This document provides guidance on marketing a private therapy practice. It discusses establishing a specialty, developing marketing materials like a website and brochure, using internet marketing strategies, networking within the community, obtaining patient referrals, and follow up systems. The six primary marketing tools are identified as identity, internet marketing, networking, referrals, public relations, and follow up. Implementing these tools requires an initial investment but can help therapists establish a steady flow of new patients. Outsourcing the work to specialists may be preferable to doing it all independently. Overall, the document emphasizes the importance of defining a niche, collaborating with others, and educating oneself on marketing strategies.

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MarketingMarketing
YourYour
PracticePractice
James Bond
SCORE®
Counselors to America’s
Small Business
805-204-6022
http://Ventura.Score.org/

2. Marketing Your Practice
 Therapists are no longer dependent on
insurance companies
 Large population willing to pay for
services
 Many services for which insurance
companies do not pay
 No permanent record is kept by
insurance companies
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3. Marketing Your Practice
 Private Practice
 Mindset / malpractice / intimidated
 Investment ROEI
 Key – Flow of patients
 Pay now or pay later
 Specialty coaches available
 30-35 patients/week (patient hours)
 Lifetime value of a referral/patient 3

4. Patient Segmentation
 Patients divided by child, adult, geriatric
 Subcategories (Developmental disabilities, personality
disorders, dementia)
 Geography (business/residence)
 Demographics (age, gender, income, ethnicity)
 Psychographics (personality, motives, lifestyle)
 Benefits (increased well-being, improved
relationships)
 Usage-Rate (those frequently involved in self-
improvement activities)
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5. Go to Where Your Patients
Are
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Group Sessions

8. Joe Versus Paul
 Paul
 month-to-month struggle
 no consistency of referrals
 Joe
 Needed to get serious
 Got help / invested / return on education
 Networking, directories & pay-per-click
 24 therapists, 3 offices, averages 125 new
referrals/month 8

9. 6 Primary Tools
 1. Identity
 2. Internet Marketing
 3. Networking / Outreach
 4. Patient Referrals
 5. (Optional) PR and Promotion
 6. The Art and Science of Follow-Up
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10. #1. Identity
 Your specialization / USP
 Office/location (including signage)
 Business cards
 Brochure
 Website
 Facebook page
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11. Specialization
 Establishing your specialty
 Defining your USP (Unique Selling
Proposition – What makes you special)
 Advantages – for patient and other
practitioners
 Easier to help / specialized expertise
 Easier to attract patients
 Easier to network
 Easier to market (focus) 11

12. Specialization
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13. Website
 Photo
 About Us
 Services Provided
 Common Questions
 Rates and Hours (& Insurance)
 Appointment Request
 Helpful Forms
 Hot Topics / Newsletter
 Links & Resources
 Contact Me/Us 13

14. Brochure / Website
 First year – 75% of referrals come from
your website – last thing they see
 Clients are selfish!
 P-S-C  F-B-A (earn the privilege first)
Problem – Solution/Services – Credibility
– Features – Benefits – Action
 Home page – above the fold
 Video
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Remember the FORMULA!
P-S-C  F-B-A

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32. #2. Internet Marketing
 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
 Directory Listings (in more than 30 local
and industry directories)
 Pay-Per-Click advertising (Google,
Yahoo/Bing, Facebook)
 (Optional) Email marketing / Opt-Ins
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33. Search Engines/SEO
 Google, Yahoo/Bing
 Expensive, complicated and tedious
 Local focus is key
 Professional directories
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38. Directories
 Google Maps / Google Places
 Professional directories
 Local directories (more than 30)
 Yext – about $500/year
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Therapist Directories
 AAMFT Therapist Locator
 The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
 American Psychological Association
 The American Psychological Association maintains a list of links to each of the state
psychological associations.
 Anxiety Disorders Association of America
 The Anxiety Disorder Association of America maintains a find-a-therapist tool that will help you
find mental health practitioners in your area that specialize in social anxiety disorder.
 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
 The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies' offers a locator service to help you in
your search for a therapist specializing in CBT.
 Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
 The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science offers a search tool to help you locate a
mental health specialist close to you that practices Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
 National Alliance on Mental Illness
 The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
 National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
 This national register offers a service to find psychological service providers based on location,
expertise and other criteria. The service is free to use by the general public.
 Psychology Today
 Psychology Today offers a therapist locator service for the U.S. Therapists included in this
directory have been screened to ensure that they are licensed in their area of practice.

