Episode 80: Authenticity & Social Media Marketing — Toss the Inspirational Quotes [featuring Emma Tessler]

Show Notes

Many therapists have heard by now that social media is one of the best ways to effectively market their businesses. However, the "how" and "what" parts of content creation, platforms to use, frequency of posting, etc. are often misunderstood, which leads to therapists defaulting to sharing inspirational quotes or "3 ways to blah, blah, blah" (A.K.A. posts that can make them disappear into the vast sea of profiles).

But social media can be a lot simpler and less stressful once you stop trying to make it about what you think a therapist should post and instead use authenticity to connect with people and build your brand.

If you are wondering how you can grow your private practice and make social media marketing as simple as possible, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I talk with Emma Tessler, social media marketing strategist and founder Ninety Five Media.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Understand how referencing content and following trends is not being a copycat and actually helps your content get noticed by the algorithm and become more visible.
2. Learn how to use your authentic voice to make content that actually connects with people.
3. Identify what types of content are the most effective, which platforms you should use, and how to create content quickly and with ease.

Social Media doesn't have to be overwhelming or time-consuming, so figuring out what works for you and your business is a key first step. While directories and websites are great, social media can add that extra push to accelerate your private practice growth.

Learn what works best for you and how to make social media your powerful marketing tool with less stress and more simplicity.

More about Emma:

Emma Tessler is the Founder + CEO of Ninety Five Media; a woman-run digital marketing agency that builds results-driven digital marketing strategies for scaling brands. She and her team help their clients connect with ideal clients, build community, and convert audience members into paying clients. 

Her first exposure to the world of digital marketing was in 2015 at a college internship with an Interior Designer, and her love for the industry grew from there. After working for several years at a Top 100 Design firm in Manhattan, New York, she left in 2020 to take Ninety Five Media to the next level.

Today, Emma and her team have worked with over 100 clients in 25+ industries, helping them monetize their online presence and see incredible results. With 7 years of marketing experience under her belt, she is on a mission to disrupt the digital marketing space for years to come.

Emma's Website: ninetyfivemedia.co

Work with Ninety Five Media: ninetyfivemedia.co/work-with-us

Instagram: @ninety.five.media

Check out The Stop Scrolling, Start Scaling Podcast.

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A Thanks to Our 2 Sponsors: The Receptionist for iPad & Owl Practice!

The Receptionist for iPad:

I would also like to thank The Receptionist for iPad for sponsoring this episode.

As you prepare for the new year as a private practice owner, one area of your business where you might be able to level up your client experience is from the moment that they enter your office and check in with you. For many private practices, the client check-in process can be a bit awkward and confusing.

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What's more, The Receptionist offers an iPad list check-in option where clients can scan a QR code to check in, which negates the need for you to buy an iPad and stand. Go to thereceptionist.com/privatepractice and sign up for a free 14-day trial. When you do, you'll get your first month free. And don't forget to ask about our iPad list check-in option.

Owl Practice:

I would also like to thank Owl Practice for sponsoring this episode.

Running your own practice is hard. With so many moving parts, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. That's where Owl Practice swoops in. Created specifically with mental health providers in mind, Owl offers a comprehensive HIPAA-compliant solution that helps you manage your practice in one convenient platform.

Meet with your clients virtually through video therapy, which is fully integrated and built with security in mind. Manage client appointments and client records seamlessly. Streamline your claims process with Owl's integrated insurance and claims capabilities, and optimize your insurance billing flow. Use Owl to invoice and manage payments. Owl Payments ensures no sessions are left unpaid, and financial data is stored securely. Let Owl take you under its wing and handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on what you care about most, providing quality care to your clients.

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Get started with Owl Practice today.

Transcript

PATRICK CASALE: Hey everyone, you are listening to another episode of the All Things Private Practice Podcast. I'm your host, Patrick Casale, joined today by Emma Tessler. She is the founder of Nitety Five Media and is a social media marketing strategist, and is going to talk a lot today about, not only the importance of social media strategy, how you show up, how you create authentic real content, but more importantly, for those of you who are listening, a lot of you who are therapists in business ownership, I know what comes up when we start talking about social media in general. And there's all sorts of cringe-worthy responses that I often get when I talk to my audience about this. And I think I am just happy to have another social media specialist on. So, thank you so much for making the time and sharing with the audience.

