PAEDS BIZ ... HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PRIVATE PRACTICE
AUGUST 2016
40 BLOG IDEAS
Get past writers block p.4
LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF THE INTERWEB Getting your head around the lingo p.10
BLOGGING, YES YOU CAN DO IT Cool products your business should be using p.4
AN INTRODUCTION TO
CATHY LOVE Occupational Therapist Coach Speaker Author
For first time readers a quick intro, I am Cathy Love an Occupational Therapist, Coach, Author and Speaker. I am the founding director of Nacre Consulting and I work with parents and disability service providers to achieve brilliant outcomes for children with special needs. I provide a range of services: • Private practice coaching to business owners • Family Service Coaching to help parents manage their child’s team and services • Clinical supervision to individuals and teams • Service delivery consultation to disability service providers More to be read about all that over on my website www.nacre.com.au Each month I write up news, useful information and pearls of wisdom for those working with children and families in the disability sector. Given that it is a rapidly changing landscape and one that is increasingly privatised there is lots of news to be shared.
Welcome. Spring is here, there are daffodils, blossoms and magnolias everywhere, hooray! A few days’ business break in Brisbane provided a sneaky chance to defrost, which was much appreciated. That said, I happen to love winter and all the coats, scarves and boots that it brings. I guess it’s a Melbourne thing. Busy times. As always. The Paed’s Biz Success program is about to launch. A huge thank you to all who submitted expressions of interest, it was incredible to hear the level of curiosity and support. The plan is to hit ‘GO’ on the twenty week Paeds Biz Success program during September. Then….
CONTENTS 02 Introduction Meet Cathy Love
We will announce the full 2017 roll out of the program; plus, all our Paeds Biz webinars, documents and forums. Yes, forums plural. And maybe a retreat. Final dates are being confirmed, along with final touches being made on various partnerships. Just a bit exciting.
04 COVER FEATURE: Blogging, Yes you can do it Why content marketing is a vital tool 06 Social Media Trends Cool products your business should be using
Our new website is done. Feeling proud. Check it out. Our calendar of events is filling with workshops and interactive webinars. Take a glance here too.
07 Clickability Guest Writer - Jenna Moffat
We have all read with horror about the virtual collapse of the NDIA’s new My Portal system. It leaves a wake of horrendous implications for service providers and participants. What a debacle. Several of my clients have incredible survival stories; borrowing money, extending overdrafts and more. I await news of a class action, perhaps?
08 Issuu Follow Cathy Love to receive your monthly Paeds Biz fix Becoming Chief, How to lead your child’s special needs tribe Special anniversary offer
Welcome aboard to my new private practice and clinical coaching clients. Several have found me through LinkedIn and the Paeds Biz e-mag, it’s completely amazing to be working with you.
09 Tips for Writing Effective E-newsletters Learn how to better connect with your clients
And now a segue to this editions topic of Social Media, Content Marketing and Blogging. Many of your colleagues, competitors and future clients are spending time reading information, researching products and services and forming opinions. Social media is an intense market place.
10 COVER FEATURE: Learn the Language of the Interweb Getting your head around the lingo 11 Events Calendar
Get comfy for ten minutes max and let’s take a look at social media and how to promote your business
13 The Wrap
Cathy Cathy Love Director of Nacre Consulting
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BLOGGING
YES, YOU CAN DO IT
40 BLOG IDEAS (You can have the school holidays off) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Let’s play with …Toy review New to the bookshelf….Book review Our new favourite App Sharing a great information website. Learnings from a recent PD event An explanation of the tests we use and why we use them Profile a team member… go on, add a photo The Medicare Chronic Disease Management Plan explained An NDIA update The Mental Health Plan explained 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
As some of you know, I am a huge fan of content marketing. Content marketing is the creation and sharing of online materials that doesn’t explicitly promote your brand but helps educate others about what you do. I believe content marketing is perfect for allied health professionals as it promotes our values, services and the outcomes we achieve with our clients. Blogging is a great example of content marketing. Allied health professionals are nearly always strong writers, after all we write complex reports for a living. However we are not always bold enough to post our words and wisdom on line. What will people think? What if there are negative comments? What if it damages my reputation? Keep your topics simple and write to solve a problem that your reader (clients and future clients) may have. Short blogs help people get to know you and your business. What you stand for, your values and integrity. They get to know you, like you and trust you. Content marketing is about building relationships by providing useful information. Content posts should be short and sweet, 300 - 500 words is ideal. We can all manage that.To help you get past writers block I have provided a list of 40 blog topics over the page.
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17. 18. 19. 20.