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Pay-Per-Click Advertising

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53. Pay-Per-Click
 Pay-Per-Click advertising
(Google, Yahoo/Bing, Facebook ads)
 Typically $5/day per new referral
 $150/month for each new referral

$1,500/month for 10

$3,000 for 2-months
 What’s a new referral worth?
 Social media usually a waste
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54. Pay-Per-Click
 Eating Disorder Treatment
23 Years Helping Fight Depression,
Overeating, Anorexia, Bulimia, & More
www.aPlaceOfHope.com
 Easy URL (incl. URL forwarding)
 PPC Landing Page (must match)
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61. #3. Networking/Outreach
 Medical / professional referrals
 Community organizations / groups
(presentations and events through
 Chambers of Commerce,
 Religious institutions,
 Service organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.,
 Local and regional exhibits/booths,
 Nursing homes, senior centers, hospice, etc –
 May include co-marketing with other practitioners
 Volunteering 61

62. Networking
 Alumni associations
 Fraternity/sorority
 Neighbors/concentrations
 Local service organizations
 Local hospice, nursing homes, etc.
 Volunteering
 Focus on your specialty
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63. Networking
 Visits – drop in w/coffee & business cards
 Talk about how you could support each
other
 Collaborate with others and…

hold an open house, host an event or
telesummit, or present an ongoing series with
different presenters
 Create a signature talk and speaker-sheet
with information on your talk
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64. Public Speaking
 Benefits:

Exposure

Establish your reputation as an expert

Build confidence in your competence
 Use English versus tech speak
 Effective speaking AND presenting
 Dale Carnegie – or – Toastmasters
 Tell a story  P-S-C  F-B-A
 What is YOUR call-to-action??? 64

65. #4. Patient Referrals
 Email bottoms
 Brochures with list of services
 Patient orientation to services offered
 Question on intake form:
 How did you hear about us?
 Optional - Newsletters
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66. Email – Bottom Message

67. #5. (Optional) PR/Promo
 Press releases
 Newspaper column, radio/TV
appearances or shows
 Blog and/or Facebook postings
 White papers, published articles and
books
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68. #6. Follow-Up
 The art and science of follow-up
 Establishing clear expectations
 Proper records and follow-up tools
 Email, Mail
 Reminder Calls
 Phone Check-Ins/Follow-Up
 Marketing transitions (patient retention)
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69. 6 Primary Tools
 1. Identity

Specialization, Business cards, Brochure, Website
 2. Internet Marketing

SEO, Directory Listings, Email Bottoms, PPC
 3. Networking / Outreach

Healthcare Professionals, Local Organizations

Signature talk and speaker sheet
 4. Patient Referrals
 5. (Optional) PR and Promotion

Press Releases
 6. The Art and Science of Follow-Up

Reminder Cards, Database Follow-Up System 69

70. 6 Primary Tools

Business cards ($20-50)

Brochure ($300-2,000)

Website ($500-2,000 + hosting)*

SEO ($2,000+/yr)*

Directory ($500+/yr)*

PPC ($3,000/2-mo)*

Press Releases ($200-400/release)

Database Follow-Up System ($2,000) .

EST. TOTAL: $8,500 – 11,950
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71. Buy or Do It Yourself
 Coaching + Production Service $10,000
 Recurring Costs
 Website (annual)
 Directory (annual)
 PPC (monthly)
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72. Summary
 Your responsibility to succeed
 Establish your specialty
 Focus on “flow” of patients
 Partner and collaborate
 Get help… don’t do it all alone
 Understand the value of a referral
 ROEI (educate yourself in marketing)

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MarketingMarketing
YourYour
PracticePractice
James Bond
jbond@FasterBuyer.com
805-405-9899
http://FasterBuyer.com/Therapists
Coaching
Programs
Available
(We create your actual,
Website, PPC Campaigns,
etc. plus we coach you in
Networking and MORE!)
See Below