Marketing Tools

Using effective social media helps both elevate and demystify Chinese medicine, along with creating awareness of your brand affiliation as a Wellness Ambassador. Given the content-rich nature of our industry, we can use social media in a variety of ways. 

As a brand, our platform focus has been on both Instagram and Facebook. We provide guidance below on how best to use these platforms for both your private practice, along with your Wellness Ambassador revenue.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is a powerful platform for imagery and video. We recommend keeping content simple, clean and beautiful. Instagram is also easy given that with proper planning, it can be very low maintenance. Posts can be both scheduled or uploaded within a matter of seconds.   

INSTAGRAM TIPS:

• Post 1-2x a day. Stay on the radar of your customer and the general DAO network.
• Keep your hashtags and tags minimal (more black than blue). This is in keeping with the theme of clean and classy and helps to make your content look more intentional and professional.
• Say something interesting about what you’re sharing. Your followers follow you for a reason. Share your personal take to give them a glimpse of the how and why behind your post. It can be a lot or a little, but should be said with intention.
• Tag @daolabs on the photo itself as well as in the copy whenever relevant. This helps to direct your current and potential downstream back to the source and get them excited about the company and products.

WHAT TO POST:

• Create images that get your target consumers to imagine themselves using the product (and how they will feel if they use the product!).
• Use hands in the shot (holding a glass, etc.).
• Set-up locations where people are drinking DAO - in the kitchen, on the go, in a quiet spot.  
• Don’t forget to include images of herbs, driving the point that people are not just drinking tea, but rather herbal medicine.  
• Lifestyle imagery (particularly images that include actual people) always perform favorably.  
• Copy can be as long as you like, but we recommend 1-2 sentences. Keep it short and impactful.
• Use strong “calls to action” to get the viewer to do something and take action. This could be in the form of a question which might start a conversation, or pointing them to use the link in your bio.  
• Speak from the point of view of the viewer. Share both struggles and victories of everyday health.  

DAO Labs Hashtags

Using hashtags well can help garner attention and new followers, but be careful not to over-hashtag or you run the risk of looking desperate. A good rule of thumb is to have more “black” text in the copy of your post rather than “blue” (i.e. limit the number of hashtags in the text portion of your posts). Here are hashtags that we frequently use:

#daolabs
#balancefromwithin
#balance
#foodasmedicine
#herbs
#traditionalchinesemedicine
#qi
#chinesemedicine 
#healthyliving
#acupuncture
#eastmeetswest
#dao
#wellness
#ownyourcycle

Here are some recommended shots and themes that we typically post on the DAO Labs’ account and guidelines that we follow to make them look good:

Product Shots

• Shoot against a flat background, using textures whenever possible. Textures come in all shapes and sizes, from artisan cutting boards, to the wood on an old table. Chances are you already have these “tools” in your home or practice.  
• “Layer” these shots with the appropriate accoutrements to compliment the packaging. This could include a glass, fruit, actual herbs. Get creative, but consider items that either amplify what’s inside, or how somebody would use.  
• If incorporating the actual powders, we recommend a “fan brush” to help style. The powders can be tricky to maneuver for the camera!
• Use the color on the packaging to your advantage. 
  

“Visual Qi”

• Consider the theme of bringing “Qi” to life in a visual way. As you know, Qi can be a challenging concept to convey, but using visual lightness and movement to invoke energy and movement, along with strong copy, we can look to bring this to life.  
• Keep the image simple: a spoon with raw Chinese herbs, acupuncture needles scattered across an interesting background, other “tools” of your clinic displayed in a choreographed manner.
• Consistency matters: use the same crop, similar backgrounds and the same filter across all these images.
• Have one focus in the image and allow breathing room.  

Instagram Stories

• Instagram stories are 10 second clips that are “live” for only 24 hours.  
• We use these as an opportunity for “behind the scenes” at DAO.  Consider doing the same for your clinic or practice.  

FACEBOOK

Facebook is useful for sharing news and visual content from people you follow and it’s great because it’s easily linkable and shareable. Posts can come from DAO Labs, your clients and patients, or other outside sources and should be interspersed with your own personal posts. A few examples of the types of content you can source from us include:

FACEBOOK TIPS:

• Post 1-2x a day. Stay on the radar of your customer and the general DAO network.
• Post when your followers might be on their phones. As with Instagram, posting at lunch, end of the work day, weekend etc. can often lead to more likes, comments, and general interaction.
• Share DAO Labs content. As a source of easy content, use the share button to quickly and easily share posts.
• Share relevant articles. Intersperse news, press, and stories with your own personal content.
• Add your own captions when sharing. Share your enthusiasm with your followers; they want to know why you’re posting what you’re posting.
• Engage with your followers. This is extremely important! Social media is one of the best ways of interacting with your downstream and network, and promoting yourself as a brand and representative of DAO Labs. When your followers comment or ask questions, it is your job to respond in a professional and timely manner. Doing so demonstrates that you are attentive to their concerns.

Lastly, remember to have fun! Social media is about connecting with the people in your network and sharing things that you’re excited about. Get creative!

 

DAO Approved Imagery

In the link below you’ll find a variety of brand and product imagery that we invite you to use for your marketing efforts. As an example, these images could be used for your Instagram feed or for your emails. Feel free to use as many of these images as you like, and if there’s a photo that you’ve seen elsewhere in our feeds that is not included in these folders, simply reach out to us and we’ll be happy to provide you with the file.