Marketing Your Practice Online and Offline

As promised, here are the notes from my presentation on "Marketing Your Practice Online and Offline," at the APPT Fall Conference "Back to Basics" on Nov. 7.

• There is no secret formula or magic bullet to filling your private practice - the key to success is to select a few simple, effective tactics and do them consistently.
• These should be things that you are comfortable doing: newsletters, talks/workshops, writing articles, networking, articles, etc.
• In order to build your private practice, you need to cultivate relationships -- with prospective clients, new clients, referral sources, and influential individuals (this can be members of the media, insurance company representatives, and affiliates).
  

People do business with people they know, like, and trust.

Tell people what you do -- over and over again. And get your message to the same people over and over again -- because consistency creates familiarity.

Be sure you track how you are getting clients. Ask them how they heard about you.

In Ellie Fields' presentation in the morning, she mentioned that you can be a generalist, but should have something to hang your hat on -- something you are known for.

There is a five-step process to cultivate your brand identity.

You do NOT need a website, but you should have an online presence.

Call other practices (mystery shop) -- block your caller ID. Pretend to be a client seeking therapy services. Look at their websites. Google other therapists. Google yourself!

There is still a lot of value in printed pieces. Not all clients are technologically savvy -- nor are all therapists. Printed brochures are still very much widely used! And on-demand technology (print-on-demand, or color copying) lets you print as few or as many as you need.

DO put your website address (your domain name) on everything.

Do make sure your business card is a mini-brochure.
Free Samples - Business Cards, Return Address Labels, Rubber Stamp and Many More!





Your business identity is vital to creating your brand identity. A professionally designed logo will help you build visibility and credibility.




If you are thinking about going out on your own, get a dedicated business cell phone, domain name, and associated e-mail address. Then you can create your business card.

I'll share more marketing tips from my presentation in a future blog post!

Your Website

I probably get more questions about websites than about any other tactic for marketing your private practice. Therapists often ask me, "Do I need a website?" My answer is: "No."

Should you have an online presence? Yes ... but it doesn't have to be a website. You can have a simple profile online, contribute to online forums, write a blog ... even use Google's AdWords service to market yourself.

And even if you DO have a website, it doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as one page (although I recommend 3-5 pages, including sections for your Bio, Services, Articles/Resources, and Contact Information).

An easy way to get started is a paid profile service, like that offered by Psychology Today. For just $29.95 a month, you'll have your own web page online, and Psychology Today's The Therapy Directory service also promotes you online on major search engines and health websites. Watch the demo on their site to see how to set up your profile. (Use this link to receive a free listing for 90 days!)

Once your profile is online, register your own domain name, and "point" it to your profile.
Check if your domain is available, and register it now!

comnetorginfousnamebizcctvwsmobi

With an online presence already established, you can then work on developing your actual website ... starting with 2-3 pages initially and working your way up to a full-fledged site.

The cost of developing a "standard" private practice website can be as little as $400-$600. Contact us for more details.

Marketing Shouldn't Be Painful!

I often talk to therapists who are uncomfortable with marketing because they think they have to do things that they don't WANT to do in order to successfully market their practice.

That's not the case at all! There are so many marketing strategies out there that it is possible to pick a couple that won't cause you any anxiety at all. If you don't like public speaking, don't select "Giving workshops and seminars" as your marketing strategy of choice. (Instead, write articles or do a newsletter or send e-mails.)

If you're not tech-savvy, don't focus on e-newsletters and your website. There are plenty of ways to get the word out about yourself in the "offline" world. You can give talks or workshops, network, or use traditional publicity (radio, television, newspapers).