Finding new clients for your therapy practice means showing up where people spend their time. For over 3 billion people, that place is Facebook. When used correctly, this social media site can be a powerful marketing tool.

Facebook has several use cases, but its advertising platform, in particular, is helpful for promoting your mental health services. Facebook’s algorithm shows you ads to users who may be looking to learn more about therapy in the hopes that they remember your practice when they’re ready to book an appointment with a mental health professional.

Setting up Facebook Ads can be a long and confusing process if you’re new to paid advertising. Below, we provide an in-depth guide on how to run paid ad campaigns on Facebook. We also compare Facebook Ads to other marketing channels to help you build a strategy that drives practice growth.

Facebook Ads Explained

Facebook has two main types of content—organic and paid. Organic content is what you post on your therapy practice’s Facebook page. These posts may include mental health tips, client testimonials, or other content that’s informational in nature to help you establish an online brand for your practice. They’re free to create, and they appear in the feeds of Facebook users who follow your page. 

Paid ads are sprinkled into the feeds of both followers and non-followers. They say “sponsored” so that Facebook users can tell them apart from organic posts. Their main goal is to promote your mental health services to bring new clients to your therapy practice.

Unlike organic posts, Facebook Ads aren’t free. However, we can’t give you an accurate estimate of how much these ads cost because Facebook uses an auction-like bidding system to determine who gets to appear in feeds. Whichever advertiser bids the highest amount wins the placement. The highest bid can vary widely based on how many advertisers there are and how competitive the topic and location are.

What we can tell you is that Facebook usually charges you based on the number of impressions your ad gets. An impression is when your ad appears in a user’s feed. You can set up your ad campaign to work differently, but the default setting is pay per impression, which means you pay even if a user sees your ad but doesn’t click on it.

Pros of Facebook Ads for Therapists

Paid ads are a cost-effective way to reach Facebook users who may be interested in mental health treatment. Keep reading for more details on their benefits.

Lead Generation

A lead is a marketing term that describes an individual who has expressed interest in your therapy services. Every Facebook ad has a call to action (CTA) that asks the person seeing it to do something, such as visit your website. When someone completes this action, they become a lead. 

Leads aren’t guaranteed to turn into clients, but they’re more likely to than Facebook users who scroll past your ads. You can compile a list of your leads and continue reaching out to them (e.g., promotional emails, additional Facebook ads) to try to convince them to schedule an appointment with you.

Targeted Reach

Facebook has granular targeting options, so you can decide exactly who you want to see your ads. You can target specific demographics, interests, behaviors, locations, and other characteristics to increase your chances that Facebook shows your ads to users who might be interested in your therapy practice, complete your CTA, and turn into a lead.

Campaign Customization

Facebook allows you to customize every aspect of your campaign for maximum success. For example, you can craft multiple text options for the same ad or include a visual to make it more eye-catching. Facebook collects detailed analytics on ad performance, so you can see how many impressions and leads each ad gets and then make tweaks to the ad accordingly.

Cost-Effectiveness

Competitive ad auctions are going to be more expensive. However, Facebook Ads are generally more affordable than other types of paid advertising, such as Google Ads.

Cons of Facebook Ads for Therapists

Paid ads have their limitations. For example, they contribute to the barrage of ads internet users see every day, they don’t convert Facebook users into therapy clients right away, and they are restricted by HIPAA guidelines.

Facebook User Intent

People usually use Google—not social media—when they’re actively searching for a therapist. Social media is better for gathering information on a particular therapist, practice, or mental health topic, which means the leads you get from your Facebook Ads aren’t going to be ready to book an appointment with you. You’ll have to continuously remind them of your services to convert them into clients.

Ad Fatigue/Blindness

Ad fatigue is a phenomenon where internet users get overwhelmed by the number of ads with which they’re bombarded on a daily basis. Sometimes, ad fatigue escalates to ad blindness, where a user’s brain unconsciously ignores them altogether. You want your ads to stand out from the other ones out there so that they aren’t affected by ad fatigue or blindness.

