Beyond Word of Mouth: Using Content Strategy to connect with Ideal Clients

The therapists I work with are incredibly skilled at building trust and rapport one-on-one.

I think that this is part of the reason that so many therapists want to simply rely on word of mouth to reach new clients. Word of mouth is comfortable, because direct interpersonal communication is something familiar, and a arena where their skills really come in to play. 

But in today’s always-online world, word of mouth alone is simply not enough. Creating a robust website that attracts potential clients is a must. 

But creating content for your website comes with its own set of challenges. This is because the rules about what works online have changed rapidly, and many people approach creating content with outdated ideas about what is effective. 

So here are a few tips about crafting a successful content strategy for your site:

1. Quality over Quantity

Many people approach content creation with an attitude of, “oh, the more posts and more stuff I put in my posts, the more likely I am to be discovered on the web.”

That idea that you should post simply to post has been tried and tested numerous times, and I will tell you flat-out that it will not work. It is a poor strategy that will end up hurting your business in the long run. People are going to just get tired of seeing poor content, and you will rapidly lose your credibility.

High quality content takes time and planning. It requires real effort to create. But the benefits far outweigh the investment of your time. 

We all have those blog posts that we have saved on our bookmarks bar because we plan to revisit them or share them with a friend. These are the pieces of content that will attract a substantial amount of traction for your site over time. 

 For example, when I set out to create a lead magnet for my own website, I spent a great deal of effort to create a three part free video course. Over time, I have gotten a tremendous amount of positive feedback about the course, and it has continued to be a source of new newsletter subscribers over time. 

2. Don’t Give up on Old Posts

If you have older posts that are no longer getting much traction, consider going back and refreshing them, rather than simply moving on to the next thing. 

Sometimes simply adding a bit more content, a bullet list, and some images, can bring an older post back to life and make it both useful and memorable for your website visitors. 

3. Analyze to See What Works

Take the time to look back and see which of your pieces of content has generated the most interest. If people leave comments thanking you, take note - you are doing something right!!

If people get in touch with questions, recognize each of those questions as an amazing opportunity, and create new content with the answers. Most of all, don’t assume that you know what your audience wants or needs to hear. Pay attention to what they respond to, and create more of the kinds of posts that resonate with them. 

4. Don’t rely on Social Media!!

Social media can be both fun and effective. But the crucial thing to remember is that, at the end of the day, the social media platforms that you spend time on do not belong to YOU. That means that, at any moment, the rules could change and that particular avenue for reaching your audience could disappear. 

For this reason, it is important to focus on nurturing content that “lives” on a platform that you own. You can post to other platforms, but use those posts as a way to invite people back to your website. Ultimately, your site is the piece of the internet that is really yours - and you want to make that the primary place where you build your audience. 

Some key take-aways to keep in mind:

DO:

• Focus on Quality.
• Invest time in each of your pieces of content.
• Use more than one kind of media: pictures, video, audio are all great!
• Go back to older posts and make them even better! 
• Use more than one channel to communicate with your audience.
• Focus on building content on platforms that you own.
• Step back and look at what’s working, and focus your energy on efforts that are getting traction. 

DON'T:

• Publish content just for the sake of getting “something” out there.
• Create content that you aren’t proud of.
• Assume that older posts are a lost cause – adding pictures, additional text, and revised content can bring an older post to life! 
• Put all your “eggs” in one basket. 
• Assume that the social media platform you like today will still like YOU tomorrow. Algorithms change. Platforms evolve. Unless you own the platform (such as your own website) don’t rely on it too heavily.

You can read a full post about creating content for your website here!