Mental Health Marketing: 7 Proven Strategies to Implement Now

Internet users are in dire need of your mental health expertise right now.

Kaiser Family Foundation reports 53% of adults within the United States are struggling with their mental health, identifying symptoms like trouble sleeping, changes to eating habits, increased alcohol and substance abuse, and worsening chronic conditions.[1]

Most adults are hunkering down, and their mental health is declining rapidly in isolation. They’re seeking out therapists and coaches alike, hoping for tools and guidance to navigate this unprecedented time.

You have the knowledge, the ability to offer support, and the wellness toolkits to bring reprieve inside struggling homes and communities.

Are you maximizing your online visibility to reach more people? Maybe. But you probably have blind spots in your mental health marketing plan.

Don’t worry. I’ve got you.

Below, I outline seven proven strategies to expand your digital reach, gain more business, and massively impact the mental health industry in a voice all your own.

1. Optimize your website for visibility and conversions.

An outdated website is like a stale bagel left behind and discarded after your morning business meeting. Yuck.

It’s not alluring enough to come back to and most clients perusing your site are far more likely to leave your page than try to book a consult with you. If you’re not creating interest with fresh, up-to-date content that quenches your target audience’s thirst for learning, you’re losing a ton of potential business.

You have mere seconds to captivate your website visitors.

In this short span of time, you must inspire interest and curiosity. Review your homepage — is it a block of text that makes your eyes cross, is it an outdated stock photo, or are you immediately activating your brand voice, letting visitors know exactly what you offer?

Although you’re selling yourself, the people checking out your website aren’t so concerned about you as much as they are about what’s in it for them.

So, speak directly to them. Don’t start off with a list of your credentials. That’s boring. You’ll lose them. Instead, identify with them — why did they land on your page? What are they looking for? Do you know what they need? How can you deliver just the thing they’re looking for?

And don’t forget — once you have their attention, you need to drive them to the next click.

Are you showcasing a new book? Do you want them to schedule a call with you? Do you want them to read your blog or watch your video content? Strategically place your call-to-action (CTA) and guide them to engage a second time with your website.

A quick note on search engine optimization (SEO): while it is not an exact science (be wary of anyone promising glittery results), you should be following best practices.

Make sure you set up Google Analytics to know what’s going on with your website traffic and waste no time claiming your Google My Business listing. Follow through with researching your keywords, optimizing your headlines and titles, and keeping your content output consistent.  

2. Keep an updated, value-driven business blog.

Sometimes the word “blog” is correlated with personal blogging. But I’m not talking about sharing your personal information.

Business blogging is results-focused; it’s written directly to your audience, it’s packed with useful information, it’s optimized for search engines, and ends with a CTA to keep your visitors engaged with you.

Directly from the horse’s mouth, Google lets you know that to keep in line with what it’s looking for, you should be supplying high-quality, helpful information that answers the questions users are typing into the search engine.

Think about what you type into a search engine when you need an answer:

·       “How to…”

·       “________ near me”

·       “What is _______”

Now, use those questions to craft copy that delivers the answers in your brand voice.

Intentional content that immediately addresses the needs of those seeking out help is what increases your online visibility. Read that again.

Think about what your clients inquire about most often:

·       Am I depressed?

·       How to practice self-care?

·       What does trauma-informed mean?

·       Do I need a therapist?

·       How can a life coach help me?

The topics regarding mental health are endless and the people you can help are out there searching for you.

These mental health marketing ideas not only help your prospects right away, but they also serve your business so long as your words are on the web.

Get into the digital spotlight with a consistent, value-driven business blog.

3. Harness the power of social media.

Social media is a collective global playroom.

The algorithms set up by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok do wonders for your business when harnessed correctly. Plus, these channels give you the opportunity to blast your blog content, engage with followers, and learn more about your target audience.

Although TikTok and therapy probably weren’t thought of as a match made in heaven, many therapists and coaches are finding the massive exposure helpful to their brands.

They produce regular, relevant video content and link out to their websites on their profile page.

Visibility + conversion = sales.

Similarly, Facebook profiles and ads provide the freedom to write long-form content, connect with like-minded folks, and sell your services.

Targeted ads, as designed by Facebook, permit you to narrow down your audience (by demographic, location, and interests), create an ad matrix for testing, and voila! Your ads are placed right in front of the people who are already geared up to read your copy.

Instagram, while focused on visuals, is also a great place to share important information along with tips and stats to keep your target audience informed about everything mental health. Each post allows for hashtags and redirection to a link in your bio, where you should have a sales funnel that directs them to take the next action you designate.

4. Create a sales funnel with landing pages.

Here is where the process gets trickier — but not impossible. All you need are your business and a landing page.

The most basic sales funnel is comprised of three main components:

1) Web traffic
The top of your sales funnel, where visitors first encounter you. It could be your Instagram account, your TikTok account, your Facebook page, your paid ads, or your website.

2) Leads:
The portion of your web traffic that clearly expresses interest in your products or services. When these folks come through, your next move is guiding them through to making a purchase.

3) Closed sales:
This is the final part of your sales funnel, when a transaction is completed, and your client has paid for your product or service.

