As a private practice coach, I work with therapists at different stages in their careers. Many of the therapists I work with that have already launched their practice have spent a lot of time researching how to grow, and have spoken to companies that offer various marketing services for therapists selling them on a wide range of approaches.
Newsletters are an example of one such approach. Newsletters, which are also known as “email marketing” or may be referred to by a fancier phrase, like “customer relationship management” (CRM), are usually emails that are sent to a person’s inbox with news and information in order to stay in contact.
I use newsletters. I love them. They’re a great way to inform individuals (like you!) about new posts and information (like this one!). They are also not a terribly significant amount of work and are known for their conversion rate, helping turn people that may not have become clients into clients at future dates by staying in regular contact.
There’s one problem with newsletters, however: For a newsletter to be effective, you have to have a large list of email addresses to send the newsletter to, and this is one of the main reasons that, as effective as newsletters are, they are not for everyone and may not always be the best use of your time.
What’s Your Plan?
The most important thing to understand about newsletters is that they need a reason to exist. “I want to make more money for my practice” is not a reason, because other people are not going to be interested in that reason. Ask yourself:
- How many newsletters do YOU sign up for willingly on a regular basis?
- When you’re enrolled in a newsletter, how often do you read it?
- Of the newsletters you’ve signed up for AND opened, how many are for small, non-retail service businesses?
The answer, I’m guessing, is very few. That is not to say zero, but rather, you are not signing up for the newsletter on every site you visit and then eagerly awaiting receiving the newsletter every month, reading it like urgently like it’s the most interesting news.
Starting a newsletter is GREAT, but you have to have a reason for it, a plan for it, and the infrastructure to turn that plan into reality.
For example, how are people going to find your newsletter?
If you’re not doing any online marketing or advertising, no one is likely to find it, and thus no one is likely to call.
What are you going to talk about?
If you have a very active website, you can get people interested in generic mental health articles. But if you have a website that is not well marketed, where very few people find you, the only way to convert those people is to give them a very, very good reason to follow you.
I’m a private practice coach, so it’s a bit easier for me to operate a newsletter because I can send out tips and information that are helpful (I hope!). But in my therapy practice, I currently do not, because I’m not marketing my business in such a way that I expect to collect hundreds of potential patients. I do have a way to email my *existing* patients, but it’s not for marketing.
Still, depending on your specialty, you may have a reason to operate one. There’s an ADHD specialist I’m connected with that operates a great newsletter for parents of teens with ADHD – a specific enough group that is very active in reading information. They were able to collect a lot of sign ups, though they also market their services significantly to help boost visitors.
So newsletters can be great, but you have to make sure you have a process for people to find your newsletter and a reason for them to sign up. It’s when those things all fall into place that newsletters can make a lot of sense.
What is Right for You?
As with most things related to starting a practice, the choice of what to do can be quite personal and based a lot on you and your goals. For some therapists, a newsletter is a great way to convert visitors. For others, it’s an unnecessary step when there are better places to put your time and investment.
Let me help you through these issues. Contact me today for personalized private practice coaching and how we can best help you get there!