EMMA TESSLER: I'm so happy to be here and to chat about all of the social media strategies that your audience can learn and apply today.

PATRICK CASALE: So, tell me a little bit about what you do, and who you are, and what you've kind of created for yourself. And then we can kind of jump into really giving some action steps and some advice around some of the things that people really struggle with when it comes to social media content creation.

EMMA TESSLER: Absolutely. So, I'm Emma. I'm the founder of Ninety Five Media. I started Ninety Five Media back in 2015 when social media marketing really wasn't a thing. It was kind of looked at as, well, that's just what you do, you know, on Instagram, you post a sunset photo, you put a Nashville filter on it, and you call it a day. And brands really weren't optimizing the social media platform because it wasn't really considered in marketing yet.

But at that time, I was on an internship and the person I was working for, she was kind of innovative. And she said, "I think this is a thing, I think we can start exploring this." And I was the youngest person on the team. And so, she just kind of gave me her phone. And she said, "Figure it out. Like, tell me what we need to do, let's get some clients from Instagram." And I was like, "I don't know what we're doing here but this seems cool."

And so, as I started exploring social media, I started realizing that this was a really viable avenue for brands. And it kind of shocked me that more businesses weren't seeing what I was seeing. And so, that internship ended, I was still in college, I started taking on some clients on the side. But it was so difficult. I felt like I was constantly trying to convince brands that this is what they needed. And it wasn't until COVID, until 2020 when that really changed.

And over the past two, two and a half years, we've seen the social media landscape really skyrocket, really do a 360 In terms of the strategies that brands are using, the marketing budget that people are putting towards their social media, and really the opportunity that lies on social media with the, you know, surgence of TikTok, with video content, it's changed everything.

And so, I just love speaking on, you know, how can you look at social media as not just a place to post a photo, and to talk about an event that you have coming up, but really to connect with your audience and start monetizing the people that are following you because they're following you for a reason. And they really do want to pay you and to hire you. And it really comes down to creating and posting the right types of content.

PATRICK CASALE: That's really well said, and I think that's a huge struggle for the followers of my audience who are mental health professionals who have no business training, and 99% of them just, I know what their reactions are when I start talking in my coaching programs about social media, content creation, and marketing. And it's always, "This feels sleazy, this feels disingenuous, this makes me uncomfortable, can I really get clients from social media?"

And 90% of these people tend to do the thing where you're kind of sharing what someone else has already created, right? Like, it's a nice visual, or an affirmation post, or like four tips to deal with anxiety, or whatever the case may be. But you're not really putting out anything that's engaging, and you're not creating anything that's authentic and capturing your voice. And I think that is a struggle for them.

And I also think it comes back to like, you don't know what you don't know, right? Like, 90% of these folks have never even heard of Canva, have never used it, have never used a platform to post social media videos, feel really uncomfortable in front of the camera. But I think you're right, since COVID, things have changed so drastically, not just for the world in itself, but the therapist community and small business ownership, like, more and more therapists going into private practice, more and more therapists leaving their agency job saying, "Fuck this, I'm not working for someone who doesn't care about me anymore." And more and more people starting their own businesses.

But then here's the missing pieces, "Why is the phone not ringing? Why is my audience not kind of expanding? Why am I not creating visibility?" And it's like, "Well, what are you doing?" And the answer is like, "Oh, I have a Psychology Today up and I have a really bad website." It's like, "Well, that is not enough. Like, those are small pieces of the puzzle and yes, those should exist but like, you need to do more."