So, how does this mental health marketing strategy work with content?

First, focus on the quality of the traffic you’re getting. This idea that it’s just a numbers game works in certain settings, but not everyone is actively searching for the mental health help you offer.

Increased traffic is a by-product of creating consistent, high-quality content to display on your site.

Quality over quantity should be your focus because while others may find your content intriguing, if they’re not actively looking for a mental health professional, they’re not going to follow through with a buying decision.

Your leads will come. Prospects interested in connecting deeper with your content will consequently want to connect deeper with you.

How is that achieved? Through an email list.

These are the people you want to nurture because they’re the ones already showing interest and probably just need a little coaxing to buy if they don’t right off the bat.

Finally, you can arrive at a sale.

The crux of your effort should be focused on the first two aspects of the funnel.

Closing a sale only comes when the buyer is convinced —and it’s on you (or your friendly mental health copywriter) to convince them you’re the one with the solution they need.

5. Write a stunning email marketing sequence.

Creating a simple yet powerful follow-up email sequence is a tool you can automate to relish in ongoing leads to keep feeding your business. All it takes is a little time upfront to develop the emails and set them up using automation software. Before you know it, you’ll be set for reaching out to all your new subscribers.

There are several types of email sequences; you should whittle down which one you would like to start with and move forward with creating the rest as you continue growing your business.

-          If you’re looking to introduce someone to your business and what you’re all about, you’ll want to focus on a nurturing email campaign. This set of emails is prompted when an interested party downloads a freebie on your website or opts-in to your monthly newsletter. They’ve shown interest but they may not be ready to commit to a purchase just yet. With a nurturing email campaign, you convince them to buy through proof your services are what they need, through addressing any objections they have head-on, and through providing the value that makes them see you as the ultimate go-to.

-          If you’re trying to build rapport with your audience, you should be working to create an engagement email campaign. With this sequence, you’re sending out content that piques interest and drives further engagement with your brand. These emails are meant to keep your services at the forefront of your prospects’ minds. When you track their engagement with your content, you can trigger additional actions to get them connected with a specific course, webinar, or scheduler, depending on what piece of content they show most interest in.

-          If you’re ready to bring in sales, opt for a conversion email campaign. This type of email sequence is when you directly ask your prospect to take a specific action. Whether that be a sign-up to your latest paid course, a purchase of the book you just launched, or a direct link to your calendar for appointment confirmation, it’s a no frills direct ask when your prospect is ready to commit.

-          If you’ve tried any of the above and have not received results, don’t worry – move into a follow-up email campaign. This type of sequence gives you the opportunity to touch base with your prospect and remind them you’re still around and still available to serve them. Most prospects require several digital reminders before they choose to engage and just because they don’t take action right away, doesn’t mean they won’t be committed to buy down the line.

Don’t let them forget you.

6. Expand your reach with mental health courses.

If you haven’t considered creating courses yet, I’m giddy!

When you’re working in mental health, your focus is likely on one-on-one interactions with clients. But you know how taxing that can be, and you probably limit how many clients you see per week. While some clients are exciting to work with, part of your job is exerting your energy to help those who need the boost. And that can be draining without enough time to recharge.

The problem is, limiting your clients also limits your income.

What if you could design and develop courses that tackle concept your clients can learn on their own time?

Topics like dialectical behavior therapy, self-care, goal-setting, and stress relief can become courses you offer on your website and market online.

These are a one-time cost, forever income investment.

With course creation, you increase the value your business offers while you increase your bottom line.

Remember — you’re not just a therapist or coach, you’re a business owner. And you don’t have to rely on how many hours you’re putting in to develop an income that allows you to live comfortably — or dare I say — luxuriously.

Unlimited earning potential without an increase in working hours is an ideal place to be.

Ditch the hamster wheel and enjoy a new sense of freedom through this creative income diversification avenue. Plus, greater visibility grants you more clients — so, if you don’t already have a waiting list, get ready.

7. Don’t forget the power of case studies.

Case studies showcase exactly how your mental health strategies impact your clients.  

For instance, if you’re working in trauma recovery, a case study detailing the success of somatic experiencing proves beneficial on your website. Or, if you’re working in addiction recovery, a case study demonstrating how psychedelic tools in a therapeutic setting impacted a client can be the ultimate point of interest for someone seeking a solution.

Case studies not only help you create credibility with your network and site visitors, but they also serve as lead generation tools.

Prospects want to know about past client successes. It gives them hope.

Real-world examples cement abstract concepts for prospects and draw them closer to wanting to work with you.

The mental health marketing strategies above are but digital portals to get you into a more stable and flourishing place in your business. Digital marketing for therapists and coaches includes many possibilities, primarily because you work in a way no one else does.

It’s your brand, your voice, your system.   

If you’re ready to level-up with a creative marketing package, contact me.

We’ll brainstorm, I’ll lay out ideas specific to your business to get you excited, and then I’ll get to work on your behalf — easy as that!

[1] https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/Business bloggingBusiness bloggingBusiness bloggingBusiness bloggingBusiness bloggingBusiness bloggingBusiness blogging