Marketing for therapists can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re setting up a new practice or trying to grow an existing one. There are many business coaches and marketing experts offering advice, and it can be tempting to sign up for multiple programmes. However, as with any business decision, it’s important to consider carefully where you invest your time and money.
In this article, we speak to three experienced marketing experts to explore how they work with therapists and what practical advice they offer for building a successful therapy practice.
Rob De Groof
European Hypnosis Academy
David McGee
The Hypnotherapist Coaching Academy
Tracy Mason
Therapist Marketing Expert
Our therapy marketing experts’ answers are colour coded to make it easier for you to follow each one, and appear in alphabetical order (surname) in the transcript.
Hypnotherapy Training & Practitioner – HTP]. When did you set up your hypnotherapy business. What was your biggest challenge?
ROB: I started in 2010 by chance. I was not interested in becoming a therapist, I learned hypnosis for my entertainment business. I realised that to become a good hypnotist you should hypnotise a lot. So I decided to create a little website about change work to do like two or three sessions a week. After three months, I had a full-time therapy business and the waiting time started to build. As I still had my other business time was my biggest challenge.
DAVID: I qualified mid-2017. After a few months of consolidation and finding my feet, I started practising part-time in January 2018. I thought that when I qualified, clients would just be queuing at my door. How wrong I was! Finding a consistent flow of clients and, therefore, a predictable income were the biggest challenges that I faced.
TRACY: I set up my business on a full-time basis in 2001. My biggest challenges were knowing how to market my business to attract clients, mindset issues around charging, and boundaries!
[HTP] How did you get over your biggest business challenge?
ROB: I stopped performing myself and focussed me entirely on doing hypnosis. After 2 years I started with hiring other therapists. Now I have 6 therapists working for me.
DAVID: Early that year, 2018, I invested in business coaching. It was a journey that transformed me, my confidence and my hypnotherapy business. I needed to know I could make £4K a month in order to quit my day job. Within 4 months I proved to myself that was consistently possible.
TRACY: I invested in a marketing manual from a fellow hypnotherapist. It was a ‘thud factor’, physical manual and a DVD. It gave me some good ideas which I implemented and I have continued to invest year upon year. I had some one-to-one coaching to help shift my beliefs around charging for my skills and time. It helped me to see the transformation and value I gave. My boundaries became firmer with more experience. When I became a mum in 2003, this really focused my mind on how precious my time and energy were.
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[HTP] What was the worst business advice you were ever given?
ROB: That you should do most of the work yourself. I experienced that outsourcing is a better way to work.
DAVID: The worst piece of advice I was given was the one that gave no return-on-investment (ROI). That was from a ‘marketing expert’. The advice was that I absolutely needed to be on Twitter to get clients. I paid her £150 a month per month for 6 months to run a Twitter account for me. The ROI was zero clients and zero financial return!
TRACY: You have to choose a niche straight away to build your business. No, I disagree. Let your niche find you. Niche is those areas that you find you love to work with and are getting great results with your clients.
[HTP] What made you decide to help other therapists with their marketing?
ROB: I love to teach. And my belief is that the more good hypnotherapists there are out there, the more people get helped. And the more of their friends get interested in hypnosis.
DAVID: I like helping people. I quit my day job in December 2018 and I’ve been a full-time Professional Hypnotherapist since. My income comfortably equals my £48k corporate salary and I hear so many therapists struggling. The hypnotherapy courses teach you how to be a great hypnotherapist. But to win clients you need to be equally great at marketing and selling. I’m now sharing what I’ve learnt from business coaching and mentoring with other driven hypnotherapists who want to be successful.
TRACY: Helping other therapists happened very naturally. I worked at various centres where I was always fully booked, and fellow therapists asked how I did it. It’s enjoyable sharing ideas and motivating them. I then set up a Facebook group around 2012, and offered free support and advice for therapists nationally and internationally. I realised there was a great need for marketing, mindset and business confidence. It boosted my confidence that I could coach and inspire.
[HTP] How do you help with therapists market their therapy business?
ROB: I am always ready to help my students. For me, training doesn’t stop on the last day at 5pm. We help them with all kinds of stuff. Also the business side. I offer them mentor programs.
