Spring Cleaning for Your Marketing Sites

When was the last time you updated your Psychology Today profile? Or GoodGood Therapy? I recently reviewed all of my online profiles and did some spring cleaning, updating the content and eliminating the profiles I no longer need. LA-CAMFT offers member an online profile, I noticed I hadn’t updated mine in a while, and I needed to add my new co-ed group.

Once I finished my updates, I considered the cost and value of each of my memberships. Good Therapy currently costs $323 a year. It seems expensive but if it brings me one client a year it pays for itself; the problem is it’s not always clear which referrals come from this source. I’d like to know if my membership increases my odds of appearing in a Google search, so I contacted Good Therapy; unfortunately, I was unable to get a clear answer. I’m sticking with this membership for now, but I plan to reevaluate it next year.

Psychology Today costs $29.95 a month, and a good number of viable clients have found me on Psychology Today, along with many others who I need to refer elsewhere. It increases my search presence and it appears to be worth the cost. I have several other profiles related to my specialty areas like Brainspotting, EMDR and NARM, and I also use LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

One of my favorite networking groups is WAAT, the Women’s Association for Addiction Treatment. It’s a warm and welcoming group. I attended their meetings regularly for six years, but now the meetings conflict with my schedule and it’s time for me to end my membership. I’ll still attend their annual conference, but I don’t need to maintain an online presence.

I try to update my profiles regularly, but sometimes I fall behind. I’d love to hear about your practice and what sites you use for referrals. You can find me online or in person at an LA-CAMFT meeting.

Maria Gray, LMFT, NMP, CGP, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Century City, where she specializes in trauma and addictions and leads groups. Maria offers individual business consultation and workshops for therapists who want to thrive in private practice. To learn more, go to www.mariagray.net.