How to Attract Your Ideal Clients to Your Private Practice
It’s essential to clearly define your ideal client and develop a targeted content strategy to attract them. During an intake session, you’ve likely had that moment where you think, “This is the perfect couple for me” or “How soon can I refer them to someone else?” No therapist or client wants a mismatch, but it happens.
Let’s explore why identifying your ideal client is crucial, how to craft a content strategy that draws them in, and creative ways to keep them coming back—and referring others.
Why You Need a Specialty
I often hear therapists say, “I work with couples—doesn’t that make me a specialist?” In some markets, that might be enough, but in most, it’s not. Just as many therapists treat anxiety and depression, saying, “I help individuals, couples, and families” is common.
Now, imagine you’ve just discovered your partner had an affair. Would you rather see someone who works with “individuals, couples, and families,” or a therapist who says, “I help post-affair couples find healing, clarity, and a path forward”?
We naturally seek out specialists in many areas of life—whether it’s the restaurants we choose, the shoes we buy, or other products. The same applies to selecting a couples counselor.
The Benefits of Specializing
Consider a couples counselor who works with all couples. They may be a Certified Gottman Therapist, have a well-designed website, and network extensively. They’ll likely stay busy.
But what if they’re particularly passionate about working with couples who just had their first baby? Focusing on all couples for ten years or honing in on one type of couple can lead to different outcomes.
Training: If they attend one conference a year, it may cover couples or general therapy, versus deeper dives into their specialty, like Bringing Baby Home. Specializing in their training could accelerate their growth exponentially, leading to opportunities like speaking engagements or serving on a national board.
Blogging: A niche therapist will build years of content focused on their ideal clients. For instance, a therapist specializing in new parents will create valuable content for this group, while a general couples counselor might produce more scattered content.
Networking: A therapist with a niche can connect with doulas, midwives, doctors, and other professionals focused on new parents. They’ll become known as “The New Parent Counselor.”
Income: With a strong specialty, extensive content, and referrals from focused networking, that counselor can move away from lower-paying insurance plans, grow their private practice, and perhaps even start a group practice centered on their specialty.
How to Build a Business Avatar
Your “ideal client” can be described as your “business avatar.” To build this avatar, consider factors like:
Age
Location
Family demographics
Income
Places they frequent for work, fun, and family activities
Biggest challenges
Many business consultants emphasize that if you can articulate a client’s pain better than they can, they’ll assume you’re the best person to solve it. That’s why it’s crucial to understand your specialty inside and out.
How to Develop a Content Strategy to Attract Your Ideal Clients
Once you understand that specializing will help you stand out, network more effectively, and charge higher rates, how do you create a content strategy?
Content: This includes anything you write, speak, or present that educates and connects with your ideal client—blogs, YouTube videos, Facebook posts, or Pinterest infographics.
Content Strategy: This is the plan for generating content ideas, creating them, posting them, and tracking results.
Content Calendar: A schedule for when content will go live. For example, you might release a comprehensive blog post each month.
I guide my consulting clients through three phases of building a content strategy:
1. Initial Content Strategy: If you’re new to content creation, start by:
Writing 26 blog posts to go live weekly for six months.
Choosing one social media channel that resonates with your ideal client and establishing your presence there.
Doing one speaking engagement for an established audience about your specialty.
2. Ongoing Content Strategy: Once you’ve built your main body of content, you can scale back. This is the time to explore new content formats, like Facebook or Instagram Live, and keep an eye on what resonates with your audience through Google Analytics.
3. Outsourced Content Strategy: As your content grows, you can start outsourcing. For example:
Record a quick Facebook Live video discussing helpful tips.
Have a virtual assistant (VA) enhance the video and upload it to YouTube and Instagram TV.
The VA can transcribe the video into a blog post, embed the YouTube video, and create shareable content for Pinterest.
In just five minutes of video, you can create multiple pieces of content—a powerful way to market your practice.
At the end of the day, it’s all about a solid content strategy and creative marketing to attract your ideal clients. You’re essentially saying, “I understand your pain, and I’m here to help.”
Isn’t that what we all want for ourselves and our clients?
By Elizabeth Mahaney, LMHC, MFT, NCC, DCC, Ph.D
SOUTH TAMPA THERAPY, WELLNESS, MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPY
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Marriage & Family Therapist
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