 Content plan for the month of January. The words are jotted down in your business planner, but content planning is somehow always last on your priority list.
You aren’t alone there. Your creative struggle is so much more common than you realize. And I don’t mean to be that person, but it is January 4th. So…are you going to bump up that priority or are you going to try again in February? I know that every month you have the intention of achieving all of your content goals, but let’s be realistic. You would have to set aside several hours every single week to plan, prepare and post your content. Your work is so important to the world. Every single one of your clients needs you. That’s exactly the reason that this gets pushed down the list of things to do. But those that haven’t found you yet need you, too. So, it’s important that your reach spreads far and wide. The way that you can achieve that is through posting original and consistent blogs directly to your website. Coming into 2022, the relevancy of blogs has only climbed up even more than in 2021. There are so many ways that you can attract clients to you, but blogging remains a top contender. Blogs are the most cost-effective marketing tool Blogging is going to be where you spend the least amount of money when it comes to your marketing strategy. But you are also able to capitalize on this tool the most. You are already paying for your website and your domain name. That means that all you have to do is add in a blogging page if you haven’t already. Once you start posting, your blog will continue to add to your business revenue time and time again. You are able to use your blogs to regularly reference your business. You can also use them to encourage your audience to purchase your services. By building backlinks into your posts, and posting relevant content often you will also add to your SEO ranking. When you hire a mental health and wellness blogger to compose your blogs for you, you are making an investment. One that results in return profits for your business throughout the life of your website. The opportunities to increase your revenue are endless There are so many ways to increase your income when using your blog to the fullest potential. I mean, your blog is basically your own self-managed ad campaign. You’re able to share your services, your products, use affiliate links for other products that you believe in and support. You can also use blog posts as opportunities to direct your audience to your social channels! Vice versa, you can use your social channels to link back to your blog, service page, or online store. Your blog is a tool that should be used to the extent that you are able to use it. This is why there’s an emphasis on having someone that truly understands how to apply this tool directly to your goals to support your success. A mental health blogger believes in your purpose and is eager to communicate that out to your audience for you. Blogs invite your audience to open up to you There’s no doubt about the fact that maintaining your blog for your business is the driving force in your audience trusting you. By educating your readers, you are also inviting them to have a conversation with you. You’re giving them the freedom to ask you questions. You’re providing them with an opportunity to authentically connect with you. You’re hosting the platform for learning more about your business, and for your client to learn more about themselves. By sharing your purpose, you are asking them to share their purpose, too. And by doing that you’re also helping them realize that you actually share similar values. These are key points when building your audience. And if you ask me, there’s no other way to do it. Building online relationships with your readers before they have the chance to meet you is crucial in today’s market. The best way to approach the construction of those relationships is via blogs. After all, 46% of the population relies on bloggers to guide them in the right direction when it comes to making purchasing decisions. A single post will drive results for-basically-ever All it takes to reel in converting leads is one blog post. One. When you post just one, it will continue to bring you results over time. Blogs are the sole marketing tool that continues to build on their own long after you’ve left them. It never ends, truly. When someone is looking to make an investment in their mental health, they will often turn to your blog page to filter through content. What they are looking for is consistency and a brand voice that expresses the same values that they share or have the desire to grow into. Each blog that you post is going to continue to drive traffic to your website. Search engines analyze several factors of your blog to rank you on their platforms in order of most relevant depending on the lead’s search. As you post more, the relevancy of your blogs and your website climbs over time. Which will drive more organic leads to your website for years after posting that one blog. When you’re considering all potential marketing efforts to include in your own strategy, blogging shouldn’t be overlooked. While blogs play a huge part in your overall success, there are some negatives to consider. It’s never all rainbows and butterflies. The majority of those negatives are going to come down to the time that you are able to commit to blogging. To say it’s a time commitment is a little underwhelming to the reality. Creating, writing, brainstorming and planning are all-of-your-time consuming. When you work in your industry, you already have so much on your plate. You know that your online marketing is important, too. But it’s naturally going to slip through the cracks when you are busy healing the world. This is why hiring a mental health and wellness blogger to facilitate and manage your blog for you is a must. Send me a quick email right now at ellisgreywriting@gmail.com. Let’s create your dream marketing strategy.
