Perhaps you’ve always been proud that you don’t have time for a Facebook or Instagram account, but if you’re running your own private practice or therapy clinic and you don’t have a social media presence, you’re missing out on a huge advertising opportunity.
How Does Social Media Help? Two Words: Online Presence
While word of mouth and referrals might have been the old way therapists build their business, these days with everyone being forced to see clients via secure online video or by phone due to the pandemic, even the most “unplugged” counsellor understands the benefits of having a website or a Psychology Today profile. How does having a social media page boost these things? The more URL’s your name is connected to, the more likely your name is going to show up on a search engine. Simple professional pages on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn that have your therapy practice name, contact information and what services you offer can do wonders for your online presence. Link those to your website and that boosts things even more, and that’s simply from a SEO standpoint.
Creating “Sharable” Content Can Bring In New Clients
What do most people complain about with Facebook? All of the “fake stuff” shared. The thing is, Facebook and Instagram both are social platforms where posts are constantly being shared. Yes, a lot of content is…quite frankly terrible, but many people do like to share posts about metal health, since so many of us have experienced challenges or know someone who has. If you begin to create images and introductions to go with the images that connect with people, that are informational and “hit them in the feels” if you will, they will get shared, especially if you are adding the right hashtags and are posting them at optimal times. If your posts have your therapy practice name and website on them, chances are that someone is going to see that at the right time and reach out to book a consult.
Your Social Media Can Foster A Sense Of Community & Offer Extra Support For Your Existing Clients
While you do have to be careful about how you respond to comments and follows on social media as a therapist, when done right, social media can help to foster a sense of support and community for your existing clients. Have a workshop that you want to promote? Post it on your social and your existing clients get to see what else your clinic has to offer them! Is it Pride Month? Show your support to your queer clients by posting about Pride Month on your social media accounts. Do you write blog articles? Promote them on your social! This is also a great way to generate more traffic to your website.
Social Media Helps Potential Clients Learn How You Work
Unlike the (rather useless) 30 second video that Psychology Today offers, social media can give you a real opportunity to show clients who you are and how you work. You can post daily videos on Facebook or Instagam (let’s not even delve into the Tiktok domain), you can explain the ins and outs of whatever modality you most enjoy using using multiple images. If clients see who you are and how you work, you’ll end up attracting the people you’re best suited to helping.
Virtual therapy isn’t going anywhere now that people have gotten used to it, so getting more of a clear, consistent online presence is a great way to be visible online for folks searching for online mental health support.
Having Someone Assist You With Building A Social Media Presence Pays Off
If you’re like many other therapists right now, you probably are up to your eyeballs in overdue notes and unanswered emails. Social media is probably low on your list of priorities. However, a virtual assistant can help set your social media up and create a consistent calendar with monthly or even weekly themes. A good social media campaign will also be scheduled to go out at the best time of the day and on the best days of the week. You’ll take a look at what’s been created, approve or request edits on the posts before they are scheduled to be posted.
With a virtual assistant helping you with your social media, you can get all of the benefits of an online presence, with minimal effort on your part!
