For Therapists: Why a Website is Essential for Marketing a Private-Pay Practice
If you’re a therapist looking to fill your practice with ideal clients, you need a strategic & sustainable marketing plan, and a website needs to be part of it. Learn tips from a therapist who successfully filled her practice, using the power of website marketing.
What exactly is a marketing plan for therapists in private practice?
A marketing plan is meant to bring clients to your practice, by spreading awareness of your work to the people who need it.
Contrary to popular belief, marketing is not about being “sales-y”, “pushy,” or “annoying.” Marketing is about connection.
Each therapist’s marketing plan will be unique, depending on their: time, capacity, resources, goals, and overall situation. That being said, these tips apply to most practices.
An effective marketing plan consists of various strategies, not just one.
Examples of strategies include:
high-quality website
therapist directories (ex: PsychologyToday)
networking (attending professional events; sharing about your practice with friends, family, colleagues, and community members)
creating content on social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)
responding to referral inquiries on Facebook groups or email listservs
posting on LinkedIn
increasing your visibility via speaking engagements, podcast interviews, and other public appearances
setting up a Google My Business profile and gathering reviews
sending an email newsletter to subscribers
putting up flyers around town
…and more
How can therapists build a private-pay practice?
They didn’t teach this part in grad school!
As a therapist, you shouldn’t depend on just one referral source to fill your practice – like only handing out business cards at networking events; only posting on Instagram; or only putting up a PsychologyToday profile, then crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
While you may get a few (or even many) clients via one strategy only, your practice is more likely to be successful & sustainable across the long term if you build multiple pillars of marketing support. This way, if anything changes about one of your strategies (like an algorithm update on Instagram that makes your content less visible; or a shift in your professional network that leads to fewer referrals), your practice is still standing on stable ground.
On the flip side, you shouldn’t try to implement every single strategy as part of your marketing plan – because that’s a recipe for burnout.
Imagine trying to post on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube on a consistent basis; attend networking events every week; run a podcast; and design & write your website, all at once. You probably won’t be able to do everything well, because no human can!
It’s much better to focus on a few effective strategies that you enjoy doing, consistently, and that’ll lead to actual results in your practice.
And no matter who you are, where you practice, or how much you charge, a high-quality website should absolutely be one of your strategies.
In fact, a website should be the central pillar in your marketing plan – because it’s the place where everything else leads to. A website complements every other strategy that you might choose.
Let’s break it down.
Websites vs. Instagram Marketing for Therapists
📷 POTENTIAL PROS & CONS OF INSTAGRAM
Instagram marketing allows you the space to show your personality and connect with potential clients.
However, effectiveness on Instagram requires constant engagement:
keeping up with trends
showing up on IG Stories, which expire every 24 hours
posting consistently enough (multiple times per week) to gain traction in the algorithm
As you can imagine, this can become draining, and isn’t a good fit for every therapist.
Additionally, the Instagram platform has structural limitations. Your ideal clients might not get a full sense of your practice via posts and reels, due to minimum character limits and content popping up out of order in their feed.
Bottom line: the fleeting attention span of Instagram makes it harder for people to grasp your overall message.
💻 HOW A WEBSITE COMPLEMENTS INSTAGRAM MARKETING
If you use Instagram to market your practice, you will inevitably need a website to complete the marketing loop. On IG, it’s common to direct followers to “click the link in my bio to learn more” or “book a free consult at the link in my bio.”
Instagram serves as a jumping-off point, but it’s not the final destination.
Your website is the destination, turning interest generated on social media into paying clients.
A website provides all information in one place, where it won’t be out of order or presented in tiny little snippets. People can read your website without getting distracted by notifications or the next post in the feed.
A website doesn’t require constant engagement on your part – you set it up and update it occasionally, but there’s no need for daily posts.
Websites vs. Networking for Therapists
🤝🏽 POTENTIAL PROS & CONS OF NETWORKING
Networking means building professional connections, with the intention of becoming mutual referral sources or supporting each other’s businesses in some way. It can look like:
1:1 chats, online or in-person
casual group meets-ups
formal group events
Networking is a way to build community. When done well, it can lead to a consistent stream of referrals, as well as life-long friendships with wonderful people. (After all, therapists hanging out with fellow therapists & helping professionals is a recipe for connection.)
However, the whole process takes time and social energy, which you may or may not have right now.
💻 HOW A WEBSITE COMPLEMENTS NETWORKING
When someone you network with refers their client, friend, or acquaintance to your practice, they need an easy way for that person to learn about you and contact you.
Your website fills that role – and will answer questions about who you are & how you can help, in ways that the referral source may not be able to do (because they’re not you, and they might not know your ideal client as well as you do).
Websites vs. Therapist Directories
(ex: PsychologyToday, TherapyDen, Inclusive Therapists, or directories specific to your modality, like IFS, EMDR, Brainspotting, EFT)
📋 POTENTIAL PROS & CONS OF DIRECTORIES
Depending on the directory, this marketing strategy can be hit or miss. You might get lots of clients, or you might only occasionally receive messages from people who aren’t a good fit.
The information you can share about yourself on a directory is limited to their formatting and character limits. Additionally, where you show up – on page 1 or page 20 – may seem random or outside your control.
💻 HOW A WEBSITE COMPLEMENTS DIRECTORIES
When you have a listing on a directory, it is essential to use any spot they provide to link to your website. After all, many clients need more information before they are ready to invest in therapy.
A website gives you the space to write as much as you want. The directory warms them up to you, and your website closes the loop.
FAQs about Marketing for Therapists
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A website is the online home for your business. It is the place where prospective clients go to learn about you, determine if you’re a fit for them, and reach out to work with you. Unlike other platforms, like therapist directors or social media, a website isn’t limited to a strict character limit, rigid structure, or limited formatting.
A website provides depth & thoroughness of information, and a sense of your personality, in ways that other marketing strategies do not. This is essential if you’re looking to attract ideal, private-pay clients.
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Any marketing strategy has the potential to bring you aligned clients. The exact strategies that’ll work for you depend on your situation, capacity, resources, and details about your ideal clientele.
To be clear: a high-quality website should be one of the strategies you use, as it will complement all other strategies. Clients who find you via Psychology Today, Instagram, or another referral source will likely need to visit your website anyway, in order to learn more about you before they’re ready to book.
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As a therapist-turned web designer, the platform I recommend for any business owner is Squarespace. It’s easy to use, straightforward to learn, and has high-quality design & SEO features built in.
Need help building or updating your therapy website?
Whether you’re starting from scratch or revamping your existing website, I’ve got you covered. Explore done-for-you web design & copywriting services — so you can have a website that saves you time + energy, markets for you 24/7, and brings aligned clients to your practice.
