If you’ve been in private practice for any length of time, you’ve probably heard about the “summer slump.”
For some therapists, it’s very real. For others, not so much. But either way, this season tends to bring a shift—and if you’re not prepared for it, it can feel unsettling fast.
In this first part of a two-part series, Anna walks you through how to approach slower seasons with clarity instead of panic—and most importantly, what you can actually do to stay in control of your practice.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
1️⃣ Why focusing on conversion before visibility is key during slower seasons
2️⃣ How to evaluate your time, energy, and budget to choose the right marketing strategies
3️⃣ The four types of networking relationships that can lead to meaningful referrals
4️⃣ How to approach seasonal slowdowns without panic or overworking
Resources & Links Mentioned:
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Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice. Explore more marketing support for therapists: https://walkerstrategyco.com
About Marketing Therapy
Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by Anna Walker, a marketing strategist and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.
Hey, hey.
2
:Welcome back to Marketing Therapy,
episode 69 today kicks off a little
3
:mini two-part series where we're talking
about preparing for the summer slump.
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:Now the summer slump is catchy.
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:First of all, I love some alliteration.
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:And a fairly real and
recurring phenomenon.
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:It is not universal.
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:You'll hear from people I've never
experienced a summer slump or
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:the summer is my busiest season,
and for that I am so grateful.
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:I think that's fantastic.
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:But we do know culturally.
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:In this industry that there tends
to be a slowdown in the summer,
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:and I think it's common enough
that it's worth talking about.
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:And you know what?
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:Even if you don't have a summer
slump, what we're gonna talk about
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:is still gonna be helpful for you.
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:But the fact is that when things slow
down, especially if you are in the
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:first couple years of your practice, if
it's your first summer or your second,
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:it can be incredibly anxiety inducing.
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:And one of the first things I'm
gonna suggest, I mean these next.
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:Two episodes are going to be very
tactical and strategy forward, and
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:you're gonna leave with things to do.
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:But I just wanna remind you,
hey, there are ups and downs,
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:there are ebbs and flows.
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:This is normal.
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:Seasonality is okay.
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:It doesn't necessarily
indicate something is wrong.
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:Okay?
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:So in case you need that reminder
now, or to come back to in June
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:or July, remember that, but.
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:It's normal.
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:It's normal to have the thoughts.
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:What if the clients never bounce back?
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:Right?
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:What if I lose whatever momentum I
have felt leading up to this year?
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:And here we are in a time of economic
uncertainty and lots of changes
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:in our world and in our industry.
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:And so those fears and those thoughts
are even more understandable.
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:But we know that the antidote to
fear isn't hair on fire panicking.
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:We know it's not burning it
all down and working at Costco.
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:We know it's figuring
out what to do, right?
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:It's about getting our heads clear.
43
:It's about being honest with ourselves.
44
:It's about getting our mind right, and
then it's about taking action accordingly.
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:And so that's what these two
episodes are gonna be about.
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:This one is where I wanna look
at what levers are available
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:to you because you know what?
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:There are things you can do.
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:And that's the best feeling
when you're in the middle of
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:a season that feels uncertain.
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:When things slow down,
there are things you can do.
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:This is not out of your control.
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:You can remain in the driver's seat of
your practice if you know what to do.
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:And so today is about looking at
what levers are available to you
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:to pull during the summer slump,
or any slowdown, quite frankly.
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:And then next week's episode
is gonna be more about auditing
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:where you're at and helping you
determine where you need to be.
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:Focusing your energy.
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:So there are really two things
you need to be looking at as we
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:get started with this episode.
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:In order to quote unquote get ahead
of the summer slump or at least get
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:your mind right and one of them, quite
frankly, therapists get backwards a lot.
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:So we're gonna make sure
we're clear on that.
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:And then like I said, we're gonna
get into looking at what all
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:of these levers actually are.
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:Now, before we get into this, I
want to remind you that maybe a
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:slowdown is permission to slow down.
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:A slower season is not always
a problem to solve, okay?
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:Now you need to maintain your income.
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:You need to make sure that your
caseload is at a reliable level.
