Tools & Guides
Build Your Presence Online
Clinicians used to have a brick-and-mortar office, a sign, and a listing in the local phone book but long gone are the days when a provider can build a flourishing practice exclusively offline.
Last updated: July 2024
Building a professional online presence is crucial, and is an important step in forming a consistent pool of clients. Therapists with an internet presence have a better opportunity to reach people looking for care. Even those with relatively small social media followings are reaching people they would never otherwise encounter — potential clients in need of their guidance and clinical expertise.
I was hesitant to get started with social media. However, I’ve found it’s been great for current and potential clients to see what kind of work I do, as well as helping me connect with fellow therapists for support and ideas. It also serves as a reminder to clients that we are human, too. In a world where social media can make us question our innate worth, we can counter some of those feelings of comparison and impostor syndrome with our posts, meeting people wherever they’re at.
—Sabrina Spotorno, LCSW
Having a presence online enables you to:
- Educate people who are interested in therapy but aren’t ready to commit just yet
- Give potential clients a sense of your therapy concentration and increase the likelihood of a well-matched therapeutic relationship
- Position yourself as a specialist on certain topics and target clients looking for that niche
- Become a “go-to” clinical professional where your ideal clients seek you out
One way to build a thriving practice is to make your online presence as impressive as your in-office presence. It takes some work, but it will pay off in the form of referrals and future opportunities.
Branding
Branding is a marketing term for the way a company or individual presents themselves – specifically online. Successful branding is consistent in everything from aesthetics (fonts, colors, logos) to voice (tone, punctuation, vocabulary) to opinions (controversial topics, team cat vs dog — or whether to take a side at all!).
Branding aims to create a sense of personality for you and your business — the feelings and ideas people associate with you.
Your online office space: your website
There are lots of places you can choose to build a presence online, but first you should start with a website. Your website is your practice’s “home” online. It will serve everal important purposes, including:
- Making it easy for potential clients to learn more about you and giving you the space to share more about your practice.
- Having a web presence may make clients feel more trusting.
- Establishing a virtual place for all your social media to point back to.
- Providing instructions for prospective clients who are interested in meeting with you.
A therapist’s website doesn’t have to be complex. It just needs:
- A home page, with a brief description of who you are and what you do.
- A contact page, with a way to get in touch with you however you prefer, whether email or phone.
To create a basic website, you’ll need to choose a platform. The top three are Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress. Each of these platforms have free options, with the ability to upgrade and add your own domain name. If you just want something easy that looks professional, go with Wix. Their website design platform is intuitive and they have templates that are easy to customize. For those who are willing to put in a little more effort, Squarespace allows for more customization so you can create an impressive website that matches your unique aesthetic. And if you’re already a tech whiz or you’re willing to hire someone to build something spectacular from scratch, WordPress is the way to go.
Alma provider tip:
Don’t want to build out a website? Your Alma profile can double as your website — just link back to it from your social media accounts.
Creating content
The backbone of any online brand is content. What is content, exactly? Content is anything you post online that contains information.
Relevant examples of content include:
- Blog posts
- Podcasts
- Pictures and videos
- Infographics
If the examples of content look overwhelmingly long to you, don’t stress. You don’t have to create every type of content. There’s not enough time to run a meaningful therapeutic practice and produce that volume of information!
The key is to identify what type of content will be most effective in reaching your ideal client. That means figuring out what to say and where to say it.
Alma provider tip:
Not sure who your ideal client is? The worksheet in Building your dream caseload can help you figure it out.
What to say
Whenever you’re creating something to post online — whether it’s a blog post, a video, or just a comment — consider the question: “What is my ideal client looking for or struggling with?”
Think about the themes you see brought into your sessions again and again. What feedback do you give most frequently? Are there any topics that seem to strike a chord with many of your clients?
These topics will probably resonate with your online audience, too.
Example
Patricia McCall, LCSW, works primarily with teenagers suffering from anxiety. She notices that many of her clients have trouble managing their anxiety while they’re at school. To promote her practice and build trust with prospective clients, Patricia develops a list of strategies to help with in-school anxiety and posts it on social media.
With this resource, you'll learn how to:
Learn how to build a proper website for your private practice
Get tips on creating content to solidify your online brand
Understand which social platforms are most effective for your specific demographic
Joining Alma has been the best thing to happen for my career, hands down. I went from working full time at a hospital to full time private practice in a matter of weeks. I think the general impression in the therapy community is that taking insurance is a headache and not worth it, but I have had the opposite experience.
— Kristin Keefe, LCSW
