Therapy services have been increasing in both popularity and accessibility in recent years. With this influx in services, the task of marketing your therapy business may feel daunting. With the abundance of services available, how can you make your therapy practice stand out?
Utilizing online marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to advertise your therapy practice and your services. By engaging your client base online, you are grabbing the attention of potential clients in an accessible and easy way. Almost everyone accesses the Internet in one way or another multiple times throughout the day; so it’s a no-brainer to prioritize online marketing strategies in an effort to advertise your practice.
Luckily, there are many tools at your disposal to create interest and awareness to promote your services, increase client engagement, and encourage new client growth. Below are several helpful tips for online marketing to promote your therapy practice.
Engage in Social Media
Creating a social media account for your therapy practice and engaging with your client base is one of the most effective ways you can help promote your business. Social media allows easy connection and accessible information to a wide variety of people. It provides an easy outlet for direct communication for potential clients, and gives you the opportunity to showcase what makes your practice unique! You are in control of the content vision that potential clients are able to see.
It’s one thing to create an effective social media presence for your practice, but you can (and should!) take it a step further and actively engage your potential client base. This includes producing content on a regular basis, including photos and videos.
By posting regularly, your presence will be more noticeable amongst your audience. Consider putting together campaigns and series about topics important to your practice, current “hot topics” in the world of therapy, more information about your staff and services provided, and have some fun and create lighthearted or “trendy” content.
By producing an ongoing series or multiple sets of videos and posts, clients will be checking in more frequently, which continues to create traffic for your social media. You don’t have to aim to “go viral,” unless you’d like to, but you can showcase your practice’s principles while remaining entertaining and engaging. It’s important to keep your content clean and aesthetically pleasing – aim for graphics that are eye-catching, but simple.
The best thing about creating a social media presence is that you can make the account and the content truly your own. Your potential clients will be more interested in your practice as they become more emotionally invested, and prioritizing social media is an effective and easy way to do so.
Utilizing social media within your online marketing strategy is also incredibly cost-efficient, as most social media platforms do not require payment for signing up. If you haven’t already, consider implementing social media strategies in your online marketing to help reach your target client base in an easy and effective way.
Utilize Online Marketing Firms
The logistics of implementing an online marketing strategy can be daunting. From the technical aspect of designing web pages and social media content to running and analyzing your site traffic data, it’s no wonder that many practices are utilizing external marketing services to help their business. Sites like JumpFire Creative provide a wide array of services to help take on some of the burdens of online marketing. Are you unhappy with the overall look and function of your website?
Do you need help setting up online advertising? Are you interested in increasing your footing on search engines? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might be in the market for help from a marketing firm!
By prioritizing and budgeting for these kinds of services, you are contributing to the success and longevity of your practice. These are trained individuals and accredited businesses who are there to help your practice thrive. They have the capability to help streamline advertising and provide you with an effective plan for targeted ads.
They will work with you in implementing your vision into your online presence and website. They can even help increase your success on search engines, which is one of the most common ways potential clients locate therapy services. Implementing the help of a marketing firm, especially one dedicated to your online marketing plan, will increase your online presence and help ease the daunting task of client acquisition.
Establish An E-Mail Newsletter
Once you have potential new clients coming to your website, it’s important to establish a contact and keep them up-to-date with pertinent information. One way to do this is by setting up an email newsletter. Create a space on your website or provide a link on your social media that gives interested clients the opportunity to sign up for an email newsletter. This way, you have people voluntarily signing up to receive information and you are able to increase interest.
In regards to the content you can include in your emails, that is up to your discretion! The best advice is to keep these newsletters authentic and true to your practice’s goals and values. The content included in your newsletters also depends on how often you decide to send them out – the less frequent the emails, the more content that should be included. You don’t want to overwhelm your clients, so keep these emails simple.
To furthermore increase the professionalism of your business, you can even coordinate content across your online platforms. For example, if you choose to do a week-long social media series on anxiety in the workplace (and how your therapy service can provide assistance!), you can reference that information in your email newsletter as well. For those of your clients who follow you on social media, this small touch will not go unnoticed.
E-mail newsletters are a great opportunity to directly engage your customers outside of a website or social media. There is a unique personal touch that only a dedicated e-mail newsletter can provide. For your existing customers, the newsletter can introduce them to information and services they may not be aware of.
For new and potential customers, they can receive more information about your business and be more inclined to commit to your services. For each subscriber, whether new or existing, the newsletters have the ability to contribute to a community mentality which can help customers feel included and a part of your company’s purpose.
Consider Writing a Blog On A Weekly Bases
While websites, social media, and email newsletters can be excellent sources of information for potential new clients, implementing a more personal touch in your online marketing program can be extremely effective – especially when it comes to something as personal as therapy. This is why writing a personal blog for your business can be effective in reaching a wide array of individuals.
Simply including a blog section on your website can give your clients more subjective insight into who you are and what they can expect from your services. Blogs give you the opportunity to give people a glimpse into how you communicate and what is important to you. It’s important to note to have an impact you need to post articles regularly. No less than 2 times a month. 4 or more is optimal however.
Many people consider this sort of thing when searching for a therapist. It’s difficult for individuals to really know if a therapy service is right for them if all they have access to is a mission statement they can read through on the company’s website. If connecting with your clients in a more authentic way is in line with your company’s values, then a blog is a great resource to build that connection.
Your therapist staff can each take turns in writing a blog post monthly or bi-monthly about topics they are passionate about. Again, the key is to be authentic! Blogs can add the personal touch that many potential new clients are looking for and are an underrated tool in the online marketing arsenal.
When it comes to online marketing, there are numerous options and avenues at your disposal. You can be as hands-off as you’d like, creating your own website and leaving the search results to chance. However, by taking a more active role in the online marketing of your therapy business, you can really have an impact on the success and growth of your practice. Consider implementing several, or all, of the tips above depending upon the needs of your own therapy service.
If you feel in a rut, consider trying something you haven’t yet! If writing a monthly blog post feels out of your comfort zone, try committing to three months of posts and take note of the difference in client response. Have you been considering creating more of a social media presence? Meet with staff members and create a team to curate your own social media content.
Or, if all else fails, seek external experience through businesses like JumpFire Creative. As long as your online marketing practices are authentic, in-line with your therapy service’s core values and goals, then your clients will be engaged and satisfied – both online and on your couch!
