Each therapist has a responsibility to promote their practice. This means spreading the

word about their therapy and the benefits they offer their clients. Well known and

established therapists get plenty of promotion through word of mouth, but therapists who

are lesser known or new to the profession or the area need to do their own

promotion.  

Before we look at the three key aspects of marketing your practice, you need to develop

a marketing mindset.

Check Your Mindset

Many therapists think marketing and promotion are beyond their abilities. In fact they

are essential. So find some way of teaching yourself about these areas: there are many

books, courses and workshops around.

There are small business owners who aren’t willing to discuss advertising their

business. They may believe that advertising “is a dirty word”. Are you the type

of person who believes promotion is a dirty word? Think otherwise: therapists who want to

get their practices to thrive, need to promote their practice.

Understanding The Three Facets of Marketing

To fully develop the promotional mind set, you need to understand the different types of

promotion and how they work. There are three facets to marketing. Understanding the

difference will help you to add new dimensions to your marketing mind.

The facets include:

1. Advertising



2. Promotion



3. Publicity

Advertising

Advertising includes any paid ads. It can include newspapers, radio, TV and online paid

ads. The bad news - this is usually expensive. The good news – there are plenty of

alternatives. Even if you have a big budget, it never hurts to find inexpensive ways to

advertise your practice. Many therapists aren’t in a position to shell out big money

for paid ads.

Promotion

Promotion is a broad category and there are many possibilities and price ranges; from

free to expensive. You can use promotion to distribute information about the types of

therapy you have to offer. It can include clients you bring in yourself, when other people

refer clients or people who find you through a phone book ad, your fliers, your website or

other promotional options. The most effective way to promote is through a combination of

promotional options.

Over time each therapist discovers which options are better suited to them, their

personality and their type of therapy. Promotion is not a “one size fits all”

sort of pursuit. You learn which promotional possibilities do and don’t work for you

or your practice. The goal of promotion is to increase sales and to bring in new clients,

get exposure for new and existing practices, to gain a realistic chance against other

therapists and to develop a “brand” for your practice. 

Publicity

Publicity has the potential to reach large audiences and give you a lot of exposure.

Publicity can increase the shape and scope of your marketing campaign. It’s important

to find opportunities to get the right coverage which will benefit your practice. Targeted

publicity which attracts your target market is the most beneficial. Publicity work can be

done in conjunction with another organization. A couple of great ways to get publicity for

your practice is to sponsor a youth sports team or to develop fundraising events for

organizations that appeal to your target audience.

Remember your persuasive skills

When you think of marketing, remember the persuasive skills that you used to be licensed

in your field, to get a position in an established practice or to start your own. Those

accomplishments required conviction and motivation on your part. Marketing requires the

same attributes.

Remember that promotional work is something that you can always learn more about. The

market changes on a regular basis. Online promotional options change and improve all the

time. You’ve got the basics, now it’s time to expand your promotional knowledge

and learn to use these options in a more effective way.