Common Mistakes Therapists Make When Marketing Their New Business

With many people facing mental health challenges, you might assume all private therapy practices are booked weeks in advance. That might be true for many therapists, but certainly not all. Many therapists who start their own private practices make a number of marketing mistakes that put them on the back foot. Knowledge is power, so if you’re about to launch a new business, try to avoid making some of these mistakes: 

Not Connecting With Other Healthcare Professionals

If you’ve been scratching your head, wondering how to get therapy clients, think about who most people see when facing mental health challenges: their primary care provider. If you can put your business name in front of them through digital referral technology, you might enjoy consistent referrals to keep your business running smoothly. 

This is a common mistake many new therapists make. They’re so focused on attracting clients through those people themselves that they forget about connecting with other healthcare providers. 

Not Setting a Marketing Budget

Provide a service, and the customers will come. It’s easy to assume that’s the case, but therapy clients can’t book appointments with you if they don’t know you exist. You might have an office with your business name on the front, but it’s not enough for people to make an informed decision to call you their therapist. 

Not setting a marketing budget is one of the most harmful business mistakes you can make. If you don’t set funds aside for advertising and marketing, it can be much harder to build up a client list and start making consistent income. 

Not Having a Website

Therapy clients are trusting a stranger with some of their deepest and most intimate thoughts. They might be less likely to do that if they can’t learn at least a small amount of information about you before making an appointment. 

A website is among the most effective ways to get this information out there. Without a website, you remain a stranger. Potential clients have no way of knowing whether they’re booking an appointment with someone they feel comfortable with. 

Fortunately, that issue is an easy fix. You can create a website yourself or hire a web development company to do it for you. You can then include information about who you are as a person, your experience, and the services you can provide. 

Making It All About You

You deserve to be congratulated for becoming a therapist. It requires countless years of training to earn that coveted title. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting people to know you have qualifications and experience. That can give them peace of mind that you’re trained to help them. 

However, many therapists make their experience and qualifications the central focus of their marketing. In reality, you want potential clients to know how you can help them with their problems. 

Instead of making your marketing about how many years you’ve been a therapist and where you graduated from, advertise what you can help people with. You might find that people in need of help connect better with marketing materials like social media ads when they speak to their needs. 

Not Having a Target Market

You might be eager to help anyone and everyone who needs mental health services. However, creating ads to target a general audience can be expensive and often ineffective. Think about who you know you work the best with and the challenges you can help people overcome. You might then find creating marketing materials to suit those groups easier. 

Not Creating a Google Business Profile

You might have wondered how specific business profiles with names and numbers come up when you search for a particular product or service in a certain area. Often, it’s to do with Google Business Profile. 

Google Business Profile is a helpful marketing tool businesses can use to display their business in Maps, Google Products, and Search. If you haven’t set up your profile, now’s the time to do it. You might then stand a better chance of being noticed when people look for therapists in your area. 

Not Networking

While there’s no denying that marketing your services online can help you secure new clients, it’s not the only method at your disposal. Networking can be an excellent way to enjoy referrals in the future. Attend networking events with other medical professionals and get to know other therapists in your area. You might then enjoy referrals and can provide them in return when opportunities arise. 

Not Spreading Out Your Ad Expenditure

Some marketing methods are more effective than others. As a result, you might be tempted to spend your entire marketing budget on one avenue. There’s no denying that you might see more leads through social media than newspapers, but it can be important to advertise in multiple places. The further you cast your net, the easier it might be to secure new clients. There are no guarantees they’re all looking for a suitable therapist in the same place. 

Not Asking for Help When They Need It

You might be an expert therapist with years of experience helping people with their mental health challenges. However, that doesn’t mean you’re an expert in marketing. Fortunately, you don’t have to rely on your own skills to market your new private practice. You can reach out to marketing companies to help. 

Marketing companies can assist with everything from branding and PR to advertising and marketing strategies. Involving the experts can also mean you can focus your time on your clients rather than how to get your business out in the public eye. 

Not Thinking of Out of the Box Marketing Methods

When you think of marketing, you might picture social media and pay-per-click ads. These are among the most popular and effective methods, but other out-of-the-box strategies are also worth exploring. Lecturing or tutoring might help you get your name out in the public arena. You might also look at creating newsletters, flyers, and press releases. 

There’s no denying that marketing a new business is tough. However, you stand a good chance of success if you know the mistakes to avoid. If you’ve just started your own private practice, remember these marketing mistakes. They might just help you devise a more effective marketing strategy that sees your new business thrive. 

Failure to Adopt Technology

---

Become an Insider

Subscribe to get a free daily budget planner printable to help get your money on track!

Make passive money the right way. No spam.

First Name:
Email Address:

Leave this field empty if you're human: