How much should therapists spend on marketing?
Do you have a marketing budget for your therapy practice?
If not, here’s a helpful article from Heard.
Most of the therapists they surveyed (79.5%) spent less than $100/month on marketing.
Your core marketing expenses are going to be your website and directory listings.
Depending on a variety of factors, including your location, niche, and network, you can probably get by with a Squarespace website (starts at $16/month) and Psychology Today profile ($29.95/month).
If you want to take insurance, it could be helpful to sign up for a service like Alma ($125/month). They help you get paneled and get referrals.
When it comes to setting a marketing budget, first think about how many clients you need. Your acquisition cost (how much it costs to acquire a new client) will help you ballpark how much you need to spend.
If your acquisition cost is $100 and you need 30 clients, you may need to spend $3,000 on marketing. This is more an art than a science.
It also depends on how fast you want to grow. If you want to get clients quickly, you may need to spend more money.
But if you can afford to grow more slowly, you can save money on marketing by relying on referrals and free marketing channels like social media.