Boost Social Media Engagement Through Content Curation

I recently wrote a blog post encouraging therapists to start start creating content as a way to boost website SEO, create value, to create backlinks through social media sharing, and to develop your online practice presence. In my consultation and in online forums I've heard private practice therapists express feeling overwhelmed by creating content like blogging or producing videos on a regular basis. That's where content curation comes in.

Content curation means sharing (tweeting, posting, etc.) the very best resources that other people have produced. I suggest that you share 40% your own content posted on your practice website and share 60% curated content through your social networks. Curating adds value to your social media followers, solidifies your practice presence, builds credibility in your practice specialty area, and creates networks with other professionals through sharing their content with your social media followers.

Are you a content creator or content curator? Hopefully, you're doing both.

Evolution Of A Private Practice

This year marks my 10th year in private practice and I've spent a lot of time reflecting on and blogging about what's contributed to the growth and longevity of my practice. As I started creating a timeline chronicling the evolution of my practice, it became clear that the growth of my private practice coincides with my online presence building efforts. I don't think it's an accident that when I began actively seeking media interviews, blogging, and building my social networks that my practice experienced tremendous growth.

• 2002 Started solo private practice Wasatch Family Therapy, LLC
• 2002 Applied to participate on health insurance panels
• 2002 Started speaking regularly in the community and throughout the state of UT
• 2004 Created one page website with photo, practice summary, and contact information
• 2004 Identified that my ideal clients were likely internet users
• 2006 Resigned from all health insurance panels
• 2006 Hired another therapist
• 2008 Hosted a local TV show for several months
• 2008 Joined Facebook initially as a way to connect with TV viewers
• 2008 Practice grew to 4 therapists
• 2008 Started publishing regular e-newsletter
• 2009 Joined Twitter
• 2009 Became a regular local TV Contributor on KSL TV's Studio 5 , a top women's lifestyle program
• 2009 Started blogging weekly on practice website and JulieHanks.com
• 2010 Started actively seeking local & national media interviews on mental health and relationship topics
• 2010 Practice grew to 8 therapists
• 2010 Started YouTube Channel
• 2011 Started blogging for Psych Central's Private Practice Toolbox
• 2011 Began writing for Psych Central's "Ask The Therapist"
• 2011 Started consulting with other private practice therapists on building a practice
• 2011 First National TV appearance on Discovery Health's Secretly Pregnant
• 2011 Interviewed on National Fox News Channel
• 2011 Named #1 online Influencer making a difference for depression by Dr. Oz’s Sharecare site
• 2011 Nominated for NASW Media Award for website
• 2011 Joined Pinterest and Instagram
• 2012 Guest blogger for Dr. Oz's Sharecare and PsychCentral World Of Psychology
• 2012 15 therapists in 2 clinic locations
• 2012 Over 25,000 social media followers
• 2013 Opening 3rd office location

I challenge you to outline the evolution of your practice. What patterns do you notice about your practice growth? What wisdom can you share with colleagues about what has worked for you?

(c) Can Stock Photo

4 Reasons To Start Creating Content Online

Creating consistent online content can help grow your practice faster than almost any other marketing or networking activity

According to PCMag.com digital content creation is "The development of newsworthy, educational and entertainment material for distribution over the Internet or other electronic media." It falls under the umbrella of content marketing which is a narrative form of sharing information that speaks to a potential client's need while sharing who you are and the benefits of what you do. Content creation is a way of building trust online and with potential clients by being a valuable resource without asking for anything in return.

Consistently creating compelling and relevant content is the primary reason my private practice has continued to grow in spite of the economic downturn of recent years. Not only has my clinic grown, but since I started regularly blogging, writing, producing videos, and doing media interviews amazing opportunities have come my way. Publishing offers, national media interviews, conference invitations, consulting business, and over 25,000 social followers across multiple social networks are just a few of the incredible doors that have opened to me since I started focusing on content creation.