And I want to make social media more fun and engaging for folks because it really is a great way to capture your audience and to get in front of the right people. And for those of you who are listening who want to diversify your income streams, if you don't want to just do mental health therapy, you want to branch into coaching, you want to branch into podcasting, retreat hosting, and planning, speaking engagements, like this is a platform for you to gain that audience, for you to show up as the expert, for you to start creating your brand. And I think it's really as simple as just being your authentic self, and sharing your story, and really showing up and answering the questions that your audience may have.

EMMA TESSLER: Yeah, you know, there's so much to be said about documenting your journey rather than looking at content as something you need to create, which I think is intimidating for a lot of people. We look at, okay, you know, Instagram, I need to post three to five posts this week, what the heck am I going to talk about? You know, I can only give three tips to X, Y, and Z so many times before I get bored of it and my audience gets bored of it.

But what a lot of people forget is that that documentation content is one of the most popular forms of content right now. And it's as simple as setting up the camera while you're, you know, giving a session to a patient, or you're, you know, coaching your audience on something, or you're recording this podcast, right? People want to see that day-to-day, what goes on behind the scenes because that's what makes you human. And it's the human aspect of who you are behind the brand, which is why someone is going to hire you versus the other guy down the road.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I love that you said that. And I think that's so important too. That's such a great point, the documenting the journey piece. It's not about like, you have to sit down and create this content every single day and create these new tips, and strategies, and ways to help but people want that authentic, relatable content. They want to see that you're a human being, they want to see the struggle, sometimes. I talk about the struggle all the time that, you know, comes with being a small business owner. People want that relatability, they want to feel like they're not alone in this.

And I think that this is just a way to create and build like, know, and trust factors very easily. And for you to interact with people who are seeking you out, that don't know that you exist. And if you shy away from this opportunity, I mean, the ability to monetize reels right now, and YouTube Shorts, and just TikTok, in general, everything that's happening, like, you're really missing out on viable streams of revenue, especially, when you're feeling like I have all this great stuff to share with the world but I can only make money doing 60-minute increments of my time in therapy sessions. That's just not true.

And there are lots of ways to capture an audience, and even offer that support, and that wisdom, and those tips, and that guidance on a much larger scale to people who may not even be able to afford your therapy. So, like, you are helping people, you're just doing it in a very different way.

EMMA TESSLER: Definitely, and there's so many opportunities to not trade your time for money on social media. For example, say you record a session, you know, maybe you're like a chiropractor or a physical therapist, and you're, you know, adjusting someone, and so you record that session, obviously, get their consent, get their sign off on that.

But record that session, you can turn that one clip, maybe it's even a 10-minute clip, you're not recording the entire session, but you're taking a 10-minute clip from that session, you can splice that up, you can do a voiceover, you can put extra images on top, and you can splice that into, you know, putting a day in the life video. There's so much opportunity to take one piece of content and to repurpose it in ways where you're not spending five hours recording new content for five hours' worth of content, you're recording one 30-minute clip or one 10-minute clip, and you can turn that into so much content at the end of the day where there's a lot of opportunity to no longer trade your time for money, which, you know, that is a huge struggle for so many people, especially, entrepreneurs. There's only so many hours in the day. But the reality is you really can create so much from not a lot when it comes to social media.

PATRICK CASALE: That's another great point because I think so many people have it in their minds that, like, I have to dedicate 20 hours a week to doing this. And that's not true. And there are so many ways to take one piece of content and turn it into 30 or 40 pieces of content, blog posts, you know, like little clips, reels, shorts, videos, you could do little series on YouTube. Like, there's so many things that you can do. And that's a great way to reframe because I think as an entrepreneur time and energy are your two most important currencies. I don't think it's money because the money will come, the money will go but, but you never have more time or energy and you have to really maximize where that goes with intentionality. Otherwise, you're kind of like doing it chaotically, and you don't have a process, and it really just doesn't come together, it doesn't feel cohesive.

EMMA TESSLER: Right and that's also another reason why when you get to a point financially that you can afford to have help with your marketing, it is really so important to make that hire. And that's not like a plug for us, but it's really, for anyone listening, like, you can get so far doing it on your own 100%, you can get so much better than where you are now.

