Antidote for Overwhelmed Ineffective Marketing: The Editorial Calendar

Private practice owners are notorious for doing ALL the things, which results in overwhelmed ineffective marketing. The antidote? The editorial calendar! In this episode, I’ll take you step by step through the process and help you create a complete content calendar that will work all year long no matter what social media platform (that includes blogging and podcasting) you choose.

TCCBB Episode #18 Antidote for Overwhelmed Ineffective Marketing: The Editorial Calendar

How do I get more clients in private practice?

The easy answer? You market yourself. Marketing yourself using social media means deciding on some goals first. Once you have goals you can create amazing content that your ideal client will love. The two keys to consider are consistency, and confusion. You want to strive for the first; avoid the second.

When you post something your ideal client loves, they will want more. That’s great, but it is also a lot of pressure. You’ll notice that being consistent with amazing content can lead to overwhelm. This is especially true while you are waiting for the needle to move toward your goal of getting more clients in the door.

This is a great time to stop and analyze your ideal client. If you haven’t done an ‘ideal client’ exercise, it is easy to Google and find one. Let’s say your ideal client is the mom of an ADHD tween. We are currently in the month of February and most schools take spring break in March. Creating content around the month of March might sound like:

• Five fun activities for long car rides
• Helping your ADHD kiddo catch up on school after vacation
• Your ADHD vacation snack guide
• 10 things you can say to curb compulsivity when you are visiting a hotel

Now challenge yourself to do this for all 12 months. Don’t worry! You won’t use all of your prompts, but this will get you started.

How do I market my private practice?

If you plan to use any social media platforms (including podcasts and blogs) you must avoid confusion!

This simply means if someone is attracted to your entertaining and informative posts about parenting ADHD tweens, don’t send them posts about marriage problems. This is especially important if you decide to use social media to create an email list.

The fastest way to get someone to ‘unsubscribe’ from your email list is to confuse them with content they didn’t sign up for.

Marketing your private practice using social media means using your content calendar to create content for your ideal client. Ask yourself:

• What do they worry about in June?
• What could help them get through the holidays?
• How do they feel when they go to work and leave their partner/child/parent at home?

Once you answer those questions you can create content your ideal client will love, because they NEED it. You are making their life better before you even meet them.

The antidote for overwhelmed ineffective marketing

Creating a complete content calendar that will work all year long on any platform is your first step to effectively market your private practice without getting overwhelmed. Do you have to be on every social media platform? No way! Avoid confusion by creating content your potential ideal client will love, then post consistently where they are.

Blog Post by Dr. Kate Walker LPC/LMFT Supervisor