There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Manual for Marketing your Therapy Practice

Introduction

This is an excerpt from Delightful Sites — a weekly email series helping therapists, coaches, and entrepreneurs build sustainable, values-aligned businesses, through the power of website marketing. 💐

Just like there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing your practice.

While I wish I could hand you a 3-step plan that would provide guaranteed results, the truth is that marketing our businesses is more complicated than that.

You deserve a nuanced & personalized plan for your business, rather than a cookie-cutter template.

Here’s the truth:

✅ I know therapists who have built thriving practices through Instagram & TikTok.

And I know others who have tried that, but felt discouraged by the lack of results & the constantly-changing algorithm.

*If you want to hear my experience being an “Instagram Therapist”, check out this blog post.

​
✅ Some therapists have built thriving practices through word-of-mouth networking in their community – good old-fashioned coffee dates, Zoom chats, and friendly follow-ups.

And I’ve spoken to other therapists who have never received a referral through their networking efforts (though they treasure the relationships built through networking).

​
✅ Some therapists have great success with directories like Psychology Today.

Others only receive sporadic, not-great-fit referrals, and question whether they should even keep their subscription.

So, what’s the deal?

Why do some marketing methods work for some therapists, and others feel like a total flop?

I believe it comes down to a few factors.

⚙️ How you’re using the marketing method

There’s a difference between a PsychToday profile that stands out from the crowd vs. a generic one.

There’s a difference between networking with practitioners who will actually send right-fit referrals your way, vs. networking with folks who aren’t encountering your ideal clientele frequently enough to send referrals.

🍭 How much you actually enjoy each marketing method

If you hate being on social media, but you’re forcing yourself to show up on Instagram every day, the mismatch might lead to inauthentic/flat content, or cause you to burn out on the platform before you potentially start seeing results.

🔎 How your ideal clientele actually look for services

Networking with psychiatrists in the community might not lead to steady referrals if your clientele distrust the medical field and aren’t likely to be working with a psychiatrist in the first place.

Instead, maybe your clients are Googling, “can therapy help with medical trauma”, so you might help them find your services by writing a blog post on “how therapy can help with medical trauma” & making sure your blog post is SEO-optimized.

*For a quick summary on what SEO is, check out this blog post.

TLDR; the success of your marketing method depends on whether it’s a good fit for you, and whether it’s a good fit for your clients.

There is one caveat here, though: the only marketing method that I recommend for every practitioner is a really good website.

(To see examples of high-quality websites, check out my portfolio!)

Because pretty much every single client is going to check out your website before they reach out to you.

If I had to write a marketing plan that could work for any practice, I would leave it open-ended, but it would definitely start with:

(1) Make sure you have a high-quality website. This is a non-negotiable.

(2) Then, choose at least 1 other marketing method that makes sense for your business & aligns with your personality/skills/gifts.

This could be: social media (IG, FB, TikTok), YouTube videos, public speaking, hosting community workshops, therapist-to-therapist networking, therapist-to-complementary practitioner networking, podcast guest interviews, blogging for SEO, podcasting for SEO… the list goes on.

(3) Track results & modify your marketing plan as needed.

There’s no *one* path that works for every business (just like EMDR or DBT or IFS doesn’t work for every client).

But there is a way that’ll work for you; it is just a matter of finding it. Your success, however you choose to define it, is inevitable.

Liked this blog post?

👉🏽 Subscribe here to receive letters from Liz directly in your inbox.