Marketing a Private Practice

How Web Copy Mirrors Therapy & Healing: Part 4/5: Showing Your Clients The Results They Can Expect

This article is part 4 in a series called, “How Web Copy Mirrors Therapy and Healing.” In part 1 I defined “web copywriting” and then showed how web copy can benefit both you and your healing or therapy clients. In part 2 I discussed the role of empathy in compelling web copy and how it’s similar to empathy in your work with your clients. The 3rd article in the series illustrated the importance of building hope in your web copy and how this also parallels the healing or therapy relationship.

This 4th article in the series focuses on the importance of addressing the client’s expected outcomes in your web copy and how this mirrors the therapy or healing process –and, most significantly, how doing this helps you attract clients.

Potential Clients Are Seeking Specific Results

The core reason clients come to you is their desire to get results, which is relief from their pain or suffering. For this reason, before you begin working with any client you obviously discuss the specific outcomes or goals that the client desires. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t know how to help. Once a potential client becomes a client, you keep the focus on these outcomes as you work to help the client achieve them. If you didn’t keep this attention on outcomes, your work would become directionless and your clients wouldn’t get the results they came to you for.

Because results are the ultimate reason people seek therapy and healing services, it is imperative that you discuss results in your web copy if you want to attract clients. After all, why would anyone want to work with you if they don’t know what outcomes they can expect to achieve?

Potential Clients Need to Have Some Idea That You Will Provide The Results They Seek

When you describe possible results or benefits in your copy, the client gets some reassurance that you may be able to help them get the relief they are seeking. As they read about the potential outcomes of working with you, they relax and perhaps even feel excited about the possibilities that await them. It is this desire to have what you describe that motivates them to want to work with you.

When describing potential outcomes in your copy, make sure you don’t sway too much into the “process” of what you do. For example, a depressed client doesn’t want to pay you for a process (i.e to talk about their feelings of depression and get support). While talking about feelings of depression may be part of the healing process, the anticipated outcome (e.g. to feel better and happier) is what the client is ultimately paying for. Therefore, when writing your copy be sure you stay very focused on the specific and concrete benefits that clients are looking for.

The More “Proof” You Provide of Your Results, The Better

How you discuss outcomes of your work is to use testimonials or case studies, and to cite statistics on your effectiveness or the effectiveness of the particular method(s) of therapy or healing that you use. The more you show “proof” of the results of your work or approaches, the more convinced the client will become that they are likely to get the outcomes they are looking for if they work with you.

Sometimes when I discuss the importance of stating outcomes in web copy with my coaching clients, they initially resist this idea because they fear that they will be making promises to potential clients that they might not be able to fulfill. Discussing expected outcomes doesn’t mean that you are “promising” that the client will have any these outcomes. It just means that the benefits or outcomes discussed in your copy are some that other clients have achieved and that any client can potentially attain.

Citing the specific outcomes your clients want when writing your copy will help ensure that you attract not only more clients, but more of the type of clients that you want, and those you are best suited to work with.

Once you have clearly articulated the benefits or outcomes of your services, then you are ready to write your “call to action”. I will discuss this in the final part of this series in my next newsletter…

To read Part 1 of this article click here.

To read Part 2 of this article click here.

To read Part 3 of this article click here.

Please comment on this article by clicking on the “Comments” button below.

How Compelling Website Copy Mirrors Therapy and Healing – Part 3/5

This article is part 3 in a series called, “How Web Copy Mirrors Therapy and Healing.” In the first article, I defined the term copywriting and then illustrated how compelling web copy can benefit both you and your healing or therapy clients.

In part 2 in this series I discussed the role of empathy in compelling web copy and how it is similar to empathy in your work with your clients.

In this 3rd article, I will show the importance of building hope in your web copy and how this also parallels the healing or therapy relationship.

Once your web copy has shown some understanding and empathy for the suffering your web visitors are experiencing, it’s time to help them build hope that their situation can improve–to show them that it’s possible to move away from pain and suffering.

By the time people arrive at your website, they may have been struggling for a long time and may have tried other methods attempting to find relief with limited, or no results.

Your job at this point in your web copy is to help build hope that may have been lost, or perhaps never existed in the first place. It’s important to mention here that you are *not* making any promises or guarantees that people will feel better if they see you. You are simply helping them see that change is possible.

Why is building hope important? Because if your potential clients don’t have hope, it is less likely they will choose to get help and therefore unlikely that they will become your clients. Furthermore, if they don’t become clients, they are less likely to get the help they need.

So how do you build hope in your web copy?

Just like you do when your clients show hesitancy, doubt or feelings of hopelessness when they come to see you.

You begin by acknowledging their skepticism and doubt, and again show empathy for these feelings.