But you're going to get to a point where that is, hopefully, going to start generating more work for you, and then, you're going to have more work on your plate and less time, again, for content creation.

And so, what we work with a lot of our clients on is, we'll let them know, hey, here's the type of video we need you to create, record that raw file, send that to us, and then we'll do what we just were saying, we'll splice that into 25 different pieces of content. And we don't need you recording every single day because we have all of these concepts and ideas and can bring that to the table for you in a very strategic way. Whereas you might right now be looking at it on a day-to-day basis. You might wake up in the morning and be like, "Oh, crap, I don't have a post scheduled for today. I have to record my 9 am session so that by, you know, when I finish sessions at 5 pm, I can then turn that into a piece of content."

But then that's not your optimal posting time. And then you're not reaching your audience. And it's this cycle of, you know, you just get stuck on this hamster wheel a lot of the times where you're doing it all yourself.

And what I look at in terms of trading time for money because, you know, as an entrepreneur, I do the same thing, when I first started, I looked at hiring as losing money. I looked at it as, well, I could be doing this. I don't need to hire somebody to, you know, edit my videos, I could do that 11 o'clock at night, but the reality is, you do get to a point, everyone will get to this point where it's not losing money to hire someone, you're actually enabling yourself, your brand to generate more income when you outsource those tasks that you could be doing. But, actually, getting an extra hour sleep lets you serve your clients better the next day. And so, outsourcing does, at the end of the day, generate more income for you.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I agree 100% and talk about outsourcing a lot on here. And in the short term, it does feel like you're losing money, you're paying someone to in the short term, and you're not seeing the immediate investment, the return on investment, but in the long term, to free you up to get your energy back, so it doesn't feel like a chore, one more thing that you have to do because we all know if it feels like that, we're never going to do it well because we're not going to feel excited to do it. And then, ultimately, it frees you up to do more of the things that you enjoy doing.

And I think that's where the revenue starts to come in, is once you start feeling more passionate, more energized about what you're putting out to the world. Again, it really does help you. And I like that you said, like, optimal posting times, a lot of people don't think of that. They're just like, I just got to throw a post out there because I haven't made one today or I don't have time to do it. And by the end of the day, your brain's like, "I don't want to fucking do this. Like, I don't have any energy to do this at all."

So, just really having someone in your corner who can help you with a strategy, as a teammate, think of them as a team member. And at first, when you start your business, you're not going to have money to invest in a social media manager, you're just probably not going to have much money at all other than to stay afloat, pay the bills. Once you start generating revenue, it is about reinvesting into the business. And I think the two places to do that, your marketing, and also, either your web design and SEO, and really ensuring that you have presence, you have visibility, you're showing up when people are looking for your service because otherwise, they're finding people who may not be doing as good of a job as you, but they do a better job of showing up in the community. And that happens a lot. And it's really unfortunate to see these great, great clinicians really struggle to get their businesses going because they just can't handle the business side of things.

One thing I know, you know, that is probably coming up for some people is I'm not comfortable being on the camera. Like, I'm not comfortable recording or putting this out into the world. What are your thoughts around some of that stuff?

EMMA TESSLER: Yeah, I hear it every day. My clients say that to me every day, as we're, like, telling them what they need to be doing. And I think what it comes back to is no one's really comfortable on video. And it's good to remind yourself of that, that even the most confident influencer that you're seeing still feels awkward when they turn on the camera when they go live. And you know, at the end of the day, you're doing it just because it's for business. Like, this doesn't need to be a hobby for you. You don't need to love it. Everything in business, you're not going to love, there's always going to be things that you're just like, "Oh, I wish I didn't have to do this today."

But when you think about it as something that is going to turn an ROI for you, it gets a lot less uncomfortable because you can see that in your bank account. And so, I would recommend start small. Like, there's no reason to ever do anything in public when you're first starting, turn on the phone, turn on your camera, in your home office, or at your, you know, office, wherever you work from, and start speaking just for yourself. You don't need to post it right away. Like, record a lot of fake videos for yourself. I think the best way to get started is create a task for yourself, you know, just kind of like if you're onboarding a new team member, you might give them a fake task to do just to test their skills, to get them comfortable. Do that for yourself because we oftentimes forget that as the business owner, there's always going to be things that we're learning, and still uncomfortable with, and we the onboard, so to speak, [INDISCERNIBLE 00:15:38] to these tasks as well.

