How To Advertise As A Therapist – As therapists, most of us entered the profession with lofty dreams of helping our clients gain new perspectives on their experiences and change their lives for the better each and every day. And, while that is always the ultimate goal of any therapist, you cannot achieve these aims if you do not have any clients at all. In fact, many therapists—both new to the field and those with years of experience—find that dealing with the business side of running a successful counselling practice is one of the most unexpectedly difficult parts of managing the job.
For you to have a successful, thriving practice, potential clients must be able to find you. The answer to this lies in the development of successful advertising practices. Even if you are currently not taking on new clients or are happy with the number of referrals you are receiving, you should still invest in some sort of advertising practice to keep new clients coming in the future. Just like any other business, without advertising successfully getting the word out about who you are and what you can do for your target population, your business will remain stagnant and fail to grow. And, in a world full of overwhelming amounts of digital information, advertising can be a very daunting task indeed. As part of our mission to support and help counsellors in the area grow their clientele, Horizon Counselling Services has collected some of the most effective ways to advertise yourself as a therapist.
- Search engine optimisation: In today’s world, when people need to find something—from a grocer to a mechanic—they often simply type what they need into a search engine and go with one of the first options that comes up. This means that you need to curate your content and key terms on your website so that your name appears at the top of a search for counsellors in your area. Focusing on search engine optimisation is one of the most important ways to promote your advertising campaign.
- Cohesive online brand: When you make sure that the information, style, and colours of your brand are the same between social media platforms, websites, and other forms of digital media, it ensures that your brand becomes recognisable to audiences. Simply sharing your content acts as a form of advertising because the style can be quickly associated with your brand.
- Harness the power of social media: Once you have curated your online brand and distinctive style, make social media really work for you. Cultivate your presence across all platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and even LinkedIn) and engage with your followers to boost performance—your followers want to be able to find you relatable and sincere. Taking time to understand your target age demographic and creating content that specifically caters to that range will help boost your content even more.
- Network: Networking is an important way to ensure that your name, face, and brand receive exposure, which can drive new patient and word-of-mouth referrals. This can mean going to in-person events, sponsoring local charities, or even digital networking accomplished by joining local therapy related Facebook groups. Similar to social media exposure, personal networking helps potential clients to see you as a real person and begin to relate to you. Should they or any of their acquaintances need a therapist in the future, the personal connection that they made with you and your brand will hopefully come to mind first.
Horizon Counselling Services seeks to help other therapists succeed by lifting them up through the provision of advice and support from fellow counsellors. We offer coaching services that can guide you through the process of setting up and running your own business. For more information about how to effectively grow and advertise your business, please visit our website or contact Horizon Counselling Services today—we can’t wait to speak with you and see you succeed in your practice!