Do's & Don'ts - Social Media & Strategic Marketing Tips to Consider

How you digitally market your private practice services is your company's own fingerprint in the digital world. It has become increasingly important to develop a strategic marketing plan via the digital world and we are here to give you our best tips!

Strategic Marketing Do's & Don'ts with Naomi

Do's

Build a Brand Kit

This includes a mood board, color palette , font combinations, and alternative logos. Having a Brand Kit allows for you to be recognizable (think of Reece's Orange or Coca-Cola font).

Pick 2-3 avenues to to master

I recommend a blog (Live Lyte Counseling does this well) and a Strong Instagram Presence (Dr. Vassilia from Juno Counseling does this well). Courses, e-books, YouTube Channels, and TikTok are all additional ideas to consider.

Have 1 clear message (and make it make sense!)

If you are a therapist that specializes in anxiety this could mean you provide branded stress balls at events, have calming tips across your social media, hand out tea with your business cards, and have a neutral color palette. All details make it clear that you are a therapist that specializes in anxiety. What would not make sense is if you posted very loud and fast TikToks.

Show up for your business consistently the same way you show up for your clients consistently

A potential client could be deciding between you and someone else and end up choosing your alternative just because they haven't seen you in any of your avenues of mastery for 2-3 weeks.

Provide value to the marketplace

Everyone has a problem that they want to be solved. Providing value in your marketing strategy (email campaign, course, social media) will help you build a memorable brand.

Don'ts

Don't purchase programs you aren't familiar with

Adobe Illustrator is great for design but if you do not know where to start, it can be a waste of money and time. I recommend Canva Pro for those with no background in design. It has templates and user friendly features that do not require a design background (there is also a free version if you cannot purchase Pro).

Don't rush past the Brand Kit process

It is easier to establish a strong brand from scratch than it is to re-brand. Paying a professional now can save you from paying for new business cards, flyers, signs, and more later!

Don't engage in online banter

Digital footprints last FOREVER. Any comment or response to a review can be more detrimental then the actual topic or review.

Don't copy another brand

When copying another brand, you'll always be one step behind! If you like what another practice is doing, take inspiration and customize before implementing.

Don't forget to be grateful!

Do you see someone who is consistently engaging in your emails and/ or social media platforms? Express your gratitude by sending a personal message thanking them for their support.

Social Media Do's & Don'ts with Madison

Do’s

Create a Social Media Policy

Counselors and counseling-related organizations must develop a social media policy. Information about this policy must be included in informed consent documents for clients and should be posted on professional social media pages and websites (A.2.b.).

Cover Risks & Benefits

Social media policies should cover the risks, especially to confidentiality, and the benefits of interacting with counselors on social media, as well as the expectations clients should have when interacting with a counselor’s professional social media account (H.6.b.)

Become familiar with—and follow—all of the social media guidelines listed in the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics.

Batch your social content in advance

By setting aside time to batch your social media content it will save you time and a headache in the long run. I recommend batching content two weeks out and using a scheduling tool like Later or Hootsuite to schedule out your content in advance to get away from manually posting.

Create content pillars

Content pillars are guidelines you can use to help you keep your content on brand and keep your audience engaged. I recommend creating 9 different content pillars to base your content around. If you need help coming up with your 9- pillars click here to download a worksheet. Use code FMHCASM to download for free!

Don'ts

Don’t check out a client’s social media profile without permission.

Even if it is public (H.6.c.). Keep in mind that personal virtual relationships with current clients are prohibited (A.5.e.)

Don’t Buy Followers or Likes

These are called ‘Vanity Metrics’. They don’t establish real meaningful relationships with your target audience and will do more harm if you buy them. Instagram can tell when an account gets an influx of followers and will flag your account for spam if you receive a large number of followers in a short time period.

Don’t just post to post

It is important to be sharing valuable content that is educational, entertaining and authentic. This will incentivise your audience to engage with your content (like, comment, save, or share).

Don’t share personal information

While it is okay to share your experiences and it is encouraged to be authentic on social media, you don’t want to post anything that you wouldn’t want a client to see.

Don’t copy and paste captions

I know it is tough to come up with new captions for each post, but your account will get flagged if you copy and paste the same caption and hashtags to multiple posts in a row. Always switch up your hashtags for each post and be creative with your captions!

Not comfortable with social media? I am launching a course that will take you through the basics and touch on some more advanced information. Click Here to sign up for the waitlist and be the first to know when the course goes live!

Written By: Naomi Rodriguez & Madison Borgel

Naomi graduated from Johnson & Wales University with her bachelor's degree in Marketing. She specializes in brand strategy, development, design, and forecasting for non for profit organizations. She is in charge of email communications, InSession Magazine, digital asset designs, monthly t-shirt designs, and member relations in The FMHCA Office.

Madison graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in communications and a minor in graphic design/photography. Madison is currently pursuing a master’s in strategic communications with a concentration in digital strategies and analytics from American University. She is the CEO of Timeless Social Club and the Social Media Coordinator for FMHCA.