DAVID: Through a Discovery Call, I decide if the hypnotherapist is truly committed and the right fit for The Hypnotherapist Coaching Academy. If they are, I will offer them the opportunity of enrolling in my ten-week coaching and mentoring program. That guides and supports them every step of the way towards a successful hypnotherapy business. And, ultimately, the life of their dreams.
TRACY: I now offer one to one coaching, have an online course and run an online marketing membership club.
[HTP] Can you share one of your therapy marketing success stories?
ROB: One of my clients was having trouble finding clients for her new hypnotherapy business. I reviewed her website and found some articles that needed improvement. But the biggest problem was that she was only open on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 9 pm. I explained that this was probably the reason why she couldn’t even fill that time slot on a steady basis.
Potential clients see that one of the therapists they are considering is only available on Tuesday evenings and others offer more options. 80% (if not a referral) will contact one of the other therapists. Not only because the client has more options to book a session, but your credibility will rise. I suggested that even if she is doing hypnotherapy part-time she should open up slots on different days. Then clients don’t have the feeling they are looking at the website of an amateur, or hobbyist. She changed this and her business started to grow.
DAVID: I’ll let one of my clients, Lesley from Lesley Cooper Hypnotherapy tell you about that. ‘Before working with David, I was hesitant to approach online advertising, as I have very little knowledge and experience. David has coached me through and taught me how to get started. Now I am looking forward to building up my skills with his guidance. Once I had discussed my concerns with David, I had no hesitation whatsoever with going ahead with his coaching.
The process has been very comfortable and professional. He is patient and understanding; this is very important when learning new skills. Whilst I still have a long way to go, I have at least managed to get my FB Business Page started. This is a great result for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with David. He is always happy to help and discuss concerns. I would have no hesitation in recommending him as a coach. He is delightful.’
TRACY: I am very proud of my one-to-one coaching client Emma Armes at Aberdeenshire Hypnotherapy. Emma followed my Facebook page and then joined my six-week online course before coaching with me one-to-one. She has a thriving practice, and her niche in pain management naturally grew from her passion and results. She is now an international trainer and senior practitioner for the OldPain2Go methodology. Emma says ‘There is a touch of Tracy running through my whole business. She has helped me from the early days of having no clue as to how to run a business, to the confident practitioner and trainer that I am today.’
[HTP] What’s the best marketing tip you can offer therapists who are setting up their business right now?
ROB: Make it easy for clients to book an appointment with you. Don’t start with, for example, only one day; give clients some options.
DAVID: The biggest obstacle I’ve come across is the hypnotherapists’ own limiting beliefs that they’re not good enough to be making £50k a year. So, honestly, my best tip is to do some work on yourself, on your own self-belief. Get out of your own way to allow yourself to be successful. Then, get some business coaching and mentoring from someone who’s walked the path before you and can show you the way.
TRACY: Work on your own mindset, confidence and beliefs as much as the external marketing itself. They are equally important to your success. And find a support network of fellow therapists whether on or offline for support and motivation.
[HTP] We have quite a lot of business-building advice on this site (just click the ‘business’ tag to find it). But is there anything you can offer our readers to get them started on a new approach to marketing?
ROB: You can follow me on social media.
DAVID: Readers can book a complimentary Discovery Call and find out more by emailing me. david@thehypnotherapistcoachingacademy.com
TRACY: Readers can join my FB page. Send a message saying you have read this interview for a 30-min coaching session and a free marketing guide.
About Debbie Waller
Blog Author Debbie Waller is a hypnotherapist, supervisor, and trainer with more than twenty years of experience. As well as having a busy client practice, she runs Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training and writes books and articles for therapists who want to deepen their knowledge and develop effective practice.
Disclaimer
The information and ideas shared on this blog are based on the author’s professional experience, research, and training. They are intended for educational purposes and to support reflection and professional development. Therapists should always apply their own professional judgment and consider the needs of individual clients when using any techniques or suggestions discussed here.
While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and helpful, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss, damage, or difficulties arising from the use or misuse of material contained in these articles.
