Strategies for Certain Private Practice Growth
Today I want to talk with you about strategies for growing your private practice or small business. These are strategies I have used myself. If you are a small business owner, or looking to grow your brand, you will glean value from this article. Let’s go.
Strategy 1: Provide Free Value
I am going to come out of the gate hot and give you the most important tip. That is to give away value for free! Whether you make a video about the type of therapy you do, have a downloadable coping skills cheat sheet, or run a free community wellness night, you want to provide value to your potential client for free.
This sounds paradoxical, but it works. Many big brands do this. Think about the free samples at Costco or the free trial periods with Hulu. These companies are not simply giving away something for free, but they are building credibility. They are demonstrating that what they offer will be of value to the person. They are giving potential customers the opportunity to experience this for themselves before having to make a commitment. Imagine having to buy a new car without being able to see it first? You probably wouldn’t buy it.
The challenge for you as a small business owner is to figure out how you can provide potential clients with a free sample of the services you offer. You have to build credibility. You can’t be like Charlie Brown and give away free therapy sessions, but there are other ways you can build crediblity. Here are some ways in which I have provided value for free. If I had to pick one method, it would be creating a video. This is a great way to build credibility. I have a much longer list of ideas you can check out here.
Video about how to do DBT skills
Downloadable DBT worksheets and info
Created a directory of mental health referrals
Strategy 2: Invest in good marketing
Let me preface by saying this is not required if you are just starting out in private practice. This strategy is for people looking to take their practice or business to the next level. Investing in a marketing company that can help you with SEO, Google Ads, website building, and copy ( copy is the content and writing on your site) can help your practice grow tremendously.
I see way too many therapists without any marketing background trying to DIY a Google Ad campaign, or build SEO, etc. It’s important to know when to seek out expert help. In my opinion, hiring a REPUTABLE company that can help you with an effective marketing strategy can be a game changer. I personally wasted a lot of time and money trying to DIY SEO and GoogleAds to no avail.
I also know there are a lot of gimmicky companies telling therapists that they can fill their practice with all cash pay clients in 30 days. That is why it is important to do your research and read reviews before committing to a marketing company. One company I have been using is CounselingWise. They have fantastic reviews and never once did I feel pressured to purchase something I did’t want. I am in the middle of a campaign with them, so I will update everyone on the results in a few months. So far they have been good.
Strategy 3: Consistently Make Micro Adjustments
Starting a private practice can be super daunting, especially at the start. Most therapists are comfortable with the clinical side of the work, but not so much with the business side. This includes things like marketing, SEO, engaging new clients, budgeting, etc. For many of us, we never had to deal with this. However, it is now part of what we must do to build a thriving practice.The problem is that it can be overwhelming to learn all these new things. The learning curve can be discouraging. We may end of giving up or just settling for the bare minimum.
For example, perhaps you created a website. It took a long time because you had never done it before. You launch the website and no one visits. It’s not adding any value to your practice growth. It’s easy to say “I can’t do this” or “I give up”. The task of building a website that generates leads is a daunting one, but what if you tried to get only one percent better each day at building an effective website (Atomic Habits). For instance, what if one percent better looked like watching a video about websites, and then it looked like researching companies that help with therapy websites, and then it looked like scheduling a consultation with that company, and then it looked like signing up for their website building package? As you get one percent better each day, you are moving closer and closer to the goal of having an effective website. Improving by one percent each day is more manageable than creating an effective website right off the bat. It is also important to know that getting better at something doesn’t have to mean you do it yourself. It could also mean learning when to delegate.
Try to eliminate the desire to give up on something when it is challenging. Instead, think about how you can get a smidgeon better each day. Over time these micro movements add up.
This is exactly what happened to me when it came to SEO and marketing. I tried a few times on my own, got overwhelmed, and gave up. However, I recently revisited this and rather than telling myself I needed to master marketing, I just wanted to learn a bit more each day. That started with simply watching YouTube videos. It then led to researching marketing firms, and so on. After several months, I have a new website, landing pages, and a functioning Google Ad.
You can apply this strategy to any aspect of your private practice or small business. It will surely help you grow.
Want More?
If you want to learn more strategies like this consider joining my consultation group where you can ask questions and interact with me directly. Sign up at the link below. I hope to see you there.
