Episode 88: Three Ways to Use Emotion in Your Content - Why Therapists Make the Best Online Marketers

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode 88: Three Ways to Use Emotion in Your Content – Why Therapists Make the Best Online Marketers
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Marissa Lawton, Licensed Counselor
Date: June 2, 2018

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Overview

In this episode, hosts Kate and Katie sit down with Marissa Lawton, a licensed counselor, military spouse, and online marketing expert for therapists. The conversation centers on leveraging emotional intelligence in marketing content and explores why therapists, with their deep understanding of emotion, are naturally suited to authentic, persuasive online marketing. Marissa shares three actionable strategies for therapists to effectively use emotion in their content, create genuine connection, and ultimately attract more ideal clients online.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Marissa’s Journey to Online Practice

• Adaptability as a Military Spouse: Marissa shares her background, moving frequently due to her spouse’s military career ([06:03]–[07:57]). These frequent moves forced her to finish her masters online, and later to pivot from in-person to online business.
  • “If I had been in a brick and mortar school, there’d have been no way. So finally we stabilized somewhere for four years, which is an eternity in the military, and I was able to get all my hours.” – Marissa, [06:36]
• Combining Business & Clinical Skills: Utilizing her business degree and counseling background, Marissa developed a mobile online business, empowering other therapists to market themselves authentically online.

Why Therapists Make the Best Marketers

• Understanding & Harnessing Emotion:
  • “All marketing is taking your product and helping somebody have a reaction to it so that they want to purchase it... and who is a professional at emotion? A clinician, a therapist.” – Marissa, [09:50]
  • The therapists’ ability to join with and reflect their clients’ emotional experience translates directly to compelling, client-centered marketing.
• Imposter Syndrome & Vulnerability: Many therapists feel vulnerable or uncomfortable sharing personal stories or marketing themselves, but Marissa reframes this as a transferable therapeutic skill ([09:50]–[11:15]).

Drawing Out Genuine Content

• Exploring Unique Selling Proposition (USP):
  • Through in-depth intake and questionnaires, Marissa helps clinicians clarify what sets them apart.
  • “I’ve had clients say, ‘Wow, I learned more about myself and my values doing this call with you than I thought I was going to do about my website.’” – Marissa, [12:12]
• From Clinical Notes to Content:
  • Therapists often overlook that their session notes and repeated interventions can inspire relevant blog topics ([13:53]).

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The Three Ways to Use Emotion in Your Content

1. Before and After Storytelling in Blog Posts

[14:39]

• Technique:
  • Paint a vivid “before” picture that agitate’s the client’s pain point.
  • Transition to an “after” scenario that’s hopeful and relatable.
  • Close with a gentle call to action: “If you’re looking for this help, schedule a session with me.”
• Copywriting Framework: Agitate & Assuage
  • “Right now you’re feeling depressed... If you don’t get help with this, you’ll continue to feel this way. But once you do seek help, here’s what life can look like... So you take them through that before and after.” – Marissa, [14:42]
• Relevant Resource: The structure aligns with Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework ([16:36]).

2. Service Page Narratives Based on Breaking Points

[17:53]

• Opening with a Hypothetical Story: Begin each service page with a specific, emotionally resonant scenario that mirrors the client’s real-life pivotal moment (e.g., “You found yourself so anxious you threw up before a presentation”).
  • “Mirror what the client has told you... use that as a narrative on your sales page.” – Marissa, [18:36]
• Avoiding Jargon: Lead with story to emotionally connect; follow up with necessary technical terms later to establish expertise ([21:18]).
  • “If you jump right in there with jargon and clinical speak, they’re going to, they’re gonna not even know what the heck you’re talking about.” – Marissa, [21:52]
• SEO and User Experience:
  • Write long-form content (approaching 2000 words) for each specific service (e.g., anxiety, depression, life transitions) rather than lumping them together ([17:53], [22:31]).