Here are 4 reasons that becoming a content creator can help build your private practice:

1) Visibility

Posting new content on your own practice website will help your site rank higher in search engines. Creating content for other websites, like guest blogging or interviewing with local news agencies who post the video clip and story online, also provides a SEO boost because it demonstrates that you are relevant and it strengthens your online presence. The easier it is for potential clients to find you online, the quicker your practice will grow.

2) Presence

Because the majority of adults are searching for health information online a strong online presence is critical for growing your practice. A general marketing rule is that it takes about 7 exposures to a brand or product before someone will buy a product or service. Strengthening your online presence makes it more likely that potential clients will be exposed to your "brand" and chose to become your client.

3) Value

Content creation can be another form of community education and a way to provide value to everyone, whether or not they become clients. Content that shares helpful information and answers the needs of people you are qualified to help is tremendously valuable. From a business standpoint, content creation provides an incentive for visitors to return to your practice website for your valuable content, which helps build trust in your services.

4) Credibility

Content allows you to show or demonstrate your expertise and competence instead of just telling someone about it. While I have always been an early internet/technology adopter and I've owned a private practice for over a decade, it wasn't until I started writing this Private Practice Toolbox blog that I became a credible practice building "expert". Creating regular content that meets a need for private practice therapists has allowed me to connect with therapists around the globe and to add private practice consulting as an additional income stream. Largely due to content creation on this blog alone, I have been invited to present to the National Association Of Social Workers on building an online presence, to co-present with PsychCentral founder John Grohol at South By Southwest Conference, and to write the feature article for the current issue of Online Therapy Institute's TILT magazine, and have presented locally on practice building.

laffy4k via Compfight

Simplify Your Social Media Life With HootSuite

I have wholeheartedly embraced social media to build my therapy practice and to educate the public on important emotional health and family relationship topics. Technology and social media have allowed me to grow my private practice free of managed care during difficult economic times. Facebook is the #2 referral source to my private practice website, topped only by Google. A common  challenge for private practice therapists is learning to effectively manage social networks in a way that maximizes their time and draws people to their practice.

People often ask how I stay on top of posting and interacting regularly on my social media networks. Just to give you an idea, I manage  3 Twitter accounts, 8 Facebook pages/profiles, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Ping.fm, 3 Ning accounts. One of my favorite social network management systems is HootSuite, a social media dashboard. Although I can't manage all of my accounts from HootSuite, I can manage the largest networks. I pay only $5.99 per month which includes the ability to add one "team member" to can access and manage my social network accounts.

Here's a list of social networks that you can manage from Hootsuite:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Foursquare
• Ping.fm
• WordPress
• MySpace
• Mixi

I'm hoping they'll add Facebook groups, StumbleUpon, and Pinterest very soon.

Here's my 5 minute tutorial walk through of HootSuite's basic functions so you can see the dashboard, functions, and how easy it is to use.

Here are some of the reasons I like HootSuite:

1) Save drafts

You can save drafts of updates, posts, links, etc. to post at a later time, or to repost which saves time.

2) Schedule posts

If you find an article link , quote, or other resource that you want to share on any or all of your social media networks, you can schedule a post in the future by setting the day and time. You can set aside a certain amount of time every week and schedule your posts for the week on all of your networks.

3) Interact directly from the dashboard

Not only can you post updates, photos, links, etc. for HootSuite, you can interact, comment, "like", retweet, and many other options on several networks from one place. You don't have to login to each site separately which saves time.

4) Selectively post to networks

You can send or schedule an update to specific social media pages and not to others. For example, one of my Facebook Pages is a "Music/Band" page for my performing and songwriting. I post more music related links, stories, etc. there and I don't post those on my  private practice Facebook page. You can select which updates to send to each social network depending on the interests of your audience on any specific account.

5) Add team members

HootSuite allows you to add team members to your accounts to help manage your social media. I recently added a team member to assist me. The dashboard shows which team member responded to certain social media posts so you can track the other member's interaction and avoid duplicating responses.

How do you manage your social media networks to build your therapy practice?