You’ve got a long list of marketing activities you intend to get to. This article might just help you cross one off of your list.
Should you send out an online newsletter?
Newsletters are a common tool in online marketing. For coaches and other service providers who work remotely and serve people everywhere, online newsletters are almost always a good idea. An online newsletter is not always a good strategy for a therapy practice, especially if the therapy you provide is all or mostly local and in person.
As in all marketing decisions, your bigger purpose and goals will tell you what to do.
The purpose of an online newsletter is to stay in touch with potential clients, give them something of value regularly, and to make it more likely that they will eventually hire you. When a client is looking for a therapist, there is usually an immediate need, and the potential client will decide right away whether to call you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide whether to create an online newsletter:
1. Do you plan to offer something besides therapy?
If you are planning to offer a workshop or class, having a growing list of people you can reach out to who are interested in your services makes sense. When you launch those services, you’ll have some potential participants.
2. Do you serve an easily definable niche?
If you are serving an easily definable group of people, sending out a newsletter might make sense. You can serve your list by giving them valuable content over time. If, on the other hand, you are serving a niche that is more general or hard to define, a blog without a newsletter might make sense.
3. Do you have a lot to say to your potential clients?
Your newsletter should give valuable content to your people. You don’t want to ask people to opt in to a newsletter, and then only send out a newsletter when you are trying to sell something.
I’ll use my therapy practice as an example. My therapy practice, The Bay Area Relationship Center, is a center providing couples therapy and couples workshops. I offer a free audio and send out a newsletter for people who opt in. If we look at the 3 questions above, you’ll see why. We offer half-day workshops, so it makes sense for a potential client who is considering a couples workshop to be reminded of our services. Our niche is easily definable: Couples who want to communicate better. I post regularly to the blog, so I have more than enough content to share with my people.
If you’re serious about growing your therapy practice, and you think it might be time for individual or group coaching, apply for a free consultation now.