3. Emotionally-Driven Calls to Action (CTA)

[24:34]

• Structure:
  • Three short sentences that agitate the pain, assuage hope, and establish you as the solution, followed by a direct action (e.g., “Click here to schedule”).
  • “You may be feeling really depressed right now, but it’s entirely possible for you to overcome this depression when you seek counseling at XYZ Therapy. Click to schedule.” – Marissa, [25:19]
• Therapist/Client Parallel: The structure mirrors therapeutic work: “realize where they’re at, realize where they’re going, you’re just a guide and a tool to help them do that.” ([26:03])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Marketing... all it is, is relationship building.” – Kate, [13:05]
• “Clients are honestly actually telling us what we should be putting in our marketing.” – Katie, [13:20]
• “Your clinical skills are helping them realize where they’re at, realize where they’re going. And you’re just a guide and a tool to help them do that. It’s the same thing you do in marketing.” – Marissa, [26:03]
• “Lead with that story first. Because if you jump right in there with jargon and clinical speak, they're going to... not even know what the heck you’re talking about.” – Marissa, [21:52]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [06:03] Marissa’s background and journey to online business
• [09:50] Translating therapy skills to marketing; emotional connection
• [11:29] Drawing out a unique value proposition and discovering your “why”
• [13:05] Tips for using therapy notes as inspiration for content
• [14:39] Step 1: Using before and after emotional storytelling in blog posts
• [17:53] Step 2: Using narrative, breaking points, and specificity on service pages
• [21:18] How story helps avoid jargon and connect
• [22:31] Importance of individual service pages
• [24:34] Step 3: Building effective, emotion-driven calls to action
• [26:03] Parallels between therapy and marketing skills
• [27:52] Final takeaway: Know thyself, know your client, and combine for authentic marketing

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Final Takeaways

• Therapists’ Superpower: The very skills therapists use in the therapy room—empathy, validation, and narrative reframing—are potent for connecting with prospective clients through marketing.
• Story First, Jargon Later: Lead with vivid, relatable stories and emotional touchstones; provide technical information and credentials as reinforcement.
• Focus and Simplicity: Address one emotional pain point at a time. Give clear, succinct next steps for the client—both in content and in calls to action.

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Resources & Further Learning

• Free Gift: Marissa offers “The Five Most Important Blog Posts You Need to Have on Your Therapy Site” (link available in show notes). ([28:14])
• StoryBrand by Donald Miller: Highly recommended for understanding narrative-based marketing structures ([16:36], [17:01]).

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Closing Thoughts

Marissa, Kate, and Katie highlight the unique position therapists hold as authentic, emotionally intelligent marketers. By embracing their skills and using them strategically in content, therapists can reach and resonate deeply with their ideal client, bridging the gap between expertise and visibility.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Private Practice Startup, where we inspire you from startup to mastery. We chat with entrepreneurs, experts in the mental health and business arenas, and successful private practitioners to give you the tools needed to make your dream practice a reality. Visit theprivatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, and so much more. Here are your hosts, Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux.

[B]

Hey, hey, Startup Nation. Welcome back to another episode of the Private Practice Startup podcast. I am one of your hosts, Katie Lemieux.

[A]

What's up, guys? It's Kate Campbell.

[B]

So we are at the tail end of our day and I'm, like, trying to pull in some energy for this last podcast. So we wanted to say welcome to the Startup Nation family. If you are a brand new listener, we are rolling out our red carpet, but really we're more like huggers.

[A]

So we're extending our arms and giving.

