How to Develop an Effective Digital Marketing Plan for Therapists
As a therapist, you know how important it is for clients to find help and trust their providers. An effective digital marketing plan can help you reach the clients who're the best fit for your practice and develop trust even before your first therapy session. In this guide, you'll learn how to develop an effective digital marketing plan for private practice.
Introduction
When I work with clients, the bulk of our work is focused on Content Marketing. And often, my clients don't realize that they're becoming savvy digital marketers in the process.
Like it or not, marketing is an essential part of running your business. Even a therapy business where the demand for your services is at an all-time high. To attract clients, you first need to show them that you can help them solve their problems.
With offline marketing, this can be done by generating referrals and investing in advertising and local promotion. With digital marketing, there're many more options than that.
In many ways, the internet democratized the business world, including marketing. Now, you don't have to work years to establish a reputation within your industry or invest in expensive print advertising. You can choose the channel that fits your goals and budget.
For therapists, it means a wider reach and a bigger opportunity to attract clients locally and remotely. Here's how to create an effective digital marketing plan for your practice.
build Your Current Online Presence
Some therapists developed successful practices without a website. While it was possible before, for the most part, those days are gone. According to recent data, more than 70% of people search for healthcare-related topics online.
That means that your potential clients will scour the web for any information about you and your colleagues in the area.
The most important thing that you can do for your practice is create a website. Your website is your own piece of real estate on the web that doesn't depend on Social Media platforms and their algorithms. It's your home base.
Besides your website, here're a few other steps that you can take to build your online presence.
List your practice in online directories. Professional directories like Psychology Today and CarePaths can help you with your SEO as well as your reputation.
Create social media profiles on platforms that are used by your ideal clients.
Write guest posts for high-traffic websites, including Psychology Today.
Want to learn more about building your online presence?
Define who you'd like to attract
Building your online presence doesn't mean listing your resume and professional accomplishments for everyone to see. To create a strong presence for marketing purposes, you first need to identify the audience you'd like to attract.
Ask yourself these questions:
Who do I truly enjoy working with?
What kind of problems are these people experiencing?
Can they afford my fees?
Where are they located?
How can I make their lives better?
These questions will direct you toward uncovering your niche. By understanding the person who would be the best fit for your practice, you'll be able to create a strong and relevant message that will connect with your potential clients.
pick the right platform
Once you define who your ideal audience is, it's time to identify which social media and streaming platforms you should use to get your message out. Let's face it, as a private practice owner, your time is limited, and spending it on every platform out there is not realistic nor necessary.
Pick the platform that caters to the demographic that you're trying to reach and focus on it. Also, take into consideration the content you're comfortable with creating.
Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are good for visual and video content. While platforms like LinkedIn, Substack, and even Facebook can be great for writing.
Cater to your strengths and your audience, not trends and likes.
work out your Content Marketing Strategy
Creating high-quality and relevant content is a great way to reach your audience and keep it engaged. Your content can come in different formats and you can pick what works best for you. I love writing, so written content is what works best for me, but here're other formats you may consider:
Blogs, social media posts, and articles with tips and resources.
Case studies and inspiring stories.
Podcasts with educational materials.
Newsletters and emails.
All this content can be repurposed using writing, video, and images. The most important thing to keep in mind is having a goal for this content.
If your goal is to attract new clients to your practice, you may want to create content that urges people to click on a link to schedule an appointment with you. And if you want to attract clients with a specific issue, you may want to choose a theme for all your content around this issue.
Invest in your SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key component of any digital marketing plan. In essence, it means picking the right words for your content. The right words are keywords that people use to search for your services online. For example "couples therapy near me".
By doing keyword research and selecting the right phrases for your content, you'll be indicating to Google and other search engines, that your content is relevant to people's search. The more relevant your content is to someone who's looking for therapy in your area, the higher you'll rank and the better your SEO will be.
buy paid ads
Depending on your time and budget, a good PPC ad may be the way to go for your digital marketing strategy. If you have a website or a good landing page, but no time to spend on social media or SEO, you may want to consider paying for google ads to attract clients ASAP.
The benefit of this marketing tactic is that it yields immediate results (if done right). With SEO, you will have to wait a few weeks to several months to start seeing online traffic driven your way, but with an ad, the results can be immediate.
If you want to learn more about paid ads, read this simple guide to marketing your private practice with paid ads.
Conclusion
Creating a digital marketing plan for your practice is a matter of organizing your goals, priorities, and activities in a way that fits your situation and resources.
As a therapist, you already have insight into what motivates and deters people from seeking help. You can use this knowledge strategically and direct the people who need therapy to your practice.
If you want help with your marketing plan, let's talk. Click here to book a FREE call with me.
