What has been your experience getting new clients or referrals from LinkedIn, Facebook or other social networking platforms. Too often we hear psychologists, therapists and counselor say:
I don’t get new clients from social media. After putting a lot of effort into Facebook, I’m giving up. Social networking doesn’t deliver the goods for me.
Has this been your experience? If so, it may be because of how you implemented a social media marketing program, and what social networking platform you choose to focus on.
Different Platforms Support Different Types of Social Networking
Not all social media are created equal. The social networking platform that you should embrace or ignore depends on your practice.
Here is a quick guide to some of the most popular social networks – and some guidelines to where you might be focusing energies.
Facebook is far and away the gorilla in the room, with a huge share of the social networking market. According to comScore, Facebook accounts for 83 percent of total time that Americans spent on social networks. (ComScore, 2013 U.S. Digital Future in Focus)
If you are targeting individual potential clients, Facebook can be very effective. But it can also be very, very noisy. And, some therapists are concerned about how clients might unintentionally reveal their relationship with a therapist by clicking “Like” on a Facebook practice page. Before you put too much effort into your Facebook activities, consult with a social media marketing guru who understands the ethical and business needs of therapists. Get the most benefit and avoid unintended consequences!
If your growth plan calls for you to trigger interest directly from clients, Facebook should definitely be considered. But, considered carefully.
Compared to Facebook, LinkedIn accounts for only a fraction of the time spent on social networking. Nevertheless, LinkedIn accounts for an outsize share of referrals from mental health professionals. You can use LinkedIn to build connections with sources of referrals, including complementary mental health professionals, family physicians, school guidance counselors and others who might direct clients towards your practice.
For many of your professional relationships, LinkedIn supplements their personal contact list. If they need a telephone number or email to contact you (or to pass on your contact details to a potential client), being connected to you on LinkedIn allows them easy access to your contact details. Connect to as many sources of referrals on LinkedIn that you can.
LinkedIn Groups are great way to find colleagues with similar professional interests and to find clusters of clients grouped around an issue that may be related to your practice. Use LinkedIn Groups to make new connections that can lead to referrals. Finding which LinkedIn Groups to join and spend time on can be challenging.
- Over 2,500 LinkedIn Groups match a search query for therapy
- Over 1,500 LinkedIn Groups match a search query for counseling
- Over 500 LinkedIn Groups match a search query for psychologists
To make the best use of your time and resources, consider consulting with an expert to determine find Groups that will help grow your practice.
YouTube
YouTube dominates the video audience, with 42% of all video content posted online in the US. While getting potential clients to find you on YouTube can be challenging, posting videos of you or about you on YouTube can be a great way of gaining credibility, establishing trusts with potential clients, and of getting more clients to your site.
Embedding relevant, interesting YouTube video content on your web pages will get more visitors to your site, and enhance conversion of those visitors to clients.
We Can Help
At TherapyEverywhere, an active, focused social networking campaign is often part of our clients’ success. Social media coaching by the therapy practice growth experts at TherapyEverywhere is included in our monthly Grow Package, Super Grow Package, and Super Grow HIPAA Package. Fill in the contact form to get a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
Learn more about developing/implement a social media strategy, about earning social media currency and about how your activity on social media can attract or repel new clients and referrals.