If you are feeling bold and brave, try Vlogging; Video blogging. It doesn’t have to be a sophisticated set up. Point and record on your smart phone, this is perfectly adequate. For most websites it’s not too hard to add a blog plug in. Ask your techies. It is easy to load the content and image on to your website (I can do it) and hit upload and its live for the world to see. Gulp. In regards to royalty free images, there are now many free / low cost sites to choose from. Next step is to promote your blog. Copy and paste the URL of your blog pages into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Add a description and perhaps a call to action then voila. It’s done.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
A reminder of our practice’s cancellation policy. How I started in my career Hints for play date success School readiness issues What are Social Skills Ways to encourage your child to help more at home How to enjoy children’s birthday parties School holiday fun Why I do what I do Kid friendly recipes
The power of outside play Tips to ensure your school meeting goes well A brief summary of school funding A children’s movie review Comment on specific therapeutic interventions How … skills develop Tips for keeping kids calm in the car Ways to help the transition to pre / school Ways to help your child sleep better Ideas for helping your child develop friendships 31. 32.
I have been writing and posting consistently for a couple of years now. This bring me fabulous new coaching clients and invitations to write for other publications. Two more fabulous invitations in the past week. Vlogging and Facebook Live are on my agenda. To sharpen my skills, I am looking forward to attending the Pro Blogger Conference this September on the Gold Coast.
33. 34. 35. 36.
List 5 mini topics you could blog on?
37. 38. 39. 40.
How can you start writing and posting unique content? How can you make these blogs go live?
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All about anxiety What do Speech Pathologists / Occupational Therapists / Physiotherapists / Psychologist / music therapists …do? Getting the most out of your Paediatrician visit All about the assessment and report writing process at our practice Ways to develop drawing and pre writing skills Beautiful children’s books and why we love them A guide to the town you live in Tips to support fussy eaters and tired parents Ways to manage screen time …I’m sure you will think of something fabulous
SOCIAL MEDIA
GUEST WRITER - JENNA MOFFAT
TRENDS Ripl
You will have seen these cool little products on social media for sure. Ripl enables you to produce and load customisable animated posts onto social media. Good news is that you can do it yourself on your smart phone, with an easy App. When I saw this product it instantly reminded me of Flipagram.
Flipagram
Flipagram is also an App that lets you create mini photo video story sets for posting on social media. You use photos on your phone, add captions and or music and build little story sequences. I haven’t used it for ages which is a shame because it is terrific. So I now set you the challenge to give it a go and post on your business Face Book page.
Instagram is huge and increasingly used by businesses to promote their services. Video posts are escalating; commentary, hashtags and web links are necessities. Good scheduling tools are yet to appear, but the platform does lend itself to spontaneity. Nacre Consulting is on there, so come on and follow us.
Video
Video is taking the social media world by storm. YouTube, Facebook Live, Periscope…. According to eMarketer, people are now watching an average of 5 hours, 31 minutes’ worth of video every day. Compare that to the 21 minutes a day in 2011 and that puts video on pace to surpass TV viewership by the end of 2016. Time to get comfortable in front of the little white light on your smart phone… and get your videos done and posted.
Facebook Live
Well we have all seen one or more of these during past months. Several of my business mentors use them brilliantly. In five minutes they can present their best thinking on current issues, provide suggestions and energise you to take action. I am keen, super keen to try a couple of these. So stay tuned, it could get interesting.
Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media platforms. It is described as the world’s catalogue of ideas. There is nothing you can’t find on Pinterest. There are thousands of allied health professionals posting amazing content. I often provide teachers and parent’s links to great boards for learning and play ideas. It is super easy to set up and there are so many wonderful boards to explore and follow. Come on and join me at Nacre Consulting.
What social media action will you now take? How will you know if your posts are successful? What will future clients love to hear about?
CLICKABILITY
With the rollout of the NDIS having officially begun, people with disability and their families are now making the choice as to which service providers they will approach.
The process will hopefully prove to be a liberating and empowering experience, but many have never before been given the reins to navigate this space and it’s not always an easy decision choosing a provider. How can they determine that a service provider is the right fit, or swap and share experiences with their peers? This thinking inspired the basis for Clickability, a consumer rating and review website. Very simply, it’s like Trip Advisor—but for disability services. It’s a platform where consumers can hear from their peers and gain a snapshot into the supports that a service provider offers. With over 450 services in Victoria on our website, our current list of subscribers include care agencies, allied health professionals, and community-based groups that offer sport and recreation or arts activities. The most overwhelming thing about our website is that a staggering 87% of reviews submitted to the site are endorsements of a service provider, whilst more than a quarter of reviewers are crediting their service provider with helping them achieve positive change. People with disability and their families are providing a tick of approval, which other people can then use to confirm or support their choice. It’s a reassuring, affirming resource. We’re also seeing support providers engage with reviewers on the site, answering questions or seeking feedback that can help them improve or streamline their own service.