[B]

You a great big virtual hug. Virtual hug. Virtual high five, whatever. Also, we have a G for you. We want you to head over to privatepracticestartup.com you'll see our smiling faces and there you can download a copy of our A to Z cheat sheet essentials for building and growing your dream practice. And of course, if you are a loyal family member and you're always listening to us, we greatly appreciate your listenership. We love you and so glad that you're part of the Startup Nation family. So today we're going to be speaking to Marissa Lawton, who is a licensed counselor and currently she lives in Texas. And I say that because she's. Her spouse is a military man, so they do move places. And you'll get to know her in a little bit. And she's going to be talking about the three ways to use emotion in your content, why therapists make the best online marketers. So we're really excited about this topic today. As we know it's a much needed topic. Last week we got to hang out with Samantha Drazen, who's actually local, so she was actually in office, which is always a really cool thing. And Samantha developed this really cool. Well, it's not a new concept. It's a concept. But she then took it and brought it into the private practice world called CO space. So it's KH space, and it's a unique approach to starting and building a private practice. And that really came out of what she saw. The gap was especially for new clinicians or registered interns wanting to build a practice and not wanting to purchase a large space and have large overhead. So it's kind of like a co op for therapists. So you'll hear us talk about that and the story behind that.

[A]

Today's episode is sponsored by the Private Practice Startup Attorney approved Private practice paperwork. Knowing you need legal, ethical and competent paperwork is extremely overwhelming, time consuming, and let's face it, expensive. We're clinicians, not lawyers. Right. So Kate and Katie from the Private Practice startup put over 100 hours of work and combined through the laws and ethics and paid thousands of dollars in attorney fees so that you don't have to. And we want you guys to be able to do what you love best, making a difference in the world while saving time and money and avoiding legal risk. We don't want you guys to have legal issues in your practice. So make sure to head over to the Private Practice Startups website. There you can grab a free copy of our attorney approved HIPAA form and you can also check out our a la carte paperwork options as well as our packages. So make sure to take advantage of that free HIPAA form, which is valued at $29, actually, and it's a great way to just experience the paperwork.

[B]

And actually, as you decide to get the free HIPAA form, there's also a little button there that you could get.

[C]

The release for $5.

[B]

So I think you're getting $50 worth.

[C]

Of paperwork for just five bucks.

[A]

That's a good point.

[B]

Great opportunity to check it all out. So without further ad. Hi to Marissa. Hi, Marissa.

[C]

Hey, everyone.

[A]

Hey, Marissa. It's great to have you here.

[C]

I'm so excited to be here. This is just a blast.

[B]

So for those of you actually watching on video on YouTube, you're gonna see Marissa. She's like, she's hiding out, what you said in your kid's bedroom. A guest bedroom. Where are you hiding out?

[C]

The guest room. And what is so funny is most of my clients came to me from a really big visibility event I did called the Holiday Happy hour, where for 30 days I was in full hair and makeup. And then once they hire me and we jump on like a zoom call to do branding or to do their website content, I'm usually in this room and I usually have no makeup on and my hair up. And I've had a couple people, when I pop on, they're like, oh. Like they're not expecting it because they have this image of me. And so I thought this was really funny that this is how I appeared on the podcast.

[A]

And it's one of the great reasons of having an online business is that you can do it anywhere, anytime. And when the kids are sleeping in the other room. There you. There you go. You can schedule your appointments and everything like that. You could do it with a fox in a box. With a fox.

[B]

With eating. Eating locks, whatever. That's so funny. I think this is last podcast of the day recording, so I might get a little loopy, but that's better for entertainment.

[A]

And I was just going to say, for those of you who are listening, you're not going to actually hear the three rounds of podcast sponsorships that I just went through. Oh, that's great, because I kept getting tongue tied. But for those of you who are actually watching our YouTube channel, it is unfiltered, unedited. It's completely raw and real, and all the mistakes are in there. So I just, like, totally batched the podcast sponsorship, like, three times because it's the last podcast of the day, and it's okay. We love you, Marissa. And we're gonna get through this and we're gonna. It's gonna be great value just as much as all the other podcasts. But we just get kind of funny after we've been talking for, like, hours and hours and hours. Right.

[C]

Yeah, I understand batching content. I actually do video blogs, and so that's what I do. I record. I try and do it over a Saturday and a Sunday, and I do like six each day because if I tried to do 12 in a whole day, it would be. I would be, like, a mess. So. I totally understand.

