Member Article

Getting More Referrals by Connecting with Your Ideal Client, Part 3

Frances Barry, LMFT

I propose embracing the concept of an ideal client by thinking of them as the people you are meant to help and by understanding you can have multiple ideal clients that may change.

Your ideal clients today are those whom you feel drawn to support at this time.

I identified my ideal clients with a thorough review of my client files so I could describe the specific subpopulations with whom I most enjoyed working:

• Elementary school boys with frequent and intense angry outbursts
• Elementary school girls experiencing high levels of anxiety in multiple settings
• Children and adolescents who have lost a parent to cancer

Arriving at the ideal client descriptors that feel right for you will take time but it is worth the effort, not only for job satisfaction but because it will also increase the effectiveness of your marketing.

When you know who your ideal client is, you can improve your marketing efforts by:

• Focusing on the locations, both in-person and online, where your ideal clients “hang out”
• Connecting with your ideal client by writing compelling content that resonates with them

The characteristics of your ideal clients, such as their age, marital status, sexual identity, life experiences or symptoms can help you identify where they congregate, with whom they interact and how to get in front of their eyeballs online.

When your ideal client is looking for a therapist, are they more likely to ask a medical professional for a referral, ask a friend or do a Google search? If they are on social media, what is their preferred platform?

If you only see clients in-person, as I do, then your marketing efforts also need to focus on where your ideal clients live or work. On my Psychology Today profile, I selected my target zip codes to be within a reasonable driving distance of my office and have a high concentration of families with above average income with children ages five to twelve (per census data).

If you want to be seen by your ideal clients, you need to be where they are.

Once you have located your ideal clients, you need to address their pain points (reasons for seeking therapy), explain how you can help them and offer hope for a better future.

To connect in a meaningful way, it’s important to speak directly to only one ideal client at a time.

For example, with my Psychology Today profile, I have two versions of my personal statement, one that speaks to parents whose child is angry and another that speaks to parents with an anxious child. In both cases, I am addressing the parents of an elementary school child, but the copy is very specific to the behavior of the child and the parent’s feelings:

• “Your child is explosive” versus “Your child believes there are monsters in the closet”
• “You are depleted” versus “You are exhausted”

Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal clients as they are searching for a therapist.

What are the exact words and phrases your ideal clients use to describe their experiences, symptoms and expectations? You may diagnose “depression”, “anxiety” or “low self-esteem” but these are clinical terms. To attract more of your ideal clients, you must use their language. You want them to feel seen and understood by you, before they even meet you.

For example, does a therapist trained in EMDR, emphasize this acronym in their marketing materials? It depends on your ideal clients!

• Yes, if your referrals are asking for EMDR
• No, if your referrals are not familiar with EMDR, even if they are describing symptoms for which you think EMDR will be helpful

Your ideal clients are looking for you, a specialist who understands them and knows how to help.

When you know who your ideal client is, your marketing efforts can be more targeted and relevant. Developing a marketing strategy for each ideal client may feel overwhelming but when you have a caseload of clients with whom you are passionate about supporting, the effort will have been worth it.

Remember, you have so much to offer to many clients, but only one client is looking for you right now. Speak directly to that client.

Frances Barry, LMFT is in private practice in West Los Angeles where she works with Elementary School Children struggling with Anger and Anxiety. She also supports minors who have lost a parent to cancer. As a statistician-turned-therapist, Frances’s data-driven insights and recommendations, empower therapists to optimize their Psychology Today profile one step (or one statistic) at a time. Website: www.francesbarry.net