The Practice of Therapy

Gordon Brewer 0:00
This episode is brought to you by the solo to group practice webinar. It's a free webinar that you can find at practice of therapy.com slash group. And also brought to you by therapy notes therapy notes.com.

This is the practice of therapy podcast with Gordon Brewer, helping you to navigate your private practice journey.

This is session number 181 of the practice of therapy podcast. Hello, everyone. glad you've joined me glad you're with me on this journey and listening to the podcast. And if this is your first time listening in glad you found us glad you're here with me. Yeah, so we're already into June. And it's hard to believe that may has already gone past. You know, over Memorial Day weekend, I got to get together with some family. And that was great. That was being able, you know, life is starting to feel a little bit more normal. Now that we're out and about and starting to do summertime things hope your hope you're able to do some of the same. You know, I'm looking forward to you hearing from my guest today, Andrea Jones, and she has a website called online draya.com. And I would invite you to go over and take a look at that. But today we're going to be talking about social media overwhelm. And I know for me, we talk a lot about this in the interview, there are times when I've just been overwhelmed about what to do in terms of marketing, and which social media platforms to be on and how to do that whole thing. And so I think you're gonna enjoy my conversation with Andrea Andrea, as she's sometimes referred to. So we'll get to Andrea here in just a moment. But before we do, I want to invite you to go over and check out my upcoming free webinar as this particular episode is coming out.

Got a free webinar that is going to be on June the 11th at 1pm, Eastern time. And it's just simply using Google workspace in your private practice. And in this webinar, I'm just going to be going over some of the basics of about using Google workspace as a practice platform or just as a way to kind of manage the business and sometimes the clinical side of your practice. I use Google workspace and rely on a lot for Jeanne, from Gmail to using Google Drive, Google Forms all of those things. So this webinar is designed to be an introduction to you. So be sure to go check that out and register for it. And then you can get to that at practice of therapy.com g w s webinar. And that'll get you to the link on webinar ninja to register for this. You know, one thing I will say is that Google workspace that used to be known as G Suite. But Google workspace has really become very well known within private practice circles for the tools that it provides. In fact, I started a Facebook group called Google workspace for therapists,

Facebook group, and it's got over 5000 members to that, that private Facebook group now and so lots of great resources there as well as far as people sharing information and, and talking about things. But one of the things about Google workspace and I'm going to cover this in the webinar, is how you use it and make it HIPAA secure or HIPAA compliant. There's a lot of myths around all that and I want to kind of straighten those out in this webinar. So be sure and register even if you're not able to come on June the 11th, you'll still have access to the replay afterwards. But again, to register for that go to practice of therapy.com slash g w s webinar, GWS as in Google workspace. So love to see you there and love you to join me for that free webinar. And also before we get to Andrea, be sure and check out our sponsor for the podcast, therapy notes, therapy notes calm. They are the leading Electronic Health Record system for private practice practices in the mental health space. They're who I use in my practice and I will say a side note here, I use it in conjunction with Google workspace. And so we'll talk about that in the webinars as well. But be sure to check out therapy notes, they have a patient portal that is second to none can help you just become virtually paperless in your practice. Also, the ability to schedule people and them to be able to schedule online, also being able to file insurance claims and do it through their Clearinghouse again, making things paperless and easy to navigate. And I will say that therapy notes support is second to none. When you call them you get answers, and somebody gets back in touch with you right away. So be sure and check them out therapy notes.com. And if you'll be sure and use the promo code Gordon just Glr doin, you can get two months, though their services for free. So try them out for two months. And it's a win win situation. So be sure to check them out. And so that's all I've got to say here during the intro. And please listen to my conversation with Andrea Jones about social media overwhelm. Here we go.

Hello, everyone, and welcome again to the podcast. And I'm so happy for you all to get to know Andrea Jones. Andrea is one of those great people that connected with me. And she has a website called online draya.com. And really her niche and her specialty is just helping people in private practice or other businesses really kind of beat that overwhelm around social media marketing. So draya happy to have you and why don't you start with everyone? Why don't you tell folks a little bit about yourself and your story and how you've landed where you've landed?

Andréa Jones 7:10
Yeah, so thank you so much for having me on the show. And when I started with social media, I actually am one of those weirdos who likes social media.

I started blogging in 2004. I started my YouTube channel in 2007. And worked in the spa industry at the time in Atlanta. And I was a manager of a few spas past Adele Fowler in Atlanta.

