1.     They are reactive, instead of proactive.  

Many therapists’ process of client acquisition looks like this. They set up few directories, they join some networking groups for therapists, sometimes they will even create a basic website and then they just… wait.

Wait for the clients to magically appear. But somehow the bell is not ringing. They start wondering why is that. Maybe it just takes time? Maybe it will be better soon…?

As you can imagine, it’s not a sustainable business practice. So how can you get it around?

In order to get clients constantly, you need to know your target audience in-and-out. Start with thinking about who your target audience is, where they hang around on the internet and how you can make it as easy as possible for them to find you.

Directories are great, but if you want to have a constant flow of clients that matches your capacity, you need to be more proactive. Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting you will spend now hours making content for social media. Quite contrary. From my experience, as well as from the experience of my clients, the best way to get a sustainable flow of clients for their practice is to utilize… Google search!

Let’s smoothly transition now into mistake number two:

2.     They are not on the first page of the google search results.

In the modern era, the internet is where people go to find what they need — including therapy. If potential clients can’t find you on the first page of google search results, how do you expect them to know about you? Let’s look quickly at the graph below:

As you can see there, if you are not on the first page of google search results, you are basically non-existent for your potential clients. The attention span of the regular internet user has never been so low. Regular people, when they are looking for a solution to their problem, won’t bother to look at page 2 of the search results. Not even mentioning page 3,4,5 or 10.

OK, you might think that it sounds great to be more visible online. So how you can get your website higher on the google search result? 

First, register your business in Google My Business directory. It’s really great for near mesearches (for example: counsellor near me).

Second of all, make sure your website is on point (if you don’t even have a website, create it ASAP) and optimise it for the google search. Use proper keywords, make sure that your website is loading fast, it’s mobile-friendly (nowadays, more people use the internet on the mobiles, rather than on desktops), and make sure other websites will link your website – it helps google algorithm to calculate whether your domain has authority. The more websites have a link to your website (so-called backlinks), the more authority and higher on the google search your website will be.

I am aware that the last paragraph could be a bit overwhelming, but let’s transition quickly to the last mistake where I will propose a solution for that:

3.     They are trying to do everything by themselves.

One of the most crucial abilities for a business owner is the ability to delegate tasks. If you would like to do everything by yourself, you will run out of time. Many times, it’s much more efficient to just delegate some tasks, that you are not very good at, and just focus on what you are doing the best – providing help and support for the people that need your services.

Remember, you went to school to become a therapist, not a marketer!

I’m not suggesting that you will all of the sudden to hire some big PR agency. But I am suggesting that if you don’t know how to create a mobile-friendly website that will convert visitors into clients, or how to position your website in Google correctly so you can be easily found online, there are people that can help you with that.

You won’t have to spend hours learning how digital marketing works or waste time on trial and error. Luckily, there are people that you can delegate these tasks to, and you can just focus on what you are enjoying the most – helping other people.

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As you can see, there are many things that you can improve if you want to make it easy for clients to find you. One of the easiest and more efficient things to do is to have great online visibility, so the clients can come to you constantly.

If you want help with getting a constant flow of clients for your practice that matches your capacity, send me a message and we will see if and how I can help you achieve that.