So, start for yourself, and I really do recommend turning the camera facing yourself. Like, turn to your selfie camera because you're going to watch your face. And you get to watch your expressions, you get to watch how you speak, how your mouth words, how you might have certain gestures.

I learned in the beginning, I move my hands a lot when I'm talking, which you can't see now listening to this, but I'm a hand talker. And so, I had to learn, okay, well, people can't see my hand movements. So, I need to then speak what I'm trying to relay through my hand movements. And everyone does things a little differently. But I would record that video, and watch it back, and continue doing that until you feel like the way that you're showing up truly represents the way that you want to represent your brand.

PATRICK CASALE: I love that. I'm also a hand talker and I noticed, like, I record a lot of videos and I'm always, like, trying to emphasize with my hands, and I'm like, "But you can't see it." So, like, it just feels and it's crazy, probably.

But those are great points and I love the idea of just, like, doing practice runs because if nobody's going to see it, what's the fear in that, getting past that initial fear of like, "Oh, I don't like how I look on camera." Or, "I don't like how I said this." Getting used to that, getting more comfortable with that until you feel comfortable enough to put these videos out to the world because, in reality, people aren't always paying attention to how you look and how you sound on camera. It's more about the information too and what you're trying to relay.

And I think that perfectionism and imposter syndrome are huge in this industry, in all entrepreneurial industries. But I think therapists, especially, are so introspective and so attuned to how they're feeling that that ramps up really… like that perfectionism.

What would happen to me, before I started this and during COVID was like, I would start recording a podcast and then I got a sponsor, and I'm trying to read the sponsorship words, and I would fuck up. And I'd be like, "Ah, I got to stop the video, I got to stop the recording, I have to start again." And now my editor is like, "No, just keep going. Like, I will edit that out. That's what you're paying me to do."

So, getting comfortable making these mistakes and just being like, "Okay, yeah, I'm going to keep on going, I'm going to pivot, and I'm going to kind of adapt as I go." Because it's very easy to get into that shutdown mode of like, "I didn't do that right. I don't like how that video sounded or look, I can't do this again." And then, shut the camera off and just walk away from it.

Like, I'm not a gregarious like, smile, fake friendly person on camera. I'm very real about how I present and my wife is an actress, and she can just, like, turn on the smile whenever she wants. And she was trying to coach me when I first started doing videos, and I was like, "I cannot do what you're doing. Like, I cannot just be like on and like, there it is."

So, everyone's going to have a different style and a different rhythm, and getting really comfortable with what works for you so that it doesn't feel so intimidating.

And, you know, I tell this story a lot, but during COVID when I pivoted from just being a therapist to moving into private practice coaching, I was doing videos, Facebook Lives on imposter syndrome, talking about my own imposter syndrome. I didn't have an audience at that time the way I do now. And the only person that watched it was like my grandma. She'll be like, "Oh, your kitchen looks great." Or something like that, I'm, "Get out of here grandma, I'm trying to do this video." But I'm like, so nervous about putting that out to the world.

And the more that you do it, the more you get comfortable with it, the less power it has over you. That doesn't mean that the anxiety, like you said, and the fearfulness ever goes away. But it is so much less paralyzing and so much less debilitating when you start doing it, and getting into that groove, and getting into that routine.

And I think the other thing is like when you're putting out social media content you're open for criticism, like you're creating an audience. There are going to be people who troll you, who don't agree with what you have to say, and that's just kind of a part of growing a brand and growing an audience. You're not going to be for everybody.