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 Social Media Copy? Yes. Your posts on your social media accounts are also sales writing. Your captions on your Instagram should be strategized in the exact same way that your website is.
Okay, well, maybe not exactly...but pretty dang close. Your social accounts are the face of your business. People in the US each spent over 1,300 hours last year just being on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram alone. That’s a whole lot of consumption for them. And a whole lot of opportunity for you that you aren’t taking full advantage of yet. The exposure is there. It’s just waiting for you to square up. Lucky for you, others have already been there done that. It’s all been broken down into a specific formula. Read on for a guide that walks you through the perfect way to strategize your social media content for all of your channels. How Are You Measuring Up What are your goals with your posts? It’s best practice to have a variety of what you want to achieve in mind in terms of your overall intentions. However, each individual post shouldn’t have more than one clear purpose. A few ideas of goals to set with social media copy could include:
There are so many possibilities, but these should give you a general starting point. Let Your Copy Inspire Your Visual Creativity and individuality all around is the primary idea. Of course! But when it comes down to your copy or your image, your copy should always come first. I know, I know. It’s backwards from what you’ve been taught. In spite of that, I’ll tell you why. When you have crafted your copy, connected to your audience authentically, checked your boxes on your “perfect copy checklist”, you will innately know the one picture that fits perfectly along with your words. The purpose of the image is to get the reader to first stop scrolling and entice them to “read more…” When you are choosing a design that responds to your copy, you have better success with achieving this. As opposed to creating or selecting a random image to post, and crafting copy around that image that you’re not fully sure actually connects with your audience in the first place. Be Interesting Teach your crowd something that they didn’t know. Create infographics if you need to! People tend to gravitate towards businesses that are teaching them things. Whether those things are actually about things or about themselves, about their community, about others... I mean, I’m sure you know. As human beings, we are naturally inclined to have epistemic curiosity. When you learn something new, it brings a sense of pleasure and accomplishment. It’s an evolutionary piece to our existence. That being said, your content must be interesting. Educate! This is non-negotiable. Treat Your Audience Like They Are Your Best Friends Your social media copy should be written as if you are speaking to someone you know. Like really know. An easy and seamless conversation. Invite them into the conversation with you. Create dialogue. You can do this on all platforms, but don’t forget that each platform does have its own style and algorithm. Make sure that you are catering to each one. If you aren’t sure how to do that, it might be in your best interest to consult with a copywriter that dabbles in social media for your niche. Produce Interactive Content When you create your content for your business’s social platforms, you can make it interactive to add that conversational dynamic to it. Some ideas for that include:
There are so many fun ways that you can get creative here. Heart Eyes Emoji x 3 Including emojis into your copy can sometimes give it the extra flair it needs. Not only that, but it also helps you communicate your tone and brand voice when placed strategically and intentionally throughout your post. Another great benefit is being able to connect with your targeted demographic a little easier. There are certain emojis that just hit like an inside joke with some groups of people. Be The Cool Mom Queueing my best Amy Poehler in Mean Girls impression… In all seriousness, never settle for being regular when it comes to your social media copy. Always be cool. Trends are constantly changing. New trends are constantly being created. When you keep up with these, it can help your own content creation. You’ll be able to recreate posts, reference trends, and easily re-share others’ posts as well. This does mean that you have to dedicate some time to exploring your social media channels to make sure that you don’t miss the memo in the popularity realm. Dedicating as little as 15 minutes a day to exploring popular posts will keep you well-informed. Personability Is Crucial Using your own experience to connect with your audience in your social media posts is a must. Share your story every opportunity you find. This is a fundamental piece to establishing a connection with your audience. When they see that you are a real-life person running a real-life business, it drives them to trust you. That results in a loyal following. And a loyal following is a pillar for your success. It’s a great testament to your morals and values as a business and as an individual. In summary, when writing your social media copy, there are several aspects to consider. At the end of it all, it has ultimately been broken down to a science with a very specific formula. While the formula has flexible pieces to it, the base of it is set. Set your goals early on. Pour your heart into your copy first, and the design will easily follow. Soothe curiosity by generously teaching your audience. Open up and hold space for easy dialogue. Have fun with your followers by creating interactive posts. Include emojis to help establish tone. Remain well-informed on and participate in social media trends. Share your story so that your readers can relate to you. When you include all of these basic elements, you will produce the perfect copy for your socials every. Single. Time.  Search Engine Optimization matters. A lot. Especially when it comes to finding professionals that provide services that we need like therapists, counselors, life coaches, relationship coaches, breathwork instructors, “meditation groups near me”... No matter what your professional title is or what your company does, where you are appearing in search results is what ultimately determines your success.