HIPAA Considerations

Facebook users respond well to paid ads that provide real examples of how you have helped past clients. Before you do this, though, be sure to get permission from your clients to talk about them on social media so that you don’t violate HIPAA guidelines.

How To Set Up Your Therapy Practice’s Facebook Accounts

Before you can start marketing on Facebook, you must set up various Facebook and Meta accounts. Meta requires separate accounts for posting organically on your page and running paid ad campaigns. You can log into these accounts individually every time you want to create content. Or, you can sign up for a Meta Business Manager account and connect your organic and ad accounts to centralize management in one location.

Set Up a Meta Business Manager Account

Meta Business Manager is a suite of tools that Meta offers businesses and organizations. Along with your Facebook Business Page and Meta Ads Manager accounts, you can add any other Meta assets you have, such as your Instagram account.

To sign up for Meta Business Manager, visit the Meta for Business page. Log into your personal Facebook account, and click the button to create a new business account.

Add/Create a Facebook Business Page

You need a Facebook page to run ads. Ideally, you already have a page for your therapy practice and post on it frequently. This establishes credibility should a Facebook user see your ad and want to visit your main page to determine if you’re trustworthy.

If you have a page, link it to your Meta Business Manager account by clicking on the settings gear followed by “Accounts,” “Pages,” then “Add.” Under “Add” is the option to link an existing page. If you don’t have an existing page, you can create a new one from this “Add” drop-down menu. 

Add/Create a Meta Ads Manager Account

Under the same settings tab is a place to connect your Meta Ads Manager account. If you have ever run an ad on your Facebook page, you already have an ad account. You can click “Accounts,” “Ad Accounts,” then “Add” to claim that account. If you don’t have an account, you can create one from that same “Add” drop-down menu.

Add Your Staff

If other staff members help you manage your therapy practice’s social media presence, you can add them under “Users” then “People” on the settings tab. Meta lets you get pretty specific with what you want them to be able to access. For example, you can assign them control over organic posts and paid ads or just one or the other.

Install the Metal Pixel on Your Website

Meta Pixel is a piece of code you put on your website. Meta uses this code to collect information on who visits your website to optimize your future ads. For example, if Meta determines that most of your website visitors are women between 30 years old and 40 years old, it’s going to show your ads to more Facebook users that fit those demographics.

The process for installing the Meta Pixel varies based on what website builder you have (e.g., WordPress, Squarespace). However, you start by creating the pixel. Log into your Meta Ads Manager account, and navigate to “All tools,” “Events Manager,” “Data sources,” then “Create.” 

Once you have the ID for the newly created pixel, you can either log into your website and download the plugin for Meta Pixel. Or, you can go back to “Events Manager” and click “Add New Integration,” “Meta Pixel,” then “Use partner integration.” Select the provider you have, and follow the setup instructions.

How To Build a Facebook Ad Campaign for Your Therapy Practice

Now that you have your accounts set up, you’re ready to start advertising. Facebook uses tiers or levels to structure its ad campaigns. There are three levels: campaign, ad set, and ad. The overarching campaign is split into multiple ad sets, and each ad set has one or more ads. Keep reading to learn about what lives under each level.

Campaign Level

This top level is where you decide on the overall goal of the campaign. Any decisions made here apply to ad sets and ads.

Buying Type

Auction is the default buying type, which is the automatic bidding process we explained in a previous section. You can change the buying type to reservation and provide a maximum amount you’re willing to pay. This option helps you avoid market fluctuations, but Facebook may need to show your ads to users who aren’t interested in therapy to guarantee the price you input. This defeats the purpose of running a campaign to reach potential clients, which is why we would stick to auctions even though they come with some uncertainty and may cost more.