I was assistant manager for a few locations. And because I was one of the youngest people on the team, I was put in charge of social media. And I really liked it. I really enjoyed it. I went to school for English, English literature, so not related at all. And and once I so part of my stories, doing these YouTube videos, I met my husband through YouTube and moved to Canada to be with him. So with that move is when I actually started my own business. And the funny thing is, I quickly learned a lot of people don't like social media, and it became one of these necessary evils, right, we have to do it, we have to show up in a certain way. And so I spent the last seven years as I was growing my business and growing my agency, really tapping into why that is and why me and myself as an introvert still likes to show up on social media in a certain way. And so that's kind of my journey, in a nutshell started off as a thing that I actually like doing, turned it into the business that we have today, where we have an agency that services over 20 clients as well as a membership that has almost 300 students in it.

Gordon Brewer 8:57
Wow. Wow. That's great. Yeah, I think that's one of the things I know even for me, one of the things that I quickly outsourced was just the social media part because it just got to the overwhelming and then I know one of the things that we had kind of talked about a little bit before we started recording is just the fact that it is so overwhelming for a lot of people about knowing where to show up and you know, which social medias to pick and all of that kind of thing. And so, so yeah, so walk us through your process of just kind of how you work with people and and that sort of thing and maybe some tips on social media.

Andréa Jones 9:39
Yeah, you know, that overwhelming feeling is totally natural. I you know, social media can feel like another language sometimes. Right? They're walking into this thing. My I always say my favorite clients are the ones who are like how do I post to Instagram stories? Because it is like a very confusing place to nap. Again, it's learning a whole new technology software. And so if you're feeling overwhelmed know that that's okay. And that's perfectly normal and natural. And I think part of it too is right when you log in, you're seeing all of these people who are who seem like they're doing the right things, and posting, they look great. They have photography, they have beautiful things they have to say. And so it is that comparison game that we're playing with ourselves as well. So the first thing that I recommend, if you're thinking about this overwhelming feeling, and you mentioned kind of choosing a platform, start with a platform that you're already familiar with. So if you're already using Facebook, or if you're already on LinkedIn, start with those platforms, because generally speaking, that can really help you understand the technology and the software and get to a place of understanding and knowing if it's the right one for you. Now, where should you spend your time on this platform. So there's two kind of buckets of time I want you to think about. And I know there are a lot of people who talk about kind of like the quantity of content you should produce. So try to post every single day or try to post three times a week, or whatever the case may be. What I recommend is to focus on a time limit first, instead of a number of posts, because there's so much that goes into those posts, and depending on where you are, it may also add to that overwhelming feeling. So when you sit down to write those posts, try to spend one hour a week working on your social media content. Sometimes in that one hour, you may only put together one caption and snap a photo of your location. And that's the post for the week. And that's okay. It's just like learning any new skill. And then throughout the week, I want you to spend 10 minutes each day just checking in seeing what you see scrolling through the feed, looking at the different elements in the app, responding to any comments you get, or any messages you get. And that's a really good place to start for a lot of people. Because it really helps build the muscle and the skills needed to do social media and working your social media is a skill like he said, you outsource it. For me, the first thing I outsource was bookkeeping I shouldn't. For you, it made me social media. So you know, know that you can outsource that as well.

Gordon Brewer 12:20
Right. Right. Well, I think that's a you know, I think it's a make a good point is just to keep it simple. And I think one of the things is, is that we can, we can also get into, like you said earlier, into the trap of trying to compare what we do to somebody else. And what I there was a quote I heard I think it was from, you might be familiar with Pat Flynn, who does a lot of online stuff. He was saying that never compare your beginning point to somebody else's middle point. Because I think that can you know, that they've put more time into it and that sort of thing. And everybody has a starting point. So yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah,

Andréa Jones 13:10
yeah, I agree. Because I think that when we look at social media, sometimes what we're looking at is a team of people working on their social media accounts. I know because I'm, I'm behind my clients accounts, and even my clients who are like individual practices, but their practice is that they still hire a team to support them with that. So even though you see a selfie, even though you see a video, sometimes there, there's a team of people behind that. So you're really not giving yourself a fair chance, you're not giving yourself a fair shake at approaching social media in a way that works for you. And I've been thinking about this a lot lately as well is that as adults, we don't want to learn something new, we feel like we should already know it. And I think that adds to our frustration, right? We feel like, Man, you know, my teenager can post on Snapchat all day, I can't even figure out how to open the app or whatever the case may be. So it adds to like our own rumination adds to our challenges that we're having with this app. And it's actually making the outcome be a lot worse than it has to be. Right.