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:I get all of those things, but sometimes.
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:Sometimes it's just a chance to slow down.
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:Sometimes it's just a chance to rest.
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:And so depending on where you find
yourself in your practice, I want to
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:remind you that an open slot on your
calendar might actually be a gift to you.
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:It could be a gift to
invest in your marketing.
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:It could just be a gift to rest.
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:And so remember that rest and
reflection and continuing education.
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:All of these things are productive.
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:They feed your practice, they feed
your long-term sustainability.
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:They feed your wellness as a clinician.
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:So if rest is the right lever for
you this summer, that's a plan too.
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:Okay?
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:Name it and claim it.
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:Now, it's not always a
problem to solve, okay?
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:So just remember that and maybe
you're in a place where you need
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:to maintain or build income.
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:Cool.
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:There's a framework.
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:We're gonna talk about that, but
maybe, maybe it is just an invitation
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:to slow down to enjoy that.
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:Knowing that it'll pick back up again.
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:It always does.
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:Right?
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:So with that caveat, now let's get
into the two things you need to be
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:looking at and the order of them.
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:Okay.
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:So when things slow down in, in a
clinician's practice, whether it's
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:in the summer or another season, most
therapists jump straight to visibility.
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:And you know what?
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:I'm glad for that.
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:I'm glad that therapists are
thinking about, okay, how do
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:I get my name out there more?
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:What do I need to be doing?
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:What more can I be doing?
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:Like there are lots of healthy
things about that thought, but.
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:They often think, well, now I need more
content, or Now I need more outreach,
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:or more presence, or more whatever.
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:And like I said, that instinct isn't
wrong, but it's the second thing that
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:you need to be looking at, not the first.
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:Okay.
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:So the two levers here, when we're
thinking about what to do during a
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:slow season, what to do to improve
your marketing, our conversion,
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:and then traffic in that order.
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:We have to be able to convert if
we can meaningfully send traffic.
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:So conversion has to come
first when inquiries slow down
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:because they will at some point.
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:You have to be able to make
the most of every single one.
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:Okay, so for the purposes of
this example, let's just think
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:about visitors to your website.
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:If due to the summer season, there's
going to be less traffic to your website.
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:Because people are on vacation,
they have priorities elsewhere.
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:Their attention is just not on therapy.
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:I want you to be able to
capitalize as much as possible
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:on the traffic you are getting.
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:If you can't do that, if it requires
massive numbers in order for you to even
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:get a handful of inquiries, then we are
missing out on that conversion piece.
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:More traffic just means
more people leaving.
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:My stomach turns at the
thought of that for you.
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:Okay.
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:So conversion matters first so that
whoever does come to your website,
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:and that is not to say of course,
that every single person landing on
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:your website is an ideal fit client.
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:No way, Jose, but.
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:I want you to be able to capitalize
on whoever is on your website
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:confidently to know, okay, if my
traffic slows down, my website is
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:still set up to do what it needs to do.
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:That's why conversion matters so much.
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:Then traffic comes, okay?
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:Once you know that that conversion engine,
as we call it, is solid, then you focus
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:on getting more people to it, then you
know, okay, I have an engine that if I
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:fuel it with my traffic, it will turn.
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:It's so critical that you think about it
in this order because I see therapists
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:get it backwards all the time, and it's
one of the most common and frustrating
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:mistakes they make because they put in
all of this effort into social media
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:or networking with very little return
because the engine isn't turning,
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:they're not really going anywhere.
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:You've heard me talk before about
the metaphor of a leaky bucket.
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:If you do not have the conversion
piece in place, if you do not have a
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:solid client conversion engine, then.
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:You going out there and spinning
your wheels, networking, posting
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:on social media, blogging,
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:even printing business cards, is like
pouring water into a leaky bucket.
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:So you're spending all of this energy.
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:Pouring the water, finding the water,
pouring it, and then the bucket,
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:your website can't even hold it.
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:That's what we're trying to fix here.
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:So, like I said, in the next episode
of this little mini series, we're
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:gonna talk about how to diagnose
that, is this a traffic issue?
