Hey there, savvy therapist! Are you excited to harness the power of social media to grow your private practice? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
In this blog post, we’ll break down how social media fits into your marketing funnel, explain why the number of followers isn’t the only measure of success, highlight the importance of your website in converting leads, and discuss how to set realistic goals and expectations for your social media strategy.
We’ll also chat about why relying solely on organic social media isn’t enough for business growth and explore additional strategies like email marketing, lead magnets, paid ads, and blogging. So, let’s dive in!
Understanding the Marketing Funnel
First things first, let’s go over the marketing funnel, which has five main stages:
- Awareness: Making your brand visible and attracting potential clients.
- Interest: Engaging your audience and sparking their curiosity about your services.
- Consideration: Informing prospects about your therapy services and their benefits.
- Conversion: Turning interested prospects into clients.
- Loyalty: Keeping clients happy and encouraging repeat business.
Social Media’s Starring Role in the Marketing Funnel
Social media shines brightest in the Awareness and Interest stages. Let’s take a closer look at how it helps therapy practices connect with potential clients:
Awareness stage: Social media is like your virtual billboard, helping your therapy practice reach more people. By sharing engaging content and connecting with others in the mental health community, you can grab the attention of potential clients and familiarise them with your services.
Interest stage: Now that people know about your practice, social media can spark their curiosity and keep them engaged. Share mental health tips, inspiring stories, and informative posts that resonate with your audience. Show off your expertise and share client testimonials (with permission and confidentiality), so potential clients understand why your practice is worth considering. Don’t forget to reply to comments, answer questions, and join conversations on social media!
But wait, there’s more! Social media can also lend a helping hand in other stages of the marketing funnel:
Consideration stage: Social media can remind people exploring therapy options why your practice stands out. Share information about your therapeutic approach, qualifications, and experience.
Conversion stage: Encourage potential clients to book a consultation or initial session through social media (but remember, it’s your website’s job to seal the deal).
Followers vs. Leads: Why Numbers Aren’t Everything
A higher follower count doesn’t always mean more leads. What really matters is the quality, relevance, and engagement of your content. Keep an eye on metrics like likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates (CTR) to gauge your content’s performance. Remember, not all followers are potential clients; some may simply enjoy your content or have a passing interest in mental health.
Estimating Leads from Social Media: What to Expect
While the number of leads from social media can vary, a general benchmark for a satisfactory lead rate is 2-5%. This means for every 100 users engaged with your content (not just followers), you might generate 2 to 5 leads. To boost lead generation, focus on creating engaging and relevant content, optimising your posting schedule, and interacting with your followers.
Your Website: The Key to Converting Leads and Understanding Conversion Rates
One of your social media strategy’s main goals should be driving traffic to your website, where the actual conversion happens. Ensure your website is user-friendly, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. Communicate your unique selling points, benefits, and pricing, and include strong calls to action. Showcase testimonials or case studies to build trust and credibility.
Average website conversion rates usually fall between 1% and 3%. To improve your conversion rate, test different website elements like headlines, images, and calls to action. Optimise your website for mobile devices and ensure fast load times. Also, consider using tools like Google Analytics to track visitor behaviour and make data-driven improvements to your website.
Organic Social Media Isn’t a Magic Bullet: Additional Strategies for Business Growth
Organic (non-ad) social media is just one part of your marketing machine. Relying solely on organic efforts might not be enough to achieve your desired growth. To see more significant results, consider implementing other marketing strategies like email marketing, lead magnets, paid ads, and blogging. (I highly recommend having a lead magnet, email list, and blog!)
a. Email Marketing
Email marketing involves sending targeted messages to subscribers who’ve opted in to receive communications from your business. It plays a crucial role in the Consideration and Conversion stages of your marketing funnel and helps improve customer retention. By building an email list, you can nurture leads, share exclusive content and offers, and maintain an ongoing relationship with your audience, encouraging them to become loyal clients.
Need help getting your mailing list set up? Get in touch with Chloe at TechChlo and tell her that Samantha @ Koala VA sent you!
b. Lead Magnets
A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content or offer provided to potential clients in exchange for their contact information, like an email address. Lead magnets can include e-books, PDFs/worksheets, or webinars. They fit into the Interest and Consideration stages of the marketing funnel, enticing prospects to learn more about your practice and helping you capture valuable lead information for future marketing efforts via email marketing.
Not sure what you could share as a lead magnet? Here are 50 lead magnet ideas for therapists!
c. Paid Ads
Paid advertising, such as search engine marketing (SEM) and social media advertising (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn ads, etc.), can help you reach a larger audience and generate more leads for your therapy practice. By investing in paid ads, you can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviours, ensuring that your message reaches the right people at the right time. Paid ads are particularly effective in the Awareness and Interest stages of the marketing funnel, as they can help increase brand visibility and drive more traffic to your website or social media profiles.
Find out if your practice is ready to run Facebook Ads.
d. Blogging
Blogging is a powerful marketing strategy that allows you to create and share valuable content related to mental health and therapy services. By regularly publishing high-quality blog posts, you can establish your brand as an authority in your niche, improve search engine rankings, and drive organic traffic to your website.
Blogging can play a significant role in various stages of the marketing funnel:
Awareness: Informative and well-written blog posts can attract new visitors to your website through search engine optimization (SEO) and social media sharing. Target relevant keywords and provide valuable content to increase the likelihood of your blog posts ranking highly on search engine results pages (SERPs), leading to greater visibility and more potential clients discovering your brand.
Interest: Blogging allows you to showcase your expertise and provide helpful information to potential clients. Create content that addresses common questions, concerns, or pain points to engage with your audience and demonstrate the value of your services.
Consideration: In-depth blog posts, case studies, and testimonials can help persuade potential clients that your therapy practice is the right solution for their needs. Providing evidence of your success and sharing the experiences of satisfied clients can build trust and credibility with your audience.
Looking for help with your blog? Get in touch with Gemma at The Art to Survival and tell her I sent you for 10% off her blogging services.
Conclusion
Now that you have a better understanding of how social media fits into your marketing funnel, the importance of focusing on more than just follower count, and the role your website plays in converting leads, you’re well on your way to maximising your social media efforts for your mental health therapy practice! Happy marketing!
Ready to work with a social media manager? Book a FREE discovery call with me!