With more people beginning to return to face-to-face meetings then now may be a good time to think about sprucing up the website.
Practitioners are increasingly keen to hear more about the simple things they can do to boost their on-line profiles. Well, there are some simple (free) steps you can easily take.
Google loves fresh content. Adding a monthly update, or blog, to your website can help to boost your organic growth.
This is where the algorithms detect the addition of regular new content. People are always interested in reading new things. Search engines recognises this. Freshening up a website can help make your rankings increase.
Web gurus say there are three key lengths: 1500, 750 or 300 words. Remember that a little TLC can go a long way. In other words, a small article can plant the seed which encourages someone to seek the help they need. They often point to keywords and phrases to include in your posts.
Using them can really help search engines to point potential clients in your direction.
Doing so will keep you in the front of your perspective client’s mind. There are obvious ones, including: (stop) smoking, (easing) stress, (overcoming) phobias, confidence (building), relaxation and sleep.
You can also share articles onto social media platforms (Facebook or LinkedIn can be good). If you do, perhaps consider including those all-important hashtags at the end of the article. For instance: #stopsmoking #easestress #phobias #confidence #relaxation #hypnotherapy
The hashtag acts as an indexing system which allows key word searches to quickly hone onto your article. Likewise, adding a video onto your social media feed, or onto your website, can also create interest. It gives people the chance to meet the real you!
The added benefit for using video is its ranking potential. A lot of people prefer watching material to reading it as it requires less concentration.
For many of us, it seems to be an easier medium for which they can quickly absorb information. It can also be visually entertaining!
Think about the success of Ted Talks. It always amazes me that millions of people will flock to watch an on-line lecture and yet bulky academic books on the same subject (sometimes by the same person) will see comparatively low sale numbers, perhaps in their hundreds or low thousands.
Search engines can recognise the benefits of using video and will rank content accordingly (video content helps to increase your positioning in the rankings list).
The big plus side to video content is we get to meet you, the real person! In other words, we get a sense of who you are, and it provides us with an opportunity to ‘engage’ with you in the comfort of our home (with a nice mug of tea in our hands).
Know. Like. Trust. These three words are, perhaps, crucial for the starting blocks of building a therapeutic alliance with a perspective client.
Maybe you would like to consider filming a ‘piece to camera’ (PTC) on a mobile phone and upload it to your site or social media pages? It’s actually fairly simple to do.
There’s an increasingly large amount of kit which is cheap to buy to make your PTC really stand out. For instance, a simple stand to ensure the picture stays steady.
You can even purchase a small teleprompter designed to neatly fit over your phone so you can read a script – just as the professionals use in television studios.
Of course, you don’t have to have any fancy equipment at all! All you need to do is check the lighting is good and the background is looking neat and tidy.
Practice what you’re going to say and keep steady, but not too much, eye contact with the camera. Think of it as being the same as chatting with someone sitting opposite you.
Show it with friends and family to gain their feedback. Once you’re happy with it then upload it to your website or social media platforms.
Autumn is traditionally a point where people will start to focus on their marketing strategies for the beginning of a New Year.
It’s worth thinking about key areas of your practice and what you can offer potential clients looking to fulfil their resolutions in 2022.
As such, maybe you would like to write a short media release on stopping smoking? Or losing weight? It doesn’t have to be too long.
There is a number of free to use online news websites which you can approach, or, of course, you could simply upload monthly news releases onto your own platform.
It’s a proactive approach which will, hopefully, encourage people to book a first free initial consultation.
Equally, updating your website with the appreciative comments of anonymised clients can really help to communicate your work to a wider audience. We recommend keeping their signed approval for usage securely locked away.