Hello and welcome. I'm here today with coach Heather, and we're very excited to talk about the topic of building your brand on the internet and how dietitians are seen and heard. So welcome to today's episode, Heather. Thank you. It's so great to be here. Absolutely. And will you share just for those that might not have listened in a while or might not know who you are, can you share briefly who you are and what you do?
Absolutely. Hey, guys. I am Dr. Heather Paulson, and I'm part of Team Dietitian Both. I love supporting dietitians grow their side hustle or their complete standalone business so that they can experience time freedom and just Freedom in their life in general. And I, my background is I am a physician that had a brick and mortar clinic with multiple different types of providers in it and.
Decided to simultaneously build an online presence while building my brick and mortar business and the online presence is what really catapulted me into having the freedom to live the life that I really wanted, which was work less hours. I was with my brick and mortar clinic. I was working a 70 plus hours a week.
And it allows me to have the freedom to live where I want to live, which happens to be Peru right now. And I love living in South America and the pace of life there and the fresh food that's available and all of the lifestyle things of fresh air and mountains. I just love it. So that is why I'm here to support you guys creating.
The life that you want the dreams that you have, and I'm really excited to do that with you. Awesome. Thank you for sharing that, Heather. We're happy to have you here. And gosh, I want to visit Peru. I want to visit you in Peru too. That's on my list. So, and our clients are lucky to have you. So really appreciate everything that you do.
So today with our energies together, Heather is you know, she would coach together in our programs. And so we have a lot of value to add when we talk about content and the topic about how we can build our brand on the Internet as dietitians.
All right, so we're going to give some tips today, some practical tips about what you can do to build your brand on the Internet. So the 1st topic would be, why is it so important? And as many of our clients ask where to start. So, firstly, building your brand is how people are going to know, like, and trust you and recognize you, because if they don't know who you are, then they're not going to be able to buy from you or even see you as a resource.
Anything to add to that? Heather. No, that trustability is the key to all of your relationship building with people and the key to the type of marketing that we teach here at Dietitian Boss. So that is super important. Absolutely. And in terms of how you can do it tactically, now we can have each one of these points that we're going to discuss today in this list, we could have a whole episode about it, but we want to meet today a little bit more about it.
overview and go a little bit deep, but not so deep that you feel like you have a 201 tutorial about each of these topics. So we're just going to brush the surface. And the first point would be email newsletter. So you can build your brand through content as a dietitian to grow your business through newsletters.
So the way you would do this would be creating an email newsletter with. Regular content that you share with your audience. Now, in doing so, you can share promotions, updates, and valuable content directly to the inboxes of people who have opted in to be a part of your email list. So you want to build a quality email list and collect emails from people who have visited your landing page.
And, or it could be people that have visited your social media page and you direct them to a landing page, and you're going to go ahead and grab their emails. They have to agree. to opt into your email list. So you use an opt in form and then once they subscribe to your newsletter, unless if they unsubscribe, then you have a chance to nurture them through content that you can send regularly.
Now you do want to make sure that you have that you comply with privacy regulations like GDRP and, and CAN spam. Did I say that right, Heather?
Yes, thank you. So you want to comply with regulations, but we, we want to talk less about regulations in today's episode and more about the kind of larger purpose about the email list and why it's so important. In fact, statistics show that using email list is the most effective form of digital marketing.
I believe stats show that it's 50 percent more effective than any other form of digital marketing, including SEO and social media. So. Growing your list is important. It's something that we want to, we try to talk more about here at dietitian boss. We know we're, we're known a lot for social media, but growing that email list and using social media as one of the many ways to grow your email list is really going to help you build relationships with your potential customers and even your existing customers, anything to add to that.
I love email lists because you get to guide a conversation with people and give bits of education that lead them to a specific action to take with you. What's one of the things that is missing from a quick reel on Instagram or a video on TikTok? So people can get to know your personality. They get to know that on social media, but you can go a little bit deeper on email and then also you can take Information bit by bit in an email where in a real we're trying to cram in a lot of things in 10 seconds.
So that's what I love about email. Yeah. So, and it's a longer, longer form opportunity for you to build relationships and you're in the whole concept of email marketing is nurturing. So you're nurturing over time. And it doesn't mean that the other types of content, like short form of Heather's mentioning isn't important.
They're all important. important, but when you're sending newsletters regularly, you're building a more deep, meaningful relationship. And this decision, the statistics show that it works, right? So as long as you're able to send regular emails and look at your you'd look at your click through rates and see your open rates and make sure that people are actually reading your emails, that's really going to help you become a better marketer and really.
Connect more with your audience. So you will need to choose an email marketing platform and set some goals about what you're doing and how often you're going to be sending emails. And we're not going to go too into that today. I have other episodes where I go really nitty gritty with email marketing.
We just want to mention how important it is. The reason we put it as the first point on this list is because email. Marketing and using your email list to send emails is such an effective way for you to build your dietitian business and for you to build your brand inside of our library. We actually have templates where you can plug and play.
So we've created six months worth of email newsletters that are written for you. Of course, you can customize them for your specific business, but we've really given you a pathway to make it easier for you to get started by using email marketing in your business. And so we've also designed PDF guides that you can use to attract people to join your email list and tech tutorials.
