How To Build Your Practice

Through Social Media

Welcome Mental Health Counselors of

Central Florida

Becky’s Garden Therapy Website

“With Social Media, it’s like the starter’s pistol went off and everyone started running, and not a lot of us stayed behind to question: “Why am I in this race to begin with? Who is gong to run it and why?” The important aspect of Social Media is the ability to define your desired outcomes before you even design a program.”

Brian Solis, Sociologist and Published Author

Social Media FactsDuring the average 20-minute period in 2010,

there were 1,587,000 wall posts, 2,716,000 photos uploaded and 10,208,000 comments posted. (AllFacebook.com)

Social networking site usage grew 88% among Internet users aged 55-64 between April 2009 and May 2010 (Pew Research)

The change in Social Media use among Baby Boomers 55-64 rose from 9% in 2008 to 43% in 2010 (Marketingcharts.com via David Erickson)

College-aged kids (18-24) made up the fastest growing segment of users on Facebook in 2010 (AllFacebook.com)

It’s All About The Conversation

Social Media isn’t a one-way marketing tool but a place where you can engage and participate in an exchange with the community to tell them about your practice.

Top Social Media Programs That

Will Relate To Your Practice:

Case StudyA counselor has a family practice. The counselor is

trying to reach moms to build his/her client base.

Let’s see what this counselor should do to use Social Media to reach moms.

Why Facebook? Over 600 million people on Facebook by

the end of 2010Facebook is FREEUse Facebook to share blog, posts, and

practice updates with other Facebook usersCreate an extension of your web site to

share what makes your practice unique

Why Facebook Fan Pages?

• Get your business to show up high in search engine positions as Facebook is a very popular website

• Get unlimited “fans” for your Facebook Page (Personal Facebook Profile is limited to 5,000 friends)

• Visible to all visitors because Facebook users do not need to request to be a friend to view a Facebook Fan Page

• All content posted on your Facebook page gets indexed on Google

Tech-Savvy Moms Increase Social Media Use by 462% and Favor Facebook Most

44% use Social Media for word-of-mouth recommendations on brands and products (BabyCenter LLC)

73% feel they find trustworthy information about products and services through niche online communities like parenting groups, coupons for groceries, etc. (BabyCenter LLC)

75% are Facebook fans of at least one company or brand (Social Media Examiner)

Their favorite pages focus on parenting info, and pages focused on coupons, restaurants, groceries and entertainment (kid-oriented entertainment being the most popular). (Social Media Examiner)

 

What is Linkedin?

Linkedin is the world’s largest professional network with over 80 million members and growing rapidly

Linkedin connects you to your business contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals

A new member joins Linkedin approximately every 10 seconds

Probably the biggest difference between Facebook and LinkedIn is the focus on introductions.

When You Join LinkedinYou create a profile that summarizes your

professional expertise and accomplishments

You can then form enduring connections by inviting business contacts to join Linkedin and connect to you

Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts

Becky Nickol’s Linkedin Profile

While there are no specific statistics to show the usage of moms on Linkedin, we can conclude that if moms are working, then there’s a high probability they’re on Linkedin.

60% have high incomes and hold executive/consultant positions. 28% are executives with personal annual incomes averaging $104k, 30% are consultants earning $93k on average (BizReport.com)

66% are decision makers or are involved in the decision making process at companies (BizReport.com)

41.1% of Linkedin users are female with the highest percentage of Linkedin users falling between the ages of 25 – 54 which is the general child bearing age range for women (Linkedin Ad Platform)

Why You Should Blog152 million blogs in the internetEstablishes you as an expert Comment on content posted by other

therapistsCould land “guest” blog spot on another

websiteExpands your network Brings more business to your practice by

reaching more peopleDrives potential clients to your website

Mom Bloggers Stay Connected

Moms are most active in parenting-focused communities where she shares in-depth mom-to-mom advice, wisdom and support

Blogger moms live their life in public and some turn their passion for Social Media into a profession

Moms who blog will do extensive research before making recommendations on a broad range of topics like parenting tips, product reviews and giveaways

(The BabyCenter)

How do Moms Use Social Media?Moms are creators - moms are heavy developers of

blogs, writers of articles, as well as creators of content by creating videos

Moms are conversationalists - moms create conversation with their friends with their status posts, videos of their family, and leave comments on their friend’s pages

Moms as critics - moms are active on web sites by posting ratings and reviews of products and places like kid-friendly restaurants as well as commenting on blogs and articles

Moms as spectators - moms are also readers of content (blogs, online articles, watch videos and reviews) for research

A Little Whine and Cheese

How To Make Your Practice Stand Out In A Crowded

Marketplace

Focus on benefits of your expertise rather than your serviceExample: Getting a concert pianist to

overcome fear and back to the performing instead of just fixing an anxiety problem

How can you create a unique experience for your clients using Social Media?

Reasons Why Moms Would Choose Becky’s Garden Therapy Not just ‘fixing the problem’ Developed a unique and enjoyable

experience Not just therapy but creates many

‘teachable moments’Research shows that communing with

nature is grounding and nurturing which allows Becky to provide a unique therapeutic experience

Have a BIG Idea Share your passion for your profession Establish yourself as an expert

BIG IDEA for moms: Becky’s Garden Therapy

Becky was able to share her passion for gardening with helping children

Social Media Policies Develop a Social Media policy – whether you’re using

Social Media programs to promote your practice or not

Share it with clients and ensure that they understand your boundaries

Your primary concern is client confidentiality which could eliminate any mixed messages with your clients

Think about Informed Consent and your Code of ethics

Facebook Tips for CounselorsDo not engage in Facebook friendships with clients,

family members or friends of clients (former or current).

Adjust Facebook privacy settings to allow only “friends” to view your profile, status, photos, posts, etc. Even choosing the option “friends of friends” can leave counselors susceptible to ethical violations. Do consider making your profile unsearchable as a privacy setting.

Do not accept friendship requests from persons unknown to you, even if you share mutual friends.

Do not post your e-mail address, phone number, date of birth or physical address on your Facebook page.

• Do have honest communication with new clients about not engaging in online relationships with them via Facebook as part of an overall review of the therapeutic contract.

• Use great care in selecting photos of yourself for display on Facebook.

• Remember that photos of yourself from past years can cast suspicion on your otherwise stellar reputation.

• Use discretion when joining certain groups, fan clubs or specialty pages. This can open up your personal information to others who have also joined these pages.

• Avoid discussing confidential, work related matters on your Facebook page with friends, even in general terms.

Social Media Policy Example

If Social Media can drive and win revolutions, think what it

can do for your practice!

QUESTIONS?

Contact Penney Fox atBecome a fan at

www.facebook.com/FoxInteractiveFBwww.foxinteract.com