When marketing your practice, as well as designing your brochure, website, business card, flier, advertisement, or other marketing effort, I recommend investing the time and effort needed to effectively address the following:
Tip #1: MARKET FOR YOUR DESIRED PROSPECTS, NOT YOURSELF
What looks good to you is not necessarily effective for your desired audience. Do your market research and test your strategies on your target market.
Tip #2: CREATE A SYSTEM
Design a system for external and internal marketing that you can implement over and over again. Leverage your efforts. Don't waste your time, effort, and money with one-shot deals or fragmented marketing activities.
Tip #3: FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP
Work your marketing system, especially your follow up activities
Always have the next step planned and let your prospects know of future opportunities to engage you
Always contact your leads within 24 hours of receiving them
Always follow up by e-mail, telephone, etc, multiple times (80% of sales are made with 5 or more contacts!)
Most effective means of getting clients (by far) is word of mouth referrals. Cultivate and follow up with your referral sources.
Tip #4: ALWAYS INCLUDE THESE THREE KEY ELEMENTS:
Element 1: POWERFUL HEADLINE
This grabs their attention and lets the reader know what you can do for them; the big benefit.
Element 2: COMPELLING CALL TO ACTION
Your desired result is to motivate your ideal client to act immediately to engage you directly or indirectly and generate a prospect by getting their contact information.
Element 3: CHOICE OF CONTACT METHODS
You offer a choice between e-mail, telephone, web site, etc, so your prospect can choose what is most comfortable to them.
Tip #5: ALWAYS ANSWER THESE FOUR CRITICAL MARKETING QUESTIONS:
Question 1: WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?
Is it immediately clear to the reader what is being offered? Any opaqueness, confusion, question marks?
Question 2: WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?
The big benefit(s) are very clear and directly stated... not implied; the reader doesn't have to guess.
Question 3: CAN I TRUST YOU?
Yours is a very personal, intimate service. How do I know you are safe and credible? Can I find out easily enough if I want to? Is your photo and contact info prominently displayed so I can build a relationship with you?
Question 4: DO I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS?
Do I WANT to engage you? Do I feel COMPELLED to click my mouse or pick up the phone? Do I feel good about myself in deciding to engage you? What's my motivation? Am I drawn towards something I want? Am I being motivated by fear, shame, or being empowered to make a good choice? Am I so excited that I want to tell all my friends?
These elements will make all the difference in the world between struggling to get clients and becoming wildly successfully in marketing your services. They are worth investing your best efforts and getting the support you need to implement them effectively.
A California-based Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Relationship Coach, David is founder and CEO of Relationship Coaching Institute.com and BuildingYourIdeal Practice.com, and the author of How To Build Your Ideal Practice In 90 Days and the How to Get Clients Toolkit. You can visit his website at http://www.BuildingYourIdealPractice.com and subscribe to the free monthly Getting Clients Newsletter, and get access to our f'ree monthly Practice Building tele-seminar, and 3 other great bonuses.
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