As you would with a client, you let your web visitors know that it’s natural to feel some hesitancy about seeking help, especially if they have tried unsuccessfully in the past to resolve their problems.

You then reassure them that their life can be different.

By using case studies or testimonials you show them that others have found a way out of their pain, which helps them realize that they can possibly find relief as well.

You build credibility by showing you have the experience, skills, and methods to help them. You use statistics and other evidence to prove that you, or your techniques, have been successful in the past.

You provide whatever information you have that might help them be more receptive to help.

Gradually as you address their fears and concerns about seeking help, their worries begin to melt away.

They will become more receptive to therapy or your healing methods and perhaps be ready to contact you –or at least they will be more likely to remain engaged in your copy and stick around to read more. Perhaps they will even sign up for your newsletter.

Once you have sufficiently built hope, you want to start addressing the specific benefits of working with you. Part 4 of this article will discuss the how to write about benefits in your copy, so stay tuned…

To read Part 1 of this article click here.

To read Part 2 of this article click here.

To add your comments to this article click on the “Comments” link below.

How Compelling Website Copy Mirrors Therapy and Healing – Part 2/5

In the first article of this series I discussed the definition of copywriting and showed how compelling web copy can benefit the client in addition to benefiting you, as a therapist or healing practitioner.

In Part 2 of this series, I am going to show you how using empathy in your copy mirrors the effect of using empathy with your clients in your therapy or healing practice.

As a therapist (and also as a healer) because you care about your clients’ healing process, you take care to ensure you build a strong relationship with them.

And what is the major component in building a strong relationship?

Empathy.

You show your clients that you care, that you understand them and that you really want to help them overcome their problems.

Let’s look at how empathy plays out when potential clients first contact you…

When potential clients first contact you they have a specific problem and that is where their focus is. They want to tell you about their problem and the pain they are experiencing. And, they want to feel that you understand their pain and their specific situation. They want to know that you care and that you ‘get’ them. You will likely ask some questions in order to understand their specific situation better and empathize with their pain.

Through this process of listening, asking questions and showing empathy, you begin to build trust with your potential clients. They then start thinking things like, “Ah, this person seems to ‘get’ me. I feel this person understands what I am going through. Maybe this
therapist (or healer) can help me.”

Potential clients then begin to feel more open to the possibility of working with you. They may not yet have made the final decision to jump on board, but there is an opening towards you that has begun.

And this is precisely what happens for potential clients when your web copy addresses their problems and pain.

When potential clients land at your website they often don’t know anything about you. Their problems are foremost in their mind and they are looking for help.

They are hurting, perhaps anxious, and maybe even feeling discouraged or hopeless about the likelihood of their situation improving.

Your job with your web copy is to show empathy and let them know that you understand their problems. And, in order to show that you understand them, you need to address their problems very specifically.

It is through your web copy that you begin the relationship building process just like you would if you were speaking with a potential client on the phone or sitting with a client in your office. By empathizing with their pain you start to build trust–at least enough
trust to encourage them to stick around and read your website further.

Stay tuned for Part 3 in this series where I will tell you how to continue the relationship building process with clients through your web copy.  Empathy is only the first step. In the next article, I will discuss the importance of building hope in your potential clients and letting them know what the benefits of working with you can be.

To read Part 3 of this article click here.

To add your comments to this article click on the “Comments” link below.

How Website Copy Mirrors Therapy & Healing – Part 1/5

Over the years in explaining the benefits of web-copywriting to my clients I have found the easiest way to do this is show how client-attracting web-copy mirrors effective therapy and healing.

This is the first of a 5-part series that illustrates how the practice of effective therapy and healing mirror client-attracting web-copy. I will show you how client-attracting web copy offers a win-win situation for you and your potential clients.

If you are familiar with my newsletter and my work you likely already have some idea of the value of client-attracting web copy. If you haven’t, chances are you may not even know what the term means. So lets begin with a definition which I will break into 2 parts. The first part of the definition focuses on the benefit to you as a practitioner and the second part of the definition focuses on the benefits to the potential client or customer who visits your website.

1. Benefit to You:

Client-attracting web-copy is the art and science of using words to compel potential clients to take action on your offer when they visit your website. Your offer could be to ask them to sign up for your newsletter or to buy a product or service from you. The benefit to you as a private practitioner is inherent in this definition. Obviously the more your web-copy resonates with potential clients, the more clients you are going to be attracting and the more sales you will have.

But, the benefits of client-attracting web-copy don’t stop with the benefits to you…

There is also a benefit to the potential client who visits your site –here’s where the second part of the definition of client-attracting web-copy comes in:

2. Benefit to the Client:

Client-attracting web-copy shows your clients that you understand them and their problems and informs them of the benefits of what you have to offer. Client-attracting web-copy also educates and builds hope and faith for clients that something else is possible. It can reduce anxiety and fear and can actually be part of the change and healing process long before the client shows up in your office.