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:But just first and foremost, remember
conversion first, traffic second,
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:conversion first, traffic second.
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:If conversion is not solid.
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:Then more traffic is just gonna
hurt because you're gonna work
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:really, really hard for it and
then not see the return you need.
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:Okay?
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:So just remember that now as we think
about the summer ahead, or any slower
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:season before you pick a strategy,
just because someone mentioned it
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:in a Facebook group or you saw it
on Instagram, or this colleague you
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:know is doing it before you do that.
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:It's really important that you get
honest about three things, okay?
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:Get honest about the
time you have available.
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:Get honest about the energy you have
to dedicate and get honest about
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:the budget that's available to you.
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:These are separate things, and you
might have time, but be depleted
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:energy wise or have no budget.
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:That's gonna change which marketing
strategy makes sense for you.
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:Okay?
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:So just because that.
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:$10,000 Mastermind program
teaches you how to do Google Ads.
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:Doesn't mean Google Ads is a
good fit for you if you have no
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:budget or no time to implement.
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:Do you see what I mean?
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:Just because someone says to
do something does not mean it's
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:gonna match your bandwidth, your
time, your energy, your budget.
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:So we have to know what we're working
with in order to make meaningful decisions
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:about the levers available to you.
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:Okay, so time, how many hours
per week can you realistically.
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:Give realistically, sustainably,
consistently over time.
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:Now, summer might shift
that profile for you.
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:Maybe you have less time because
your kids are home from school.
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:This was my first year with having
a child in school, and so I'm
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:about to have a summer break with
a child in a way I never have.
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:I'll fortunately still have some childcare
and that kind of thing, but I can
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:empathize with parents in a way I never
have because my kid is about to be home.
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:That takes up your time, right?
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:So maybe your time is less in the summer.
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:Maybe when you're honest about it,
your time is more because you might
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:have an open client slot or two.
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:So remember, the season that you're
in, might impact your bandwidth.
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:But like I said, that first one is time.
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:Then energy.
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:What kind of tasks can
you actually sustain?
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:What can you actually do consistently?
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:You're gonna hear me use
that word consistently a lot.
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:These next two episodes, I'm talking
about creating content, right?
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:That could be on social media, that
could be blogging, relationship building.
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:How much energy do you have to
be put in a Zoom coffee chat
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:on a calendar, or reaching out
to someone in your local area?
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:The behind the scenes setup of
some of these marketing strategies.
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:Again, if we use Google Ads as an example.
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:So yeah, you need to have some budget
available to pay for the ads and
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:likely to pay someone to run those
ads and or the time and energy to
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:learn how to do that well yourself.
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:So that's the cost here.
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:We need to be keeping all
three of these things in mind.
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:And then of course,
budget, just straight up.
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:Is money an option?
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:This season, or we need some
low zero cost things, right?
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:So get honest about this and
then let that drive your decision
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:making about what you do next about
these levers that we're gonna talk
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:about, these levers that you pull.
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:This is not about, again, what
sounds impressive or what's
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:flashy, or what your friend did.
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:It's what actually makes sense for you.
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:'cause that focus, that ability
to do it well over time.
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:Matters way more than the
effectiveness of the strategy, the
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:popularity of the strategy, whether
or not your friends are doing it.
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:Okay, so let's now get into our levers,
and you might roll your eyes at me,
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:but the first one we gotta do, we
have to talk about networking here.
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:We just cannot talk about being effective
in this industry, in this market,
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:especially in the private pay space.
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:If we're not talking about networking
, it's why it has just been a through
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:line of so much of what we've been
talking about here on marketing
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:therapy in the last six months or so.
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:Networking is, hello, a non-negotiable,
regardless of your bandwidth,
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:and I don't have a lot of time.
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:I don't have a lot of energy.
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:Okay.
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:Then what you do have we need
to put towards networking first?
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:Fortunately, it's pretty
low budget usually.
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:However, the format of your networking
that is yours, you get to pick.
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:You've heard me say that before.
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:We have an entire episode on
networking as an introvert.