EMMA TESSLER: And it's those things that you do that maybe you consider them "weird" that are going to set you apart and are going to be the reason that people follow and like to watch your content. And it's so ironic because those are the things that we're self-conscious about. But at the end of the day, it's what sets you apart. And being weird, being a little different, saying things in an odd way, or showing up, and doing weird dances, or you know making fun of yourself for X, Y, and Z, those are going to be, again, the reason why someone hires you versus someone else down the road. And we all want to be this, like, perfect version of ourselves when we show up online.

But I actually would encourage you to not be the perfect version of yourself because that perfect version is really fucking boring. Like, there's nothing interesting about you doing your professional makeup, and getting a blowout, and putting on your suit jacket before you get on an Instagram Live. It's like you need to understand the same way that you wouldn't go to a parent-teacher conference in full glam and a suit jacket is the same way that you wouldn't show up on social media looking that way either. No one wants that. Like, that's how you show up to a speaking gig. That's not how you show up to social and it gets even more, you know, granular when you look at the different platforms because TikTok, like, is so raw. To even show up on TikTok, like, full makeup is kind of like, "Oh, okay."

Like, so many people do videos from the bath on TikTok, or they'll do a get ready with me, get ready with me videos right now are super popular on like the, I would say probably the girl's side of TikTok. But I've watched so many videos where girls go on no makeup, and they are putting their makeup on, but they're telling a story while they're doing that. And that's how they're captivating you. But if they just showed up with all their makeup on, and sat down, and started telling you a story it's a lot less interesting, it's that transformation, it's the showing up as my authentic self.

And that goes back to your point that you said earlier, building that know, like, trust factor that builds so much trust because I'm saying okay, I really understand who you are. I'm not seeing this fake online version of you. If I ran into you at a grocery store on a Sunday morning, you would look the same. And so, therefore I trust you to show up and to deliver what you're telling me that you sell, that you offer, what you serve because I'm seeing the real version of you, and if you can show me that authentic version of you, I know that you're telling me that you're in other ways as well.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I definitely preach that and I think that's really important. The authentic version of you is what's going to create connection, and relatability, and accessibility too, and not the buttoned-up version that you feel like you're supposed to be, or how you're supposed to present. I think that's really fake and just feels disingenuous to me. And it wouldn't draw me in whatsoever. So, you really have to figure out what your voice is and who your target audience is.

I think another important point is, you don't have to recreate the wheel. Like, you can certainly see content that speaks to you and put your own spin on it too. Like, you're not going to… I didn't invent private practice coaching, I just put my own authentic voice on how to create your private practice. Like, it's one of those things where I think you get caught in expert mode, and imposter syndrome mode, again, of like, I can't say this because somebody else already did. And it's like, well, that's kind of what social media is, you're just putting your own take on whatever you're talking about.

So, don't get caught up in the like, I have to create something new, I have to have all these brand-new ideas before I can start speaking about it. It's simply your version, your perception, your personality behind the tape that's happening when you're creating the content.

EMMA TESSLER: I actually think it's really smart to take inspiration from other people's content. There's no reason to reinvent the wheel. You know, there's really nothing original anymore, to be perfectly honest. Like, there's nothing that you're going to do that no one else has ever done in the past. So, I would recommend taking that ideal way that that's even possible, and to go in it, and say okay, what do I like about this person? Write down maybe their things they're doing in their video or it's the content type, maybe they get ready with me, or it's day in the life, right? Those are concept ideas for your video. And then you can say, well, what do I like in the video? Okay, they're showing, you know, different angles of them getting ready, they're showing, you know, them walking into the office, and the different angle of them doing the adjustment, or whatever they're doing that day, and start dissecting, then, you know, what are those elements because it's the concept and the elements that you're then going to put together to build out that video for yourself.

And you're not going to do it in the exact same way someone else is doing it because you just can't. But it's totally fine. And it's encouraged to take ideas from other people because what's trending is only going to help you gain traction. It's like today, you don't really want to be posting only photo content. If you're only posting static, which means one photo posts right now to Instagram because you're trying to do something different than what other people are doing because everyone else is posting video, you're failing because that's not going to help you gain traction. It's actually right now probably more beneficial for you to follow what other people are doing, and really just say, okay, I like the way they're doing this, this is a trending audio. I'm going to put my own spin on it and do it my way. But that trend is going to help you build traction because the algorithms are going to favor the trend and show your content to more people.

