MHM#64 Networking events - are they worth it?

Sometimes therapists ask me whether it’s worth attending local business networking events, especially when they’re trying to grow their practice and feel like they should be doing more.

Aside from the fact that networking can bring up feelings of awkwardness and forced conversation, a helpful way to assess any marketing activity is to step back and ask a simple question:

How likely is this to lead to my ideal clients booking in, compared to the effort involved?

Business networking events are typically designed to support local economic growth by connecting small to medium businesses, suppliers, partners, and customers within a local area.

The challenge, as a therapy practice owner, is considering how many of those businesses are realistically in a position to connect you with your ideal clients.

A lot has to fall into place for that to happen.

Even if a business owner you meet is open to promoting your practice, how would that actually look? Leaving your business cards or flyers out for their customers? Mentioning you on social media? Including you in their newsletter?

You have no real visibility over who their audience is, whether those people are looking for a therapist, or whether they’d be the right fit for you.

And often, there’s an expectation of reciprocity. So then you’re faced with the question, what do you offer in return?

Promoting a local hairdresser, accountant, or café to your clients or audience usually doesn’t make sense. It can start to feel misaligned, and in some cases, even uncomfortable from an ethical perspective.

There are of course exceptions.

Sometimes you’ll come across businesses that are more closely aligned with your work, such as wellness clinics or other health practitioners. In these cases, there’s a clearer overlap in audience and a stronger reason for mutual promotion.

You might be invited to contribute to a workshop or event where people are already engaging with their wellbeing. While those attendees still may not be your exact ideal clients, there’s a much higher likelihood that your effort translates into genuine enquiries.

You may also feel more comfortable recommending these kinds of services to your clients, where it genuinely supports their wellbeing.

But even then, it’s still usually a better use of your time to identify and reach out to these aligned professionals directly, rather than hoping to meet them by chance at a general networking event.

So, is attending local business networking events worth it?

In most cases, I’d say no.

Not because networking is inherently bad, but because it’s often not intentional.

It spreads your time and energy across a wide group of people who are unlikely to have a clear or consistent pathway to your ideal clients.

A far more effective approach is to focus on building relationships with referrers who have a high chance of needing to refer to a therapist like you.

Start with other solo therapists. There is often a natural referral pathway between you. For example, connecting with a couples therapist if you don’t work with couples, or a therapist who offers ADHD assessments if you support ADHD clients but don’t provide assessments yourself.

From there, you can also build relationships with other aligned health professionals where there is a clear overlap in clients and a clear need for them to refer your ideal clients to you.

When you approach your marketing this way, you’re not just doing more, you’re being intentional. Which is a much better use of your time.