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:That we will link in the show
notes, but you gotta market
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:how you market is up to you.
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:Most therapists think of
marketing as one thing.
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:I don't know what comes to
mind for you that might be.
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:Cold calling a doctor's office that
might be sending a weird Instagram
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:DM to a therapist, like, I don't
know what it looks like for you, but
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:many therapists have this like one
idea about what networking is for us.
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:It can look so many different
ways, and we really think about
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:it in four different categories.
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:With most people, kind of tapping
into only one or two and leaving
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:some opportunity on the table.
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:So this is worth thinking about our,
the four categories of networking.
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:These four networking levers you can
consider pulling in this upcoming season.
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:So the first is same niche therapist.
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:So that might be someone who is in
the same niche as you, but has a
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:different modality or perhaps is at
capacity has a different fee structure.
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:This can sometimes be misconstrued
as competition but they really
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:are very, very natural referral
partners because the fit is obvious.
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:Maybe someone sees a different age range
or prefers to work a different way.
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:Even availability can be a factor here.
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:Like this is just a really, really direct
referral opportunity that does not have
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:to look like you trying to poach clients.
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:Same for adjacent niche therapists.
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:If you recently caught our interview
here on the podcast with Taylor Williams,
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:she talked about how powerful adjacent
niche therapists have been for her
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:in filling her full fee caseload.
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:There has long sort of been this
underlying connotation that maybe you're
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:trying to poach someone's clients,
but actually there's a lot of value
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:in connecting with people who see
your client, but maybe not directly.
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:So they see couples, you see
individuals, they see moms.
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:You see children.
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:So related, but very low
competition with high alignment.
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:Adjacent niche therapists are
hugely untapped for many clinicians.
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:The next step are
complimentary professionals.
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:So this is where we group anyone
that isn't a therapist, that also
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:sees your client professionally.
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:So this could be a ob,
a lactation consultant.
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:This could be a school
counselor, a pediatrician.
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:These are kind of the stereotypical
traditional networking contacts,
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:private schools I've heard of.
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:Great.
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:A success that folks have had,
especially as we get to the end of
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:the summer and into the school season.
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:But anyway, complimentary professionals.
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:Who else sees your ideal client
professionally that you could speak to?
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:And then finally, this one I see hugely
untapped, and that is the other full fee
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:wellness kind of ecosystem out there.
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:So these are providers whose
clients are already saying yes
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:to investing in themselves.
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:I've talked about this recently, but
this could be something like a functional
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:medicine doctor, a chiropractor, an
acupuncturist, a yoga instructor,
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:a dietician, a massage therapist.
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:Who else is seeing clients who value
their wellness, who are likely paying
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:out of pocket, and who could be a
really, really natural referral source
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:and who probably has never networked
with another therapist before, right?
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:It's not like an OB that probably has
a laundry list of potential therapists
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:they could refer to, but instead, maybe
they've never talked to a therapist
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:about their ability to cross refer.
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:So that full fee wellness ecosystem
is another group that I see a lot of
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:clinicians potentially missing out on
that you could consider leaning into.
304
:Summer is a fantastic time to
be building these relationships.
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:Other therapists might be slow,
they might be open to connection.
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:I just met a therapist at
church last week actually.
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:She mentioned that she was a clinician,
so I was of course curious in asking
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:her about her practice and she mentioned
that she's in person a few times a
309
:week, mostly just to be in community
because it can be so isolating sometimes.
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:Solo practice can be incredibly isolating.
311
:So if nothing else, go make some
connections to get out of your own head.
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:Right?
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:To be in community with other clinicians
and open up space for genuine connection
314
:and potential symbiotic relationships
with other professionals, whether
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:those are therapists or otherwise.
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:And remember, networking is a volume game.
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:You're gonna reach out to
people you never hear from.
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:You're gonna reach out to
people you don't click with.
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:That's okay.
320
:We're looking for a handful of really
meaningful relationships that you
321
:can foster and cultivate over time.
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:So we gotta talk about networking.
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:Like I said, if all you've got is a little
time and a little energy, I'm going to
324
:suggest you invest it here before the
other levers we're gonna talk about.
