Are you a therapist who is pondering how you might use LinkedIn? We have touched previously on why, and how, social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be effective for customer-facing marketing purposes. But how about LinkedIn?
In this article, we offer some tips on how to get the most out of your LinkedIn membership and explain why it can be helpful for building your online profile.
Your online ‘podium’
The likes of ‘Insta’ and ‘FB’ are perfect to build your brand, getting across content which is designed to entertain, inform, or excite your existing customer base, as well as potential customers. LinkedIn is a little bit different because your audience will typically be other professionals in your industry or related industries. While you might shy away from talking up your attributes overtly on more customer-facing social networks – for fear of being seen to be attempting a ‘hard sell’ – on LinkedIn, this is the place to describe exactly what makes you good at your job, why the service you are providing is effective, and what you have to offer to the industry.
Connect with your peers
How many other therapists do you know in your area, or across the country? Forming relationships with others in a similar role can offer a whole heap of benefits, and LinkedIn can be a brilliant place to spark off these connections. Once you have built a ‘network’ of therapists, they can act as valuable sources of advice, inspiration and in some cases even refer new clients to you. Seeking out professionals who share things in common with us is a completely natural urge, and in LinkedIn, we have the ideal place to do it.
Become an industry spokesperson
Do you have ideas about how your industry can improve and move forward? Perhaps there are ‘age old’ practices which you feel are holding your sector back? Is it time to challenge some of the norms which we have come to accept? If you have these kind of views, you could air them on your LinkedIn – whether that’s on your profile, or in professional groups. As long as you are putting forward your thoughts in a constructive way, and encouraging debate, there is nothing to stop you becoming viewed as an industry spokesperson, and this can do wonders for your profile. In this sense, LinkedIn provides an excellent platform to discuss the issues of the day.
Organise events
From networking events to trade shows and strictly social outings – LinkedIn can be ideal for therapists who wish to organise events. These type of get-togethers are a great way for you to put names to faces, discuss ideas, and point each other in the right direction. For therapists who typically work independently, rather than as part of a team, events can be crucial to forming relationships with fellow professionals. Remember – together we are stronger, and LinkedIn can offer a tremendous opportunity for those therapists who wish to expand their professional network through face to face meetings.
Clients via the ‘back door’?
While LinkedIn might be predominantly for business to business, rather than business to consumer purposes, who’s to say that you can’t attract new clients on there? For many business people, LinkedIn can be their go-to social network on a daily basis, and so their first port of call when looking for a therapist might be to use the platform. That makes it all the more important to ensure that your profile is up to scratch and that you are keeping your LinkedIn updates ticking over.
Risk/reward?
Sure, if you want to get the most out of LinkedIn, you will have to devote some time to it. That could mean a few minutes each day to work on your profile, seek out promising connections, and interact with other people’s posts. But consider what the return on your investment could be. If you could acquire a couple of new clients or make some valuable industry connections, wouldn’t that make it all worthwhile? So make an effort to get to grips with LinkedIn, and see how far you can take your networking and thought leadership abilities.
