We all need to vent about a hard day at work, but clinicians should think twice before posting on personal social network pages.

Guest post by Kimberly Sandstrom, MFTI

Have you ever have a long day at the office and wanted to vent your frustration to someone? Me too! We are containers of all sorts of confidential information and sometimes our containers get full, or we get triggered by something that happened during the day. It’s hard to hold it all in at times—especially when it touches or triggers some reaction in us. Yet, we are called to an oath of confidentiality, and sensitivity to our client’s information. For most, venting to a trusted colleague or a relaxation activity can be enough. Yet, some therapists use their personal social media accounts to release stress about their clients. Can’t believe clinicians do this? Read on.

Do you know where your website visitors come from? If not, it probably a good idea to start. I use Google Analytics to find out which sites are the top referrers to my private practice website WasatchFamilyTherapy.com.

The following statistics reinforce what I’ve already known. They illustrate that:

1. A website is crucial for private practice growth.
2. Google is king. Most people find my website through Google searches.
3. Creating valuable content that can be shared on Facebook is definitely worth the investment.
4. Guest blogging on larger sites does increase website traffic.
5. It’s worth a monthly fee price to get listed in online directories.

Take a look at my year-to-date website traffic stats.

An effective website is key to building a thriving private practice in the digital age.

According to Pew Research, 80% of internet users look online for health information, making it the third most popular online pursuit following email and using a search engine. Additionally, 44% of internet users look online for information about doctors or other health professionals.

Since the majority of people are looking for your services online, your website is the heart of your professional web presence. All other online efforts should focus primarily on directing potential clients to your website where they will get to know who you are and how you can help them. Your website is your first impression, your “billboard”, and your best chance to build trust with potential clients. I suggest these 5 C’s when building your private practice website.

Creating consistent online content can help grow your practice faster than almost any other marketing or networking activity

According to PCMag.com digital content creation is “The development of newsworthy, educational and entertainment material for distribution over the Internet or other electronic media.” It falls under the umbrella of content marketing which is a narrative form of sharing information that speaks to a potential client’s need while sharing who you are and the benefits of what you do. Content creation is a way of building trust online and with potential clients by being a valuable resource without asking for anything in return.

Consistently creating compelling and relevant content is the primary reason my private practice has continued to grow in spite of the economic downturn of recent years. Not only has my clinic grown, but since I started regularly blogging, writing, producing videos, and doing media interviews amazing opportunities have come my way. Publishing offers, national media interviews, conference invitations, consulting business, and over 25,000 social followers across multiple social networks are just a few of the incredible doors that have opened to me since I started focusing on content creation.

I spill my practice building media tips in new issue of TILT Magazine

One of my favorite therapists to follow on Twitter is DeeAnna Nagel, co-founder of the Online Therapy Institute. She and co-founder Kate Anthony are well-known online therapy innovators and experts. A few months ago I was delighted when DeAnna invited to submit a feature article for their November Issue of TILT Magazine (Therapeutic Innovations In Light Of Technology) on the benefits of conventional media for practice building. Regular media interviews fave been a big factor in the continued growth of my practice Wasatch Family Therapy during an economic downturn. Here’s a snippet from the article…

Let me show you how to build strong online presence to grow your private practice!

If you’re not a social worker, you can stop reading now. I know social workers are supposed to be inclusive, but this is one small exception. This webinar is only open to social workers. If you are a social worker AND a  member of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) then I hope you’ll join me for my first national webinar “Building Your Private Practice In A Digital World: Creating A Strong Online Presence For Your Practice” on Nov. 8.

Guest post by Liz Lockard, a self-confessed Google Analytics geek who loves helping small businesses get more out of their marketing data.

Do you have a website for your private practice? If so, you can’t pass up the best free marketing insights tool for your business – Google Analytics.

If you don’t already have it installed, go do that first (check out my mini Google Analytics setup tutorial for that).

Sure Google Analytics can tell me about my website, you say, but what can it tell me about my practice?

Pick up Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal and check out the “Bonds” column by Elizabeth Bernstein, or read it online: Are We All Braggarts Now?

I’ve been invited to participate in a live chat because…well…not to brag or anything, but I’m quoted in the article (said with utmost humility). I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic. How do you distinguish sharing good news with bragging? Why do some people come off as braggarts while others don’t?

DATE: Tuesday 8/14/12

TIME: 11:30AM ET / 10:30AM CT / 9:30 AM MT / 8 :30AM PT

PLACE: Here’s the chat link Bragging in the Facebook Age.

Two heads are better than one…and two thousand heads are infinitely better. Come on, private practice shrinks, let’s do some social collaboration with Listly.

Earlier this week I introduced you to the concept of online social collaboration and suggested some possible ways it might be useful in private practice. I invite you to join in an easy social collaboration experiment by adding to my list of mobile apps I use most for managing my private practice.

New trends in PR encourage online collaboration. Embracing new platforms can help therapists build professional presence and grow their private practice.

I recently attended an amazing conference in Park City, Utah called “Evo ’12″ The Evolution of Women in Social Media Conference. What’s a shrink doing at a social media conference? In addition to being a therapist, I am a self-professed social media junkie and tech geek. So there.

A conference highlight was a workshop called “The Evolution of PR: A Culture of Collaboration, Connection and Community” taught by PR guru Sarah Evans and search technology innovator Jennifer Gosse. Both presenters work with a new social collaboration platform called Tracky (which you’ll be hearing more about in an upcoming posts as I get more familiar with it). There was so much good technology and PR information that I couldn’t take it all in or write it all down. I didn’t want to miss anything so, I turned to social collaboration.
What is social collaboration?
At this point you may be asking “what is social collaboration?” Social collaboration involves processes that allow people to interact, work together, problem solve and exchange information online.