9 Best Ways to Promote Online Therapy Services
Online Therapy is also known as e-therapy and e-counselling which involves providing mental support and health services over the internet. Online therapy can occur in real-time via video conferencing, phone calls, text messages, and emails. Online therapy is becoming important and growing over some time. There are many reasons why people prefer online therapy including convenience in terms of cost or time and easy access.
This article consists of 9 ways to promote your online therapy services.
Define Your Niche
You should define your niche before you think of doing anything else. You need to be specific about who you’ll be targeting because if you try to appeal to everyone; you end up connecting with no one.
Try to understand what you're good at and who you can help the most. You can target various segments such as kids, teenagers, couples, corporate executives, or people with some mental disorders like anxiety, depression, etc.
Decide a specific problem you want to solve for a specific group of people and be exceptionally good at it.
For example:
If you’re good with couple’s therapy then centre your practice around it. Help couples get over hard times. Although the practice of couples therapy may vary depending on the therapist’s theoretical orientation; solution focused, problem specific; change oriented etc.
Once you decide your niche, you can start targeting the right people and your promotion is based on that group which helps people easily relate.
Create Informative Content
You can start Blogging about mental health, depression, anxiety, and many more. Provide helpful information and aware people of the causes and remedies about the same, it makes them trust you and your expertise before even knowing you. You can also market your content on search engine using the right keywords with the help of SEO.
Creating content doesn't only mean writing it, you can also start your Podcast Series in which you can let your voice reach people. And who has to deny the fact that voice has a greater impact than articles.
For example:
Therapy Chat is a podcast by Laura Reagan, exploring the threshold cutting edge psychotherapy practices. It helps you feel connected to what’s happening in the mental health field.
Organize Webinars
Organize webinars on topics like anxiety, depression, stress, or maybe a group session where people with similar interests can discuss their problems (like- family issues, death of loved ones, marriage issues, etc) and open up. You can advise them or talk them out of their problems. This will help you build a good reputation and people present in the webinar can turn out to be your client. Start by organizing free webinars and attract people by promoting it on social media and ask your current clients to spread a word of mouth and bring people with them to your webinar.
You can also use days like Depression Awareness Day or Mental Health Awareness Day to organize a webinar.
Make Use of the Referral Program
The referral program is to make use of recommendations and word-of-mouth of your top customers. You can make use of social media as your referral channel. The study says that people believe in word of mouth than any other advertisement. It helps to build community than only customers and helps people to trust you. Provide your best services for people to recommend you to others.
Provide Free Consultation
Usually, first consultations are free by many therapists. First session is about the client to know about you and your approach towards the therapy, that makes them commit to working with you. You can always provide this session for free and make a good impression by showing your strengths and methods towards resolving their issues and giving them strength.
Providing free consultation also helps attract new clients as it’s a general perspective of people to try things that are free.
Grow Your Email list
Emails are a personal way to contact your niche and build a relationship. You can convert many subscribers to customers by building a connection via mails. But first, you need to focus on building an email list. You must be wondering how? Follow the methods mentioned below-
- Use sign up forms on your website. It can be a newsletter or e-book signup, enquiry sign ups, contact us form, or maybe in the form of CTAs.
- Offer Content Upgrades- It can help you get bonus sign ups. For example:
- If someone is reading your blog, then you can show a pop up saying subscribe for more, or download this in the form of pdf and in return ask for their emails
- If you’re running a podcast, then show captions as a content upgrade.
Click here to see more examples for offering content upgrade.
- Run Giveaways and Contests- It is a best way to get most of the sign-ups. You can ask them to join you by proving their email, following you on social media and sharing it among their friends.
- Offer Incentives- You can offer discounts or free sessions to encourage customers to make a decision.
Checkout more ways to grow your email list by wpbeginner.
Create Your Website
The easy way for people to find you online is when you have your website. People can get all the necessary information on your website. They can even book a session online through your website. You can also advertise through your website. Having your website builds credibility and allows you to grow.
Some tips that you can use to make your website attractive and useful:
- Add a professional picture of you and a good description, it makes people feel connected and it also makes people trust you.
- Do add testimonials of previous clients.
- Don't forget to add Book a Session CTA.
You can easily build your counselling website using platforms like WordPress, GoDaddy, or Squarespace.
Build Your Network
Networking is important to build a client base and to establish credibility among your peers. So, start socializing and networking with psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors in your area. Attend local events and join online sessions of your expertise and connect with people. Build relationships with therapists who are not in your area as well. Cross networking helps you know the best possible care for your clients by coordinating their care options. And don't limit yourself to limit therapists and psychologists, keep teachers, doctors, and religious leaders on your radar as well.
Use Social Media to Your Advantage
We all know that everyone is active on social media than any other platform. So, why not use it to promote yourself? You can do a lot of things to attract people on social media and to spread awareness about your services and for people to have faith in you. How to use social media to our advantage?
- Join FB groups- Join FB groups and tell people about your therapy practices and counsel people on the group itself so that they can trust your services which can be the first step for them to be your client.
- Create Ads to Advertise your services- You can post ads on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube to spread the word about your therapy sessions.
- Expand your connections on LinkedIn- LinkedIn is a professional platform that would be helpful for you to contact people who have stressful jobs and connect with them and offer your services.
- Offer Incentives- Offer incentives such as first therapy session free or first 5 email or text sessions free. You also provide incentives on days like Mental Health Day or National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week.
Final Thoughts
By incorporating the above-mentioned promotion techniques you'll be able to attract many clients. But make sure that you don't sound like selling your services. You've to show your potential clients that you're compassionate about helping them.
Offer your services to the community and do good!
Credits - Ishneet Kaur
