How To Use Social Media To Support Your Therapy Website
Lately, I’ve seen a huge movement of therapists turning to social media platforms like Instagram to share helpful content and market their private practices. This is an amazing thing, in my opinion, because it’s breaking the stigma of going to therapy, and it’s making the therapist search process easier. Not to mention, the therapists that use Instagram successfully have been able to turn the platform into a main client referral source. Not bad!
Personally, I’ve loved using Instagram as a way to connect, share content, and have conversations with the people I’m here to help. There have been times when Instagram has been my top client referral source, and for that, I’m so grateful.
However, recently, I hit a wall. One Saturday morning, I was drinking my coffee and found myself worrying about not having any posts lined up for my feed. I had just finished a busy week of custom design work, and the last thing I wanted to do was open my computer back up to design posts for Instagram. All I wanted to do was enjoy my weekend and rest, but my mind kept obsessing about Instagram.
This anxious feeling was familiar. I felt my stomach sink. I thought, “This is never-ending! I’m going to have to post to Instagram… forever.”
And then I remembered why I do what I do.
I design and build websites so that my clients and customers can have a solid, reliable marketing tool that refers them clients on autopilot. I create hard-working systems so that therapists don’t have to work extra hard to get in front of potential clients. I design strategic, intentional websites so that my customers and clients don’t have to spend their weekends on social media (although they can if they feel inspired to!).
I remembered that my biggest marketing asset is my website, and I finally let go of the pressure to prioritize Instagram and the never-ending stream of social media content over everything else. I remembered that my social media presence is there to support my website, not the other way around.
Why priorities matter.
It may seem like your website, your business Instagram, your business Facebook, and your Psychology Today profile should all be lumped together as your “online presence,” each serving as a different - yet equal - point of connection between you and potential clients. This isn’t true. While your social media and directory profiles are important aspects of your online presence, your website is the core “hub” to which all other marketing channels should lead.
Here’s why:
To put it bluntly, you own your website, not your social media pages. Your website is the only virtual “real-estate” that you own; social media is rented space. When you publish content on your website, it belongs to and benefits you; when you publish content on social media, it belongs to and benefits the platform (you benefit too, of course, but ultimately, social media platforms survive based on the content we create for the platforms.).
This isn’t to say that your website can or should do everything social media can do. Because, honestly, it can’t. Your website can’t mimic the real-time, behind-the-scenes connection that happens on Instagram or Facebook, or the search features of Psychology Today. Use those platforms for that.
This also isn’t to say that we need to stop using social media altogether! A social media presence will help you feel more approachable to potential clients, which in the therapy search process, makes all the difference. Instead, I’d encourage you to use social media as a way to empower your website to do what it was made to do.
How to use social media to support your website:
Think of your website as a storefront. It’s where all of your services and offerings are arranged with care on display tables amidst an atmosphere that you curated with intention. Your website is a space that’s all your own. From “walls” to “ceiling,” you decided what kind of space you want your clients and customers to enter.
If your website is your storefront, then social media is your farmer’s market booth. You have your table and a preview of what you offer, and it’s a great opportunity to connect with a large volume of people all at once. But just like social media, your visitors’ attention is pulled in a thousand different directions, so it may be hard for folks to notice the amazing things that you’re offering. Your main goal at your farmer’s market booth (aka social media) is to direct people back to your store (aka website) so they can have a more genuine, less distracting experience.
Since my epiphany, I’ve been spending less time at the “farmer’s market,” and more time creating high-quality content for my “storefront,” and for the past few months, I’ve sold products and custom design packages almost exclusively to people who found me on Google or Pinterest (which is more like a search engine than a social media platform… more on that later). I still use Instagram, but I don’t feel the same incessant pressure to keep churning out an endless stream of content. Now, I post when I feel inspired, and I can engage on the platform in a genuine way knowing that I’m not relying on it 100% for my client referrals.
If you’re looking for ways to release yourself from the Insta-pressure, here’s what I suggest:
Add a blog to your website. The best thing about social media, and especially Instagram these days, is that therapists have the opportunity to share tools, strategies, and thoughts that can help people before they ever start therapy. Sharing helpful information on social media is a great way to let people experience the way you hold space. Make sure this is happening on your website, too. Whether you’re a fan of writing, talking, or making art, your website’s blog can hold this valuable, transformative content and help you attract the right clients. Use SEO best-practices when you publish your posts, and a single post could help you gain website traffic (and clients) for YEARS to come.
Create content for social media and your website. If you’re already creating content for social media that’s resonating with a lot of people, great! Expand on that on your blog. Feel free to include graphics that you published to social media in the post itself, but don’t direct folks back to your Instagram/Facebook page with a link.
Direct people on social back to your website. Always include a direct link to your website in your Instagram bio, and encourage people to visit as often as possible. This is why publishing blog posts regularly is great! It’ll give people new reasons to visit your website (remember, this is why people are on social media all the time - there’s always new content!).
Don’t overtly encourage people to leave once they’re on your website. This is why I’m not a huge fan of Instagram feed summaries. The visual cue encourages people to click and leave to beautiful and intentional space that you’ve created! Feel free to include social media icons or other subtle external links, but overall, the goal is to allow the right people to get cozy on your website and stay a little while.
Your website is more powerful than you think.
Many private practice owners underestimate the power and potential of their websites, and I did as well! When I was a therapist, I assumed my private practice website would basically be a fancy resumé where I could show off my accomplishments. On the contrary, your website can be your most effective marketing tool and your best personal assistant if you support it in the ways I’ve outlined here.
If this post resonated with you, I’d love to know! Leave a comment and tell me how you’re using social media to support your website!