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:Okay?
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:Next up directories.
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:We did a recent podcast episode
that we will also link in the
328
:show notes about psych today.
329
:Yes, you should still be on psych today
for reasons maybe you aren't aware of.
330
:Directories are still meaningful.
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:In addition to PsychToday , we
see clinicians experiencing
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:most of their success right now
on very niche specific ones.
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:I worked with a clinician
a handful of weeks ago who
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:works with food allergy moms.
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:There's actually a directory for
food allergy counselors out there.
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:Amazing.
337
:Faith-based directories,
niche specific, direct.
338
:Modality specific directories
demographic specific directories.
339
:So while there are some other
general ones, you know, we know of
340
:good therapy and therapy den mental
health match, which are worth a shot.
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:In addition to psych today, we suggest
considering any niche specific directories
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:you could be investing in, but making
sure those are pulling their weight.
343
:As I talked about in that psych today,
episodes directories are one of the only
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:things you can almost set and forget.
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:Like optimize it, do it.
346
:Well, maybe drop in and change a
comma to a period now and then.
347
:But like this is one of the only
available strategies to you that
348
:are essentially on autopilot.
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:So making sure that you are making
use of those in a meaningful way.
350
:We also know that these days
your directory profiles are
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:enhancing your AI authority.
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:And so even if you're not getting
direct referrals through them,
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:chances are for a low fee, they're
still doing something for you.
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:So make sure that you're
making use of that.
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:It's just some really low hanging
fruit marketing wise that you could
356
:absolutely use a few hours this
summer to make sure are whipped
357
:into shape if they're not already.
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:Alright, let's talk about the
other levers available to you.
359
:And this is where I recommend really
thinking about your bandwidth, thinking
360
:about your time, your energy, your
money, because like I said, Google Ads
361
:very different than Instagram, where
you're gonna have to be creating a lot.
362
:I'm gonna walk through a handful
of the most popular strategies that
363
:I'm seeing out there right now.
364
:Please know the suggestion here
is not that these are all for you
365
:or that you dabble in all of them.
366
:But instead that you pick one to two
that match your honest bandwidth, right?
367
:Your ability to do this over time, not
your aspirational bandwidth, not the
368
:clinician you hope to be, but instead
the clinician you are right now.
369
:Okay?
370
:Be honest with yourself here.
371
:So first and foremost, S-E-O-S-E-O is
still a very meaningful, viable strategy.
372
:It is a long term play.
373
:So this is a strategy for therapists
who are interested in playing a long
374
:game, who don't necessarily need clients
tomorrow, but want to set up kind of a
375
:larger infrastructure for their marketing.
376
:This is gonna take moderate time
and energy at the very least, and
377
:it's going to include things like
creating content, blog posts.
378
:Location pages, additional specialty or
method pages and then some additional
379
:strategies when it comes to AI
optimization, Google business profile
380
:that you can also be leveraging.
381
:So results here are going to be slow.
382
:We are talking months, not weeks
here, but they do compound.
383
:And every action that you take
in this ecosystem of SEO and ai.
384
:Can absolutely build upon one another.
385
:I have to mention here in this SEO section
that Google business profile matters
386
:more now than it absolutely ever has.
387
:I mean, Google business profile matters
more now than it did in February, like.
388
:It matters.
389
:If you are an in-person clinician and
you do not have a well optimized Google
390
:business profile, go do that right now.
391
:Please don't wait till
the summer, go do that.
392
:But that is factoring into SEO
and AI right now in ways we
393
:honestly didn't even really expect.
394
:If you are online only, you may not be
able to leverage Google Business profile.
395
:I don't know that that necessarily means
you need to go out and get a physical
396
:address in an office just for this reason.
397
:But do recognize that if you are in
person, the potential for this strategy
398
:and the power it has when it comes to
your findability is greater than ever.
399
:So please make sure, especially if
this is a strategy you decide to really
400
:lean into that you are maximizing that.
401
:In particular, now, as you can tell,
SE o's not gonna be a good fit if time
402
:and energy are limited unless you have
budget to just go hire someone for this.