Objective

The objective is what you want to get from your campaign. You can select from several options, but the most relevant one for therapists is leads since you’re looking to identify Facebook users who may be interested in becoming a client. Some of the other options, such as engagement and awareness, are good for building your brand, but you can do that for free with organic posts on your Facebook page.

Ad Set Level

The ad set level is the middle tier where you decide who you want to target with your ads, where you want them to appear, and how much you want to spend on them. These audience, placement, and budget rules apply to all ads under the ad set.

Conversion Location

This is where the Facebook user ends up when they click on the CTA button in your ad. You have several options to choose from, but we recommend sending people to your website to learn more about your practice.

Performance Goal

Your performance goal is how you measure success. For a leads campaign, you’re looking to find potential clients, so you’re going to select the goal that maximizes the number of conversions. This means Facebook is going to try to get you as many leads as possible.

Budget 

You can set a budget at the campaign level and let Facebook decide how much to allocate to each ad set. However, most advertisers set a budget at the ad set level to have more control of how their money is spent. 

A daily budget is the default setting. That’s what we recommend sticking with because you can set a start date for the ad set and let it run indefinitely for as long as it brings in leads. If you’re worried about setting up your ad campaign and forgetting about it, you can switch to a lifetime budget, which requires you to set an end date. 

In terms of the exact amount to input, this really depends on how big your therapy practice is. A general rule of thumb is to choose an amount that you can afford to lose but might sting a little if you do. You won’t be in financial trouble if your ads fail, but the budget isn’t so low that you never bother checking on how your ads are doing.

Audience

The audience is to whom Facebook shows your ads. Facebook lets you define your target audience under two sections—audience controls and Advantage+ audience. Audience controls are hard boundaries that Facebook will always follow. For example, you can tell Facebook to only show your ads to users who live in the state you’re licensed to practice as a therapist.

Advantage+ audience is where you put suggestions for who you think might be interested in your ads. You can input specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, but you’re giving Facebook permission to stray from these suggestions if the data it collects on its users offers ideas for other characteristics that may be worth targeting as well.

Placement

The placement is where your ads appear. When we explained how Facebook Ads work at the beginning of this article, we only mentioned feed placement. However, Facebook can also show ads in messages, stories, and other locations. If you have specific thoughts on where you want your ads to be, you can choose manual placements. The default, though, is Advantage+ placements, where Facebook decides for you based on the data it has about what your target audience typically likes. 

Ad Level

The ad level is where you create the actual content that Facebook users see. Below are the main parts of the content.

Media

Every Facebook ad has a visual to accompany the text. You can choose a video, a photo, or a carousel with multiple images. Interactive ads, where the Facebook user has to play to video or flip through the carousel images, tend to perform better because they encourage engagement. However, it’s a lot faster and easier to create ads with a single image.

Primary Text

The primary text is the main copy for the ad that appears before the visual. Here are a couple tips on how to write this section:

• Address a mental health condition, offer a treatment: Start your ad with a line that directly calls out the mental health concern with which your target audience might be struggling. The second line of your ad can talk about how your practice treats that condition. This approach helps potential clients see the value of your therapy services.
• Keep it concise: Facebook recommends a length of about 125 characters or three lines of text. This suggestion is based on how ads generally perform on the platform, but you can test longer ads to see if they work better for your audience and practice. Keep in mind, though, that after a few lines, users have to click a “see more” button to read the rest of the text.

Facebook lets you draft up to five primary text options per ad. It then chooses the version that it thinks will resonate most with the Facebook user seeing your ad. This is a useful feature because it means you can test different ad copy to see what performs best with your target audience without creating multiple ads. If you’re struggling to come up with five options, Facebook offers AI-generated suggestions that you can use.

Headline

The headline is the bolded line of text directly below the photo or video that describes the subject of your ad. In this case, you want to follow Facebook’s recommended length of about 40 characters because the remaining text gets cut off if it’s too long. Like with the primary text, Facebook lets you add up to five headline options and gives you AI-generated suggestions.

