Episode Summary: How to Grow Your Practice with LinkedIn

Podcast: Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode: 127
Date: March 17, 2019
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Lisa Wozniak

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into leveraging LinkedIn as a powerful tool for therapists and private practice owners looking to build connections, generate referrals, and market their practice. The hosts, Kate and Katie, are joined by Lisa Wozniak, a marketing strategist who specializes in helping mental health professionals grow their practices. Lisa dispels common misconceptions about LinkedIn and lays out practical, actionable strategies tailored specifically for therapy professionals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LinkedIn’s Unique Value for Therapists

• LinkedIn isn’t just an online resume
  Lisa challenges the belief that LinkedIn is merely a resume warehouse or a platform for HR professionals. She emphasizes its usefulness for marketing, networking, and referral generation, directly benefiting therapy practices (05:32).

  “LinkedIn, I think, is one of the biggest, biggest misconceptions in social media … it’s a fun, fantastic tool for marketing your practice, looking for referrals, looking for new clients.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [05:32]

• Advanced Free Search Capabilities
  LinkedIn’s advanced search allows pinpoint targeting by job title, location, education, and more—without paying for ads, unlike Facebook (06:50).

  “You can go after your exact demographic with pinpoint accuracy in LinkedIn … for free.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [06:55]

2. Understanding LinkedIn Connections

• Degrees of Connection
  Lisa breaks down the differences between first, second, and third-degree connections, recommending focusing on second and third degrees for outreach and referral-building (08:45).

  “LinkedIn breaks down the people that you come into contact with by degrees ... when you're doing your searches for your core demographic, you're going to want to search and break down the search by either your second or your third degree connections.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [08:59]

3. Step-By-Step Strategy for LinkedIn Marketing

• Start with a Clear Specialty and Optimized Profile
  Lisa’s first “Ninja Tip” is to clarify your specialty and ensure your LinkedIn profile reflects it fully (11:40).

  “Be really clear on what your specialty is before you begin these conversations and make sure that your LinkedIn profile represents that.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [11:40]

• Organize and Track Your Outreach Tools like Excel or Google Sheets (or a CRM) are crucial for tracking contacts and conversations, avoiding overwhelm, and maintaining consistency (12:50).

  “It's really helpful to have some kind of a CRM or spreadsheet in place ... I color code it and keep track of the last date I talked to them, what I talked to them about, information I've shared …”
  —Lisa Wozniak [13:14]

• Budget-Friendly Strategy All of this can be done in about 30 minutes a day, making it manageable for busy clinicians (14:45).

• Twofold Approach: Build Audience & Content

  • Build a follower base of your target demographic.
  • Create and share posts tailored specifically to them (16:05).

4. Content Best Practices on LinkedIn

• Call Out Your Demographic Tailor your posts to directly address your target audience; LinkedIn's algorithm rewards specificity, not general or viral content (18:56, 19:14).

  “LinkedIn draws a line in the sand. They're very specific about how they want to play … If you're going to play on LinkedIn, make sure that you're calling out those people.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [19:14]

• No Cat Videos Unlike Facebook, general entertainment or viral posts don't perform; focus on professional, educational, or value-driven content (20:40).

• Types of Content That Work Education, information, and demonstration through posts and LinkedIn’s blogging platform, Pulse, are most effective (23:00).

  “Anytime you have the opportunity to inform or educate on LinkedIn, that's going to work a lot better ... If you have the opportunity to educate through quick little snippets in a post ... that's gonna play really well.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [23:00]

5. The 80/20 Rule for Content

• Post valuable, educational, or demonstrative content 80% of the time; promote services only 20% (24:59).

  “We often refer to that as the 80/20 rule. You’re going to want to inform and educate 80% of the time and only sell 20% of the time.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [24:59]

6. Relationship-First Mindset in Marketing

• Don’t Go for the “Ask” Immediately Building trust is crucial before requesting referrals. Offer value first and nurture the relationship (26:29).

  “For the love of God, do not come out of the gate and ask for a referral. ... Take the time to get to know them, offer ways you can help and support them, and then, only when that relationship is built, is it OK to begin to ask for referrals.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [26:29]

• The Dating Analogy Don’t propose on the first date: marketing and relationship-building are gradual processes (27:03–27:20).

  "Don’t ask someone to marry you on the first marketing date."
  —Katie Lemieux [27:10]

• In-Person and Online Networking Synergy Relationships built on LinkedIn can naturally transition to in-person, local connections, amplifying marketing efforts (27:22).

7. Final Takeaways

• Build Trust First People buy from those they know, like, and trust. Establish relationships before making any ask (27:50).

  “Take the time and the energy that’s necessary to build a relationship where they know you, they like you, and they trust you, and you will have more business than you know what to do with.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [27:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can really hone in on exactly the types of people that you want to be having conversations with.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [10:12]

• “Don’t spin your wheels and waste your time and your energy and your effort putting stuff out there that just isn’t going to translate in that particular platform.”
  —Lisa Wozniak [22:40]

• “It’s a constant reflection of exactly what we talk about ... There’s a very specific formula for the foundation of marketing. Knowing your ideal client and stating that in your content is essential.”
  —Katie Lemieux [17:39]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:32 – Why LinkedIn is misunderstood and its marketing value
• 06:55 – Free, advanced search for precise targeting
• 08:45–09:26 – Understanding first, second, third-degree connections
• 11:40 – Optimize your profile for your specialty (“Ninja Tip”)
• 13:14 – How to organize and track outreach
• 16:05 – Twofold approach: building your audience and content creation
• 18:56 – Importance of calling out your exact demographic in posts
• 19:14 – How LinkedIn’s algorithm works (no cat videos!)
• 23:00 – Best content types for LinkedIn (“inform or educate”)
• 24:59 – The 80/20 rule for content
• 26:29 – Relationship-building before asking for referrals
• 27:10 – The dating analogy: don’t move too quickly in networking
• 27:50 – Final takeaway: relationship first, business follows

Additional Resources Mentioned

• Free eBook from Lisa Wozniak:
  “How to Build Your List the Easy Way” – guide to email marketing basics for practices.
  [Available at wozmarketing.com] (Lisa Wozniak) [28:34]

• Previous Episode:
  Listen to Lisa’s earlier appearance on Episode 34: “Three Tips for Successful Social Media Marketing.”

Action Steps for Listeners

• Clarify your specialty and make your LinkedIn profile reflect it.
• Use LinkedIn’s advanced (free) search tools for strategic networking.
• Track your outreach in a structured way (spreadsheet/CRM).
• Create posts directly targeting your chosen demographic; skip generic/viral content.
• Build relationships before asking for referrals—think long-term trust, not immediate gain.
• Apply the “80% educate, 20% promote” rule in your content.

For more resources, visit theprivatepracticestartup.com.