[A]

I know. We should. Yeah. We keep talking about how we're gonna have a bloopers reel and just put all of this stuff together, and it's totally on the list as soon as Jess comes back from her maternity leave. We've been missing big time.

[B]

True, true.

[A]

Yeah. So let's dive into today's topic. 3 Ways to Use emotion in your content. Why therapists make the best online marketers. So tell us a little bit about what inspired you to get into this line of work.

[C]

Yeah, so we were chatting about this a little bit before I got started, but because I'm a military spouse and my audience is probably so hiccup sick of hearing this story, but if you are a military spouse, you will get it and you'll understand. We moved here a year ago January, and we're already leaving in December, so we won't even be here a full 24 months. We'll be here 23 months. So luckily I was stationed somewhere, or my husband was stationed somewhere for four whole years, which let me finish My hours, because I did my master's online, because I moved four times during my master's. So if I had been in a brick and mortar school, there'd been no way. So finally we stabilized somewhere for four years, which is an eternity in the military, and I was able to get all my hours and everything. And then when we moved here, I was pregnant and it was about getting reciprocity verse having my family adjust to a new baby and a new town at the same time. So I chose to stay home for a little bit. And I'm not a pure stay at home mom. I need the mental stimulation and I need to feel like something is mine and then I have ownership of something. So I took my business school undergrad background and my clinical background, and I combined it into what we see here today.

[B]

Awesome. And then it's completely mobile and you could do it from anywhere. And you don't have to worry about any licensing boards.

[C]

Yes. Yeah. Eventually I miss therapy, like every day, I miss it. So I will have a practice. I say that like I will have a practice. When we finally get somewhere. We have eight years left. Well, actually seven now. Come July, it'll be seven. That sounds like a long time to civilians, but for us, it's actually really, really short. It means maybe one or two more moves, hopefully. So after that seven years is when I will get back to the actual therapy.

[B]

Gotcha. Awesome. But in the meantime, this is what you're doing, and.

[C]

And I love it.

[A]

Good, good.

[B]

So share with us something that you've had to overcome to be in business where you are today.

[C]

Yeah, I would definitely say the moving. And then also, like, not only just the moving, but more military speak. But when we first moved here, my husband's unit that he took over was actually deployed. So he came on with what is called a rear detachment. And so we had a lot of time on our hands. So I built my schedule based on him being home for breakfast, him being home for lunch, him getting home at 3 o' clock in the afternoons. Now, come January, the unit is home from Afghanistan. And so all of my business time has gone out the window. And it's working with kids home. And I have sitters that I have backup sitters, but even sometimes the backup sitter is busy or doesn't show or whatever. So I've had to tell clients, like, hey, the baby's with me today. And Most of them, 90% of them are like, no sweat. I've had a couple who are like, I think we should reschedule and I totally understand. And I do my best to make sure I get them a time that is kid free. But the moving and then the hours have been the biggest juggle.

[B]

Yeah, I can imagine that's got to be really difficult to get everything happening. But being online and being able to cross time zones and things like that, it gives definitely more flexibility rather than just like the old 9 to 5.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. And come summer, I have a full time, or not full time, but a solid place that both kids will be going at the same time, five days a week. So that should make a huge difference.

[A]

Yeah, that'll be a game changer. Yeah, for sure. So when you're working with clinicians in private practice and you're helping them with their content, tell us a little bit about your strategies with that and what that entails.

[C]

Yeah. So that's why I wanted to talk about emotion today. Because to me, and I fully believe that therapists have the potential to make the best marketers. And all of my clients, when I talk to them, they're like, I am. So I feel like an imposter or imposter syndrome or they're so vulnerable to put their stories out there to market. And all marketing is like, from what I learned in business school, all marketing is is taking your product and helping somebody have a reaction to it so that they want to purchase it. And for me, I like to say that that's an emotional reaction, of course, Inspire hope, make them laugh, you know, whatever that emotion is. And who is a professional at emotion? A clinician, A therapist. Right. So I always say, if you can take somebody from top level, like factual information stuff, they sit down on your couch and they say, this happened on Wednesday. If you can take them from the facts down to the process, the cognitions, the experiences, the emotions behind that, you can do that for a profession. You can market. You can absolutely market. So that's my whole approach is helping clinicians understand the emotion of their clients. Pain points. What is their client feeling? Why are they looking for a therapist? And what do they want to feel after they find that therapist?

