By Kristin Laffrey, business coach for women leading impact in fertility, birth, postpartum, motherhood, parenting and matrescence.
When setting up your doula website there are two things that are essential for being able to attract doula clients into your packages:
The functionality of the website, it must be easy and clear to navigate
Your messaging within your website is essential to effectively move clients into your packages
Because your website isn’t just about getting people to it but it’s about getting your potential doula clients to take action and this means having a clear framework that supports them to make the decision to work with you and then to support them to take action.
Most doulas that come to work with me invest thousands of dollars into their website and have someone take 9-12 months to build it out but then still find it isn’t actually effective in getting them clients. What I see is that they may have a beautiful website and most the time it is easy to use however the missing gap is their messaging.
This blog covers the 5 must-haves for your doula website to be able to turn website clicks into clients and not just what to have but also why they are essential because something I am such an advocate for is not just taking action within your business but knowing WHY you are taking that action.
Must-have # 1: Who you are (your story behind what you do)
Introducing who you are is important for many reasons. This page isn’t just about giving your potential doula clients information about you but rather positioning yourself in a way that builds connection, credibility and trust with your potential clients.
With this in mind, it’s important to recognise that this page isn’t just about sharing high-level details and personal interests but rather strategically focusing on the details that are going to build that credibility for your ideal clients to take the next step in your client journey. This includes sharing your doula qualifications and experience you’ve had working with women in pregnancy, birth and postpartum that is going to position you as the expert, sharing your own journey if this has been a driving reason for starting your business as a doula and also sharing how you have supported clients to give insight into ways these qualifications, experience and your journey could potentially support them on their journey in pregnancy, birth and postpartum. This not only further builds credibility but it also gives them the opportunity to see themselves in the shoes of your journey or that of your clients which can create the level of connection and trust that keeps them engaged and wanting to know more about how they could potentially work with you.
Finally, don’t be afraid to use this space to share what makes you unique. Maybe it is your doula qualifications, your experience or your personal journey however it could be your values, or something else that you bring to this space that is going to differentiate you from others within your industry. Don’t hold back on speaking to what makes you the best person to work with.
Must-have # 2: Your unique approach:
People need to know HOW you support them because the approach you use for your work is what makes you unique.
It’s important to remember that you aren’t just selling doula packages, you are selling a solution and that solution is your unique approach for supporting clients. There might be 100 doulas that work near you BUT the key difference that differentiates you from everyone else is your unique support offerings. So before jumping into your packages on your website, speak about your approach and why that is the best support for your doula clients during their birth/postpartum.
Must-have # 3: Your Packages
Once you have outlined your unique approach and what differentiates you from others within the doula industry, it’s important to speak to your packages and how they are designed to support your clients getting the experience they desire.
Including your doula packages on your website isn’t just about listing the inclusions and prices, it’s also about speaking to how those inclusions are going to support your clients. Remembering once again that your clients are investing in the outcome/transformation of your doula support, not just in-person visits for example but what those in-person visits provide for the client.
It’s also important to remember where the value exists in your support which is a big part of how you position your value so ensure that you are speaking to that value so that your ideal clients see the value in your support.
Finally, it’s important to remember that decision fatigue is a real thing for your potential clients making a decision so keep the next-steps clear so they know exactly what action to take to start working with you.
Must-have # 4: Testimonials
Testimonials are such an important part of building social proof with your audience. It shows your ideal clients what the experience would be like working with you. Including them on your website is a way to reassure your ideal clients that you are the ideal fit for them. Well structured testimonials can do the selling for you if they speak specifically to positioning the value of your offers.
When deciding what testimonials to include on your website, here are some of the most powerful testimonials to include:
Outcome-focused testimonials: these testimonials as a doula are powerful because they speak to how your support shaped their experience. What they were experiencing before working together and the outcome/transformation after the experience.
Feeling-focused testimonials: testimonials that speak to how you made them feel in the experience are a great way to emotionally connect to your ideal clients.
Must-have # 5: Next Step/Call to Action:
It’s essential that your website directs your ideal client to exactly what step they need to take next. This is why having a client journey is essential because it gives clarity to the next step for your client that ultimately creates safety in the client journey for them and increases your ability to move them into your packages.
That next step may be to download your package options or it may be to set up a free online or in-person consult to learn more about who you are as a doula or how your doula packages could support them on their pregnancy, birth or postpartum journey.
The key is that whatever that step is, it’s important to ensure you are clear with exactly where you are directing them and WHY they next step is so essential for them on their journey.
Increasing your website conversion rate
Remember that your ability to convert clients through your website isn’t just driven by your website itself.
It’s also determined by:
The quality of the traffic you are getting to your website.
The clarity you hold around who your ideal client is and how you serve them.
The packaging and positioning of your offers (whether they connect with your ideal clients and are compelling).
The client journey you build out and how you move clients along each step of the journey.
So it’s important to ensure you set your website up effectively but also ensure the foundations and strategies you are implementing within your business are supporting you in building out your business to attract more clients and grow.
Not sure where to start? Download my free weekly action plan that breaks down each step of my signature Client Attraction Process to be able to build out pathways for attracting ideal clients, but also your marketing strategy and sales process to be able to turn them into paying doula clients.
