Marketing tips for self-employed therapists

As a self-employed therapist, being strategic and smart with your marketing is one key part of creating and running a successful practice. It’s also crucial to promote yourself respectfully and authentically. After all, clients aren’t looking to buy therapy but want to find the right person to help them.

Since building a tactful yet enticing marketing campaign can be tricky, we’ve compiled a list of therapist marketing tips to help you:

• Establish your foundation
• Identify your ideal client
• Reach out to your existing network
• Expand your online presence
• Manage your new income effectively

The first thing to do when creating a marketing campaign for any business is to lay the groundwork on which to build it. Research what the current market looks like to identify what people are looking for in your area. The aim is to understand who requires therapy and whether the current market meets their needs. 

Consider the following questions to help you identify sought-after services you could highlight in your marketing messages:

• Are there groups of individuals not getting what they need?
• Is there a therapy type that’s not currently available?
• Is there a mental health issue in your area that requires focus?
• What skills do you have or can you develop?
• What existing services already exist in your area?
• Who are your competitors, and how do they promote themselves?
• Can you offer therapy remotely?

As the old saying goes: “if you try to please everyone, you please no one.” Knowing who exactly you want to reach with your marketing is a crucial step to building campaigns that attract your ideal clients. Otherwise, your marketing will likely become generic and unfocused. 

To identify your ideal client(s), you can ask yourself these questions:

• What are your ideal client’s age group and gender?
• How much do you want the client to pay?
• Where is your ideal client based?
• What do they struggle with?

• What would they search for online when looking for a therapist?
• What communication style and tone of voice would they respond best to?
• What does your ideal client need from you?
• Where do they spend most of their time online? 

The best way to create a clear picture of your ideal client is to build a customer profile. Learn more about creating an ideal customer profile. 

One way to get the word out about your therapist practice is to reach out to your existing network of friends, family, doctors, other therapists, and so on. Networking with other therapists might seem counterintuitive, but it can be highly effective. 

Say you provide a niche service that your therapist connection doesn’t. In that case, they could refer their contact to you. In return, you can refer people in need of service you don’t offer, but your contact does. 

You can also visit local healthcare providers and other businesses and ask if you can leave business cards or flyers there in case people need your services. Alternatively, you can send out emails to let these businesses know about your therapist’s practice.

Networking is not about pestering people but simply reaching out to individuals and companies to make them aware of what you offer. 

Having a solid online presence will make it easier for prospective clients to find your practice when searching for therapy services. Here are some tips for expanding your online presence:

Having a business website is key to presenting yourself as professional and serious. Here are some things to consider to ensure your website provides value to you and your visitors:

• Choose and buy a domain name: it’s best to use your business name to help people find you. Buying your domain name means people will be directed to your website when they search for it.
• Make your website accessible: Ensure your website is readable on all devices, easy to navigate, and includes your photo, logo, and contact information.
• Add detail: Clients will want to know as much about you as possible before contacting you, so make sure you add your background information, qualifications, specialist services, price estimates, location, and anything else people should know.

SEO is the practice of getting search engines to list your website as an alternative when clients search for specific keywords and phrases. The goal of SEO is to get your website to the first page of the search results for words and phrases relating to your business. 

You can learn more about how SEO works in this guide.

These days, social media is more of a necessity than an option for promoting a business. Using social media correctly can be an effective way to attract more clients to your therapy practice. 

Use your platforms to share content that will help your followers deal with their issues and feel better. It’s also good to join groups and conversations to showcase your knowledge and establish a reputation as a thought leader. You want people to view you as a trusted source.

Remember, the goal for a self-employed therapist is not to build the largest social media following but to provide as much value as possible to those that do follow you. If you end up with a massive following as a result, that’s merely a bonus. 

Content marketing (specifically blogging, in your case) can be a great way to increase your visibility and attract people to your website where they can learn more about you. A great thing about content marketing is that it’s one of the cheapest ways to promote a business. 

As a self-employed therapist, blogging is an excellent way to showcase your expertise. Consistently publishing content where you answer common questions or share advice for managing difficult situations, you prove to readers that you can help. 

If you also include SEO keywords in your text, you build your authority with search engines, so they list you higher in the search results. 

We hope you found these therapist marketing tips useful. If you implement them correctly, more clients will see you as the right choice for their needs. As your practice grows, you’ll benefit from a system like Countingup to record and manage your new income.

When you’re running your own business, it’s important to keep your personal and business finances separate from day one – to save yourself from time-consuming admin further down the line. 

When you sign up for a Countingup business current account, you’ll receive free accounting software with a range of time-saving tools. 

Simply log into the app to create and send invoices, get financial insights, and confidently manage your new business finances. 

Find out more here and start your 3 month free trial today.