Before I was a doula, I spent years helping big brands like the BBC, Poundland and Chester Zoo speak more effectively to their audiences.
Adverts on buses and billboards. Campaign strategy. Endless meetings about target audiences and behaviour change.
I left because I wanted to use those skills for something I believed in. But I didn't leave them behind. And it turns out the lessons from big-brand advertising translate beautifully to a birth business, whether you're a doula, a hypnobirthing teacher, a lactation consultant or a midwife going independent.
Here are the ones I come back to most.
1. Know what people actually care about
In advertising, we never started with what the brand wanted to say. We started with what the audience cared about, then shaped the message around that.
For birthworkers, that means asking what your ideal client is lying awake worrying about. Not "I offer continuous labour support." More like "I'm terrified I won't be listened to." Speak to that, and they'll feel it.
2. Find the thread underneath the noise
The best campaigns had one clear idea at their heart. Everything else hung off it.
Your brand needs that too. What's the one thing you stand for? For me, it's women feeling powerful, informed and deeply respected. Every post, page and offer connects back to it.
3. Consistency builds trust
Big brands spend fortunes making sure you recognise them instantly. Same colours, same tone, same feeling, everywhere.
You don't need a fortune. But you do need your website, Instagram, emails and welcome pack to feel like they came from the same person. When they don't, people feel it, even if they can't say why.
4. Story beats features
Nobody ever fell in love with a list of features. They fell in love with a story they saw themselves in.
Your story is your most powerful brand asset. Why you came to this work. What you believe. What you won't stand for. I wrote more about that here.
5. Read the room
I spent years reading rooms in pitches and client meetings. Now I read them in birth rooms. In branding, it's the same skill: noticing how your audience feels, and responding to that rather than to what you assumed.
6. Strategy before aesthetics
It's so tempting to start with the pretty stuff. Logo, colours, fonts. But in every agency I worked in, the visuals came last. They're the expression of the strategy, not a replacement for it.
Get clear on who you serve and what you stand for first. The visuals will be so much easier, and they'll actually mean something.
Using it for women instead
There's something deeply satisfying about taking everything I learned making big brands bigger, and using it to help women build businesses that support other women.
If you're a birthworker who wants a brand and website that actually tells your story, have a look at my websites and branding services.
Han x
