For so many of us, opening a private practice was the culmination of many years of effort. The training you have done as a therapist, counsellor, coach or hypnotherapist has brought you a long way. Make sure opening your private practice is the start of something massive, not the end of the journey. Too often practitioners open the practice and then have nowhere to go. Make sure you have the plans to take you to a full and vibrant practice. And please enjoy yourself.

 

Give yourself permission to enjoy this stage of your journey. Yes, it can be scary, lots of unknowns. Remember this, many have gone before you down this journey and successfully arrived at the practice of their dreams.

 

Also, I suggest you remember that this is the stage of transition. The journey so far may have been quite long. You paid for training, you applied yourself vigorously, it may have taken years. You’ve passed exams, gathered certificates and become licensed. You can call yourself a professional therapist, counsellor or whatever discipline you have trained in. Your insurance is fully paid up. Now you’re transitioning to a professional working in the real world.

 

When you first open you have some unique opportunities to get the message out. Please, never underestimate the amount of promotion you’re going to need to do to ensure that you end up with a successful practice. Here are some proven strategies to getting the word out.

 

Open with a party. If you were opening a restaurant, friends, family and colleagues would expect to be invited to an opening party. Do exactly the same with your practice. It’s quite easy to rent out a function room at quite modest costs and invite people to the party. How you organise it is down to you, do you provide everything or do people bring the food and drink?

 

During the party make sure you create a space where you can briefly tell people what it’s all about. Most importantly, tell them how they can get the word out. Don’t just say “if you know anybody that could benefit, let them know”. Tell your partygoers the sort of people you’re looking for and how the guests at your party can invite those people.

Have pre-printed postcards that you can ask people to put up on their work notice boards.

 

Make sure you have a basic website set up. At this stage you need little more than the contact details and a page about you and what you offer. Please make sure your photograph is on the site. After all, you’re going to be building personal relationships with people, so they need to know what you look like.

 

Press releases can be a great way of getting that additional attention. Clearly any local newspapers and journals should be notified. Invite the journalists to your party.

 

On the Internet there are hundreds of websites that can distribute press releases for you, from free to paid services. Have a look at PRWeb.com.

 

Today’s social media is an essential tool in promoting a private practice. The following quick steps will help you get started.

· On Facebook open a business page about your practice, and link it to your website. Tell all your friends about it and ask them to like the page.

· Start a Twitter stream, a new account, about your practice. If you already have a private Twitter account, tell your followers about this new one. Tell all your other friends about this new Twitter page. Make sure you link your Twitter account to your practice website. Add your Twitter account to your Facebook page.

· For LinkedIn, make sure you have a profile, and create a business page. You can add links on your profile to your Facebook and Twitter pages. Link the business page to your business website. Tell everybody you know about this new LinkedIn business page.

 

Make sure your website has links to all the social properties.

 

When you are in the process of opening a private practice you have numerous opportunities for promotion that will not be there later. Have the courage to take advantage of them and your name will be spread far and wide. You now have successfully started the second stage towards a full and vibrant practice.

Recommended Reading

• marketing strategies for life coach
• How to get your first clients
• How much should you charge? Part 3: Being paid what you’re worth
• How much should you charge? Part 2: Making a living
• How much should you charge? Part 1: Surviving, fees
• How to get clients, now and into the future
• The four stages of successful projects
• Starting a practice – what to do first.
• Are you stopping yourself from getting your ideal practice?
• Do you need a website for your practice?
• Do I need to use social media to market myself?