PATRICK CASALE: Yep, great advice. That's really, really important to remember. So, I think making it easier on yourselves than making it more complicated than this has to be.

Another thing that I wanted to ask you your take on is, what about all the AI stuff happening right now? What is your take on all the artificial intelligence types of platforms that can help you write content, that can help you create videos, that can help you do all of these things?

EMMA TESSLER: I'm actually in the process of kind of going through all of them right now because as a team we've been talking about it a lot, and just saying, you know, is this a viable avenue that we can start using to make our work, you know, more faster? Can we produce more? And I think everything I've seen so far is showing me that AI is a great jumping-off point, it's a great place to start. If you're struggling with, you know, an idea, or you have the idea, but you don't know where to go from there, it's a great place to say, okay, maybe I put into the AI generator, you know, three ways to improve private practice today, right? And that will give you three ideas, but it's not going to write the entire post for you.

And I think a big mistake people are making right now is that they're just saying, "Oh, amazing, it's writing the whole thing for me, I'm going to copy and paste, I'm going to post it." And then, actual humans are reading this and they're saying, "What the fuck is this? Like, this is so weird?"

So, I think it's important to remember that it is AI and it is a great tool, but it's still in the very beginning stages. And I'm sure that a year from now it's going to look very, very different. But for the time being, use that as a thought starter, use it as a jumping-off point because we're seeing… like, this is definitely going to be where we're moving, this is not just a trend. AI is going to be taking over a lot of jobs, honestly, in the next year.

But at the end of the day, we're still human and we still need that human touch. And going back to what we were saying about those unique things that you do, or you might say, or language that you use, AI is not going to pick up on that right now. And so, making sure that you infuse your own brand into whatever you're pulling from AI is going to be that really crucial point, at least for today, the beginning of 2023.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I think that's well said. I mean, I've messed around with a lot of these platforms and it is amazing that you can just simply put in a keyword or two, and then all of a sudden, here you go, you have a big post, but you're not really capturing your authentic voice without a lot of prompting, a lot of revision. But I think if you're stuck generating just talking points, and then going from there can be really, really helpful. Especially, if you're sitting here listening to this right now and you're like, "I don't know what the hell you even start talking about. Like, I don't have a single idea." So, doing your market research is really important too.

One final thought that I have a question that I have for you is what you'll see often is like, I can't be on LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, all the platforms, all the time, is what people will say, that feels way too overwhelming. Everyone that I speak with that's in marketing has a different take on that. And I'm curious about your own, like, my thought process would be the spend the time on the places where your audience spends their time, and where you feel really comfortable. If you don't feel comfortable learning TikTok and LinkedIn because you're comfortable with Facebook and Instagram, is it worth the energy to then try to figure all of this stuff out and be in all of the places?

EMMA TESSLER: I agree with you, it really comes back to where your audience lives. But I also challenge you to think about the type of content you're able to create and the quantity that you can produce because very few brands today are doing TikTok, productively, in my opinion. TikTok needs a lot of content, and obviously, it's 99% video. Right now, they're kind of introducing, like, carousel content, and favoring that for whatever reason, but 99% of content on TikTok is going to be video.

And if you're a brand or a single person who cannot produce that much content, then don't start because Tiktok is going to be there, and yes, it will become harder to gain traction the longer you wait to get on that platform. But is it 100% necessary? No.

And you also, like you mentioned, have to look at your audience. And what I think is most important about audience right now is their age because if your audience demographic is over the age of 40, TikTok should not be a priority for you. In that case, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, that's where you should probably be.

