Internet Marketing for Therapists

Q:   As a private local service provider in the mental health industry, I’m looking for an e-business strategy to reach more people and create online revenue. The bigger Big Pharma gets, the smaller my psychotherapy practice gets. I need to figure out a way to serve people who want something better than drugs but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg and aren’t in my geographic area.

Thanks,
Christine

A:  Hi Christine-

The first thing you need to understand is that no one wants to buy therapy or counseling. Instead, they want a solution to a specific problem that they have. So, they search online for answers to their problems. This means that you need to demonstrate to your web site visitors that you understand and care about their pain – that you have hope and help for them.

The best way to succeed online is by being a specialist, rather than a generalist. This means that you need to let visitors to your website know how you can help them with specific issues. So, in what areas do you specialize? Eating disorders? Test anxiety? Panic attacks? Couples counseling? Sexual abuse survivors? Depression? PTSD? You may work with clients in all of these areas and others; however, to get known online, you need to lead with your specializations.

That means that your web site needs to contain at least one page for each of your specializations that describes the symptoms of this issue, along with info on how you can help. This strategy helps you be found for these types of issues in the search engine.

You see, when people search for help and answers to questions online, they are very specific. So, that might look like one of the following:

• “therapy for PTSD”
• “treatment for panic attacks”
• “marriage counseling in Denver”
• “how to tell parents about sexual abuse”

Here are some articles that can help you with this:

• How to Create Your Target Market Profile
• 10 Key Questions to Ask to Unlock Your Expertise

To serve prospects outside of your geographic area, you’ll want to develop information products. Information products can include ebooks, reports, videos, audios, CDs, DVDs, etc. that provide valuable information on a topic for which they are seeking help. So, for example, for anxiety, you might create a series of progressive relaxation sessions on DVD that someone could purchase and use to learn how to relax. Or, if a parent thinks a child has an eating disorder, you could offer an ebook for parents on how to talk to children about self-esteem, nutrition, and body image. Or, if a couple is having difficulty communicating, you could offer a 5-part video series on improving couples’ communication. Get the idea here?

Here’s an article that can help you:

• 12 Steps to Creating Your First Info Product

And, to help with your local referrals, you’ll want to optimize your site so that your site will come up in local searches, like “Denver marriage counseling” or “bulimia treatment Denver” or “Christian counselor Denver.” I just used Denver as the example – substitute Denver with your city name and see what/who shows up for these kinds of searches in your local area, including your areas of specialization.

This article will help you as will this webinar:

• Top Seven Strategies to Help You Market Your Local Business Online and Market Your Virtual Business Locally
• Get Local Customers Online: How to Drive Massive Traffic to Your Local Business (and Skyrocket Your Sales) mp3 Audio, PDF Transcript and Guide

You also need to ensure that your social networking profiles – Linkedin, in particular, reflect what you do and who you serve. Adding your listing to any web sites listing local therapists will also help, as long as you delineate areas in which you specialize.

If you would like more help in creating your marketing plan, developing a web site that converts, optimizing your site for local searches, I invite you to schedule a complimentary BizIgniter session at http://bizsmartmedia.com/bizignitersession