MHM#14 7 priority marketing activities to grow a therapy practice

If you woke up in 10 years and your Practice is everything you dreamed of, what would this look like? Do you have staff? Is it just you or a group practice? Where are you located? Having at least a rough idea of where you're going is helpful when you're making marketing decisions - if it's just you longer term then calling your Practice your name makes sense. If you are heading towards a group practice, then call your Practice something else so it makes sense when other therapists/clinicians work under the same name. If you imagine the location being somewhere different from where you are today, consider this when you're developing relationships with referrers. If you have an in-person practice, ideally, you want to build relationships with referrers in the same area. 

What are your ideal weekly appointments in the shorter term (next 1-2 years)? Start tracking the number of enquiries you get each month and how many convert into new appointments. If the right people are enquiring, then as the owner of the Practice, you should be getting around 60% of those to convert into appointments. Over time, you'll know how many enquiries you need each week to maintain your weekly appointment goal.

2) Identify who your ideal clients are

What are their pain points? What are their goals and aspirations? How are your modalities/approaches/services uniquely placed to help them move from their pain towards their goals and aspirations? 

When you're starting out, it's tempting to want to say yes to working with everyone, and realistically, sometimes, in the early stages, you do need to compromise and say yes to people who aren't quite the right fit simply because you need the money. But in the long term, filling your Practice with mostly your ideal clients is going to create a much more enjoyable business. Over time, you'll better identify who is and isn't the right fit for you.

3) Build a website that talks directly to your ideal clients

To help attract more of the right clients and less of the wrong ones, ensure that when someone lands on your website, they know who you work with, what you help them with and how you help them (your approach, modality, etc). 

Use an image that your ideal client can relate to and looks like them. And keep it real - avoid pictures of people who look too perfect, as they can be intimidating. Every day, real-life people who represent your ideal client are the goal. The image should also create a feeling of hope - we don't want the person in the picture to look sad/depressed. We want to visually show what the future could be like if they choose you as their therapist.

4) Set up a Google Ad Campaign 

Search Engine Optimisation is important, but it's extremely difficult to get your website to rank high on the first page of Google. Running a Google Ad campaign can be a very effective and efficient way to get your website in front of people actively searching for a therapist in Google. Especially in the early days when you've just started connecting with referrers and building your social media presence.

I recommend an initial budget of $10 / day - $300 a month. If you charge $100 for an appointment that's only 3 extra appointments you need to cover the cost of the campaign. 

5) Create an Instagram account and post 3 times a week

It's normal to feel hesitant about getting on social media, but it plays an important role in helping prospective clients connect with you and get to know you. It builds trust and confidence and helps people feel safe that you're the right therapist for them. 

This is why video content performs better than static posts - people engage more with video content because it allows them to connect with you more. 

Marketing activities don't work in isolation; they all work together, supporting each other. Google Ads might be the first way someone finds out about you, but people will often check out your social media to get to know you better before making a decision to book an appointment. 

6) Build professional relationships with other solo therapists

It's normal to feel hesitant about reaching out to other therapists or clinicians. Most people shudder when they think of networking. :) But as a therapist, connecting with people is what you do best. And it's always the intention behind the action that matters most. Networking is really just connecting with other therapists and developing professional friendships so you can support each other, refer to each other, and help each other grow.  

7) Consistency and patience

It is often underestimated just how long it takes to build a practice (or any business, for that matter). Commit to doing the above marketing activities consistently for 12 months, and you'll see how much your Practice has changed and grown and how much you've learned along the way! Of course it can take less time to reach your appointment goal, or sometimes even longer. But the sooner you commit to dedicating time each and every week to market your Practice, the sooner you'll see results. 

There are also the ebbs and flows of practice growth. There is expected seasonality around summer, Christmas, etc. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, you'll have a few weeks where enquiries completely drop. It's hard not to feel a bit panicky when this happens, but it's normal. Just sit tight and continue the work. If, however, you've had a few months of very low or zero enquiries, then that might indicate you need to change something with your marketing.