How I Filled My Practice Without Psychology Today or Networking 3 Years in a Row
Whether you take insurance or are private pay, most therapists would say networking, Psychology Today, or word-of-mouth referrals are the most reliable sources to create a full practice. These have become the gold standard regardless of your specialty or location and you may feel an obligation to stick to what has worked historically, especially if you aren’t sure how clients are currently finding you.
But what happens when…
if, like me, you dread networking of any kind or Psychology Today doesn’t align with your values for social justice?
or you don’t have the ability to organically connect with new colleagues such as when you’re working in a solo practice or from home?
Just because a referral source or marketing strategy…
works for most people doesn’t mean it will be a good fit for you.
brings you clients, doesn’t mean you have to continue to engage in it.
has worked in the past, doesn’t mean it will continue to bring in clients.
Many therapists are beginning to see they can be more in control of how clients find them with website SEO (search engine optimization), Google Ads, social media, or other types of digital advertising that’s becoming more available to us as modern therapists. This approach also allows Sensitive Therapists to take the pressure to network, network, network off their shoulders and instead enjoy connecting authentically with a few therapist friends.
Having a variety of options for attracting clients is so important for Introverted and Sensitive Therapists who are easily depleted and may not feel satisfied or aligned with traditional marketing strategies. Sensitive Therapists also have spidey senses that can pick up on a “salesy” vibe from a mile away and you probably don’t want to bring that energy into your own marketing.
Which referral sources, whether traditional or nontraditional, are the best for your practice?
At the start of each year, I have a routine of looking over my referral tracking spreasheet from the previous year to identify my best referral sources. I do this to see what’s working to bring in clients. This review process helps me understand where to put my marketing energy and dollars going into the next year.
Below I share my findings for the past year, none of which include traditional networking, Psychology Today or anything that involves being salesy. As you’ll see, most of my marketing is digital and what does result from word-of-mouth is a result of engaging in authentic relationship building with colleagues where I just get to enjoy connecting. I hope this will inspire you to think outside the box when marketing your own practice.
What Were MY Best Referral Sources?
For the third year in a row, my website continues to be my highest source of full-fee referrals with over 178,000 visitors during the past year which is a 360% increase from the previous year. This tells me my SEO work is paying off and that my website copy is speaking to my ideal client (which I actually hear often during intakes). By keeping my website up-to-date, I build strong SEO (search engine optimization) which means Google or other search engines are more likely to show my website in searches. I also build SEO by:
Making sure every page of my site uses keywords that my ideal client would be looking for and including some of those in headlines
Writing blogs and updating website content periodically
Including photos on every page with descriptions
Creating backlinks by linking to my page from social media and guest articles that I write for other sites
In addition to my website I had several other referral sources continue to offer high converting client contacts as shown in the diagram below. I’m grateful to finally be reaching a place of predictable conversion year after year, which allows me to spend less time on my marketing plan.
What Were YOUR Best Referral Sources?
Now it’s your turn! Looking at your own referral numbers from the past year, it can be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:
What referral source had the highest:
volume of client inquiries?
conversion rate?
income?
What referral source had the lowest:
volume of client inquiries?
conversion rate?
income?
Where do high volume, conversion, and income intersect?
This is your best referral source. You received a large number of client contacts that consistently convert and become long-term clients to produce high income.
Where do high conversion and high income intersect?
This is your next best referral source. You may not get a high volume, but the contacts you do get convert and clients are working with you for an extended period to generate high income.
What Adjustments Does Your Marketing Plan Need?
After reviewing your referral sources and answering the questions above, you can gain insight into what’s working to bring in new clients, what needs to be nurtured, and what is just wasting energy (and potentially money). As a Sensitive Therapist who may get overstimulated easily and often needs a smaller caseload to keep the work sustainable, it’s important to use your marketing energy efficiently.
Here are a few action items you can take away from your reflections:
Put your marketing energy and/or dollars into those referral sources that are producing the best results in multiple categories. For me, I’ll continue writing guest blog posts and saying yes to podcast interviews as well as optimizing my website.
Stop investing energy and/or money into your lowest converting/lowest income referral source. For instance, I took my listing down from Psychology Today about three years ago and unsubscribed from another directory this year.
Identify any patterns from year to year to plan your vacation time around your busiest times of year and manage anxiety during slow times.
Raise your rates if your overall conversion rate is high.
Need a Referral Tracking System?
Don’t know what your referral numbers were last year or feel too overwhelmed to create your own system? I’ve got you covered.
My Referral Tracking course will help you:
Have clarity on which referral sources have the highest conversion rates and produce the most income
Be able to confidently invest in your best marketing sources instead of throwing around money in the dark
Take advantage of the slow times in your practice and be prepared for the busy times (i.e. less anxiety and overwhelm)
Have real data to support that fee raise you've been dreaming of giving yourself
Maintain consistent contact with a few key referral relationships throughout the year instead of draining your social tank by constantly creating new connections
Be able to cancel that directory listing that doesn't align with your values or stop attending networking events you dread
You’ll receive these tools with the course:
Brief Intake Assessment to identify the best method to screen for referral sources
Client Contact Log to track incoming referrals and their sources
Referral Tracking Log which automatically calculates your overall conversation rate for the year and by referral source
Financial Log that syncs with the Referral Log to make sure you're also considering the impact on income along with conversion rates of marketing sources
Referral Relationship Tracker to help you nurture those networking connections throughout the year
Annual Review Workbook to get clear on your best and worst referral sources
Digital and Printable versions of the workbook and all logs, as well as options for EHR and non-EHR users alike.