[B]

Yeah. How do you help clinicians do that? Because we find a lot of times therapists tend to talk about therapy mumbo jumbo.

[C]

Right.

[B]

That no one understands. So what are some of the things or questions that you use to help clinicians draw that out?

[C]

Oh, that's a great question. So I have an intake in like a questionnaire that all my clients fill out in the beginning and we talk a lot. Another buzzword is unique selling proposition. And that's basically what makes you different than everybody else. So if you were on a street and all five, there were five businesses in a row and all five businesses were therapists, why would somebody pick you versus the other four? And so we explored that. Maybe it's your modality that makes you different. Maybe it's that you're solution focused and you're to the point and you know, you don't go, I don't know, you're not frou frou or something like that. Like, what is different about you? And we explore that. And a lot of times I've had clients say, wow, I learned more about myself and my values doing this call with you than I did, than I thought I was going to do about my website. Like, this wasn't just about writing my website. There's a reason I was blocked or there's a reason I couldn't get the words out. It's because I didn't know this. I didn't know what made me unique. So we explore that a lot.

[B]

That's cool. You're right. Marketing, especially when you're trying to understand your brand and your niche and really speak to them, it is very internal to external and vice versa. It's very reciprocal and very interesting. This is one of the areas that Kate and I actually love. We are doing a group coaching starting next week and then we're going to make it into an E course and really helping clinicians. And you're right. And I love that you say clinicians can be the best online marketers is because our skills are totally transferable and a lot of us just don't realize that. So.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Even the ability to speak your client's language, you know, with the pain points like that micro skill and the joining and empathically connecting with people, I mean all of those, that all is embedded in marketing and we really see it as relationship building.

[B]

Right. And we reflect and summarize all the time. And our clients are honestly actually telling us what we should be putting in our market. It's like if we could just cue into like, oh, that's interesting. Okay, I should. It's funny, I have a pad underneath, like my table when I'm in session. And sometimes I'll have an idea, whatever, and so I'll like gingerly reach over and I'm, you know, maintaining eye contact as I'm writing, like an idea. I should blog on that or oh crap, I forgot to do this. And then I slide it back under.

[C]

Mm.

[B]

With doing my nonverbal encourages that is hilarious.

[C]

That's hilarious because that's one of the biggest things I say. Like one, one of the questions I get a lot like, what do I even blog about? How do I start? What would I even know what to do? I said, go to your notes. Yeah. Your clinical notes and your documentation. And what did you do that week? Or also did you find yourselves that you use the same three intervention or the same intervention three times this week? Well, that's probably because you're strong there or your ideal client, your niche or your niche. They resonate with that. So write about it like you have all the fodder you need right there in your documentation.

[A]

Yeah, 100%. So we have three tips that you're going to share with us today or three ways to use emotion and content. Let's dive right into those. What's tip number one?

[C]

Yeah, so a really, really great way to do this is we just mentioned blog posts. I always have a before and after section in my blog post. I just got done running the five Days to an Ideal Client Converting Blog post challenge. And by the time this goes live in May, there'll probably be another round of that opening soon. But I talk about the elements that you need in a blog post, and I always include a before and after. And you want to paint the picture of the before or what the client is currently feeling now. And there's a copywriting technique. It's agitate and assuage. So you are going to agitate, you're going to poke the bear a little bit and you're going to kind of harp on their problem. You're going to say, right now you're feeling depressed, right now you're feeling anxious, right now you're feeling whatever. If you don't get help with this, you're going to continue to feel this way. Or maybe your relationships will suffer more. Or maybe, you know, you will end in divorce if you're talking to couples counseling, whatever that before picture. And then the assuage part is the next section is. But once you do seek help, here's what life can look like. You and your partner can have a stronger marriage. You can go to that party without feeling social anxiety. You can, you know, get out of bed in the morning and not feel instantly depressed, like you want to crawl back under the covers. So you take them through that before and after. And then the next section is, well, then you educate them a little bit. Then the last section is, if you're looking for this help, schedule a session with me. So you've Shown them the journey that they can take and then you come in as the solution to that journey, the bridge of the gap, if that makes sense. So that's a really, really great way in just your blog posts to use that emotion, use that journey and let them know that it's possible for healing and you are the person that takes them through that healing.

