The last tip is by far the cheapest!
By: Melissa Tijerino
So, how do you market your private practice? How do you market yourself as a therapist?
Most importantly, how do you market your practice on a limited budget??
So many questions, that we have the answers too!
Trust me, the words “marketing” or “networking” doesn't have to just be awkward small talk, feel intimidating or an exchange of business cards, it goes way beyond what society makes it out to be
You may be starting with a minimal budget, or even no budget at all! Either way, you’ll find some very useful information in this blog post to help you begin your journey in Marketing your Private Practice, no matter if you’ve been a Therapist for 10 years or 10 days, you should find great value in this blog post!
Here’s a quick tip - When you’re feeling lost, research! Knowledge is power, there are so many resources out there that can literally walk you through every step of the way, from finding an office location, opening a business bank account, filing your taxes now that you’re self-employed, and so much more!
First, Your Mindset!
Here are just some things to keep in mind before you get started!
You cannot help anyone if they don’t know you even exist! - I understand this could be intimidating getting yourself out there when you’re first starting out, but people need to know WHO you are, WHAT you do, and HOW you can help them! Basically, people need to know you’re out there!
Build lasting relationships - This is pretty important, and really your whole specialty around being a therapist, so this should come easily to you!
Don’t do what everyone else does - How you market yourself as a therapist and your private practice should represent YOU! You shouldn’t try and replicate exactly what Samantha that has 15k followers down the street does (maybe get inspo) but never copy! Successful business owners should do what aligns with their business and personality, especially in this field! Your clients want to know you’re being YOU 100%
Invest in your Website + Social Media - This right here, if you take anything from this blog post, make sure your Website and Social Media profiles are easily accessible, this is very important. Because ultimately if someone doesn’t find you, they’ll go with someone else!
Consistency - This is as equally important as Investing in your Website and Social Channels, because without consistency, none of your efforts will matter. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results, they will come! You have to nurture your Marketing efforts just like you’d take care of a plant, if you don’t water it, it won’t grow and will eventually die.
You Must Know WHO Your Clients Are
With every great Marketing plan comes with knowing WHO your clients are so you can come up with a great Marketing Strategy. Ask yourself, what do they need help with? And most importantly. How can YOU help them?
You can start by asking yourself, who are your most favorite clients? Why did you like working with them? What really stood out to you about them? What problems did they want to solve? What outcomes did they get from working with you?
Try and go over these questions with yourself, feel free to go over them a few times until something clicks and you eventually start seeing a theme
This template you’ve created will help you put the pieces together in your new Marketing Strategy!
The Marketing Recipe..
Now that you’ve gotten your ideal clients that you want to market to, let’s put those thoughts and notes into action!
Remember.. your clients want to know it’s YOU behind those Graphics, Videos, Podcasts, and most importantly, your Website.. and not just some random pretty pictures that have nothing to do with your practice, specialty or your personality
Now enough talking, let’s get into it!
Networking
I know I know, this one can be super cringey and awkward for a lot of people (most of us if we’re being honest) but this could be something you’re already doing and you may not even realize it!
Your clients, friends and family are more than likely recommending you to their friends, family and colleagues and you may not even know it yet, until someone gives you a call or shoots you an email letting you know they’ve been referred by so and so
You may even get referrals from your therapist buddies, I’m sure when they come across a client that’s out of their scope, you’ll be the first one that pops up in their head to refer to them!
If you don’t have any friends who are therapists, consider reaching out to some in your local area, you can do this by referring clients to other therapists to get your name in their minds, creating Facebook group for therapists near you, or simply reaching out to them on Social Media with some small talk, you never know, you guys could end up being the best of friends! Maybe even opening an office together? The possibilities are endless with Networking
Directories
If you haven’t already heard of YourMentalHealthToday.com, we’re going to let you in on an amazing opportunity! (no gatekeeping here) this is a great way to showcase BEYOND your therapy services, there’s almost no limits as to what you can market on this amazing platform, great right? Keep reading, it gets even better!
