aaronwrixon.com

YOUR PRACTICE

ONLINECONTENT STRATEGIESFOR CLINICIANS

Many psychologists and psychological associates still aren’t doing much marketing online, either because of misinformation about conduct standards, or because time demands mean marketing gets neglected.

If you’re not marketing online, sooner or later you’re going to find yourself at a significant competitive disadvantage.

Your practice online

Google is replacing the Yellow Pages.

Facebook is replacing asking your neighbour.

Twitter is replacing picking up the phone.

The internet is replacing “remembering.”

Why you need to be marketing online

80% of all Internet users go immediately to a search engine when online.

That includes users when they’re considering psychological services — and doctors, insurers and others when they’re searching for someone to refer to.

Almost 4 in 10 click one of the first three links on a search engine results page — to the exclusion of all the other links on the page.

Why you need to be marketing online

If you’re in a competitive marketplace — for example, in a large city — you need the best website you can build.

You need to create value for your visitors.

And you need to show off that value to help strangers become clients and referrers.

What does this mean?

Content.

How do you do all of that?

Core Content

Core content is the stuff your website is made of — Home, About Us, etc.

It needs to be both readable by visitors and discoverable by search engines.

Psychology-specific “core content”

Clients Referrers Both

Information on what to expect from treatment

Method of referring clients

Description of services

Frequently asked questions

CV Fees

Intake forms “About Us” content — directions, hours, etc.

Bio/pictures Contact page/form

Crisis contacts Privacy/confidentiality policy

“Bill of rights” or similar Resources and links

Core content you need

Jargon won’t work. Be clear.

If you can’t do that, hire someone who can.

Keep it simple

Website visitors need to know what you do — but also what that means to them.

Focus on benefits

Your core content should normalize the process of working with you and relieve fears and anxieties about treatment.

Remember — focus on the benefits of treatment, not the process itself.

What your client wants

A busy referrer has a problem — and wants to solve it as fast as possible.

Referring to you is a transaction. Treat it like one and don’t let your website get in the way.

What your referrer wants

Attractor Content

Beyond core content, you need a source of interesting content that can be used to appeal to visitors’ curiosity and draw them to your website.

Your core content is for clients or referrers who know they need psychological services.

Attractor content helps anyone know that you offer those services — and helps prepare them for the moment they realize they need to see someone.

“Attractor content”

You’re not putting on a sandwich board and hocking your practice.

You’re only helping people find you — and then telling them “If you ever need our services, we’re here.”

Attracting is not “selling”

Online behaviour has changed. Studies show people are now as much as 70% sure they want to work with you before you ever hear from them.

They get to this point by researching online.

Human behaviour being what it is, a person’s care or referral decision will be heavily biased toward whoever was most helpful during that research process.

Attracting works

All visitors

Informational blog posts

Downloadable articles

Educational mail series

Slide decks

Explanatory videos

Audio interviews

Attractor content you could use

The best content is highly targeted to your audience.For example, if you’re trying to attract referrals, you could focus on content that establishes you as an expert in your space.

• “Senior depression: an undiagnosed epidemic”

• “Catastrophic injuries and the underinsured”If you’re trying to attract clients, consider “pop” psychology content like you might find in a consumer-focused magazine.

• “Could you have OCD?”

• “4 concussion warning signs to watch out for”

The best attractor content

Again, attracting with content is not selling.

It’s not advertising.

It’s not slick, or unethical, or something to be looked down on.

What attractor content is not

It is marketing, although marketing has changed — it’s now teaching.

Attractor content is about being there when a potential client or referrer is researching to find an answer to their problem — whether that’s “My mother seems to be confused” or “My patient has a head injury.”

What attractor content is

Summing Up

By providing useful core content and attractor content, you’ll help your visitors and help yourself.

Your visitors will find your site more valuable, which means they’ll think better of your practice.

And that will mean more clients.

Useful content means more clients

There’s a lot to digest here.

But you can always find help. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, contact me at info@aaronwrixon.com, or visit my website at www.aaronwrixon.com.

Or come and see me after we’re done here. I look forward to answering any questions you may have.

Aaron Wrixon

Need help?

1. If you don’t already have a website, you’re in the best position. You can build an excellent one with great content.

2. If you do have a site but it needs some work, talk to a content marketing specialist about implementing some of the suggestions you’ve heard about today.

3. If you’ve already got most of the content we discussed here, consider hiring a writer or editor to take your site from good to great.

4. Too busy? Consider delegating the project to someone in your office, or hire an outside provider to take care of it all. Your website content is too important to ignore.

Quick tips for implementation

Questions?