Q&A was part of Next Level Practice, the most supportive community for therapists starting a private practice. In this video, Alison answers the question based on mistakes private practice owners make in marketing.
Question
What marketing mistakes do private practice owners make when they first start out?
Answer
One mistake that I see is that practice owners will put all their eggs in one basket when it comes to marketing. So they may have a website and then have a Psychology Today profile and then they don’t they wonder why there are no clients coming in the door. When, really, marketing is something that – especially when you’re just starting out – you’re really going to have to do trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.
I think the other mistake I see people making is that they they don’t make a plan. They’re just trying things willy-nilly and seeing what sticks. Really think through, ‘Who is my ideal client?’, ‘Where are they hanging out?’, ‘Where does it make sense to maybe network with other people or do a seminar?’. Maybe in a preschool, because your ideal client are parents of young children. So have your marketing be more targeted, rather than trying to advertise to everybody and not reaching who your ideal client is.
Alison Pidgeon is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. In 18 months she went from starting a solo private practice to building a insurance-based group practice. She now employs 3 clinicians and a virtual assistant. In her spare time she is often seen running after her two small children and her therapy is cooking.
