Marketing strategies for psychologists and therapists: Three styles of marketing to get more therapy clients or grow your practice
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Marketing strategies for psychologists and therapists: Three styles of marketing to get more therapy clients or grow your practice
It can feel really overwhelming when you first start a psychology or therapy practice and you need to put together a marketing plan. There is so much noise out there around the subject of marketing a private practice that one of my core aims when I set up Psychology Business School was to create a simple, overwhelm free, marketing plan for psychologists and therapists to follow. In this episode I am going to introduce you to the three bases you must cover in your marketing whether your aim is to get more therapy clients or to grow something else in your practice (like an online course or passive income stream) We will also talk about how you start to tackle them.
The three core strategies for marketing a psychology or therapy practice
- High touch relationship building.
- Building authority
- Growing an online audience
In order to develop a sustainable psychology or therapy price you will need to use all three of these strategies as part of your marketing plan. However, your current position in your practice and your goals will determine what you focus on at any one time. You can't successfully focus on all three at once unless you have lots of time and lots of support (a team) so it is very important to understand first which strategy is needed to get the results you want to see.
Marketing a psychology practice using "high touch" /relationship building
When?
This strategy is at the core of any successful business. People who have a personal connection to you are more likely to use your service, buy your product or recommend you to a friend who is your ideal client. You need to be spending some time each week on this whatever project you are working on and whatever goals you have for your practice. It is especially important is
- You need more 1:1 therapy or coaching referrals
- You need more people to pay your full fee
- You are launching a service or product in an area which is new for you / you don't have a reputation or following.
How?
This strategy is all about developing meaningful relationships. Essentially, you are trying to have meaningful conversations with ideal clients or people who are connected to your ideal clients (other professionals, business owners etc.)
I go into detail on how to go about this in several episodes of The Business of Psychology so follow the hyperlinks below for more in-depth guidance.
- Business networking (BNI, Athena Network, Women in Business Networks, your local social enterprise community etc.)
- Professional networking (BPS, ACP, BACP)
- Reach out via LinkedIn for zoom or real coffees
- Reach out to old connections / colleagues. Tell everyone in your life what you are doing and why
Marketing your psychology or therapy practice by building authority
I know that you are awesome and I know what it means when you tell me you have 20 years of NHS experience. I know and value your qualifications. But the fact is we live in a world where non- medical mental health professionals are often undervalued just as the concept of protecting mental wellbeing itself is often undervalued! Therefore in order to command the fees that we are worth, raise the profile of our professions, and encourage a cultural shift in the way mental health is viewed we need to be out there showing people the difference our knowledge and skills can make.
When?
It is always important to be building your authority as it is the only way to get properly paid for your work (either directly or via grant funding or by employers). However, this needs to be an area of focus or you if:
- You have plenty of referrals but they are mostly from third parties
- You are developing a new specialism
- You are wanting to sell anything online/to a national or international audience (inc. courses, books, etc.)
How?
- Public speaking
- Academic publishing
- Academic posts /research
- Supervision from an expert.
- Providing training for professional and business networks
- Providing training/advice on social media platforms (see this episode for the specific tactics I recommend for Facebook)
- Youtube videos (see this episode with Dr Clare Roberts)
- Podcasts (see this episode with Charlotte Foster, podcasting expert)
- Blogs (see this episode to get started with blogging)
- Media engagement (broadcast and print media). Find out more about engaging the media in this episode with James Waterhouse, BBC journalist.
Marketing your psychology practice by building an online audience.
Building an online audience is about making sure that there are always people who like what you do, ready to buy you products or use your service when the time is right for them. It provides security, steady income and is an asset that impacts the saleability of your practice when it comes to retirement.
It is also completely essential if you intend to sell products like books or online causes that only become profitable when you sell a lot of them.
When?
- You want to spread a message to lots of people
- You want to make societal/cultural change
- You need to sell a lot of a lower cost product (book, online course)
- You want to ensure your business has longevity you want to create a practice that is saleable when you want to retire or step down
- You only want to work with people who have chosen you for your approach + specialism.
How?
This is about making sure people see the cornerstone content you create and then giving them a way of staying in touch with you afterwards.
- Social media promotion of cornerstone content.
- Giving away a free download in exchange for an email address
- Collecting an email list of ideal clients
- Email marketing
- All of the steps already covered in authority.
As you may have worked out I have presented the three strategies in this order because they depend on each other. You cannot spend time on building authority before you gain your first few clients and get some money coming in.
You also can't start building an online audience if you have no authority and nothing to say. For most people it makes sense to start with high touch relationship building, then add in authority building activities before finally focusing on building an online audience. I hope this has given you a framework to start building your marketing plan.
Want the knowledge of experts and the support of a community of like minded peers as you develop your marketing plan?
Come and join us in the Do More Than Therapy Membership where we have expert masterclasses on all of the strategies discussed in today’s episode plus weekly coaching calls and monthly peer supervision with a supportive community of like-minded professionals. Find out more here: https://psychologybusinessschool.com/the-do-more-than-therapy-membership/
Episode Links:
Links for ‘Marketing a psychology practice using "high touch" /relationship building’:
Episode 19: How psychologists and therapists can use an ideal client avatar to co create and market their services
Episode 10: Social media. A force for good in psychology
Episode 8: Get money IN to your psychology private practice: Business planning part 3
Episode 20: How to find the people you want to help online. Online marketing for psychologists and therapists
Links for ‘Marketing your psychology or therapy practice by building authority’:
Episode 18: Systematic reviews: How to do a systematic review in independent practice
Episode 48: 3 Ways To Use Facebook For Psychologists And Therapists
Episode 59: Using Youtube to reach more people with Dr Clare Roberts
Episode 67: Podcasting for Psychologists and Therapists: Why we should podcast and how to get started with Charlotte Foster
Episode 34: What you should be blogging about: Choosing topics and titles for your psychology blog
https://psychologybusinessschool.com/the-business-of-psychology/titles-for-psychology-blogs/
Episode 36: TV and radio for psychologists and therapists: How to work with the media with James Waterhouse
Links for ‘Marketing your psychology practice by building an online audience’:
Episode 32: How to get your blog post seen with Vicki Jakes: SEO for psychologists and therapists
Episode 20: How to find the people you want to help online. Online marketing for psychologists and therapists
Episode 10: Social media. A force for good in psychology
Episode 50: How to run a thriving Facebook group with Sam Hill, Community Manager
Episode 49: Three ways to fill up your Facebook group
Episode 63: How to create a website that sells your practice with Melissa Kelly
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Are you looking to build an independent practice that is fulfilling, impactful and financially rewarding? Did you know that I run a business course that is designed to help you do exactly that without making all the mistakes I made along the way? Over 12 weeks we take you through everything you need to know to set up a practice that lets you live your values. Through a combination of teaching from experts, legal templates to make sure your practice is covered, peer support and group coaching sessions this is the place for anyone looking to get off the starting blocks in private practice.
The course is always accessible in pre-recorded format and three times a year we run a live cohort so what are you waiting for? Join us at:
https://psychologybusinessschool.com/the-psychology-business-school/
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