MHM#19 Building trust with videos

A key objective of therapy practice marketing is building trust. It can be scary seeing a therapist for the first time. People are considering their options, looking at multiple therapist websites, trying to decide who is the right therapist for them.

Video content is one of the best ways we can build this trust.

Video allows people to see you and connect with you. They can get a feel for your personality, whether you'll click, and what a session with you might be like.

However, as you may have experienced if you've already ventured into the video-making world, video creation, especially initially, is often filled with many uncomfortable feelings and a lot of self-judgment. 

Here are my thoughts…..

You don't need to create videos to fill your caseload 
But, with video content being the most engaging content on social media and so many therapists creating videos, it becomes harder to connect with prospective clients when they're comparing you to therapists who do have videos. 

Be kind and patient with yourself
Often, a lot of frustration comes with making videos, feeling like it's way harder than they should be. But remember, making videos is a learned skill—it's not something you'll be magically good at overnight. Preparing what you're going to say, writing a script, sorting out equipment, getting the lighting and sound right, uploading to social media etc - these skills take time and practise to develop.

Connection over perfection

Clients are far more forgiving than you are when it comes to judging your videos.

They don't need you to be perfect, they just want to get to know you. They want to see your authentic self. Stumbling over a few words doesn't actually matter. What matters is talking from the heart about topics that you're passionate about and will resonate with your ideal client. 

Of course, it's great to improve over time as you do more of them, but take the pressure off yourself. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is to be you.

Embrace your own style
When you're scrolling on Insta, it can feel daunting looking at all the different styles of videos. Videos that include lots of editing, voiceovers, various locations, dancing etc. 

Firstly, it's important to think about what is actually appropriate - there is a line between prospective clients getting to know you through a professional lens versus a personal lens. I recommend keeping everything on the professional lens side of the line. 

Secondly, it's important to create videos that feel authentically you - embrace what you're comfortable doing. If that is sitting in a chair talking to the camera, then do that. The more comfortable you appear on camera, the more people will engage with you, and the more likely you'll be to keep making videos. 

You don't need to go viral 
There is often talk about making videos that go viral. The videos that tend to go viral and really quirky, unique videos with broad appeal - which is excellent for video views and growing your followers, but you often end up with a proportion of followers who aren't your ideal client. It's better to have a small audience who are your ideal clients who might become an actual client one day.

I hope that was helpful. If you have any questions about making videos or anything else marketing-related, please ask. Just reply to this email.

Happy video making.