Watch for Part 2 of this article in my newsletter or on this blog where I will show you how using empathy in your web-copy mirrors the practice of using empathy in your work with clients.  You can also check out the Client-Attracting Websites Home Study Program.

UPDATE: Part 2 of this article can now be read here.

To comment or ask a question about this article, please click on the “Comments” link below.

Increase the Credibility of Your Therapy or Healing Website

Private Practice Fianances Made Easy

Your Website as The Hub of Your Business: How to make your counseling or healing website the center of the client-attracting process

Think of your healing, coaching, or counseling website as being like a bicycle wheel…

A bicycle wheel has a central hub from which the spokes are attached.
All the spokes lead out of, and back into, the hub. The wheel would be
unstable without the spokes, and if you tried to ride the bicycle, you would
likely fall off.

And so it is with your website…

Imagine your website as the hub of your counseling or healing arts practice, the foundation
from which everything else is built upon. Your marketing methods are similar
to the spokes in the bicycle wheel–they come out of and feed back into your website.

If your hub (website) or spokes (marketing strategies) are non-existent, weak or disconnected from one another, you likely will have difficulty attracting clients and eventually your business may collapse.

In order for your healing or counseling website to bring you as many clients as possible, your website and marketing strategies must operate as smoothly as a bicycle wheel. They must be solidly built, fit together tightly and be maintained regularly.

If you want to find out more about how to make sure your website fits tightly with your marketing check out the Client-Attracting Websites Home Study program.

You will discover how to how to turn your website into a client-magnetizing hub, attracting all the business you can handle. Click here to find out more.

Your Credentials: How Important are They From Your Potential Client’s Perspective?

In my recent newsletter article, Five Mistakes Therapists Make with Their Websites I wrote the following:

Mistake #3 The content of your site is focused on you, as the counselor or healer.

If a visitor lands at your site and they immediately see information
about you, your credentials and your therapy or healing techniques, you
are off to a bad start. Most clients are pretty self-focused when they
land at a website. They are not that interested in your credentials and
techniques, as disappointing as that might seem.

I like to compare it to when you take your car to get repaired. Most of
us don’t care about the credentials of who did the repairs nor the
methods used to repair it. If you focus most of your site on the client
and save the information about yourself for your "About You" page, you
will get a better response.

One of my newsletter subscribers took issue with the point I made above. He wrote to tell me that he felt credentials were very important and that he personally focused on credentials first and foremost when hiring a professional. Below is my response to him.

I didn’t say credentials are not important from a professional point of view.

It’s just not the first thing *most* people are concerned with.  If you give them your credentials and not much else to go on, your site is not going to be very compelling to most of them.

Of course there are always exceptions…

And for some people, once they are convinced that you can help them, some of them will look at credentials.  But many will never look or ask about this. And that is why you can put most of them on your "About" page.

When was the last time a client asked you when they called, "What are your credentials?"  It simply doesn’t happen very often.

Most people assume that practicing professionals are credentialed, whether they are or not. Not a good thing, but that is the way it is.

To add to the above, I think that we as therapists and healing professionals take our training very seriously–and we should. We have invested a lot of time and money into it and have seen the great results our clients have experienced because of it.

However, the bottom line is, it is less important to your potential clients, especially when your credentials sound the same as everyone else’s. Clarify the problems you help solve and the benefits you provide first, and then discuss your credentials in the context of how they may be of benefit to the client.

It’s All in The Details: Copywriting for Your Holistic or Psychotherapy Practice

When I review my client’s copy for their websites I frequently ask them to be more specific about the problems their clients are experiencing and the benefits of their services. Sometimes this is difficult for them because they haven’t really thought of the details of what their clients are experiencing and seeking.

Sometimes I have to spend a great deal of time explaining why the details are so important. There is a great example that illustrates this point that is frequently cited by marketers; that is the story of legendary copywriter, Claude Hopkins.

In the 1920′s Hopkins wrote copy for a beer company that dramatically increased the company’s sales all by describing the details of how the company made beer and describing them as benefits. The amazing thing was that all beer companies made their beer the same way, but because Hopkins specified the benefits of this process in the copy he wrote, sales skyrocketed.

Made To Stick has a post on this story that you might want to read.

 

Web Headlines Need to Stand Out

Copywriting expert, Nick Usborne  says, Give Your Web page Headlines Some Space to Breathe.

While the headline of your webpage is the key determing factor whether your web site visitor will stick around to check you out, a strong headline cluttered amongst too many other elements won’t  get the attention you might hope for. Even if you have a great headline, if people are distracted from seeing it, your headline won’t do you one bit of good

As Nick states, make sure your headline dominates the page. A simple, but important statement.