[A]

And in that way, it reminds me a lot of the story brand. The story brand, which is built on the hero's journey, I think is the story right from Donald Miller's story brand. So he talks about how the clients need to be the hero in their own story. And you're positioning yourself as the guide, the clinician is positioning themselves as the guide to help the client become their own hero of their own story.

[C]

Yeah, and I still haven't even read that book. It's on my list.

[A]

Definitely read it. It's really good.

[C]

Yeah, it's blowing up right now. So I need to be on it because clients are asking me about it and I'm like, you know what, I haven't read it. So I do. I need to get on that.

[B]

We actually did his E course and his part about like website copy and stuff like that and the structure of it really inspired us for our group coaching.

[A]

But we really loved, you know, his work.

[C]

He.

[B]

He's a relatable guy and yeah, it's good stuff. So tell us a little bit about. I know your next point is about service pages and narratives on that. And then you're talking about sharing your personal story, self disclosure, share with us or Startup Nation. Kind of like the structure of the narratives on the, on the services page. What should that look like? I tend to like ask like 20 questions at once. So let me slow down and we'll just stay with that one.

[C]

Yeah, I'm tracking, so throw them at me. So a lot of people on the server, there's a service page should be quite lengthy. First of all, a service page should approach 2000 words. And the reason for that is SEO, Google and other search engines reward very long form content. So at least a thousand closer to 2000 words. There's several sections that you want to have on a service page. You want to have who this service is for, who this service is not for, what the process is, maybe what modality you're using, what you know, what clients should expect. But I always, in the beginning of every service page I write and this is something that the clients and I explore on that same call that I mentioned is what was the client's Breaking point. What finally made them come to sit down with you? Did they, you know, did they get divorce papers? Did they, you know, what happened in their life? Maybe they went to go give a presentation at work and they threw up in the bathroom because they were so anxious. You know, what's going on on in their life. Take that same breaking point that they are telling you in session. Mirror it back to them, a clinical skill we all know how to do, and use that as a narrative on your sales page. So, you know, I always start with a you statement. You're looking for less anxiety in your life. The other day you found yourself at work, you know, so anxious you threw up before a presentation. And here you are, you're ready to seek therapy because you're feeling. You're feeling lost, you're feeling confused, you're feeling overwhelmed, you're feeling whatever. And then. But here's what it can look like. It's almost that same bridge, that same story, but use a narrative and mirror what the client has told you or, you know, make up a story. We're not going. We're not using identifying information here. We're not violating anything ethical. This is a hypothetical narrative, but it's something that will resonate with that client, and they'll be like, you know what? That happened to me the other day when I was at church, or that happened to me the other day when I was at the grocery store. You know, something that's gonna spark recognition for them so that they know that that service, that your DBT approach to whatever or your CBT approach to whatever, that's actually gonna resonate with them. Yeah.

[B]

One of the things that you hit on, too, is really talking in stories. People relate to stories. It was interesting. Kate and I do a supervision course here in Florida, and we've done it with the Hanley, I think, three times. And we must have shared that with them. And interestingly enough, Kinsley, who is our friend and colleague, she must have been listening that day. And this last time she went to present on Hanley, she shared the story about Hanley. And I was like, wow. I said, I haven't heard you present like that. I go, but now I'm, like, always going to remember that story. And she turned around and she goes, I heard it by listening to you guys, but it made so much more of an impact because people can actually see themselves, right? So they can see themselves throwing up in the bathroom from anxiety and running out of the workshop or avoiding the workshop. And, like, what you're talking about is that emotion. Because, you know, all of us have the vax. Right. So we have visual, auditory and kinesthetic. And so they place themselves right in that moment and can totally relate. And then that sinks in to this emotional, emotional anchor in our body. And it's kind of like, yes, I know. And then they want to reach out to you more. So I love that, like, idea of the story.