Gordon Brewer 14:20
I think it Yeah, and I think it's, you know, that again, starting small seems to be work is has worked well for me. I know. Therefore, when I was not only in my my private practice, but also just with the practice of therapy and the podcast. I remember early on, I was trying to be everywhere. I mean, like a LinkedIn and then you know, Twitter and Facebook and then Instagram and Pinterest and all of those, all of those places and it just wasn't effective. Really, it was just better to just take two A few that I enjoy using and just do it consistently. And I think that's the other thing you want to speak to that Sam just about consistency of, of posting and being, being on social media.

Andréa Jones 15:14
Yes. And I love that you mentioned trying to be everywhere at once, because that is one of those things that we try to do. But definitely focus in on one platform. And the consistency that I want you to focus on is the time that you spend on that platform, because you will get better at it naturally, just like anything, you will get better, the more you practice. So focus on one platform and get consistent. Now a few things that can help you with this. One of the exercises that I love to do before you start diving into social media is take a piece of paper, fold it in half, and on one side, write the word before and on the other side, write the word after. And then I want you to think about your clients and their feelings. What do they feel before they work with you, and how would they feel after they work with you. So start brainstorming, give yourself 30 minutes or so write as many feelings as you can. Because those turn into social media posts, even as you're writing them, you're probably going to think of the social media posts. And that will really be helpful for you when you sit down to write because now that hour, is just pulling bits and pieces from the before and after brainstorming session that you just did. So if people are feeling burned down, stressed out to the max there, they feel like they have no time for themselves. And they know that they want to get to a place of calm and assuredness. That's a before feeling and an after failing that can go into social media posts. So if you're feeling like this, and you want to feel like this, give me a call book a free consultation, visit our website. Yeah. And that can really be some, like transformative, powerful messaging to put on in a marketing campaign.

Gordon Brewer 16:58
Yeah, and that's, you know, I love I love that idea. Because I think it just speaks to the, you know, really the is I think about social media, it's really kind of a pseudo or an online way to build relationships with people. I mean, there's get through social media, I think the phenomenon that we've seen, has just been that it builds relationship got at least a feeling of a relationship really quickly. And that you're, you're really kind of sharing meaningful stuff. And, and that sort of thing. And, and so we feel a connection with people through social media all the time. I mean, it's just, I, I'm one of those that has a love hate relationship with a social on social media, but it is how we connect and, you know, during, during these times, and then just also through throughout the pandemic, that we've caught call have gone through social media was important in that way, as well, just building that relationship. Yeah, so the other thing that she mentioned, Andrea, that I think is is important, is just really being clear on how you help people, particularly for mental health providers, and those of us in this kind of private practice, mental health space, is being able to convey that message of how you help people and like you said the before and after. And so, yeah, so you want to say a little more about how I personally tend to develop that, that before and after kind of brainstorming thing. say a little more about that.

Andréa Jones 18:50
Yeah, absolutely. And I think one of the things to note as well, is in the space that we're in, in this mental health wellness space. Oftentimes, our clients aren't going to engage with our content online. Right? They may not leave a comment and say, Yes, I'm struggling with this because it's a very public place. So we want to extend that hand to them to be able to take action in a way that may be a little bit more private in a way that they feel safe. So we use this method in this Abbey social school called the ABCs of writing a caption. So the a is grabbing their attention in some way. Do you think about social media? Kind of scrolling? We see like our sister's kid, we see our friends. We see her mom's vacation, and then we see this post. So what would Why would we stop and look at this post so think about that. And those feelings can really help so really, like get specific as well you storytelling so you know, if you're a mom of three and you can't even go to the bathroom to get peace and quiet. You know, if that's you, you're going to stop and go, Oh, I thought I was the only one. And then you may keep reading the caption. Um, so that's the a is that attention grabbing question or statement, the B is the benefit statement. So adding in things like, I want to help you finally get a calming moment to yourself, I want to help you eradicate mom guilt, I want to help you build a safe environment where you and your children can feel fully supported. So those are all benefits. And they again, focus on feelings. I think sometimes too, we focus on, you know, one hour sessions, you know, this is how much they cost, it's virtual. But really, people want the end result, they don't really care how they get there. So those benefits focus on the feelings and then the C. So attention benefit, C is call to action. And this is the part where we're extending our hands out, we're inviting them to take that next step with us. And whatever it may look like for your practice. So some people do free discovery call some people you have to apply, sometimes you have to fill out a form, it can even be if you don't have a website or anything like that, it even can be send me a direct message, whatever it is, you do want to offer that next step, because oftentimes people aren't going to, especially in our space, are going to comment that says, Whatever, whatever challenge you're going through, it oftentimes feels very personal. Right. And so you want to give them that next step. So attention benefit call to action, that can be really great formula for putting together those feelings that before and after feelings.

