Marketing Your Private Practice - Part II

C.J. Hayden, in her book “Get Clients Now!,” outlines the six basic methods you can use to market yourself:

– Direct contact and followup. Look at who has referred to you in the past. Call and ask if you can take them to lunch to thank them and learn more about how you can help the people they know.

– Networking and Referral Building. If you specialize in infertility counseling, for example, you should get to know a couple of different audiences. The first is infertility docs. They are going to be your number one source of referrals, likely. The second is OB-GYNs in general, with general practice physicians coming in after that. You’ll want to find out if there are any local chapters of support groups, like RESOLVE. You might also want to connect with local pastors or ministers, who might work with parents who lost a child during birth, or before. Send them a letter and business card and then call to follow-up.

– Public Speaking. Look for opportunities to speak and educate prospective clients — which also increases your visibility with referral sources. Or, look for opportunities to speak to groups of your referral sources. Every therapist in the state has numerous opportunities to speak at professional association meetings. Whether you’re speaking to the public or peers, make sure you create a handout with your contact information; have plenty of business cards on hand; and have a drawing or sign-up sheet so you can collect people’s contact information.

– Writing and Publicity. Article writing is another way to increase your visibility. You can write articles to publish on your website, your blog, or for publication in newsletters — for example, association newsletters, or group newsletters. If your area has chapters of national organizations, like CHADD, they are always looking for content.

– Promotional Events. Consider hosting a luncheon for a group practice of physicians. These types of events aren’t limited to pharmaceutical reps. Call the local practice and ask if you can bring in lunch and introduce yourself. Or participate in local community events, like health fairs or outreach events. You can host events for prospective clients or referral sources, or both.

– Advertising. Finally, there’s advertising. This encompasses everything from newspaper and magazine ads to Yellow Pages, direct mail, and much, much more. Advertising won’t get you the results that some of your other efforts will, but it can help increase your visibility and name recognition.

More in Part Three.