Many therapists can use therapist directories to help gain new clients. It can be an effective way to reach people actively looking for help.
However, this may not be enough to reach new clients in your area or people who need help. Online tools like Google My Business can help people find your clinic when searching for therapists in their area. But without dynamic content, it can be hard to reach the top results of searches.
So, why is a therapist directory listing not enough? Here is a breakdown of why therapists should invest in digital marketing and how it can transform your practice.
Do you need help with mental health marketing? Learn more about how Beacon Media + Marketing can help you.
Why a Therapist Directory Listing Isn’t Enough
Although a therapist directory listing is a great place to start, it won’t be enough to reach your target client base and generate leads. When trying to find a therapist, many people spend extended amounts of time researching different therapist options in their area to see who might be their best fit.
They need to know that the person they’re choosing can be trusted and is knowledgeable. It can be difficult opening up to people about their mental health, trauma, or anything else going on in their life. You can’t fully convey your trustworthiness and knowledge about your specific practice through a therapist directory.
A therapy marketing strategy will be extremely beneficial to your practice. A strong marketing plan will allow you to reach your target audience effectively.
Your mental health marketing plan should include using different online tools to promote your clinic. When people research your practice, you should give them a library of content that provides them with your mission, a clear brand, how you can help them, and why you should be their choice.
This can include:
- Organic social media posting
- Google My Business
- Google ads
- Facebook ads
- YouTube videos
- Blogging
- Effective website
Utilizing these other tools will create content that will reach new people. It will also allow people to research and learn more about your mental health therapy service. Adding these tools into your strategy can help reach new mental health clients that a therapy directory couldn’t.
Why Therapists Should Invest In Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a great way to reach new clients and be a resource for people. Utilizing these online platforms and tools will bump up the SEO on your website and allow you to be at the top of therapy searches.
Here are a few reasons why you should invest in digital marketing.
1) Develop Your Brand and Stand Out
With digital marketing for your mental health practice, you need to develop a look and message that is unique to your business and stands out to your target audience. Your brand is a way for your potential clients to know who you are, why you practice, and how you can help them.
Your brand includes several elements, including your colors, fonts, tag lines, key messaging, and logos. All of those factors combine to give someone a feeling and idea behind your business that goes beyond just how it looks. For your mental health brand, you should be trying to show that you’re educated in your field, trustworthy, and welcoming.
Having a welcoming brand will invite potential clients to choose you for their mental health services. Your brand should be unique to you and stand out.
2) Expand Your Reach
Another excellent reason to invest in digital marketing is that it will expand your reach. A great way to achieve that is through an SEO-optimized website. But even if you’re using helpful tools like Google My Business, it can be hard to reach an audience that isn’t actively searching for mental health therapists. Paid ads are another great way to show up at the top of searches and geolocated advertising in your area.
With digital marketing, you can utilize platforms like social media to increase your reach. Organic posting can help display your brand and act as a way for potential clients to learn more about you and have a contact outlet. With organic posting, you can be authentic, reach new people, and build brand awareness.
Want help with your social media marketing? Check out our social media services.
3) Find People Where They Are
Although teletherapy has emerged, in-person therapy is still the way to go for many clients. It’s essential that you rank high when people search for therapists in their area. You also need to consider how effective your local SEO is with voice searches.
Organic content is an excellent way to get people in your area to find you. With the help of social media, you can join local communities that will show people that you’re offering a great service being provided in their area.
Blogging is also a great way to reach people in your area or online. You’ll be able to answer commonly asked questions and provide helpful tips and tools for your client’s mental health. Providing unique content like podcasting is a great way to reach a broader target audience.
4) Guide Them Towards Making an Appointment
Choosing a therapist is a big decision. Many people spend extended amounts of time researching providers in their area and consider a few therapists before choosing. If you have a better online presence than your competitors, they’ll likely be drawn to make an appointment with you.
You can achieve these leads through effective branding and a great website. Having an updated and easy-to-use website is an excellent way for people to feel more inclined to work for you.
Your mental health website conveys to people that you are professional and want to help them. It’s the first impression that will stick with your potential clients the most. So your website should be clean and allow them to book an appointment with you through the website easily.
5) Be a Resource For People
Not only is your content a way to rank high on search engines, but it’s also a way to be a resource for people. Many people will search online for medical advice and trust the first thing they see. As an expert in your field or mental health niche, you need to show that you provide valuable, trustworthy information.
Putting out content allows you to educate people searching for mental health services and those who may not realize that they need help. Creating educational content for people is a great way to establish your credibility and show people that you are knowledgeable about the field and can help them.
YouTube videos or ads are a great way to provide educational content to reach people. Many people use videos to get information, and people have a higher retention rate with videos. So, providing educational content will help you maximize your credibility and allow you to reach new people.
Do you need help creating videos? Check out our video production service to learn more!
Why Should Therapists Partner With a Digital Marketing Agency?
Even with an excellent mental health marketing strategy, it can be hard to balance on top of running your practice. It’s hard to manage all of the moving pieces of your website, social media accounts, advertisements, and being there for your clients. Here are a few key reasons why you should partner with a digital marketing agency.
Focus on Your Expertise
Even though you’re an expert in your field, it doesn’t mean you’ll have much experience in SEO, blog writing, or making videos. Partnering with a digital marketing agency allows experts like us to figure out what your ideal client is cooling for and how to reach them best.
Choosing someone to help you with your marketing will take the burden of learning and juggling everything off your plate. Your primary focus should be your clients, and choosing to partner with an agency will allow you to do so.
Creating a Cohesive Marketing Strategy
Understanding and creating a cohesive mental health marketing strategy can be complex. You may not know which keywords to target or how your content can work cohesively together.
Partnering with an agency will help build and maintain your brand. We will create an organized plan that combines website design, social media, Google advertising, SEO, and more to grow your online presence.
Marketing Takes Time
Running your practice takes up a lot of time, and with the growing demand for mental health therapists, it can be hard to keep up on your client appointments. You might think that you can save a lot of money by doing your marketing yourself (or not doing any marketing at all). However, marketing means new clients, which means growth, and increased ROI.
At Beacon Media + Marketing, we’ve had clients that grew their practice so much that they had to add additional counselors to their team, move to larger buildings, and expand their offerings. When you entrust a marketing agency to help you, we will take care of all the content creation and heavy lifting so you can focus on what you’re most passionate about.
Why Should You Choose Beacon Media + Marketing?
When you choose to partner with Beacon Media + Marketing, you’re choosing to grow your practice. We will help you optimize your SEO and create real client conversions. Not only that, we’ll help you stay passionate about your work.
Since we’re passionate about what we do, we want to ensure that your brand reflects how you feel. We can help create a logo and brand that suits you with our amazing team. We want you to focus on the “why” behind your mission and embrace your passion for helping your clients.
You won’t need to research how to create an excellent website or effectively use social media; we’ll do that for you. Our web team can help create the website of your dreams and allow potential clients to feel more empowered to book an appointment with you. We’ll also take care of the organic content that is true to your brand and educational, from social media to blogging.
At Beacon Media + Marketing, we want you to be passionate about your work the way we are. We provide great marketing for therapists that will help you grow your clinic. By choosing to partner with us, you’ll be able to focus on your clinic and not worry about how effective your marketing is.
Ready to see how we can help you? Get your free consultation!