Gordon Brewer 21:36
I don't know if you're familiar with Donald Miller story brand. And that is one of the things that he talks about as well is, is making that connection with people of you being able to kind of show people the, the end result of of working with you, of being able to give them I like to say give them a sense of hope, in your in your writing about the struggles that they're going through. And yeah, you're right. I think one of the things when I do consulting with people and do look at their websites, one of the things that people seem to neglect all the time is just a call that call to action that see that you mentioned, you've got to, you can build it, but you've got to also invite them in. And that's I think, as the thing that I think is important is to make people feel like you understand their problem, and that you're going to have a way to to give them some help with that, whatever that problem might be.

Andréa Jones 22:38
Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's all about connection as well. You know, you've mentioned this, like, social media is different. It's not a billboard, it's not a radio ad, it is a two way connection with someone, a two way conversation. So you do want to like open that up, it's not, you know, just shouting out into the void. It is really like calling people in. And so I think that having that is important. And one of the things too, as well, that could be very helpful for this is strategic partnerships. So oftentimes, you know, we're looking on social media, like I said, our, our ideal customer or client, if you message them or if you follow them, they may not be at a place yet where they're ready to hire you or work with you. So look around for some strategic partners who can help share your work. You know, some really good places who, you know, if you're a local business, look at like yoga studios, places where people go, your your potential clients where you can also show up in those places, maybe you exchange promotions, maybe you collaborate and do something together. But that gets you in front of the right people in such a powerful way. Right,

Gordon Brewer 23:56
right. And the other thing that you remind me of is, we've kind of hit around this, but the importance of really defining your niche or niche, however you want to say that. And I think that's one of the one of the things that people hear from for me a lot and you know, here all the time is, is being able to get real specific about what you do. Because if you're painting with too broad of a brush, no, it's not. Nobody's going to really be drawn to it, I think. Yeah,

Andréa Jones 24:28
yeah. And it makes the work that you're doing on social media, so much easier when you can get very specific about who it is you're exactly offering and as to who is going to resonate and relate to this so much. So for me, for instance, I just hired a coach who is specifically a leadership coach who I found on Instagram. And part of it for me is I didn't just want any business coach. You know, we're building a team, we have a team of 11. Now I want to become a better leader. And so all of her content was specifically talking about hiring, managing and leading a team. If she was just talking about the broader business growth, I would have scrolled pastor and said, I think it's that specificity that is so important when it comes to social media, because you want to be able to make sure that the stories that you use and the the examples that you use, speak directly to the person that you're talking to,

Gordon Brewer 25:25
can you think of an example of a really good post that just really kind of knocked your socks off? With people thinking about this?

Andréa Jones 25:38
Yes, actually, one of my former clients did this. She is an OB GYN, specifically for women who are trying to conceive and she calls these the anxious mothers who are perfectionist, basically, usually first time moms, they want everything to go 100%, right, which we know never happens, right.

And so one of her posts was about actually postpartum. And she was talking about postpartum underwear and how she was like, I can't be the only one who wore these for way longer than I should have. should have. And that post blew up, people were commenting, sharing, it became a topic of discussion, because it brought up the feeling of Oh, I thought I was the only one. And that's a really great example of something that people feel connected to your identifying, maybe problem or challenge that, you know, other people feel like they don't feel comfortable talking about, you're maybe making light of it a little bit, adding some humor. And so those types of posts can work really well. And so what happened was, she had a lot of people attracted to her because of that post. And then in her other posts, she talks about hormone she talked about, you know, being pregnant in the time of COVID, she talks about all of these things that really can help moms feel comfortable and confident in the work that they're doing.

