Video Marketing For Therapists and Psychologists
As more and more platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and of Course, YouTube push for video content, video marketing for private practice therapists and psychologists is becoming the norm. If you are not strategically creating video content highlighting your expertise, treatment modalities, and how prospective clients can reach you, you are missing out on a huge opportunity!
Many therapists and psychologists have already begun growing their personal brands and generating new clients as well as additional income streams through video marketing. As someone who has been working with therapists and psychologists for the past 7 years, creating thousands of videos with professionals just like you, This article will not only show you the benefits of a video marketing strategy for therapists, but how easy and painless it can actually be!
Why Video is the Best Marketing for Therapists
I fully understand the knowledge gap there is with getting started creating a video marketing strategy for yourself. You may be shy about getting on camera or not know where to begin. By the end of this article, you are going to have a clear understanding of how and why video marketing can benefit you and your practice. As a therapist or psychologist, you have spent your entire career learning different types of therapy to help people. People are looking for this information every single day online. By taking the time to record helpful information you are providing hope and relief to people who are currently struggling! There are a few reasons why it’s a tremendous idea for therapists and psychologists to leverage video marketing, however I am going to focus on three.
1. Reduce Client Drop Ratio – This may sound shocking to you, but hear me out. When you create videos highlighting your expertise, how you specifically help people, and how they can benefit from your expertise, they are more likely to reach out for help. We have seen time and time again, that when therapists and psychologists like you put their expertise out there in video format, that people connect with your personality and communication style. This causes people to be MUCH more likely to reach out to you for long term support rather than someone just finding you on a listing site and not knowing much else about you.
2. YouTube is the Second Most Popular Search Engine – People are searching for information like “treatment for depression”, “How to improve the relationship with my spouse”, and “Overcome burnout stress” every single day! You have an opportunity to create videos around what you are an expert in and have people find you where they are looking for it!
3. There’s not a lot of competition – The best news is that there are not many therapists and psychologists fully leveraging video marketing, YET. There are a few that have done very well, but it is not a saturated market and you have an opportunity to shine, gain new clients, and develop an additional income stream.
What Video Topics Should a Therapist Create?
When I begin working with a new client, I like to take them through a thought experiment. You may have never done this, but it is incredibly valuable if you plan on creating a blog for your website or a YouTube channel. Quantify your expertise. What does that mean? It means I want you to completely map out everything that you are an expert in. Start broad and narrow it down. After completely outlining all of the things you are able to talk about, next you will cross reference that with keyword research. Keyword research means finding the exact phrasings that people are typing into YouTube and Google every month. Here are some questions you can use to outline a video marketing strategy for yourself. I suggest outlining them into a spreadsheet.
1. What do you help your clients overcome? (Depression, Anxiety, Couples Counseling, Stress, Personal Boundaries, LGBTQ stress, etc…)
2. What types of therapy do you offer? (EMDR, Jungian Therapy, Neurofeedback, Biofeedback, Play Therapy, Etc…)
3. What are the specific benefits of these types of therapy? (EMDR for PTSD, EMDR for Anxiety, neurofeedback therapy for depression, etc…)
Keyword Research Based on Your Content Plan
Now that you have everything that you are able to talk about outlined, to maximize your success, you will need to cross reference them and find the exact words that people are searching for that information. There are a few ways to do this, however I suggest Google Keyword Planner and Keywords Everywhere. While there are other free and paid tools out there, these are the two I personally use and recommend. As an example, login or signup for Google Adwords to access Google Keyword Planner. (Tools & Settings > Keyword Planner > Discover New Keywords).
Now, Begin typing in some of your step 3 benefits from earlier. As you can see in the picture, Google will show you the exact things people are searching for as well as the average monthly volume! As you create more and more videos around these topics, your views will stack and increase over time.
What Equipment You Need to Get Started
One of the biggest misconceptions for getting started on YouTube and creating videos is that you need to have the best equipment. This simply isn’t true. And while audio and a clear picture is important, your message and value that it brings to the viewer is what is the most important aspect. Depending on your budget, you can get started with simply using a recent smartphone that has a decent camera. Here are a few cost effective options that I recommend to increase your overall video quality for less than $100.
- LED Ring Light 10″ with Tripod Stand & Phone Holder
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/2SEq4Tq
- Tripod for your phone
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/2Wtdxn4
- Professional Clip on Lavalier Mic
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/35z9RnI
How to Create Videos on a Busy Schedule
Now that you have a clear understanding of what videos you should be creating, you have to actually record them! Trust me, I completely understand how busy you are and how packed your caseload is. What I recommend is to batch your content. What this means is to just take one day per month, and record 4 videos. This will allow you to release one consistently every week without the struggle of having to constantly record. Plan a single day, have the video topics that you are planning to record, and prepare ahead of time to create the best possible video you can, answering that topic’s question. Plan ahead of time and outline exactly what you need to do. This will make the process more efficient and painless.
Editing Your Videos for YouTube
Another time aspect that goes into creating videos is the editing process. However, if all that you have time to do is record your video and post it online, then I encourage you to do that. Don’t let any obstacles prevent you from just getting started. You can always improve and expand on your process as you go. Editing your videos can take a level of finesse that you can either learn to do on your own, or outsource to someone like us at Socialty Pro. You don’t need to go overboard with editing to have an effective video. For instance, cutting out the pauses, the “uhs and ums”, and changing the camera angle or zooming in and out every ~10-15 seconds will keep viewers engaged. Incorporating text on screen, images, subtle background music, or B-roll can also help tell the story and communicate the information you would like in your video. Here is an example of a video we have done with one of our clients for reference. Pay attention to the edits, how he communicates, etc…
Need Help Marketing Your Private Practice or Personal Brand?
If you are ready to grow your personal brand or private practice and share your expert knowledge with the world, reach out to us at Socialty Pro today. We have a long track record of working in the field of mental health and behavioral health marketing. We’ve helped take the painful aspect of social media, website design, and video marketing off of our clients hands, so that they can do what they love and not have to worry about keeping up the online presence on their own. Our co-founder, Dr. Ehsan Gharadjedaghi is a clinical psychologist with a thriving private practice and is here to help guide you to taking your own company to the next level. Contact us today for more information and socialize your specialty!