Your Mental Health Today is a platform where you can find Virtual Mental Health growth tools. As you may know, in addition to therapy, there are so many tools out there you can utilize that will help your Mental Health grow in the right direction
Listen, we all learn differently, your clients learn differently, so having access to so many Virtual Tools in one place is strategic to help your clients along their mental health journey, great right?
Here we’re going to list a few examples of things you can publish to Your Mental Health Today:
Podcasts
E-Books
Workshops
Virtual Life Coaching (therapists only)
Virtual Group Therapy
Virtual Retreats
Virtual Support Groups
Is there anything you can’t do with this amazing site?? As you can see, there’s so many resources for your clients that I know they will definitely appreciate!
Your clients will love being able to utilize content focused on mental health wellness, and it couldn’t be easier using Your Mental Health Today's TOP RATED network!
If that couldn’t already get any better, we’re offering you an amazing deal of having your first year completely FREE! This is such a steal for Licensed Providers! Personally, I’d hop on this immediately!
If you decide to sign up (which I highly recommend) the Platinum Plan is free for the first year using the coupon code: 1YEAROFF
Eye Catching Website!
There are plenty of platforms out there to create your website from! If you’re going to create your website on your own, (which is the cheapest option) I highly recommend using Wix!
When figuring out which platform to use for your website build, there’s a few things you should keep in mind. Would you enjoy doing this task? Is it really worth your time doing this yourself? Will it break your marketing budget?
If this is something you’re interested in doing on your own, that’s amazing!
If this is something you probably aren’t interested in or have the time for, but have a little wiggle room in your marketing budget, I’d love to help you out!
Let's jump on a 15 minute call to break down what areas we can help you in and what offer is best for you.
Podcasts
Podcasting is more on the pricey side of marketing, this is mainly because the equipment isn’t cheap! Investing in a high quality Microphone, Audio Interface and all the accessories that come with producing a podcast can get pretty pricey!
This is also giving away free knowledge to your listeners, which they’ll appreciate and why a lot of therapists decide to start a podcast!
This is a great way to get your name out there, have special guests, promote your Private Practice and maybe even do a giveaway or two, this can drive more traffic to your website for potential clients to book an appointment with you
Utilizing Social Media
You should be utilizing Social Media to the fullest! There’s so much potential to get noticed by the right people, at the right time.
But growing your social media platforms can get extremely time consuming, this is also something you’d want to consider investing your time into, it doesn’t cost anything.. But time!
Marketing yourself on social media can be a bit cringey for some people, but the key here is to choose a platform that you'll actually enjoy, compliments your practice well and run with it!
If you try to have a presence on all social media .. unless you hire someone to do this for you full time, you will have a hard time keeping up and doing it well. Social Media needs constant tending, it’s not something you can just set and forget. Consistency is key
Taking Action!
This is the most important step, whichever you decide to start working on first, please make sure you are taking steps! Ask yourself, what are the first steps into making this happen? Simplify it by breaking it down into small, doable steps. Next, make sure you write it down on your calendar, put an alarm on your phone or even sticky notes around your house
Social Media for example, would be best if you worked on it every day, you’ll figure out what works for you, what you like and don’t like, find your ideal audience and engage with them!
Marketing can be an exhausting process, so give yourself grace and breaks in between, your results won’t happen overnight, so don’t stress on numbers, followers or connections.
This all boils down to where you are in your Private Practice, if you’re just starting out, you’ll want to focus on getting your name out there vs if you’re almost booked!
We’re here to help!
Not sure where to start? Not sure which Marketing strategy is best for you? We get it, it can become super overwhelming! Because there’s so much to do, in so little time, especially when you’re a Private Practice owner!
How can we help exactly? Well.. this is what we’re all about! At Growing Your Private Practice Virtually, this is one of the main areas we help Private Practice owners just like you to be able to thrive in! We handle all of the backend work so you don’t have too.
Ready to schedule a call with me? In this free 15 minute consultation, we go over your goals, visions and most importantly, your budget so you can ensure your practice is growing, just how you’ve always envisioned it too, so you can get back to what matters most, your clients!
Let’s make sure your Private Practice is in great hands, schedule a call with me here!
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