So you know how to set up your email list. So we want to support you with this process because we know that the tech piece and some of the other aspects of even writing and making sure that you're writing your emails in a way that's attractive for your audience. It can be new, right? And so learning these concepts in a faster way that reduces your stress with a roadmap as part of what we offer in our library, if you do choose to join over at dietitianboss.
com. Now, the second point I want to mention is social media. So building your brand on social media is definitely. Our specialty and how we've been able to help get so many results for our clients. So with social media, you want to define who you're talking to and you want to talk to people and find out what they want and need so that you can narrow down how to better create a message and a brand that people resonate with.
Anything you want to add to that, Heather? I love watching people. If you feel like you don't know where to get started, the first step is just to get started to post consistently, and you'll start learning what people respond to, what kind of words they respond to, and how to continue to create content that your ideal client is interested in exploring.
And what would you absolutely well said, and what would you say for our clients for dietitians? And this goes for those who are in, who already have been practicing as a dietitian for 10 years. This is not just for newer dietitians, but for any dietitian that isn't regularly using social media in a business capacity.
What are their biggest sticking points? Like, what do you see as our coach that they're struggling with or resisting the most? There's a couple of things. One is the fear of being seen. So that's why we encourage you to show your face. The other is, well, I don't think I'm doing my post correctly. We have a lot of perfectionism that prevents us from taking action.
And then the other thing is just maybe Feeling unsure about exactly what to post or maybe feel unsure about making a reel or editing. So those are some of the sticking points. But like Libby said, we have templates that are social media templates that really help people get out the gate. And then you can look at other Dietitian bosses or other people in your space and your niche and see what kind of posts they're getting great reactions to and and mimic those posts.
You don't have to copy without crediting them, but you can say, Oh, that seems to be working with them. I'm going to do it my way in my style. Absolutely. It's, it's, you know, getting some influence about what's working, but also making it your own. And thank you for sharing that. So as a recap, you're saying that what you notice is sticking points are being seen.
You also notice that the tactics of, like, the how to, right, those are kind of the big things that you mentioned that I heard I might have missed something. I will say, if I were to prioritize that no matter how many templates we give you, we send an email to our members and our library membership every week and give them.
Sounds to use that are trending for the week. I give you captions that have written for different niches that are simple. I've given you designer made templates. It's not the tactics of how to do it. We, we show you step by step. It's the whole fear of being seen. And that's why we use the hashtag show your face and ask you to tag us for accountability.
We know it feels awkward. But the best way for you to grow your business is for to have other is to have other folks know that they're doing business with a person and not a robot. So the more that you can show your face and be a resource for people, the more that they start to know you and respect you and trust you.
And if they don't know who you are, then they're definitely. Not going to want to do business with you. So that's why it's so important. And that's what we do here. And dietitian bosses, we help you identify your fears and break through them. And it's, it's a really special thing that we're able to do with our clients.
So we can't even get to the tactics about how to tactically make a real, if you're not willing. To let, let's say show your face and I'm not saying you have to dance or anything like that. There are a million different ways to do real, but if you want to have yourself in your content to show that you're the business owner that's a different, that's going to be, it's going to take you to a new level in your business.
And the other aspect I wanted to mention here is that your content improves with time, you know how to mention perfectionism. And so a lot of our clients struggle with not making their content perfect at first. And I just want to, and I see this in all of our clients through everything from creating an offer.
To nutrition counseling to nutrition assessment, right? Clinical skills to actual content creation and relationship building is that our clients get really tripped up if what they do isn't air quote perfect. But the only way you can improve your skills is by giving yourself some patience and learning how to be uncomfortable and not do it well at first.
And I'm sure you're doing it great. You're just maybe not doing it at the, you know, At the percentage that you would want to do it at because we all are our own worst critic. So what we have in the library is actually a checklist for you and I'll give you some tips and tricks for you listening right now.
So, if you were to follow 2 basic steps with your content, I just want you to ask yourself 2 things. If you're not consistent right now is what you're posting on social media. Vulnerable. So that doesn't necessarily mean it has to show your face, but if you do show your face and your content that immediately is sharing some emotion, or you could use an emotionally compelling word or language like guilt free things of that nature or judgment free, right?
Those words in itself lend to vulnerability. So that's the first. point on our checklist. And then the second point would be free from medical jargon. So you don't want to be using words that folks don't understand because oftentimes we write for ourselves because we understand our own work as clinicians.
That makes a lot of sense, but we don't realize that that words that we're familiar with are not words. That other people that don't have a degree in nutrition, they don't understand. And that's why on our RD exam, it says to write nutrition content. And I believe a fifth, second or fifth grade level, not to be condescending, but because nutrition content, nutrition information is, is confusing.
So. Our job is to break it down and use words that people get and really break down what does fiber mean? What are examples and not just use words that people don't get. So again, as a recap, ask yourself every time you're going to post, is this vulnerable or does it use an emotionally compelling word or visual?
And then number two, is my post or my content free from any medical jargon that people won't understand, assuming that you're not writing for another clinician. Anything to add to that, Heather, in terms of getting people tactical things they can walk away with from, from today's episode. That is so important.