403
:It's gonna require consistency, it's
going to require patience, but it does
404
:have the power to compound in big ways.
405
:Okay, next up, Instagram,
it's a really common one.
406
:I see people asking regularly.
407
:Someone actually asked in
our Get Booked Out community,
408
:just in the last week or so.
409
:Like, are you getting
clients on Instagram?
410
:How do you do this?
411
:That sort of thing.
412
:So Instagram can absolutely
work with the right strategy.
413
:It's very much about building visibility
and community through regular content.
414
:Okay, so that's reels.
415
:That could be static posts, carousels,
education stories, whatever that might be.
416
:And it requires showing up regularly,
consistently, daily, weekly, overtime.
417
:One of the challenges of Instagram is
that you are marketing to the entire
418
:world and you can only see clients in
a very small part of that world, right?
419
:And so that is one kind of limitation
here, that as your audience grows,
420
:your ability to serve them is only
gonna grow as much as people that
421
:are in your area of licensure.
422
:I have heard of some clinicians
experiencing great success using
423
:Instagram as more of a networking tool
than a direct client contact tool.
424
:And so you may find that that,
especially if you're early on in
425
:your Instagram days that you're.
426
:Mostly only connecting
with other therapists.
427
:That might still be a
viable option for you.
428
:We talked about how important networking
is, but Instagram is gonna be for
429
:the therapist whose ideal client.
430
:Definitely skews a little younger.
431
:Right.
432
:If we're looking at teens,
twenties, thirties, Instagram
433
:is gonna be really key.
434
:And who are comfortable showing
up consistently, probably
435
:with their face to the camera.
436
:If that sounds absolutely
cringe-worthy to you, then don't do it.
437
:That's totally fine.
438
:But this is going to require
probably the most ongoing energy
439
:than any strategy in this list, at
least on a daily and weekly basis.
440
:So I recommend not starting
Instagram or at least banking
441
:on it if you can't sustain it.
442
:Because an abandoned account
is gonna work against you more
443
:than it's gonna work for you.
444
:So make sure this is something you
really feel comfortable investing in,
445
:and maybe that means you're not posting
daily, but it does mean that you need
446
:to be committing to regular content.
447
:On a fairly regular basis, not gonna
be a great fit if both your time
448
:and your energy are limited because
you yourself are required for this.
449
:All right, next up is LinkedIn.
450
:This is one of those strategies that
I think is available to clinicians.
451
:I have never seen someone productize
essentially a, a LinkedIn strategy.
452
:I've not seen someone really put
together, here's what's working
453
:well, here's what to do on LinkedIn.
454
:And full disclosure, it's
not my zone of genius.
455
:I log into LinkedIn like every six months.
456
:But I do think it's viable, and I
have heard from clinicians that it
457
:has been, especially for professional
networking with other clinicians and
458
:also networking with professionals.
459
:So if you are a clinician who is perhaps
a second career therapist or someone
460
:who really specializes in executives,
professionals, entrepreneurs, then
461
:maybe that is a meaningful place to be.
462
:Now, if you've been on LinkedIn recently,
you need to know that it is essentially
463
:a content creation platform as well,
so you need to be prepared similarly
464
:to how you would be on Instagram, but
in a bit of a different format to be
465
:sharing your thoughts on a regular basis.
466
:Essentially thought leadership.
467
:So LinkedIn can be an interesting
strategy to consider for therapists
468
:who are wanting those referrals
that are in the professional
469
:setting or referral partners, right?
470
:EAPs, hr.
471
:Executive coaching, corporate wellness,
like those are some interesting things
472
:that I think are kind of untapped in
the LinkedIn space because this is
473
:sort of newer ground for therapists.
474
:You need to be open to experimenting
and getting a little bit creative.
475
:But I do think it can be powerful.
476
:It will definitely be a lower time
investment than Instagram, but like I
477
:said, it takes a different format and
it's reaching a different audience.
478
:Alright, next up, local marketing.
479
:And this is adjacent to networking because
local marketing usually means forming
480
:relationships with people in your area.
