Marketing a Therapy Practice Requires 3 Powerful Words
You will have the most success in marketing your therapy practice if you inform the public of your services using three powerful words. The words are problem, solution and method. Why are these three words so powerful? It is because they take your referrals from good, to better, to best.
If you focus on these words in your marketing messages, you will attract the right leads to your practice. The old marketing methods no longer work. You can't expect to get referrals by word of mouth or by building your reputation in a local community. People with a problem use search engines and social media to find help for their problem.
Here is the formula. This is the best way to present your marketing messages:
If you have problem X,
you need solution Y,
which we provide using method Z.
Marketing your Therapy Practice to People who have a Problem
Good referrals are problem-aware.
These people know that they have a problem and they know what it is called. They are concerned and want information. They are worried about the future. For example, the parents of a preschooler who has unclear speech might be wondering if this is normal. The grandparents and daycare can't understand the four-year-old, so they are asking the parents to get the child assessed.
The family might see a doctor first and ask if the unclear speech is typical for a four-year-old. Depending on what the doctor says, they might try to get on a public waitlist for a speech language pathologist (SLP), they might look for private services, or they might wait to see if the problem will go away on its own.
In marketing your therapy private practice, create content that shows your integrity and professionalism. This is what separates you from the charlatans. People who have a problem are vulnerable consumers because they are attracted to services and products that promise amazing results. As a qualified professional, build trust with consumers by providing accurate advice online. Don't be afraid to state your opinion.
Marketing your Therapy Private Practice to People who are Looking for a Qualified Professional
Better referrals are solution-aware.
Let's continue with the example of the unintelligible four-year old. Let's imagine that the doctor states that the child's speech is not within age expectations and suggests that the parents get on the public waitlist for an SLP. Now the parents know that an SLP can help. They are hoping for quick access to this professional. Perhaps they have excellent medical benefits, so they decide to bypass the long public waitlist.
They start searching online for a private SLP. The qualified professional is the solution. This person has the expertise to help them with their problem. The professional can explain possible causes and provide recommendations about the right treatment. The doctor might not have told the parents that a hearing assessment is necessary when a child's speech is unintelligible.
Marketing your private practice is not just about creating messages that sell your therapy services. It is also about educating your website visitors. Imagine how grateful young parents would be if an SLP's website alerted them to the possibility of a hearing loss when a child's speech is unintelligible! What if this information helped them get hearing aids for their child immediately, instead of waiting in vain?
Marketing your Therapy Practice to People who are Looking for a Specific Treatment Method
The best referrals are method-aware.
They know what the problem is and they know that it is possible to overcome their problem. They want to know how much time and money it will take to get the result they are looking for.
Their research is probably taking them to websites that mention specific treatments.This happens when a method is well-established, or well-promoted in the media. The effectiveness of the method is highly compelling. People with a problem need hope. In marketing your private practice, you want to feature treatments that work.
If your private practice is aligned with a proven treatment method, you will get the best type of referrals. People searching for a therapist who offers this specific method will find your website.
Let's pretend that Speak and Read is a well-respected therapy method for young children. Indeed, the preschooler from our example was diagnosed with a hearing loss and now has hearing aids, but the speech problems have not fully resolved. Kindergarten is looming. The parents are searching for a private SLP who offers the Speak and Read method.
If an SLP was marketing her therapy private practice using the formula, it would look like this:
If your child has unclear speech [problem X],
your child needs speech language therapy [solution Y],
which we provide using the Speak and Read method [method Z].
Those parents would find her website. They would be eager to hire her because they are method-aware consumers.
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