TIPS on Using Theramatch

Market Your Specialty Practice

In today's business marketplace, increasing your referral base requires a shift in thinking. The internet has become a major pool for potential referrals. At Theramatch, we have provided an unique platform to help you market your practice to mental health consumers. Consumers want easily accessible information about their professionals and Theramatch is one great way to share your professional resume with the world. As a professional, you have a great deal to offer the clients and the general public about the field of mental health. Here are a few tips that you should consider as you market yourself on Theramatch and on the internet.

1. Choose an Expertise. In the field of mental health we are trained not to present ourselves as an expert or specialist. Yet, you likely completed a Master's thesis and/or a dissertation on a specific area. That does separate your level of expertise in that area from others in your profession. You need to think of yourself as an expert. It is important that you convey that message to consumers who will be searching on the internet and, if you are a member, within the Theramatch Directory. We suggest that you identify three areas of your clinical practice that represent your specialties. Those are the three areas you need to describe and focus on when you build your profile. Think in terms of building a platform for yourself to help people understand who you are and what you do. First and foremost, you need to be comfortable in your own mind that you are 'pitching' your experience. Most clinical practitioners need to get past the uncomfortable feeling of bragging about themselves. Yet, as clinicians, we teach people to advocate for themselves. Well, take your own message to heart, and boast about your skills to the world.

2. Detail, Detail, Detail. You need to provide consumers with as much information about yourself, your interests, the clients that you serve, your presentations, publications and more. On Theramatch's website there are a number of tools which you can use to create detail about your expertise and why people should come to see you. Put up a good clear photo of yourself. A head shot is best. And, make sure that you smile. Potential clients want to see someone who is confident and happy not someone who presents with a sad face and gives poor eye contact with the camera. Fill out all of the information about your training skills and background for your profile page. Finally, you have the option to contribute articles and commentaries about clinical practice. Consumers are really interested in mental health. A very high percentage of hits to the Theramatch website go to the section on 'Learn about Mental Health.' Consumers want to know that as an expert you really know your business. And this is one way for you to present yourself as a highly qualified practitioner. The key to increasing interest about you and your practice is to provide lots of content about it.

3. Networking. To help you build your referral base, send out emails on a regular basis to your clients and colleagues about your profile and your articles on Theramatch. Create a network virus by asking your clients and your colleagues to pass the information on to other people within their address books. You never can tell, someone may be looking for an expert like you. Asking your clients and colleagues to be part of your network virus does not cost anything but it is very effective in letting the general public know where to find you. Remember these are individuals who have received therapy or are interested in it. When they get information about you and your expertise, they are likely to refer someone to you with that particular mental health concern.

4. Our Newsletter. Theramatch has a newsletter which gets sent out to everyone within the database and to consumers who have requested to be included in our database. Submit a story about your practice, about your clinical techniques and/or anything that might be of interest to the general public. The newsletter can also be sent out to your client base and to your professional colleagues. Talking about your clinical practice serves to reinforce your expertise in the minds of others.

5. Create a Video. Have you heard of YouTube.com? Millions of people now look for information through YouTube.com and through other video stream sources on the internet. At Theramatch, you can create a video about your practice that is linked to YouTube.com that allows you to market yourself to a broader audience. Create a video series about your specialization. At the end of the brief video provide your office information. Its another great way to scream on a mountain top about your practice and expertise.

6. Building the Theramatch Network. You need to be in touch with us. We are here to help you build your profile and market your practice. Send us information about what you are doing. Send us information about who to contact. Send us an email list of friends and colleagues. We will keep this information on our database. Theramatch has approximately 1,900 members at this point. If we all contribute ten emails, think about the network base that we are building. If you think about yourself as a sole provider, that's what you will remain to be. You need to change your thinking as well as your behavior as a practitioner. As a member of Theramatch, you are part of a large network which can act much more effectively as a group. Our members are located from California to New York. There is a lot of information that we can disseminate and a lot of emails that we can collect simply by staying in touch with one another.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is a strategy to help your profile page on Theramatch, or your own website, be highly ranked on the major search engines (e.g., Google and Yahoo). For example, if you are an expert on anger management in Seattle WA, we would use special SEO techniques to increase the chance that your Full Profile page on Theramatch would come up within the top 10 sites on the search engines. So, when a consumer types in anger management therapist in Seattle, your Theramatch page would appear. We tend to do SEO for all of our pages, including articles written by our members.

8. The Future. At Theramatch we believe that the mental health field is going to change significantly within the next five years. The technology for telehealth is around the corner. We are moving into virtual therapy and Theramatch will be on the forefront. We want to

Make The World Your Office.

These strategies are useful with the Theramatch platform and with your own website to highlight your practice on the internet. The key is to spend the time doing the items above. Spend the time to let the world know how good you are as a professional.

Good luck,
Ellenmorris Tiegerman, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Kassinove, Ph.D.
Co-Founders of Theramatch Registry, Inc.
www.theramatch.com

Helping Professionals Connect with Consumers