If the thought of marketing your therapy practice or nonprofit makes you cringe, you’re not alone. We know that online marketing can feel fake, inauthentic and spammy. If you’re like most therapists, you aren’t really interested in playing the marketing “game.”
You got into this field to help people, not trick them. How can you convince people they need to be more truthful with themselves, if you don’t also practice that same level of honesty?
We hear you. At Alford Creative, we specialize in working with mental and behavioral health therapists to get you traction online, but not at the cost of your integrity.
As digital specialists, we are also uncomfortable with the bot-driven, fake-saturated tactics, trends, and digital practices used by others in our industry.
But what does human-centered marketing mean, exactly?
At its heart, marketing is about interacting and connecting with people. We want to take it back to that.
We believe that you can grow your business through proven digital practices without relying on things that go against your values.
We believe that putting human needs first inspires marketing that is not only highly effective, but that will delight your clients.
So how do we put real peoples’ needs first? Let’s break it down.
5 Traits of Human-Centered Marketing
1.) People are more than their IP addresses.
In order to solve your clients’ problems, you need to get to know them instead of using tactics to track them across the internet.
- What do they care about?
- What are they interested in?
- What frustrates them?
- When interacting online, it’s important to connect with them like you would in person.
2.) Talking like a real person.
Real people want to talk to real people, not bots, AI, or someone who sounds like a salesperson. Say no to spammy sales copy or “bait and switch” tactics.
3.) Technology is a tool and not the driver.
Just because its there, doesn’t mean it is the best thing for you or your customer. If you wouldn’t like a tactic…then why do you use it on others? Technology is amazing, but it is only a tool.
Tools are meant to serve us, and not the other way around. Pick and choose and remember, you get to be the boss of your technology! Use what works in an authentic way.
Resist the shiny things and fancy tactics and pick the tools that gives your clients the best information, authenticity, and solution to their problems.
4.) Marketing isn’t Magic.
In the digital space, people sometimes forget that we are building relationships with clients (and future clients!) and that can’t be done overnight.
Just because things can be automated, doesn’t mean they always should be for expediency sake.
Do what will strengthen the relationship. it takes more time, but will help you stand out.
5.) Contributing to Build a Better Internet.
The internet is overrun with ads, spam, lures and tricks, bots, and bad actors, and we hate it just as much as you do! We all have a chance to make it better by not contributing to practices that are destroying our collective sanity.
Be assured, you can grow your company in a way that doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominators of our culture.
Want To Learn How To Use These Human-centered Ideas In Your Clinic or Practice?
I think you do some of the most important work on the planet so I created a company just to help therapy practices and other mission-driven brands succeed. In fact, we have a proven process to help you not only survive, but become the go-to authority in your local market. If you want to learn more about how we can help, let’s hop on a zoom call to brainstorm where you want to go and what it will take to get there.
Schedule your free strategy session on the calendar below.
