Pin A Quote: My New Social Media Marketing 'Crush'

Pin A Quote is a quick and fun way to create a graphic out of your favorite quotes. It allows you to highlight any text and with the click of a button, turn it into a shareable graphic that is automatically links to the site where you found the text. Though it's designed to interface with Pinterest, you don't have to have a Pinterest account to use Pin A Quote.

Once you've selected the quote and created your graphic, Pin A Quote creates a custom URL for that specific quote that you can share on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites, and of course, Pinterest.

Here's a screenshot of what I'm talking about. I use Pin A Quote Pro because you can customize the fonts and colors for $1.99. Notice the link at the bottom is the page on my website. When people click on the graphic they'll be directed to that web page.

You may be wondering how this is relevant to your private practice. Good question. Important elements of marketing your private practice are:

1. Building a professional online presence
2. Presenting yourself as an expert in your specialty area
3. Attracting an online following that views you as a valuable resource
4. Creating links that direct more visitors to your website

Pin A Quote can help you accomplish all of these goals.

How To Use Pin A Quote

Here's a brief tutorial published by Pin A Quote on how to use the tool.

Using Pin A Quote To Build Your Practice

1) Share other's inspirational or helpful quotes

If you find an article that would be helpful to your followers, you can create a graphic and direct people to the article. Another idea is to quote your favorite psychology gurus and use it as an additional graphic in a blog post. Here's one of my favorites:

2) Quote yourself as an expert

Take a sentence from a professional presentation or blog post that you've presented and create a graphic of your own quotes. This helps build your identity as an expert and lets others share your wisdom.

3) Engage followers by sharing quotes on social media

Look back at the graphic at the top of this post. See the share buttons on the bottom? You can share quotes on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, etc. Here's an example of my Private Practice Toolbox board on Pinterest. You'll see that I've pinned many quotes using Pin A Quote.

Try it out and let me know what you think. Feel free to post links to quote graphics you create in the comments below.

Naming Your Practice Is Like Naming A Child

I have four children. Luckily, I still like the names my husband and I gave them. Their names fit them. Their names aren't too common or too weird. Like naming a child, choosing a practice name that fits can be a difficult process that brings up anxiety for therapists. You want your practice name to be an accurate reflection of you, as a therapist, and also appeal to your ideal clients.  You don't want to regret your decision down the road, right?

Ten years ago I wrestled with the question of what to name my practice. Funny enough, it was just one month after my 3rd child was born and we  didn't name him for a couple of days because my husband and I couldn't agree on his name. The name he'd picked for our son, Joshua, was a fine name but it just wasn't him. He was Owen, not Joshua. I don't regret taking a couple of days and "going to bat" for the name that fit my son.

I don't regret the name I picked for my private practice either. I wrestled with a few different practice options and settled on Wasatch Family Therapy. Here are some common questions about naming your practice and some insight into how I made my decision.

Should I use my name or come up with a separate practice name?

• I wanted the name to sound bigger than a solo practice because that was my long-term vision for my practice: to grow it to a clinic with several therapists, so I chose a name that sounded established and respectable.
• I was advised by my attorney not to use my name as my practice in case I was involved in a lawsuit. He said that my practice name would be out in the media and would provide an added layer of protection of my personal name.

Should my practice name be tied to my specific geographical location?

• I decided to tie my practice name loosely to my location. The Wasatch Front and the Wasatch Mountains refer to a regional area, not a specific city or town. Because my vision was to grow the practice and possibly have multiple office locations, I didn't want it to be limited to a narrow location. Last October, we opened up a second location in Provo, UT, which is still considered the Wasatch Front.

Should I try to be clever or straightforward in naming my practice?

• Don't worry about being clever or deep with your practice name. Since most people are finding their mental health information and providers online, consider including searchable terms in your practice name.  I included "Family Therapy" in my practice name because it's something that my ideal clients would type in a search. Ask yourself, "What will my ideal clients type in Google if they're seeking my services?" If you're a child therapist you might want to use the term "child counselor" or "child therapy" in your name. If you work with couples you may want to use "couples counseling" or "marriage therapy" in your name.

I'd love to hear your process of naming your practice?

Do you have moments of regret about your practice name or are you happy with it?

Share your thoughts in the comment box below!