I’ve been fortunate enough lately to come in contact with all kinds of mental health professionals doing exciting things – launching new service lines, building new practices, and preparing for book signings to name a few.  It got me thinking about some practical resources and tips that might be helpful.

Here are three interesting ones worth a look.

Email Signatures

How many of you have an email signature? There are all kinds of arguments both for and against them.  But like most everything else, they can be very useful when used the right way.

An email signature is a piece of identifying information that automatically appears at the end of every piece of email you create.  But it’s really so much more than that!  If you use it well it becomes a great networking tool.

Here are some things, besides your name, you might consider including.

• Your Business Name/Title. Something that clarifies what you do.  Don’t assume people know what you are about.
• Your Website or Blog URL. Include the prefix http:// before your web address.  It activates the link so readers can click directly from their email.
• A Tagline. It could be about your practice, website, consulting business etc…  My tagline is, “Unique Perspectives in Mental Health”
• A Hook or Offer for the reader that catches their eye.  Perhaps it’s an upcoming workshop, free reference guide, or self-assessment tool.
• Contact Info. Choose whatever details are relevant for your business.  I don’t include my address, but you can consider it if it’s essential to your business.
• Reconsider using that quote you love because you just don’t know how people will interpret it.

Experiment with some of these ideas and find that balance between too much information and not enough.  There are no steadfast rules.  I’ve seen very effective signatures that contained paragraphs of content, others were only two simple lines.  It all depends on what fits best for you.

Not sure where to go to create your email signature?  Click on the links below depending on your email provider.

• Outlook Email Signatures
• Yahoo Email Signatures
• Google Email Signatures

Here’s an example of my ever-evolving signature.
—
David P. Diana MA, LPC, NCC
Marketing Director & Consultant
(w) http://www.davidpdiana.com - Unique Perspectives in Mental Health
(e) david@davidpdiana.com

Author of “Marketing for the Mental Health Professional”

* Change Therapy eBook: Download the book free at http://www.davidpdiana.com

eBooks 101

An electronic book is a great way to introduce others to your work and expertise.  Just ask Liana Lowenstein, whose free eBook, “Favorite Therapeutic Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families: Practitioners Share Their Most Effective Interventions”, is a fantastic read and a definite showcase of what she has to offer families.

In many ways, creating an eBook is a simple process.  You write something in a word processing application, maybe you add a few images, then save it as a PDF file.  Presto!  You have an eBook.

Now if you’d like to create a wiz bang eBook with all kinds of great graphics and a unique design you can hire a graphic design or web company to produce the finished product.  Elance.com is a great resource if you’re looking for a designer.  It’s a site where freelance specialists connect with consumers.  I’ve used it with much success.  With a little effort on your part, you can find great designers at a reasonable price.  Simply create a free account and submit a proposal that includes what you are willing to pay.

Are you looking for a “scalable” eBook?

If you want an eBook that reaches out to everyone consider creating your eBook as an ePub file.  ePub is a dynamic file format whereas your more common PDF (Portable Document Format) files are static images.  This means that an ePub file changes with the dimensions of the device being used (e.g, Kindle, IPad, Nook, iPhone). PDF files do not have this capability.

Why is this important?  Because the market continues to shift dramatically, not only in terms of how we receive information but in the devices we use to access that information.  There are several eBook formatting services that will create your eBook in ePub format (eBook Formatting Services).  I recommend Lulu for their ease and scope of eBook services.

The Power of Video

Online videos are fantastic marketing tools.  The good news is they are more affordable and easier to make than ever before.  I’ve seen clinicians like Pam Dyson, Kathy Murphy, Pete Saunders and Susan Giurleo use videos with ease.   Posting videos on your website is a great way to engage people and gives them an opportunity to get to know you before they make a commitment to use your services.

If you’re experimenting with video as an online marketing vehicle I suggest you take a look at TubeMogul, a video advertising site.  TubeMogul OneLoad is a free service that provides a place where you can distribute your videos to top video and social networking sites on the Internet.  Instead of separately uploading your video onto Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, Googlevideo and hundreds of other platforms, you can upload to this one place, identify what sites you’d like to send your video, and be able to track visibility and reach to see if anyone is tuning in.

Tubemogel’s free service is great for anyone who may be dispensing advice or tips.  However, if you’re selling a specific service you may need to upgrade for a nominal annual fee.  I needed to pay an upgrade fee when I posted my book video as part of my online marketing campaign.

—

I hope you find these resources interesting.  Explore them at your own pace, and see how and if they might be a useful part of your marketing activities.