How Therapists Should Use Twitter to Market Their Private Practice

This is THE Definitive Guide to Twitter for Therapists.

There is not a more comprehensive tutorial on why and how to use Twitter in your private practice outside of this post. So, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready to take notes.

On with the show…

Why Therapists Should Use Twitter

Twitter has 330 million users, with 100 million active daily users.

That’s 100 million people using Twitter every day.

Alternatively, that’s 100 million opportunities for new clients every day that aren’t being reached if you aren’t using Twitter.

The question isn’t if mental health professionals should use Twitter, but rather why and how it should be used.

And why should mental health professionals use Twitter? Two words: Free marketing.

Twitter is a great platform for connecting with people, and better yet — it’s free.

We’re answering your questions, calming your worries, and setting the bar for therapists. So read our information, soak it in and starting dominating  the realm of Twitter today.

As a therapist, you can use Twitter to your advantage by connecting with other practitioners, potential clients, local businesspeople, and influencers worldwide, and by being active on Twitter, you’ll encourage referrals. It’s a win-win-win. Let’s get started.

While setting up your professional Twitter account is fairly easy, making sure your profile is on-brand and marketing to the correct users can be a bit more challenging. But never fear, we’re breaking down the essentials, the gotta-do-its, and the need-to-knows later on in this post.

Write a Captivating Bio

Say a lot by saying a little.

Your bio is one of the first things people will see viewing your Twitter profile. But the thing is, it’s only 160 characters.

We know what you’re thinking:

“160 characters? That’s only 20 more than a tweet! How can my Twitter bio pack such a punch?”

And the answer is this: Change your perspective.

Think of your Twitter bio as an elevator pitch. You’ve got 160 characters to state your claim and make it count. A clinical bio, such as “Therapist Joe Smith specializes in Grief and Loss Therapy in New Jersey” includes the keywords therapist, grief, loss, therapy, and New Jersey. But ask yourself: Would you keep reading?

While it includes the bare minimum, the bio doesn’t exactly engage the reader, or prospective clients, in any way. Twitter is the ideal platform to expand a bit on yourself and hone in on who your target demographic is.

Remember, Twitter is different than your website or your Linkedin profile. Twitter is the place to add some personality, keywords, and again, focus in on your target market.

Reworded, Joe Smith could create a more captivating bio. Let’s compare the two bios below.

The rewrite gives John a bit more personality while maintaining those keywords and by narrowing down his location to the city, he’ll be able to grab the attention of users in his area.

Use Your Header as Promotional Space

A header on Twitter is the image that spans across the page above your bio photo on your Twitter profile. Not everyone will see everything you tweet, but new followers will go to your profile and view your information. A header is a great space to use to promote yourself and your practice, while also promoting your upcoming speaking events or your newly published book.

“Wait! I don’t have events or a book! What should I do?”

No sweat, just do “your thing.” If you’re just starting out, think of things you’d like associated with your practice.

Do you have a logo, a catchphrase, or signature colors? Use ‘em.

Every influencer on Twitter has their own “it” thing. Decide on yours, bring it to life and use it to your advantage. For example, let’s take a look at Sara Dungan of Sparrow Counseling’s Twitter header.

This header is great because not only does it give a taste of the practice’s branding, but Sara’s header also contains specific phrases (Strengthening Families, Empowering Lives, Rediscovering Hope) and fonts she’s incorporated onto her website, as shown below.

Your Twitter header and bio are the first things seen by users when they view your profile, so make that first impression count.

Need more help setting up a Twitter business profile? Check out: How to Set up a Twitter Business Profile for Your Private Practice.

But What Should Your Therapist Tweets Include?

Well, lucky for you, we’ve created this handy ol’ infographic to show you just what to tweet.

LOVE this infographic? Tweet @BrighterVision using #BrighterTweets

Want more social media tips? Listen to this awesome, in-depth podcast from The Private Practice Startup here.

Before You Tweet

You’re ready to start tweeting, hands posted on the keyboard, ideas flowing through your mind, but wait — Ask yourself these three things before you post.

1. Is it informative, valuable, practical or entertaining to your audience?
Sure, lunch is the best meal, but does your target audience really need to know that you forgot mayo on your turkey sandwich this afternoon? Stay on-brand with your messaging and only post what your audience will benefit from.

2. Have I included a CTA?
What’s the goal of your tweet? Do you want users to attend your webinar, sign up for your online course, or have potential clients contact through your website? Add a clear and concise call to action to your tweet to help accomplish your goal.

3. Have I included an image?
Adding a relevant photo to your tweet can skyrocket its engagement level. We’ll go into detail about the importance of using photos next.

Images Are Everything

As shown above, tweets with an image attached can increase click-throughs by 18%, generate 89% more likes, and are often retweeted 150% more than tweets without an image.

Are 140 characters not enough to really send the message of your tweet? Try adding a photo with extra text that emphasizes it’s meaning.

Twitter started with its focus on text, but at the end of the day, it’s all about communicating your message. Maximize your tweet’s potential with minimal effort by adding a picture and drive that message home.

“But I don’t know how to make awesome images!”

Do you really think we’d lead you astray? Here are our some of our favorite free websites resources for creating eye-catching images in under 10 minutes.

• Canva – Canva claims to have the “best curated collection of high-quality design templates” and they seem to live up to the hype.
  ** Bonus: They have templates designed specifically for Twitter headers **
• Pic Monkey – Pic Monkey has a “treasure trove” of attractive images and allows you to drag and drop text overlays onto any template. They’re also currently offering a free seven-day Premium trial. The non-premo version is still free, though.
• Adobe Express – Express aims for “Effortless creation, beautiful results.” One of Adobe’s newest products, Express definitely lives up to the Adobe brand.

Now Give ‘Em What They Want

Your audience, that is. You know your target market, so go forth and cater towards them. In order to truly grow your practice on Twitter, focus on adding value to the lives of your prospective clients by providing high-quality, valuable content.

And that content doesn’t have to come directly from you.

Successful Twitter accounts often retweet and reply to tweets from influencers in their community. Whether it’s a former colleague posing a question to her followers, or a well-known mental health professional tweeting his newest blog post, engage. And engage often.

Engage and Engage Often

Twitter’s filled with chatty users. Join the conversation and connect with your demographic. Reply to a question posed by someone you follow, retweet insightful thoughts, tips or statistics from reliable users (often influencers or big players in the field), or spark up a conversation of your own.

Draw a poll or ask a question and comprise your tweets around what your audience wants to see. After doing this a time or two, you’ll start recognizing patterns in who’s following you and what they’re eager to know.

Get Started as a Therapist on Twitter

Again, Twitter has 100 million active daily users.

Of course, realistically, you aren’t going to grab the attention of all 100 million right away, but if you can market your practice to even 10 more people than you’d reached before, why not?

Using Twitter, you can easily gain a list of loyal followers and keep up to date with industry news.

Engage with your followers and other users in your field. Add hashtags. Use graphics. Claim your niche.

Grab that free marketing and run with it.

You made it this far, so I’m sure you want more great marketing tips, right?

Sign up for an 8 Day Email Course on 8 Unconventional Ways to Market Your Private Practice

About Wyatt Megla