We live in a time where the Google search bar rules over all. If you really want to show that you have authority within your industry, there’s no better way to do so than popping up on that first page after they press “search”. But how do you get to that first page? Is there a formula for it? How do you hack the algorithm? While you don’t have to cough up a budget for google ads when you don’t even know if it’s going to work, it might be in your best interest to delegate your SEO out to a copywriter for the mental health industry. If you really would like to do it on your own, you absolutely can learn how. But this isn’t a start-today-and-end-tomorrow type of time investment. SEO is something that you have to commit to. And then you have to maintain it. But Like...What Is It I’m sure that you have heard the acronym about a million and one times. Especially amongst your circle of friends that are also business owners. Everyone brings it up, few talk about it in-depth, and pretty much no one actually knows what it really is. When you break it all down and place all of the pieces side-by-side, the definition of SEO is fairly simple. All it is is an implementation of strategies all combined together to naturally and organically shift your ranking on search platforms. There are several different strategies for great SEO. One of the most important ones to familiarize yourself with and use religiously throughout your web pages and your blog posts is your use of keywords. Generally, you will have your standard keyword phrases which consist of 2-3 words max. Then you’ll have your long-tail keyword phrases which consist of 3-5 words max. You’ll want to use these phrases scattered through your text...naturally. And mix them up with a few of your keyword options. You know when someone is speaking to you telling a story and they use the conversation fillers “like” or “uhm” every few seconds? Yeah. The point is, you don’t want your keywords to come off like that. That will completely throw off your SEO, and Google recognizes it as spam. It’s also best practice to add a long-tail keyword phrase into your headings and titles. Heck, just make the whole heading a long-tail keyword phrase. It can only help you in the long run. How Long Is This Going to Take? One of the most frequently asked questions that everyone wants to know when it comes to SEO is, “How long should it take?” There’s a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to the answer to this question. The truth is...it completely and totally depends on you. This is where the maintenance of your website really becomes a topic of conversation. This is also where you’ll probably start to realize that you really want to hire a mental health copywriter. Typically, when contributing to your website on a regular basis, you can bump up to the first page of google results in just a few months. You know, as long as you are really digging your feet in. And I mean knees deep in the mud kind of digging your feet in. You’ll want to ensure that each page on your website has a minimum of 1,500 words and that you’re posting a blog post every single week. If not every week, then at least twice a month (but keep in mind that this will slow your SEO progress down as opposed to if you were posting every single week). The time commitment is up to you. And that time commitment will be your decider when it comes to how long it takes for you to get to that first page of search results. Can Social Proof Speed It Up? Social proof is one of the easiest ways to assert authority in any industry. That’s never been a secret. And when it comes to local growth it’s easy to rely on peer reviews, word-of-mouth, and things alike. But how do you transition that into the online world so that you can show off your practice and gain more clientele? The online space uses the same idea of social proof to rate authority and trustworthiness across websites through something called backlink building. This is when other websites link back to your website. It’s important to ensure the quality of the website that is linking back to yours. You’ll want to partner with highly regarded and trusted websites to have an external link from theirs to yours. If you have a spammy website vouching for yours it essentially tells the search engines that your website is probably going to be spammy, too. Obviously, you don’t want that. One way that you are able to do your own backlink building is through content creation. Another reason that a copywriter can really come in handy for you. When creating your content, a copywriter knows to go ahead and build in those links to your pieces. When you are producing and posting quality content on a regular basis that contains external links back to your website, this will act as a huge plus for your SEO ranking. Using a combination of different strategies, and being able to analyze and adjust as necessary are skills that take a lot of time to develop. At the end of the day, Search Engine Optimization has an algorithm that you can mostly figure out on your own. But it’s just so much easier when you have someone else focusing on all of those little details for you. Click here and fill out the contact form, or send me an email at ellisgreywriting@gmail.com. Let’s chat about where you are at with your SEO now, and create a plan on how to take you where you want to be...in the least amount of time.  “I just wish that someone truly understood what I’m going through.”