Description

The description goes below the headline and is similar to a subheading. Facebook cuts off the description if you go too much longer than 25 characters. Like the primary text and headline, you can add up to five versions and use AI-generated suggestions.

Call to Action

The CTA is the button to the right of the headline and description. You select which action you want the button to display from a drop-down menu. When a Facebook user clicks the button, they go to a specific page on your website to learn more about your practice. They become a lead at this point because they have shown interest in your services.

Best Practices for Therapist Facebook Ads

Rounding out our Facebook Ads guide, here are some general recommendations. Use these tips to set up ad campaigns and ensure their success in the long run.

Use Meta’s Ad Library

Before you start advertising on Facebook, see what other therapists are doing. Meta has an Ad Library that you can use to search for therapy-related ads on the Facebook platform. This can give you an idea of what is working and what potential clients want to see.

Start Small

Test Facebook advertising before you invest too much into it. Start small with one ad to see how it performs. If your ad gets some traction and leads begin trickling in, you can set up more ads and dedicate a larger budget to them. 

Track Key Metrics

Make sure you’re seeing a return on what you’re spending by tracking ad performance. Keep an eye on the following metrics:

• Cost per click (CPC): This is the average amount you spend for each ad click. It’s a way to measure how efficiently you’re using your budget. You want this number to be as low as possible. For reference, the average CPC for all Facebook Ads campaigns is $0.70, but it’s slightly higher for the healthcare industry specifically at $0.82.
• Impressions: This is how many Facebook users saw your ad.
• Conversions: This is how many Facebook users saw your ad and clicked your CTA button.
• Click-through rate (CTR): This combines the impressions and conversions metrics to give you a percentage of how many Facebook users clicked on your ad compared to how many users saw it. A higher percentage indicates a more successful ad. For reference, the average CTR for all Facebook Ads campaigns is 2.59%, but the healthcare industry specifically is 3.02%. 

Refresh Regularly

If your metrics are down, it may be time to refresh your campaign. You can determine what to refresh based on which metrics are suffering. For example, if impressions are up but conversions are down, that means Facebook users are seeing your ads but not engaging with them. This may be an indication that your ad copy, specifically your CTA, is failing to grab their attention.

Even when your metrics are steady, it’s still a good idea to refresh your ad copy every so often so that Facebook users don’t see the same exact ad multiple times.

Retarget Leads

You need to continue reaching out to your leads to turn them into clients. One way to do this is by showing them additional ads. This strategy is called retargeting. Facebook allows for retargeting at the ad set level. You can create custom audiences under the Advantage+ audience section for Facebook users who have previously engaged with your Facebook posts or ads.

Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads

Google Ads are another type of paid advertising that therapists should consider, especially because they’re effective at turning leads into clients right away. When someone has made the decision to start seeing a therapist, they turn to Google to search for options near them. Since they’re ready to pull the trigger, they’re more likely to click on your ad when it shows up in their search results and schedule an appointment with you.

Google Ads and Facebook Ads both use auctions to determine who wins placements. Aside from that, though, Google Ads have several key differences:

• Advertisers pay per click (PPC), not impression, which is why Google advertising is also called PPC advertising.
• More advertisers use Google than Facebook, which makes it more competitive and expensive to win placements.
• The reason more advertisers use Google is because more of the population uses Google, which means advertisers get access to a broader audience to target with their ads.
• Google Ads target search terms as opposed to specific characteristics of their target audience.
• The traditional type of Google ad that appears on the top and bottom of search results is text-based, which makes it less eye-catching than ads on Facebook but faster and easier to create.

Final Thoughts

Facebook Ads can be a useful way for therapists to attract new clients. With billions of active users, Facebook gives you a platform to promote your therapy services to people who may be looking for mental health treatment. 

If you are interested in this marketing channel but are overwhelmed by how complicated it is to set up a campaign, TherapySites can help. Contact us today to learn more about our Facebook advertising service.