Before the digital age, therapists didn't need to market their practice. They used to rely on word-of-mouth and proximity to find new customers. But times have changed. Today people are one click away from any piece of information they need. They can find a complete lists of all the therapists available in their area within minutes. They use social media to ask friends and family for recommendations. And they can find reviews about a specific practitioner on Facebook, Yelp or Google in no time.
As a therapist, you must adapt to this new digital world. Start by creating profiles for your business on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Yelp to promote your practice. Once you have established your presence on the Internet, you are ready for the next step. You must be pro-active for your practice to become successful. Relying on your customer base and word-of-mouth to grow your business has its limits. You should establish a marketing and advertising budget and a marketing plan. The following are some of the most effective types of marketing for a therapy practice.
1. Referrals
Referrals are an efficient way to get potential clients through your door. Yet, they are often under-utilized. When you open a practice, make sure to look for all the family doctors in the area. Get in touch with each one of them and offer to come by their office one day. Offer to host a “lunch and learn” session introducing your services. Explain how it could help some of their patients with a mental health condition.
A lot of people with mental and emotional issues first turn to their family doctors for advice. If the doctors know who you are and what you do, they will likely send their clients to you.
Extra Tip: Update your profile on the “Find a Therapist” mobile app here.
2. Advertising
Although advertising isn't a novelty, the way we do advertising has evolved. In the past, some therapists used to buy an ad on the neighborhood's billboard or in a local newspaper. But these media have become expensive and are not as efficient as they used to be. Today, people spend most of their attention span online. They search for information on Google, and communicate with loved ones on social networks.
That's why as a therapist you have to make sure you have a strong professional presence on these platforms. The success of your practice will depend on people's ability to find you online when browsing. The best way to guarantee visibility for your practice is to buy ad space. There are several types of ads you can choose from:
- Adwords: Keyword marketplaces such as Google Adwords let you buy keywords on search engines. Buying a keyword guarantees a visible spot on a search result page. For example, "therapist seattle" are good keywords to buy if your practice is in Seattle. When a user looks for a therapist in Seattle, your name and website will appear at the top of the page for them to see.
- Listings: Publications such as Psychology Today offer listings of doctors to their readers. You can add your name to the list for a fixed fee. Reach is limited to the readers of these publications. But it can be an efficient way to gain awareness for your practice. Listings are a fixed cost with fixed results. Contrary to listings, the traction you get from Adwords will depend on how much money you invest.
- Social Ads: Most of your clients are now on social media, and you should too. Promoting content on social media is a good way to gain traction. Like Adwords, the effectiveness of social ads depend on the amount of money you invest. But it also depends on the quality of the content you share. We’ll review that in details in the next article.
Choosing how to spend your marketing dollars among these platforms will vary. Try a strategy and see how it goes. If you get more traction from a particular medium, invest more on that medium going forward. But don't put all your money on one platform. Instead, cut your risk by dividing your budget over different advertising means.
In Part 3, we'll talk about the importance of social media and content in your marketing strategy. Stay tuned and subscribe to our newsletter to receive these articles directly in your inbox! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