481
:But essentially local marketing is
anything that is requiring you to
482
:show up in your physical community.
483
:In the age of ai, y'all, we are all
just looking for more connection with
484
:other humans and for that reason,
I think that we're gonna see local
485
:marketing be more powerful than it
used to be because we all just, you
486
:know, post pandemic ai, just give me
people, just gimme community, right?
487
:So local marketing is anywhere that
you're showing up in that regard.
488
:So that's as simple as a flyer
and a coffee shop all the way
489
:up to hosting a event or a free
workshop or whatever that might be.
490
:So this is great for those clinicians
who are in person or who are
491
:just really interested in forming
connection in their local community.
492
:Very relationship oriented therapists are
gonna enjoy this, who enjoy that organic
493
:community building, who are interested in
sharing their knowledge and fun new ways.
494
:It's gonna be a slower burn, most
likely than digital strategies, although
495
:I've heard of people putting on a
workshop and then like one event being
496
:able to point back to it for years as
far as referrals that came from it.
497
:So I guess a more accurate way to put
that is it can be hit or miss in that
498
:you might do an event or engage in
something where you never see a direct
499
:client who knows if it did something.
500
:'cause it very well may have.
501
:Or you might do something where you
hear from two clients and then they
502
:refer someone else, and then three
years later you still hear from someone
503
:who references back to it, you know?
504
:So.
505
:It is a little bit less formulaic
than some of the other strategies
506
:out there, so it's good if you have
kind of moderate time and energy.
507
:Very little budget is
required here for this one.
508
:And then finally, Google Ads.
509
:I mentioned that at the top of the
episode, but essentially Google
510
:Ads are you paying to appear
at the top of Google results.
511
:So before we get into all of the
organic results, you see paid ads.
512
:So they're putting you at the
top when someone is searching for
513
:something relevant to your services.
514
:Now it is in Google's best interest
to make Google Ads seem simple.
515
:Oh, just sign up here, click
these buttons, put in your
516
:practice info, and off you go.
517
:Google ads have a lot of nuance to them.
518
:That is not to say you can't learn
to do them yourself, but it is to say
519
:that if you're not doing it correctly,
this might just be a money pit for you.
520
:So I share that because I do recommend
that most therapists work with another
521
:professional, ideally, someone who
specializes in the therapy space in
522
:particular to run their Google ads, which
does indicate additional budget or that
523
:are serious about learning it themselves.
524
:Do not just dive into
this strategy willy-nilly.
525
:Okay, I just don't wanna see
you flush money down the toilet.
526
:That said, once it's set.
527
:Google ads can be really, really powerful.
528
:So there is some immediacy
to this strategy, right?
529
:When it's set up and optimized
that other strategies, SEO, for
530
:instance, are not gonna offer, right?
531
:That's the long term strategy.
532
:So Google ads are really powerful
in that regard, but there's a
533
:payoff literally in terms of what
you're able to put in financially.
534
:So this is great because it can
generate inquiries quickly, but it
535
:does need that proper management.
536
:It needs optimization,
it needs monitoring.
537
:It's not just a straight up DIY strategy,
so keep that in mind and then of
538
:course, just skip that one entirely.
539
:If budget isn't there right
now, maybe it's something
540
:you can pursue down the road.
541
:So those are some of the most
popular strategies that you
542
:can be considering right now.
543
:Again, in addition to
networking and directories,
544
:if those are available to you.
545
:This episode was all about looking
at the levers available to you.
546
:It was all about identifying,
okay, if things slow down, when
547
:things slow down, what can I do?
548
:How can I remain in the
driver's seat of my business?
549
:How can I take action that is in
alignment with the time, energy, and
550
:budget that I have so I can maintain or
build momentum even in the summer season.
551
:Next episode is gonna be about you
figuring out is this a conversion issue,
552
:is this a traffic or visibility issue?
553
:And what do I do next?
554
:Okay, so now that you know the levers, we
can talk about how do I identify what's
555
:actually happening in your practice?
556
:Alright, I hope this
one was helpful for you.
557
:I'll see you in part two of our series.