How This Therapist Leveraged Social Media to Generate $250k in Her First Year of Private Practice | Featuring Kelly McKenna
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This journey of a licensed therapist turned private practice owner and business coach is nothing short of inspiring. Kelly McKenna opens up about her seamless pivot to starting a virtual therapy private practice amidst the pandemic and how this strategic shift encouraged many therapists to take the entrepreneurial leap. Listen in as Kelly unveils the reduced barriers to starting a private practice and the effective use of social media to attract clients and establish a robust brand presence online.
This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to leverage Instagram marketing to increase their client base. Kelly and Victoria dissect the significance of understanding your audience and the profound impact that viral content can have on one's business trajectory. Whether you're a therapist or in a different industry, the strategies discussed here will equip you with the confidence to sell your services unapologetically and carve out a unique niche in your market.
Venturing into the realm of social media can be a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to its effects on anxiety. This conversation also delves into the practicalities of scaling a business, the creation of digital products to reach a wider audience, and the indispensable role of a supportive team. With Kelly's expertise, they navigate the business skills that therapists need to flourish in private practice, emphasizing that a formal business education isn't a prerequisite for success. So, tune in for an episode brimming with actionable advice and the motivation to transform your social media into a powerful tool for business growth.
Starting her own therapy private practice [05:43]
After having to be virtual due to Covid, Kelly quickly realized that this was something that she could do on her own. Being virtual has opened up so many opportunities to start your own business and with free marketing platforms like Instagram, the ability to do so comes with very little overhead. Therapists are getting burnt out by the traditional therapy model and they’re starting to see there are other options now. You don’t have to be a business name in order to go into private practice.
Anxiety Therapist for Millenial Women [07:01]
Starting her own practice was the first time Kelly really thought about who she wants to work with and what that would look like. She ended up picking people that were very much like herself, because that’s what she could relate to. She is her ideal client, and because she knows herself really well, she also knows her clients really well. Marketing, for Kelly, became natural because it was an experience she already knew inside and out.
Zero to a Quarter Million in First Year [10:35]
When Kelly first started her private practice, she did have a goal to succeed and replace her $100K salary that she made at her previous job. At first, she was accepting insurance, which earned her $120 per session, and that felt good to her. She met a woman on Instagram who was also a therapist and as they got to know each other more she asked if Kelly was taking on more clients and what her private pay rate would be. At this point, Kelly had not had a single private pay client so she went slightly above the insurance rate and landed at $150 per session. The other therapist then encouraged Kelly to increase her rate to $250 per session, and that was the conversation that shifted what Kelly viewed was possible for herself.
Instagram Marketing Success [13:46]
Kelly first started posting on Instagram in hopes to find a handful of cash paid clients but she ended up finding so much more than that. It didn’t take off right away though, Kelly didn’t get her first client from Instagram until after three months. Once she did though, things really took off and she was able to find client after client. Kelly’s strategy when she first started on Instagram was to post every single day for a year and show her face every single day. She would alternate between a reel or a graphic but on days that she posted a graphic, she would show up on stories and make sure to show her face while talking to the camera. This strategy helped her get more comfortable and become more confident with talking on camera. Additionally, it helped her build a loyal community and people who wanted to work with her because they got to know her and her personality on Instagram.
Business of Therapy [19:58]
Soon after Kelly’s Instagram took off, she began receiving messages from other therapists asking “how are you doing this?”. From there Kelly began doing some one-on-one business coaching with therapists where she quickly learned it was not good for anyone’s time. Instead, she set off to start her first course, which has now been updated and involves way more content and she has since served almost 400 therapists. Business of Therapy is where Kelly works with therapists to teach them how to build their own six-figure practice on social media. Inside she offers the course, a reels membership– where she sends reels ideas every week, and her more advanced masterminds for therapists– where she works with therapists who already have filled their caseload and are now working on launching their own courses and group programs.
A peek inside Kelly’s Module at The Branding Business School [26:08]
Kelly is one of the instructors at The Branding Business School and her module is out just in time for the February launch! Inside her module, Kelly focuses on how to create fun video content that’s going to grow your audience and grow your business. It’s all about how to show up authentically and how to show up in a way that speaks to your ideal client and in a way that the Instagram algorithm prefers. Kelly’s goal for how to support The Branding Business School is by addressing the different types of videos on Instagram and how to convey your message within them.
Social Media & Anxiety [27:30]
Kelly is known as a therapist for Millennials with anxiety, yet she is also known as a social media guru. Though these two can be conflicting as we all know how social media can be a cause of anxiety, Kelly jokes that she feels like she’s a hypocrite telling her clients to spend less time on social media, knowing that social media is how they found her. This is something that she recognizes the irony in, but when it comes to her clients, in all seriousness, she lays it out there for them. There’s always going to be good things that come from being on social media, but there are also negative consequences of comparison or not being present in your day-to-day life. Being able to talk about it openly is super important. This can cause some stress for business owners to associate being on social media to their financial well-being. It’s all a balance to find what are the pieces that work for you, where can we let go a bit, what boundaries need to be in place, and sometimes that means spending some time off of social media, even if it’s not the best thing for your business.
What’s contributed to Kelly’s success [31:03]
Kelly would say that consistency and not getting distracted are two factors that have contributed to her success. Consistency, both with showing up and refining and getting better and better at the same thing, has led to her incredible success.
Kelly’s Differentitator [33:03]
Transparency and showing up fully. When Kelly does an “Ask Me Anything” box on social media, she adds a little comment to be nosy, or “nothing’s off limits” because she wants to try and be an open book for people, even if it’s messy or complicated. She wants to have those conversations and that’s what’s built so much trust and loyalty with her community.
Key Quotes
“Anxiety and Social Media is a balance about finding what are the pieces that work for you, where can we let go a little bit, and what boundaries need to be in place, and sometimes that means spending some time off of social media, even if it's not the best thing for your business. “
Kelly McKenna
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