[C]

Yeah. And you make a really great point. You mentioned this a little earlier too. Is using the story allows us to get away from the jargon. Like there's places for jargon on your website. Like when you say the process or what, the modality, you can use some jargony terms because that helps establish you as an expert. Clients or readers of your content are going to say, okay, well she's using this word. That must be a fancy word. I get it. But you need to grab them with the story first. Because if you jump right in there with jargon and clinical speak, they're going to, they're gonna not even know what the heck you're talking about.

[B]

They're gonna numb out and they're gonna be like, what?

[A]

It's a big disconnect rather than connect.

[C]

Yeah. So that's why I always lead with that in every page that I write. So they have the emotional reaction, then they're ready to read more about the details. They're more invested in you and they're ready to get to the nitty gritty and say, okay, when's your availability? What will I do? What does week one look like? What does week two through five look like? They're ready to look at that. When they've already made an emotional commitment to reading the. The page.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. Anything else about service pages that you know are really important that you see what is.

[C]

What I always advocate for is breaking each service into a different page.

[B]

100%.

[C]

Yes. So if you, if you see a, niche, women, whatever, whatever, and you treat them for anxiety, you treat them for depression, you treat them for empty nest or life transitions, make sure that there's a page on each of those. A, Google's gonna like you better, you're gonna have more long form content on your website. But B, it's that just the user experience is gonna be better. People are gonna know what applies to them, your website's gonna be easier to navigate. And then C, from the writing standpoint, you can get so much more specific and so much more clear with that story. Because if you're writing a story about empty nest and depression and anxiety, it would get all jumbled up. But if you pull them up, pull them out, have three separate stories, then that person's really gonna know. And then you can get like linking strategies and really creative with some more SEO with your internal links and stuff too. So there's lots of rewards to that. But I think for me, just from the reader, that the potential clients experience on your website is huge. So if you can make it the easiest and most aesthetically pleasing as possible, they're going to stay on your site longer and get to know you more and want to schedule with you more.

[B]

One of the things as we've really invested our time in learning about story brand stuff is Donna Muller talks about people are just surviving. And so that's really helped me understand how to simplify, cut the fat. And I probably have become a way better writer over time. And I noticed redundancies and things like that. But what you're saying is if you're trying to share too many thoughts at once. I remember when we first started marketing the private practice, we're like, and here's everything like, whoa, shouldn't be doing that. Like, it should be one thing, right? Like, this is the next thing. Or only take this step. So that's really important. Which I think kind of brings us to your third tip about calls to action.

[C]

Share with us a little bit about that. Right? So a call to action. A lot of people will just have like one sentence. Click here to schedule, which obviously. Or call this number to schedule whatever your method is. And that absolutely needs to be there. But I think a call to action should really be four sentences. Three sentences, and then a little space between. And then the fourth sentence, which is that actual call. But the first sentence should say something like it talks. It's that same agitate and assuage. Agitate, assuage. I'm the solution. Click to call. So you may be feeling really depressed right now, but it's entirely possible for you to overcome this depression when you seek counseling at XYZ Therapy. Click to schedule. So you see, even just that, it's three sentences. But it's that same arc that we've been talking about. Yeah, it's that same bridge that we've been talking about this whole time.

[B]

But yeah, and it summarizes like, exactly what. So maybe they read about the services page and all of a sudden it summarized, reminding them they might be deployed. I can help you. Here's how. And it's that simplicity, like, and this is the next step.