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Editor’s note It is really important to spend time on the Clickability website. Become familiar with the concept of consumers rating disability service providers, other similar sites are popping up. Rating DSP’s is a thing. Being a signed up member enables you to engage with and edit your reviewers. It also allows you to send out a link to your clients seeking feedback and a star rating, that you can use on your online Clickability profile page.
Have you taken a glance at Clickability? How do you feel about you and your service being rated? Are you a member of Clickability?
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TIPS FOR WRITING EFFECTIVE
E-NEWSLETTERS
A monthly newsletter is a powerful way to connect with current and future clients and referrers. It’s also a manageable way to develop your database, tech and wriitng confidence. Here are some tips to get you started. This e-mag is hosted by a platform called Issuu. I only discovered that this was a thing last year and have since enjoyed a variety of reads. The writing, editing, page design and magazine layout are all done in separate programs outside Issuu. When it is all finalised it gets dropped into Issuu, we then share the link with you via Mailchimp. I would love you to follow me on Issuu. Here’s how you do it. Clicking ‘Follow Publisher’ below the publication you are reading OR
By clicking the green “Follow” button on our profile page. Once that is done, you’ll see all new uploads and stack additions from Cathy Love in your Feed.
As a parent of a child with special needs there is always a lot going on. Parents may feel overwhelmed by child development experts, therapy, appointments and complex systems. This leaves parents tired, overwhelmed and feeling guilty that they should be able to do it all for their child.
Write how you speak It is ok to write in a ‘smart casual’ manner. Write in your professional talking voice, just as you would if your client was standing with you in conversation. This makes your content friendly, digestible and as true to you as possible.
Becoming Chief is a book written for parents and service providers. It is written to help parents find their way, gather their support tribe, set goals and manage their child’s team and program. All the tough topics are covered, wonderful real life stories told and mountains of parent wisdom shared. It is easy to read, practical and energising.
Use images Use pictures to support your words. They will break up the written content and build strong memories. There are lots of Royalty free images on line, some are free, while others require a membership. The memberships are well worth it as you may well need images for flyers, clinical work, workshop slides and future newsletters.
Becoming Chief is written by Cathy Love, Occupational Therapist, Coach, Speaker and Author. She writes to her passion of helping parents feel strong, informed and organised so that they can powerfully advocate for their child. Cathy is available to speak or Skype at your next event. Her book has been reviewed by Source Kids Magazine, Amaze, USA’s Autism Parenting Magazine and other publications. Buy your copy today click here For your e-book purchase click here FREE POSTAGE AUSTRALIA WIDE
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Short and sweet Your clients are probably time poor. A five minute read is ample, so your entire newsletter may only be one to two thousand words. Write in short paragraphs with a mix of sentence lengths. This helps sustain the reader’s interest. Don’t waffle on. Ever. Write with a client in mind Marketers often speak of mapping an ideal client architype or avatar. This helps keep your content focused and useful. Think hard about their problems then provide information to help. You are aiming for a newsletter that’s interesting and helpful. Don’t sell too hard Content marketing is all about providing lots of targeted helpful information that works to build knowledge and trust. Your writing will be explaining what you do, what you
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think about things, what your team are up to, the outcomes of your programs and more. Heads up on future group programs, holidays events, workshops can all be included; Ideally with links through to booking set up on your website. Seasonal topics Plan content that is relevant to your readers lives. There are predictable events you can acknowledge: tips for the start of the school year, ideas for school holidays, Mother’s and Father’s Day, school reports, family holidays. Getting it out there Mailchimp is the tool of choice for distributing your e-newsletter. Practice management systems such as Front Desk, Cliniko and others export to Mailchimp. If you don’t have these, you’ll need to have your client and partner database set up in Excel, you can then upload this to Mailchimp. Your newsletter gets written in Word then copied and pasted into one of the Mailchimp templates. When all is loaded, there will be a bit of fiddling but then you close your eyes and hit send. An alternative is to PDF your Word document and send it out via email. Remember to drop the email group into the bcc section so you don’t disclose everybody’s emails. The wrap Enjoy the process of writing and connecting with your readers. The more you publish the easier the process becomes. You may be able to re purpose your newsletter content as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter posts, so don’t waste those words.
LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF THE
INTERWEB
EVENTS
CALENDAR
TEAM TALK TELECONFERENCE
Cathy Love (OT), Megan Ingram (SLP) and special expert guests will present and discuss topics central to contemporary multi-disciplinary service delivery to children with special needs. The series is perfect for occupational therapists, speech pathologists, special educators and psychologists. 4 October 2016 Sleep Issues and Ways to Promote Sleep Hygiene BOOK NOW
Like all speciality fields there is a lingo and it helps to understand some of the terms when working with your web developer and SEO advisors. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Good SEO helps your website get found on search engines such as Google. Really good SEO positions your page at the top of the page when somebody searches for a particular topic. SEO experts use a range of strategies to achieve this. Page rank is an algorithm used by Google to rank website pages in order of importance. Landing page is the page on your website that you lead people to. It acts as an entry point that will then provide more information, a booking or sales function. If I write about an event I am running, I would provide a link to the page on my website that has all the information and the place to buy tickets. Hyperlink is an electronic link that sits in a document and takes you through to another page of document. My blogs often have hyperlinks through to other relevant blogs I have written. Anchor text may sit over the top of the hyperlink to make it more enticing e.g. the words ‘book now’ may sit over a hyperlink that takes you to the events landing page. Keyword is the word or phrase that people type in to their search engine to help them find what they are looking for on the internet. If your website has lots of those same key words, then you have a greater chance that your page will rank higher and your website will be read. Website front end is what the viewer sees online. Back end is what you, the website owner and tech team see and work on behind the scenes.
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8 November 2016 Educational Assessments (WPPSI, WISC + others) and Relevance for OT and SLP VARIOUS DATES
Google analytics provides you with a dash board of statistics about who has visited and used your website: how many visits, how long people stayed, what they read, where they clicked. Helps you manage SEO.
BOOK NOW 6 December 2016 Evaluation and Management of Attention. OT and SLP Perspectives BOOK NOW
Back links are links to your website that sit on other people’s websites. I write, present and consult for several agencies and my name and details often appear elsewhere but lead back to Nacre Consulting. Back links help your SEO and make your website more findable. Domain Name is your website’s unique electronic address on the World Wide Web. When deciding a business name you have to check if the domain name is available so that you can have a website with your company name. Domain names are purchased from various online providers. Web hosting is a business that provides the technology and services needed to keep a website up and available on the internet. Hosting is usually an annual fee and often includes some domain name email addresses e.g. yourname@yourwebsite.com.au Websites are hosted or stored on special computers called servers. There are many more terms, the lovely irony is that you can easily Google them!
INTRODUCTION TO COACHING FOR ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Keen to know more about coaching and how to use it clinically? Presented by ICF Master Coach Barbara Anderson. 1 day workshop in Melbourne. Expressions of interest here. ENQUIRE
DATE TBC
What do your Google analytics say about your website? How could you enhance your SEO? Where can you build some back links?
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Next month’s edition will include: How to work with Pratice Managers, Admin Staff, PA’s & VA’s Password Managers & Online Security
Over and out for another edition.
PRIVATE PRACTICE COACHING How could a private practice coach help you? Need a hand with policies and procedures? Where is your business plan up to? Cathy Love is a specialist business coach who helps paediatric private practitioners run powerful and profitable businesses. As a private practice pioneer in the 1990’s, Cathy started, sustained and sold a successful Melbourne business. She understands the lurking fear of failure, the stress of being an under-skilled manager and never having enough time to do anything well. She gets the loneliness, the worry and the frustration of being chronically over worked and under recognised. Through her coaching programs, her clients gain skills and confidence to develop business plans, policies and procedure manuals, manage and lead people, develop innovate products, understand profit, market their services and install strong processes. They get their management mojo kicked into gear.
I hope I have fired you up to start blogging and sharing your wisdom with current and future clients. Your ideas and experience will help solve your readers’ problems and build positive memories about you and your business. An almighty thanks, as always to Emma my VA who pulls the e-mag team of guest writers, copy editors and graphic designers together. Welcome to Cat, our assistant VA; who is steady at the helm of our social media marketing. Paeds Biz October will have a people focus. How to work with practice managers, admin staff, PA’s and VA’s. I am learning about password managers and online security and will share this too. Legal Vision will be back to join us along with other gems.
More about my clinical supervision, parent coaching, teaching and private practicing coaching services on my (soon to be facelifted) website: www.nacre.com.au
I have travel plans for October. I have been invited to join SHE Enterprises as a business coach for Khmer women. Exciting! More on that next time. Enjoy spring and the sunshine, and good luck with the pending hay-fever. FOLLOW NACRE CONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Do you want to be left feeling energised and significantly more confident in your ability to assertively manage your business?
If you are curious about my specialist private practice coaching services you are most welcome to get in touch, find out more and experience a 30 minute complimentary session: cathy@nacre.com.au
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As many of you know I am the founding director of Nacre Consulting. A cool business with an unusual name. Nacre is the natural process of a little seed, held in an oyster shell whist it grows, layer by layer, into a brilliant unique pearl. This process takes time, special conditions and forces of nature. And so it is true for ourselves and for the children and families we serve.
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