I'm a Counselor with a Facebook Business Page. Now What?! (Part One)

Frist, Congratulations!

Second, don’t panic. A few deep breaths might be in order. You’ve been through quite a hike to get here. It may seem like there is still a mountain of work left to do. I want to reassure you. It’s not quite a mountain, more like a mole hill. 😉

• You only need about 10-20 good posts on your Facebook Page for the event someone lands on it and stops there to learn more about you before clicking over to your website.
• You likely already have most of the content for these posts either on your website or in the metaphorical therapist tool kit you use when working with clients.
• You get to work in Canva again—a skill you now have!
• This work is creative—I experience it more as a hobby than work. Maybe you will too.

In this article I focus on the first two bullet points from the list above--turning  content into 4 different types of Facebook posts. Part Two of this series will cover the last two bullet points from the list above—designing your posts. 

Coming up with post content is not as hard as you might think. There are a couple of key points you want to keep in mind as you cull through your website decide what to post to your Facebook page.

1. Focus on sound bites of information—long lengthy posts tend to get ignored.
2. Focus on one subject or skill at a time—trying to cram too many subjects into one post is overwhelming and confusing to readers.
3. Focus on what you know—Use this opportunity to let your unique knowledge, specialty, & practice vibe shine through. 
4. Don’t worry about what you think you *should* post.

I like to start brainstorming post content by looking at my website. You’ll categorize your posts based on Subject, Skill, and Specialty. Then focus on one subject, one skill, or one specialty in each post.

For example, if you work with both individuals and couples. Start to create a brainstorm for couples separate from your brainstorm from individuals. These two categories would be considered two different subjects to be addressed in separate posts.

Likewise, let’s say you are skilled in Emotion Focused Therapy and Internal Family Systems Therapy. These are two different subjects to be talked about in two different posts.

Specialties, if you have the credentials to back up your claims, are all about how you sell yourself. Your audience will perceive you as a specialist if you talk about their problems in a way that lets them know you understand them and what they’re going through.

As you brainstorm ask yourself the following questions:

Subject: With whom do you work.

1. In which populations do you specialize?

• Examples might include, postpartum, depression, anxiety, communication, etc.
• Each of these would become a separate category.

 Skills: What you know.

1. What about my way of working with couples or individuals is unique?
2. Are you specifically trained in a model or therapy technique?
3. Make sure to create a new subcategory for each model/technique you offer

Specialty: The way you talk about what you know makes it sound like a specialty. The key is to speak the language of potential clients. I go into detail about how to do this in my book: Facebook Ads for Counselors: Fill Your Schedule Fast on a Dollar A Day.

Please Note: Stick to ethical guidelines here. Only advertise yourself for a specialty for which you are trained.

1.  How can I describe my way of working with clients to potential clients?
2. Which words would make sense to them?

• You likely already have these words on your website
• Or in your head because you use them to describe your therapeutic process to your new clients all the time.

Specialty (Extended): because a picture is worth a thousand words.

1. What eye catching images would go with the descriptive words you just brainstormed for each category?
2. You want it to be emotionally evocative
3. I detail how to find and edit these pictures in Part Two of this series.

Sound Bites 

Once you have a good outline of your Subject, Skills, and Specialty. You can start to create sound bites of information you want to cover in your posts. 

Things to keep in mind when writing your content.

• Address one subject.
• Discuss one skill.
• Put yourself in their shoes, what do you want to know?
• Always use hashtags.
• Always provide a link to your website. 

If you are looking for a more in-depth discussion for Facebook Post creation please check out my blog post: Dissecting A Facebook Post for Counselors.

Post Types & Examples

On my Facebook Business Page, I rotate between 4 types of posts; Skills based, Psychoeducational posts, Quotes, and Tips. I’ll provide 4 examples from my own page to illustrate. All post examples below are rooted in my intended Subject of Couples and my Skill of The Satir Model, you can decide if I come across as a Specialist or not.

1. In this first post, I am highlighting a skill couples can learn: healthy communication. I created a series of conversation starters for couples. Its literally intended to start conversations. I intended for it to be used offline. I didn’t put any text in the post description for this post series, except for hashtags.  

 

2. The second post is an announcement to a psychoeducational blog post on my website about defensive styles the intended audience was for couples. It focused on a subject: defensive styles. 

Here is the text that went with it:

Four main coping stances used under stress: Placating, Blaming, Super-Reasonable, and Irrelevant (Satir, 1988).

Placating is agreeing with the other to make the problem stop.
"I only feel safe when the other is calm."

Blaming is thinking and saying the problem is all the other's fault. "You did this, you have to fix it."

Super-Reasonable dismisses emotion. It relies solely on facts and knowledge.
"Statistics suggest...therefore we should..."

Irrelevant coping distracts yourself and others through any means possible. For example, trying to ignore and avoid the problem through addictions, fantasizing, social media, jokes, etc...
"If I pretend it's not there, it will go away."

Leveling is the stance that allows you to be the most honest with self and others. You can be flexible and creative in finding solutions for your family.

Often we use a combination of coping stances. They are learned in childhood. They are not fixed traits. By changing your coping stance, your relationship with yourself, others, and the problem can change. New solutions can emerge.

Start learning to cope differently today! www.AuthenticallyRootedCounseling.com

#AuthenticallyRootedCounseling #CouplesCounseling #MarriageTherapy #Marraige #FamilyTherapy #Communication 

3. The third example is what makes up most of my posts on my site. Simple images I created in Canva with quotes that pertain to my intended audience. I don't put any other text with my quote posts. I do always put my website and hashtags. 

4. The last type of posts I have on my Facebook Business page are tips. Quick tips, steeped in research, people can use at home to enhance their relationships. I always ad hashtags and my website leading directing to my couples counseling service page. 

With time, you’ll decide which type of post feels best for your practice. You may decide you’d like to forgo psychoeducation and stick to quotes. You may prefer to offer tips and stick to posts like conversation starters. Or you may decide psychoeducation is your jam. Whatever you do, have fun and be true to your vibe, that will come across in your posts and attract the people you can help the most.

Ready to learn how to create stunning pictures to highlight your posts? Click on over to Part Two to get started.