You’ve probably heard that exact phrase time and time again. I mean, in all honesty, we’ve all been there. The feeling that no one sees us where we are is the loneliest feeling that there is. One of your roles as a healer is to ensure that you are holding a safe space for your audience to just be where they are. That goes for all of those that come through your doors. But how are you expressing that you have that ability to hold that safe space? Most people are distrusting of those they haven’t formed an authentic connection with. In an ideal world, they would come in reeking of vulnerability and tell you exactly what they need and how you can help them get there. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the reality that we live in. You have to show them that you are someone to be trusted before you even meet them. You have to prove to them that you have their best interest at heart. Just like how every other relationship begins. Beginning the relationship between you and your audience is no different. And establishing the tone that you connect with is the most important part. Meet Them Where They Are Everyone wants to feel seen. That’s a given. The self-validation that brings is a high-inducing feeling that is truly unmatchable. You can’t buy that anywhere. When you are crafting your copy for your website, blog, and email marketing, make sure that you are using verbiage that is validating to the client. This gives the reader the confirmation that they are looking for when searching for a mental health professional to help them along their journey. Oftentimes, we think that when writing copy other people want to learn about you and what you’re about. While there is truth to that, we forget that we can show what we are about by talking about the other person, their situation, and what our recommendations are for them and that specific situation. It’s so easy to say what our own passions are. But you want to prove those passions through the application of validation. Process Their Emotions With Them Teaching your client to process and cope with their emotions is a huge part of your role. We both know that. And sometimes you need to hold their hand and go through the emotions with them. What better way to do so than to already be expressing and processing before they’ve even stepped foot into your office. For your current clients, when you are maintaining that process and consistently relating with them through your blog posts, social media copy, or website copy it creates a trusting environment that is nearly impossible to veer away from. The environment that you’ve created both offline and online then becomes a staple in their lives. For new clients, it creates an authentic connection before you even meet them. One that you aren’t even aware of yet. But on that first appointment, you will be fully aware when you witness the comfort and the open heart that you’ve cultivated. That type of trust normally takes several months to break through to. Open Up to Them, and They Will Open Up to You One of the biggest returns of investment when forming your copy to be empathetic as a mental health or wellness professional is the sense of community it forms. When you are inclusive of that community, it makes those within it want to participate in open discussion more. This can prove to be a positive result when you are looking for feedback for programs you offer, products you sell, if you’re simply asking questions, presenting polls, or even when you are conducting research. Establishing an emotional connection with your audience through this sense of community will also make educating so much easier. It’s important that your audience and targeted demographic demonstrates trust in you, especially when your intent is to inform and educate. Become a Familiar Voice for Kindness Your reputation will make your practice. It is one of the most important things to figure out early on. How the public sees you is how your business will also be viewed. This is why it’s so important to speak up about current matters that are in need of empathic reactions. Showcase how these matters can affect your audience. And offer your understanding of why they are already affecting your audience before they are even aware. How can you heal...together? As a community? What are the most effective ways to move forward? As important it is for you to appeal to the individual experience, you should also be showing up for the collective experience. It shows your authority as a mental health professional when you are present for everyone. If you do nothing else for your professional image, you should at the bare minimum embody kindness. Focus on forming a reputation for being a gentle spokesperson for your audience. Providing a safe space to not only physically be in, but also a safe space to reference online is a crucial aspect to most practice’s now. This gives you the room to be an authority figure within your focus. The image of your business has several faces. To establish trust through your copy is to establish trust in your clientele. With you being a mental health professional, there is no better way to grow your practice. Your success and the success of your practice are both dependent on the trust that is instilled in you by your audience. While you can ask for trust, it is much better for you to build it from the ground up. It lasts longer that way, too. Are you stumped with where to even begin when it comes to content that highlights trust-building content? Have you considered blog ideas to start to form a community within your audience? Let’s team up! I am here for you as much as you are here for literally everyone else. Click here and send me an email. Tell me exactly where you are currently and where you want to be. I’ll walk you through step-by-step exactly how I plan on helping you reach that milestone.  