Maintaining a regular blog can be a valuable behavioral health marketing technique. Blogs are a great way to demonstrate expertise, relate to clients and partners, and attract search engine users. It can also seem overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a lot of blogging experience.
That’s why the right approach is crucial for successful blogging. If you decide to publish a blog on your behavioral health website, here are three ways to make sure your content keeps readers interested.
- Set a goal and strategy for your blog.
Every good behavioral health clinician knows that it’s important to help clients set goals and define success. Make sure you do the same for your own marketing, including your blog!
What do you want this blog to accomplish? Do you want to gain more website traffic, improve your reputation, attract new clients, or create change in your community? Make sure you are tailoring your content toward those goals.
Decide how often you will publish new posts. (Be realistic and don’t overcommit at first.) This will depend on your availability, the length of your posts, and the topics you will cover. In-depth posts take longer to write, but are favored by search engines and human readers because of their value.
- Avoid too much self-promotion.
Like other forms of marketing, your audience should take priority when deciding on your blog content. Most people read blogs to solve a problem, learn useful information, or be entertained.
When you’re excited to share what your business has accomplished, your blog might seem like the best place to post about it. Just don’t use your blog solely for company announcements and self-promotion. Your audience may not find it as interesting, and may find it off-putting.
That doesn’t mean you should never share business news in your blog. Just do it sparingly, and keep it relevant to your readers.
For example, your audience probably doesn’t need to know that your counseling practice switched to new payroll software! However, if your practice recently changed its pricing structure or hired a new client-facing employee, that is worth sharing. Other relevant changes may include taking on a new partner, or participating in a community event.
- Get creative with topics.
Did you recently take a continuing education class? Write about what you learned! Have you noticed trends in your industry or community? Use your blog to dig into them a little, and ask your readers for their perspective.
If you really want to stand out, don’t be afraid to be a little controversial. Don’t deliberately offend clients, potential clients, or partners. But avoid creating overly cautious, generic content. That won’t stand out to readers or provide much value.
Start small, and remember to stay professional and courteous. For example, if an industry peer writes an editorial that you strongly disagree with, consider posting a respectful rebuttal. If a new law will affect your practice or clients, write a blog post explaining how. You could even get a little more personal and share some past events or struggles that inspired you professionally.
Professional blogs can help create a great first impression for behavioral health professionals. Over time, a clear, honest blog can be a valuable tool in drawing new customers and helping you grow your business.
Looking for a great marketing software solution for your behavioral health business? BestNotes offers customizable, all-in-one EHR and CRM solutions that can help you run your organization with less stress and better results. Contact us today to learn more, or request a demo!