And LinkedIn, you know, yes, it's a different voice but most brands right now, just to get started, it's very easy to repurpose your Instagram and Facebook content to LinkedIn. I don't think you need to reinvent the wheel to get started there because if your audience, again, is more of the professional, if your audience, you know, is working in corporate and they're in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, they're on LinkedIn, probably, more than Instagram. And so, if LinkedIn is their search engine, so to speak, the way that Instagram or TikTok might be for millennials, then that's where you need to be. Whether you're creating content specifically for an app platform, or you're repurposing just to get active there, I would recommend really taking a deeper dive into who your audience is, and the way that they interact with social media platforms to make sure that you're meeting them where they are.

PATRICK CASALE: I love it, that's great advice, and I couldn't say it better myself. I actually had a TikTok video go viral, hit a million views, and it was so overwhelming. I haven't opened the app since that time [CROSSTALK 00:30:38]-

EMMA TESSLER: Oh, my gosh! [CROSSTALK 00:30:39].

PATRICK CASALE: …like, respond, engage, and drive engagement, and then I'm like, opening the app, opening the app, opening the app, and I was like, "I can't do this because this is going to consume me." But I do think for any of you listening, you know, starting a business, I think social media is a major component of it. And whether it's a private practice, a coaching business, a podcast, anything that you're doing, I really do think having that visibility, creating that engaging captivating content, being consistent, and getting out of your own way. A lot of you are not just starting the journey because it just feels too intimidating and there are lots of easy ways to just start doing content and creating content, like Emma said, when just recording yourself getting comfortable on the camera, starting small, kind of generating that kind of momentum, and then building upon it. I really do think that's the way to go.

Emma, any last-minute advice before we kind of wrap up? You've given a lot of good information today, and I'm really appreciative of your time.

EMMA TESSLER: I think my last piece of advice would just be to get started because it's only intimidating until you get started. And then you get on there. And you're saying, "Okay, well, not that hard." Maybe you're not getting any engagement, but sometimes that's better than the beginning because it's less than two minutes, you're like, "Well, no one's watching me, it's a lot easier this way."

And you can just start doing it, just start doing the thing, and the more you do it, just like anything else, you're going to get better at it. The more videos you create, the more times you go live, the more graphics you create, it's going to get easier. And it's not going anywhere, like you said, and it's extremely difficult to be successful as any type of business today without a social media presence because social media has become the Google. You know, we look up restaurants, we look up places we want to go, or even a doctor we want to see, right? On social media, before we go to check out their vibe, their aesthetic, their content, who they are as a person, maybe how they speak to others. And that's going to show your audience and your potential clientele if they want to see you. So, I would just say get started because it will get easier and it's not as bad as you think it might be.

PATRICK CASALE: Great advice. And I agree 100%. And I always think about it so simplistically as like a restaurant, like you said, you go on their Instagram, you go on their Facebook, and they haven't posted in two years, your instinct or your thought is that they're closed, they no longer are in business, you're going to move on to the next option. So, just really trying to make your businesses run a bit smoother and capturing your ideal client and your ideal target audience too.

And Emma really great stuff today, it's great meeting you, and do you mind sharing where the audience can find more of what you have to offer?

EMMA TESSLER: Absolutely. So, our website is ninetyfivemedia.co. I'm most active on Instagram, it's spelled out words, so ninety.five.media on Instagram. And I also have a podcast as well, the Stop Scrolling, Start Scaling Podcast where we share all about marketing. So, if you want more, there's a ton of information there and that's a great resource too. And we also have a free course called Master Your Marketing that may be really beneficial for you listening today. It will teach you how to create content that convert that under 30 minutes a day and really help you get kickstarted into doing that without the scariness behind it.

PATRICK CASALE: Love it and all of that information and links will be in the show notes for everybody listening so you have easy access to find Emma's information in case you want to find out more about her company, working with Emma, a free course, and everything that she has to offer.

So, thanks again for coming on and just being a part of the conversation today.

EMMA TESSLER: Thank you for having me.

PATRICK CASALE: To everyone listening to the All Things Private Practice Podcast, new episodes come out every single Sunday. Like, download, subscribe, and share on all major platforms. Doubt yourself, do it anyway. We'll see you next week.