.
Your diluted message will sink and drown amongst the competing waves.
But, if you start with a swimming pool - whether targeting women facing fertility issues or those navigating menopause - you will be seen, and that drop of dye that sank in the ocean will spread and illuminate the pool.
By focusing on specific demographics within women's health and understanding the unique challenges of these women, your message becomes more relevant and impactful.
For example, crafting tailored messaging that speaks directly to the experiences of women facing fertility issues, such as emotional support and lifestyle changes - will resonate with those who need your help instead of targeting women who may not even want children.
If you execute this well - the community you build in one pool might even help spread your reach to another pool.
So, where do you start in building your pool of people?
Rather than defining a group of people, it's easier to think of who your ideal customer is instead.
Ask yourself... 👇
What do they look like?
What are their core values?
Are they married, single, or divorced?
What age are they?
What are their hobbies?
What are their pain points?
You can create a basis for your ideal customer by answering these questions.
It sometimes helps even to give them a name so you can bring this character to life.
Once you've done this, when you write your next marketing communication - imagine you're writing just to them.
Speak directly to what they need support with, and address them like a friend who needs your help.
Your client will feel heard and valued, and most importantly - you'll build trust and help establish yourself as their go-to expert in women’s health.
#2 Get Personal 👀
There is no better way to build genuine connections with your audience than to lead from the front.
Being a leader in women’s health is about women helping women.
This means leaning into your voice instead of polishing up some corporate-sounding nonsense that doesn't align with your values or empathise with your audience.
So, discover your authentic tone of voice. How would you address someone in person during a consultation?
And most importantly, if you ask someone to let their guard down and trust you, you should lead by example and do the same.
Share your own stories, vulnerabilities, and circumstances that feed into the purpose of your mission.
Help women understand why you are trying to help them.
By demonstrating your journey and reflecting on your experience, you can be your own case study for the success of your women’s health business.
People connect with people.
❌ Not a logo.
❌ Not a corporate and polished voice.
❌ Not a stock image.
❌ Not an AI bot.
If you expect people to trust your product or service, you should consider injecting your unique personality and expertise into your outreach to establish and build that all-important trust factor.
#3 Provide Value 🏆
You may hear this a lot in the marketing world. It's overused but necessary.
But what does value mean?
When you attract new clients to your business, you need to consider that building trust takes time.
Prospects aren't always ready to partner with you straight away, so this is where you use your expertise to pave the way for their journey with you.
During this journey, our primary goal is to provide value-based resources that demonstrate your expertise, address your community's needs, and establish you as an authority in your field.
Doing this means we must provide value through resources that align with our customer's needs.
Whether that is a free guide to increase awareness of your solution or a webinar to meet them at the current point in their journey, these resources provide insight into your main service or product.
These consistent value-based communication efforts build trust and guide them in their journey - from lead to a valued member of your sisterhood.
When the time comes, and they are ready for your solution, such as an at-home fertility testing kit or cycle-tracking app, you will be their go-to expert for supporting their women's health goals.
Key Takeaways 🌟
✓ Focus on spreading your message within a concentrated pool of people, instead of aiming for the ocean.
✓ Your values and purpose are at the core of your marketing efforts - not the other way around.
✓ Authenticity and empathy are your greatest asset as a wellness professional.
✓ Achieving wellness doesn't happen overnight - so neither will building your community.
✓ Establishing a quality and qualified tribe takes patience and compassion; using these as your strengths will undoubtedly create the customer base you've always dreamt of.
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My passion is guiding women to discover resources that help them take charge of their health. That's why I'm eager to connect them with you.