Gordon Brewer 27:15
Right. Right. Yeah. And again, it speaks to that making that connection with people. And what I love about that is, is allowing yourself to be somewhat vulnerable, by disclosing to your comfort level, you know, things about yourself. And I think that's where people, people connect, you know, like, for example, you know, just for therapists, in particular, you know, like, you know, I know, in my, in my own story in the past, I've struggled with some depression. And so being able to disclose that saying, you know, I understand what this is, like, because I've gone through the same struggle as well. And so as a professional, you know, blah, blah, blah, you know, that, that sort of thing, I think can give you much more clout with people by doing a little bit of self disclosure. And so I think that's a wonderful, wonderful idea. Like, yeah, so it

Andréa Jones 28:18
just makes people feel seen and not like, you know, you're way up here. And they're down here. You know, it's just, it's a human connection, which is really the most important part.

Gordon Brewer 28:28
Right, right. Well, Andrea, I want to be respectful of your time. And I'm so glad we got to connect and tell folks how they can get in touch with you. And also tell them about your podcast and some of the courses you've got going on.

Andréa Jones 28:44
Yeah, absolutely. So my website is online. draya.com, my favorite platform to hang out on his Instagram at online via I love like connecting in that direct message. So if there's something that resonated with you today, feel free to send me a note. And you can also find the sappy social podcast on any podcasting app, we have shows that release weekly on Tuesdays. And if you know a lot of what we said today, and it comes directly from my content, so if it resonated with you, I do want to invite you to take my free course. Um, it's online, draya.com, slash free fr EE. And it really lays out how to build out a social media strategy. I kind of teased out a few things today, like the ABCs of writing a caption, but there's also some some kind of swipe files and kind of like a mad lib fill in the blank style caption writing activities you can do in there. And it's really just a sample of what our programming is like at the savvy social school. So definitely check that out online. draya.com slash free.

Gordon Brewer 29:52
Yes, and we'll have links to to all of that in the show summary and show notes if you're listening to this or whichever podcatcher you might be listening this too. So well, Andre, I'm so glad we got to meet. And I hope that maybe we can do this again.

Well, I'm so glad to get to hear from Andrea Andrea. And I'm glad that she joined me for this particular episode. And I hope you've gotten some ideas about social media and maybe thinking about it a little differently. Again, one of the things that I will say here, one of the best things that I've done with my social media is to outsource that. And again, big shout out to my assistant Rachel for the job she does with that, I get a lot of great compliments, about the instant Instagram posts that we're doing. And so, again, something to really think about, again, check out Andrea Jones's things at online draya.com. And you'll again, you'll see links here in the show summary, the show notes of how to get in touch with her and what she has to offer in terms of social media management, and really thinking about your social media plan. Also, as I mentioned at the beginning, be sure and join me for the upcoming webinar on using Google workspace. Again, you can get to that at practice of therapy.com slash g w. s webinar. And it's a free webinar. And it's going to be on June the 11th at 1pm. Eastern Time, and even if you're not able to be there for the pod, starting to say the podcast the webinar, be sure to register and that way you get access to the to the replay. Also, I'll just put put this in that I didn't say at the beginning. If you stay for the entire webinar, you'll get to find out about some, some bonus materials I've put together for the webinar, along with some discounts for my Google for workspace therapist course, that I've got out there. So be sure to check that out practice of therapy.com slash g w s webinar. And as always, Big thanks to our sponsor for the podcast, therapy, notes, therapy notes calm, they are the leading electronic health records system for mental health providers in private practice. They are one of the most highly rated of any of the electronic health record systems out there. And as I said, I use them in my practice and highly rely on them very much for the day to day running of my practice. So be sure and check them out therapy notes.com. And be sure and use the promo code Gordon just Gao r do when you can get two months of their services for free. I had a conversation with one of their people this past week. And so again, big shout out to them, and for what they do for me and my practice. Not only that, but also being big supporters of this podcast. So that's all I've got for today, folks, be sure and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to it, whether it be on Apple podcasts or Google podcasts or Stitcher or Spotify. Glad to have you there to subscribe, and that way you get the updates right when they come out. And also leave us a review. And I love hearing from people getting honest feedback about the podcast. And as always, I'm so glad you're with me on this journey. And I look forward to you being with me in the future here. So be sure and tune in next week for another episode. And I've got a lot of great guests lined up for future episodes and future episodes coming out. So glad you're with me on this journey. Take care folks.

You have been listening to the practice of therapy podcast with Gordon Brewer. Please visit us at practice of therapy.com for more information, resources, and tools to help you in starting building and growing your private practice. And if you haven't done so already, please sign up to receive the free private practice startup guide and practice of therapy.com. The information in this podcast is intended to be accurate and authoritative concerning the subject matter covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host guests or producers are ready Bring legal accounting or clinical advice. If you need a professional, you should find the right person for them.