Give yourself some grace! Standing out can be challenging, but we’re here to help
by Melissa Tijerino
Dare To Be Different!
These days, a lot more people are beginning to become comfortable with reaching out for help and eager to make a difference in their lives. As you step into your very own private practice, you might worry you won’t stand out from the crowd. One way to get noticed is to create a brand for your practice, something that represents you and who you serve!
Let’s give you some examples! Think about some products you love, things you use daily… think of any? Well, chances are when you think about that brand, SOMETHING about it reminds you of them or really catches your attention, right? I could be a certain color, a logo, or their catchy slogan
You might always gravitate towards these products because you’re comfortable with them or you’ve just become fond of the brand. In both cases, they ultimately have your trust! Of course there’s plenty of other options to choose from, but you know what works best for you
In a very similar way, branding your private practice will help you be more recognizable and memorable as a therapist. Marketing your practice puts you in front of potential clients and current clients may show you the same loyalty by returning to you and referring you to others!
In this blog post, we go over all the tips and tricks to market your private practice and actually THRIVE!
Does Your Practice Need a “Brand”?
As we mentioned before, when you use those items that you regularly purchase, ask yourself, what made you choose that item in the first place? It might’ve been their bright, inviting colors, their sleek packaging or the hilarious slogan. All those things are marketing tactics that drew you in to purchase their product!
While you may not exactly need a brand—there’s plenty of therapists who find success without one. But branding your therapy practice can have a lot of benefits, especially if you’re wondering how to attract clients to your newly fledged private practice
We know, we know, you’re a therapist and not a face cleanser. But there’s one thing in common, you have a service and product you want to sell. Marketing your services will help you reach more of your ideal therapy clients
You might feel a bit uncomfortable in the beginning at the thought of branding yourself, but this does not mean you’ve demeaned or sold out. It’s normal to have concerns about how and if this could have a negative effect on your practice, but we can assure you that it will do just the opposite!
Branding simply means you’re creating a specific impression of your therapy practice. By making sure you’re standing out from the rest and making a great first impression, this image can help you attract more potential clients by having them find you more easily as people feel more drawn to your brand and would select you over the other potential therapists
Let’s Start Developing Your Brand
Remember, developing your brand takes careful consideration and effort. Let’s help you get started with these few tips!
Choose a Business Name
A very very obvious tip! But very very important. You can increase your brand recognition just by having an attention-grabbing name. Also, it’s not uncommon to use your own name, there’s nothing wrong with that! After all, it’s YOUR name, so why not make it become your brand!?
Your word choices matter, your business name should be professional yet relevant. Your words should also have an impact, some wording such as “Calm” & “Hope” can leave a positive impression on your practice with potential clients looking to implement those feelings into their own lives
Let’s say you specialize in couples and marriage counseling, using words in your business name such as “love” and “connect” will draw couples in who may be struggling with finding that in each other
Create a Logo
Your logo should be strong, but not overwhelming,
Your logo serves as an emblem of your practice and brand!
Here's some tips to keep in mind when creating your logo:
Details in images look great, but may not print well on business cards, it might be a good idea to order a sample first and see if your images are clear enough for your liking and legible for clients to read
If you’re leaning more towards a simple logo, keep in mind that when placed on your website they could prevent a loss of detail and be hard to read
Using bright & eye-catching colors work great on certain occasions (such as yellow or a bright teal color) but soothing, calming and restful colors are generally ideal
Clean designs with simple lines are recommended, while maintaining an easily recognizable logo without confusing or unclear graphics
Once your logo is complete, use it, use it, use it! Publish, print and slap that thing literally everywhere! Market yourself! Print business cards, flyers, even stick it to your car!
You can further establish your brand by using the same colors that appear on your logo onto your website
Create a Strong Online Presence
A vast majority of people depend on the internet for a great deal of information (am I right) if not all the information they seek is from the internet, this includes seeking their ideal therapist for their needs.
Utilizing Facebook, and even Instagram could help you boost your digital presence, it also gives your potential clients a sense of trust seeing that you’re an actual person and consistently posts about mental health subjects that they are also passionate about and might be suffering with
You may also want to showcase certain specific details about yourself, don’t be afraid to get a little personal with your audience, let them know why and what inspired you to become a therapist and why you’re passionate about helping others or the specific moment in your life when your career clicked into place, or something similar that provides that opportunity for connection
BE CONSISTENT!
All of the tips above won't matter if you aren’t CONSISTENT! Think about how you come off on your social media accounts. Is it more natural and relatable or robotic and overly reserved?
Make sure you are speaking to your ideal clients, your niche, your type of people, whatever you want to call it! It’s super important to make sure you are engaging with your audience
Building that relationship and trust with them will drive them towards choosing you as their counselor, as well as possibly refer you to their friends and family for their needs as well
Needing Help is OK!
Asking and reaching out for help is perfectly normal, not everyone has it all figured out right off the bat. It’s hard and trust me, you’ll burn yourself out quickly trying to be superman or super-woman, it’s OK to ask for help!
At Growing Your Private Practice Virtually, we completely understand how overwhelming it could be as a new, upcoming private practice owner to try and have all your ducks in a row as soon as you’re done with credentialing, but we got you!
We understand and we're here to help! Feel free to reach out to us and schedule a call with me today, let’s get you on the right track! Your success is our success!
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