Why You Need A Website To Market Your Practice
I run into a lot of therapists and other healing professionals that do not have websites.
There are often a variety of reasons for this. Sometimes they don’t see the value of doing one or don’t want the expense of getting one designed. In addition, often helping and healing professionals fear technology. Often they also don’t see themselves as serious business professionals. At other times, it’s because they just haven’t made it a priority.
While my clients always make their own decisions about what they do in terms of marketing, I usually end up convincing them pretty quickly that they need a website if they are serious about marketing their practice.
Why?
There are many reasons. I will mention 3 of the most important ones here:
1. The Internet is increasingly a medium that people turn to first for information. Many people will go to the Web to look up even local information before going to their phonebook. If you are not marketing online, you could be missing out on numerous clients.
2. If you are a committed to building your private practice and want to be seen as a serious professional, why wouldn’t you have a website? It is expected that successful professionals have a web presence.
3. There are so many more ways you can reach potential clients by using your website as a marketing hub and then utilizing some of the numerous ways to market your services through your website.
These are just a few reasons why you should get your website up asap if you haven’t yet done so. I will discussing the value of websites and how to use them to market your practice in future posts, so stay tuned.
Posting Comments to This Blog
One of the great things about blogs is that they can be interactive. If you look at the bottom of each post (entry) I make, you will see that there is a link that says “comments.”
If you click on the comment link a window will open and you will then be able to post a comment. All you need to do is enter your name, email address, (website if you have one) and make your comments in the comments box.
Please feel free to comment on any post I make and don’t be shy to visit my blog frequently if you want to post more comments.
There is one bonus for you if you post comments on my marketing blog: It will give you a backlink to your website which is important for Google PageRank. If you don’t know about Google PageRank, come back to visit soon as I will be writing a lot about improving your website for the search engines and Google PageRank is an important aspect of getting found in search engines.
How To Use Blogs To Market Your Practice
I have searched in various blogging directories (websites that list blogs) and have found very few blogs that are written by counsellors, therapists or other healing professionals. Most of these professionals are not that interested or savvy when it comes to technology so this is not surprising.
While I understand these apprehensions about using technology, I encourage my clients as much as possible to learn about the various methods for using the Internet to market their practices. It is one more way to increase exposure of your private practice. Furthermore, increasingly people are turning to the Internet first when looking for information–and this includes professionals they want to hire. Therefore, if you are not marketing online, you are missing out on getting more clients.
When it comes to blogs, the technology is relatively easy, so why not think about starting one yourself? There are several ways you can utilize a blog to market your practice. For example:
- post interesting information on your blog that is valuable to your clients and potent clients
- link to other websites that provide information that your target market wants or needs
- sell your products or services from your blog
- sell other people’s products (affiliate products) on your blog
- have a sign-up form to your newsletter at your blog
- have a sign-up form so visitors can subscribe to receive notification when your blog has been updated
- have a information-rich, password protected site and charge a fee to join.
- use Google AdSense on your site
- post comments on other blogs that are related to your topic so that you increase your back links to your website (important for Google search engine ranking)
The most important aspect of blogging when it comes to marketing a practice has to do with building a relationship with visitors to your blog and finding ways to nurture this relationship (i.e. encourage visitors to repeatedly come back to your blog). Building relationships with your target audience is key to having a successful practice and blogging is an effective way to do this.
How You Can Utilize This Blog
- 1. As a way for you, as a helping or healing professional, to overcome any resistances, fears and misconceptions you have about marketing your practice so that you may become a confident marketer.
- 2. As a place to visit on an ongoing basis to acquire a variety of information about both off and online marketing strategies.
- 3. As a resource to find out about the latest developments in the marketing field that you can apply to your practice.
- 4. As a place where you can share your own ideas, struggles and successes on marketing your practice. [To comment on any post, click the "comments" button at the bottom of each post].
- 5. As a source where you can learn from the problems and successes of other coaches, counsellors, and healing professionals who are in private practice.
How I Intend To Use This Blog
- 1. As a resource to assist helping and healing professionals in overcoming
their fears and resistances about marketing so they can build their
confidence in order to market their practices effectively. - 2. As a method of sharing information on marketing with coaches, counsellors and healing professionals including massage therapists, body workers, homeopathic physicians, etc.
- 3. As a way of encouraging professionals to get engaged with and learn about the topic of marketing a practice instead of shying away from it.
- 4. As a place to share my favorite resources on marketing.
- 5. As a method of disseminating new and cutting edge marketing strategies for both off-line marketing as well as for marketing on the internet.
- 6. A place to share my own thoughts and experiences with marketing with a view to helping others improve the results they get from their marketing efforts.
Why am I Blogging?
I have a passion for writing. Writing has been an ongoing aspect of my various career reinventions over the past 25 years.
I am stimulated by quality dialogue and the sharing of cutting edge ideas.
I love being connected to people and being part of community.
I enjoy linking people together.
I thrive on collecting information, sifting through it and spewing out my take on it.
I feel compelled to share information with others. Knowledge is power, if used correctly.
I am constantly inspired by the innovation and ever-changing aspects of the web and technology.
I get excited about new methods for marketing on the internet.
I know that this blog will be a great asset to my clients and others with a helping or healing business.
And… blogging is fun, easy and oh so very cool!
….Stay tuned for more on my intention for this blog and how you, as a counselor, coach, or healing professional can utilize and participate in my blog as a way to assist you in marketing your practice.
What’s a Blog?
Blogs, short for "Weblogs," are a type of website often defined as an on line journal or diary. They usually focus on a certain topic and have frequent (sometimes daily) posts (or entries).
Bloggers write about their own or other’s opinions and experiences on a topic. Posts often link to other blogs or websites that discuss a similar topic.
Many blogs are set up so that readers can add comments below each blog post.
Blogs have been around for at least 8 years or so. Business blogs have become increasingly popular in the the last couple of years, and especially in the last year.
To find out more about blogging, do visit my blog again soon as I will be writing more about blogging in upcoming posts. You can also visit the blog of one of my favorite blogging gurus, Andy Wibbels, at Easy Bake Weblogs and get a free CD on blogging.
About Juliet
I assist counselors, coaches and a variety of healing professionals (i.e. massage therapists, body workers, complimentary health practitioners, etc.) in marketing their private practices.
I have been studying, implementing and educating professionals on both on and off line marketing methods since 1999. My services include coaching, consulting, and copywriting.
As a former counselor, I understand the resistances, doubts, misconceptions, and other problems helping and healing professionals have with marketing.
Being an ideas person who thrives on change and variety, I usually have several new business projects on the go, and am constantly learning and testing new marketing approaches.
I am graduate of CoachU, The Institute for Life Coach Training, and member of The School of Coaching at Coachville.
I act as the Director of the Canadian Office of The Institute for Life Coach Training and am a former member of the founding board of the Vancouver Chapter of the International Coaching Federation. I am also a member of the International Association of Coaches, The Canadian Counselling Association and The Healers in Business Network.
I reside in beautiful Vancouver, BC on the west coast of Canada. In my spare time I love to kayak, hike, dance and listen to great music.
I am an unconventional adventurist, an engaged social activist, and live my life from a Buddhist perspective.
Check out my website for more information:www.julietaustin.com Or visit my marketing a private practice blog at: www.marketingaprivatepractice.com
If you are looking for help with building your practice, check out my low-cost marketing program: www.buildyourprivatepractice.com
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