In today’s modern time and COVID age, your online visibility is so important. It’s crucial for the success of your practice. And maintaining that online visibility is even more important. For some of your clients, being online is their main and even might be their only method of connection for the foreseeable future. But you already know that, and that’s how you got here in the first place. Your question is, “But why should I hire a mental health copywriter?” The most agreeable reason...TIME Your time is extremely valuable. You knew that having your own practice would be time-consuming, but all of it? Really?! It doesn’t have to be that way. One of the best pieces of unintentional advice that I have ever received - just delegate it out. Your mental health and wellness matters, too. And more times than not, it’s just simply not worth the stress for you to worry about figuring out how to do it yourself when someone else already knows exactly how. Creating A Variety of Content or Even Content At All Just Isn't Your Strong Suit That's okay. After working as much as you do, the last thing that you want to do is block off time to rack your brain for content ideas. And you definitely don’t want to sit and brainstorm a variety of content for your blog, your website, every single one of your social media platforms, your email campaigns, your e-books...the list goes on...for a while. It can be pretty overwhelming to a business owner. Especially if you are like other clients of mine that hyper-focus on the smallest of details that don’t necessarily have a seat reserved at your content table. What you need is a mental health copywriter! It’s my job to ensure that you are provided quality, creative & performing content of all different kinds catered to each individual platform that you so choose. We all know that every platform has its own version of well-performing content formulas. What you post to Instagram isn’t going to perform well as a blog post on your website. And no one wants a blog post emailed to them, though they will click on a link in an intriguing email to read the blog that's posted to your website. While We Are on The Subject of Content, You Need Yours to be SEO Centric & Persuasive Figuring out the Google algorithm is literally impossible. Where do you rank? Do you know? And how are you going to increase your ranking if you aren’t where you want to be? The majority of your future leads and clients will not go past the first five results of their Google search. In fact, 95% of web traffic goes to those results that pop up on the first page. That leaves breadcrumbs for you if you aren’t on that first page of results. I can get your website to that first page through SEO centric content. Keywords, meta descriptions, website copy, landing pages, and even consistent blogs all coincide with each other to get you on that first page. Since there isn’t a known secret to get you there that means that there is a lot of trial-and-error. On top of having your content work in your favor in that aspect, you also want your content to be persuasive to your audience. You want to entice them to reach out to you because you are the best person to meet their needs. You need your content to connect, be informative, and inviting so that they feel pulled to schedule their service with you or purchase one of your products. Speak Through Your Brand with Your Brand Voice One thing that will really set your business apart is establishing a brand voice...and speaking with it! So many practices and companies forget this key piece when building out their business. When you are seeking to connect authentically with your demographic, you need to have a brand voice that you always speak with through all of your content. One that showcases your mission, your values, and your personality. With you working in the mental health and wellness industry, then you probably know that we tend to support and lean towards businesses that connect with and might even imitate our own voice. This is why it’s so important to establish yours and get it out there. Speak with it as much as you can. Show Off Your Expertise...Comprehensively Can you know too much about your area of expertise? Yes. You absolutely 100% can. And it will show through your writing. Don’t get me wrong, this is something to be very proud of. You have worked your tail off to get where you are. However, it often won’t work in your favor when you are trying to organically produce more leads. The average reading level for the average adult today is sitting back in 8th grade with Mrs. Wilson. Seriously. Social media is so prominent in our everyday lives and this has absolutely influenced the overall comprehension level. Most of what we are reading every day is conversational writing. And we respond by writing back conversationally. This means that your area of expertise needs to be broken down to an 8th grade reading level for the general public to truly comprehend and connect with. When you are used to writing essays, dissertations and theses this can be highly difficult to revert back to. Honestly, you really don’t need to revert back. You’re hiring a mental health copywriter to do that for you, anyway. Marketing for therapists is a constant struggle that I hear about the most. At the end of the day, you are busy. You are making a difference and a meaningful impact on the world. You deserve a much lighter load. When you consider all of these points that go into copywriting for coaches and therapists and other mental health professionals, you can see just how much time you are freeing up for yourself by hiring a copywriter. Drop a comment below to share what you struggle with the most when it comes to marketing your practice. And then send me a quick email at ellisgreywriting@gmail.com! Let’s schedule a call and chat about your goals. I’ll create a custom content marketing calendar just for you and your practice to help you reach them. You're here for everyone else, but I'm here for you. |
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