[A]

And that ties back into therapy skills as well. And solution, focus. You have the summary. What is it? The compliment bridge, task type thing where you kind of like summarize your feedback to them, you bridge that in some way, and then you give them your call to action, their homework for the week, what step do they need to take? Same kind of thing.

[C]

Yeah. And that's why, again, I always hit on this a million times, like therapists make the best marketers. Because just think back to what your clinical skills are. Your clinical skills are helping them realize where they're at, realize where they're going. And you're just a guide and a tool to help them do that. And it's the same thing you do in marketing.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. That's awesome. So what do you really want our audience to take away from your message today?

[C]

Oh, there's so much.

[B]

I know, I know, it's so funny. Like, we're just talking about simplifying. I guess we're just going to roll this right now.

[C]

I think that there's three parts and I know you guys know Jo Muirhead and I actually this kind of echoes a lot of what she talks about as well. But you have to know yourself, you have to know your client, and then you can, you know, build a practice or then you can market your practice. Right. So there's, there's the two pieces of know thyself and know who you're talking to. Some things that I take clients through in, you know, in my group program is we do, we work on the niche. You have to know who you're talking to. And then we do mission and message. That's lesson two or week two. You have what is your mission statement? So write it out like a business mission statement, like you're applying for a loan, and then turn that into, but what's the message of this? Why? What are my values that coincide with this mission statement? What is the message that I'm putting out into the world? What is the impact that I want to make? And when you combine that with who you want to serve, who you want to help, then you've really got some, some great material for marketing. And also, it's not only just online, but when somebody asks what you do, imagine if you can come from a place of your message and who you help, rather than, I'm a clinician, I'm a therapist, I'm a counselor.

[B]

You know, it isn't inspiring at all. It's like we're a dime a dozen.

[A]

It goes in one ear and out the other.

[C]

Yeah. Somebody is going to be so Much more apt to refer to you if they're inspired by the way you talk about your practice. So it works in person too. Even though I teach online marketing, all of this is applicable to networking and, you know, referral sources and everything too.

[B]

Yeah. Awesome. And I know you have a really cool giveaway called the five most important blog posts you need to have on your therapy site. So we're going to add a link to the show notes page so Startup Nation can grab a copy of that and start utilizing it. So, Marissa, we wanted to thank you for joining us today and bestowing your knowledge on Startup Nation. We obviously, we feel passionately about this and it's a place that clinicians really need to know because we call this the gap. Right. Because clinicians come into practice or they're in practice and they know that they need to market and usually they go to strategy. Right. I'll show you Facebook or maybe LinkedIn or what I. I'll do a website or I'll do networking, but they miss this hole in between. And it's so important because is going to determine number one. It also helps you understand where to market where your ideal client is, but then exactly what to say. So it's so needed. We really appreciate you guys, your time, Startup Nation. We appreciate you hanging out with us today. And we wanted to say don't forget next week. And next week we have a reverse.

[A]

Interview with Joe Sanuck. When Joe actually interviewed us on his podcast, the Practice of the Practice, where we talked about why S and M is essential for your business. Did you catch that, guys?

[B]

Why S and M essential for your business? I guess you'll have to listen to figure out what the S and M is. Maybe we're talking about some dirty things and maybe we're not. Guess you'll have to listen. So we're actually not going to tell you what it's about.

[A]

Yeah, you got to stay tuned for next week.

[B]

So, Startup Nation, thanks for hanging out with us again today. We really appreciate you and your listenership as always. We'd love to know, you know, what you're thinking. How did this podcast inspire you? What changes have you made in your practice to allow you to get inches of steps, feet, miles closer to really building the dream practice that you're out there creating?

[A]

So, yeah, that's it. We'll wrap up today's show and our hashtag podcast Friday. We hope you guys have a great, inspired rest of your week and we will see you next time.

[B]

And thanks for letting us inspire you.

[C]

From startups of mastery.

[A]

Take care. Thanks for joining us on the Private Practice Startup. Visit the private practices startup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and so much more.

[C]

It.