Just those two things is what we recommend getting started with in dietitian boss and then the consistency that Libby had mentioned earlier. So applying those two tactics consistently, whether that's three times a week or five days a week, whatever it is that you can deliver on consistently is super important.
Yes, consistency, because it doesn't it. We will learn more data and patterns once we're more consistent. So thank you for sharing that. And then the 3rd and the last point that we want to share for building your brand through content would be videos or webinars. So, I know Heather mentioned that earlier in terms of some shorts, take talks, Instagram reels.
She was mentioning so you can promote yourself through a webinar or through a joint webinar. And or through videos in different formats and in different content platforms, and that can really help you get your message out there. And that really does help. It's very effective. Video marketing is an effective way for you to build relationships.
Anything you want to add to that, that you think is powerful for dietitians to know? It goes back to just showing your face and being comfortable with or taking the risk, even if you're not comfortable to show your face, I love the that some of our dietitian bosses in our membership, they start collaborating with one another to go live together.
So we have that support for each other. And that community of cheering each other on so that you can do things that might feel uncomfortable. Absolutely. And if you're at that point yet where you don't have someone else yet in your journey that you can collaborate with, we invite you to use the hashtag.
Show your face. You can collaborate with us and we'll we'll be there. And if you tag us, we'll support you and help you overcome your fears until you take that next step. I will say that Heather and I just did a webinar together to promote our library membership and it's really a fun way for us to show brand.
Credibility, brand recognition, how there's been in the company for over a couple of years, helping and promoting dietitians in business. And so it's really wonderful that we're able to be together and show our faces. And so that's again, 1 way, 1 example of how we're able to build our brand here at dietitian boss and other ways.
I've done joint webinars with nutrition entrepreneurs from the academy and nutrition and dietetics. I've done joint webinars with dietitian connection. So there's been a lot of different ways that I've been able to get the message out there. So I want you to think about. What are some opportunities, whether it's through a webinar, or again, it could be as simple as through an Instagram live or real or tick tock or YouTube that you can get yourself your face out there using video.
So there's so many other ways I want to give some honorable mentions, but to keep today's podcast episode not too long, I just want to give some honorable mentions as well. Some other ways that you can build your brand through content. That'd be through a content strategy. So you're really clear with what types of content are you using and when, and what's your promotion schedule.
And that's where content calendar can be really helpful. Even if it's simple, you also can use eBooks. You can use ebooks that help you with let's say you want to do a meal planning, or maybe you want to do some information about mindful and emotional eating. Maybe this ebook is for free to try to help you get email subscribers, or maybe you're offering a low cost ebook.
That's a fantastic way for you to build content and grow your brand. There's also case studies. So when you have consent from clients, and you also check the laws with the territory that you live in, or your region. And you want to be mindful of identifying information, but assuming all those things are good and you've done your due diligence for legal and you can share a case study, sharing tangible results of your clients with their permission is also a great way for you to build credibility through content.
And then lastly, content repurposing. So that would be taking your content and using it in other formats and finding ways to expand and extend your messages through other ways, which can be a little bit more of an advanced and sophisticated way to content. But it can also be a great way for you to be.
Productive and effective when you're looking at building your brand longterm, anything you want to add to that list or any kind of final thoughts you want to share today, Heather people love eBooks. When we talk about our ideal clients, they really do love downloading cookbooks and meal plans. And that's as a dietitian, that's probably something that you're already creating for your ideal client.
And you could just turn it into a way. To build your list, and that goes into the content repurposing. That was always my goal whenever I did anything, touched anything in my business, I wanted to make sure that I could reuse it multiple times. And we called it rinse and repeat. And content repurposing is a great way to rinse and repeat.
You can take that Instagram reel. And download it and upload it to YouTube as a YouTube short, you can take your tick talk and download it and upload it into Instagram and as a YouTube short. So that is a way to get more mileage out of one piece of content, and especially if you're focusing on one particular platform to grow on, you can still use that content to continue to grow on other platforms.
Yeah, absolutely. And it's exciting as a dietitian is listening. I want you to know that when you're starting, you're using that simple checklist. I mentioned, ask yourself two questions before you post a piece of content. Am I sharing any level of emotion through their language or visuals? And am I free from medical jargon?
And then think about how you can progress. Are you consistent? Are you posting regularly? Do you have strategy and then once you are consistent, posting regularly, learning what people want and need and adjusting your messaging and visuals, then you have an opportunity to repurpose. So there's so many opportunities for you to really take your content to the next level.
But we also want to acknowledge that it might feel scary because you might not be familiar with content marketing and showing your face might feel daunting. So just want to welcome you and let you know that we understand. And we know it can feel uncomfortable, and we also are here to support you through our our services here at Dietitian Boss.
So we invite you to check out the library over at dietitianboss. com and join us and our program so that we can help you start and grow your business with confidence and use content marketing in a way that you feel that you're building your brand and you're building that know, like, and trust factor and ultimately creating a system to get clients.
So you can live a flexible lifestyle. Thank you so much for joining today. Heather. It was a pleasure. Thank you.
