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You are the kick butt SLPreneur. You are a mover and a shaker. Your therapy practice is growing. Or maybe you’re a TpT author whose store is taking off. The frequent question of “Do I need a blog?” Has popped into your brain a few times. Maybe you’ve seen an article or two on Pinterest or a Facebook post in a group. So here’s my answer:
MAYBE!
Clear as mud right? You’re welcome! I am going to tackle this question into parts: private practice and TpT. If you’re business is a therapy blog, then obviously you need a blog and this is not for you.
BLOGGING AS A PRIVATE THERAPIST
You don’t necessarily need a blog if you are a private practice therapist. When I started my blog (way back when on Blogger), I wanted to share with parents what was happening in therapy. I see kiddos in the daycare so their parents are not able to be present. This was a great way to keep parents in the loop. I would share it on my Facebook page and sometimes, my personal page. But then I noticed my SLP friends and other SLPs were reading the blog. Now it is has taken a change so that I have posts for SLPs and some for parents.
Blogging is hard to keep up with. By the time you write the post, take the pictures, and link the materials, you’ve easily taken an afternoon. Blogging takes a commitment. Is this something you want to commit to consistently? That’s the question you need to ask yourself. You also need to ask yourself, “What’s my purpose for blogging?” If you can’t come up with a good one, then don’t blog! The positive side to starting a blog is you set your schedule. Whether your blog is weekly, bimonthly or monthly, it’s totally up to you. But you want to make sure you are consistent with it.
I will add that I hear from parents of new clients when they see my blog. They will find my website through a friend or my Facebook page. They will go through my site and read blog posts. Those posts help “sell” me on becoming their therapist. Parents will tell me they chose me because of the ideas I posted on my blog. In a way my blog serves as another source of marketing that I had not planned on.
BLOGGING AS A TPT STORE OWNER
My answer to this question is quite the opposite-YES! Without a doubt yes you need a blog if you have a TpT store, especially if you are selling speech therapy materials. This is the place to show how to use your materials. Think of it as another way to advertise your products. I write a post each week about our theme is for the week including book recommendations and TpT activities from my store. I also add links to other stores with products I am using that week. Pin that blog to Pinterest and BOOM! More exposure to your blog and TpT store! That extra exposure could mean more sales in your store.
If writing a blog is not your think, try vlogging. This is just the video form of blogging. I prefer to sit down and write because I can do it on Saturday mornings at 6:30 in my PJs and messy hair. But if that is not your bag, definitely try vlogging and add your vlog to YouTube. Share your YouTube channel on all of your social media to get the exposure. Be sure to pin to your Pinterest boards too!
When you start your blog/vlog, I would love for you to reach out and tell me about it!
Need some inspiration? Check out my book list for 2019.
speechchicktherapyblog.com 