Solved: PPC Campaign for Niche Expat Therapy Brand

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! I had a look at your situation and I'm happy to give you some of my initial thoughts.

Honestly, when I hear an agency say an audience is "too small and difficult to reach", it often tells me more about their limitations than your brand's potential. A highly specific audience isn't a problem; it's a massive advantage if you know how to leverage it. It means you can speak directly to their specific pains with a message that really resonates, instead of shouting into the void with generic ads. The agency you spoke to probably just isn't comfortable with anything outside of broad, easy targets. Let's dig into how you can actually make this work.

Your Niche is a Strength, Not a Weakness...

First off, let's get this straight. That other agency's feedback is a red flag. In paid advertising, a niche is gold. A broad audience means you're burning cash trying to appeal to everyone. A specific audience, like yours, means you can craft a message so precise it feels like you're reading their minds. You're not just selling 'therapy'; you're selling a solution to a very specific, urgent, and often painful problem state: the expat experience.

Forget demographics like "expats, aged 25-45". That tells you nothing. We need to define your customer by their nightmare. What keeps them up at night? It's not a generic need for 'counselling'. It's the gnawing feeling of loneliness in a crowded city, the frustration of navigating a new culture, the deep ache of homesickness, or the stress of an international career move. Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn't a person; it's that problem state. When your ads speak directly to that nightmare, they become impossible to ignore. You have an advantage because you can be more relevant than any large, generic therapy platform out there.

We'll need to look at a dual-platform strategy...

You can't just throw money at one platform and hope for the best. You have two types of potential clients, and they live in different places online. You need to meet them where they are.

1. The Active Searcher: Google Ads

This is your low-hanging fruit. These are people who are problem-aware and actively looking for a solution. They're typing things into Google like "english speaking therapist in Berlin" or "counselling for expats". They have high intent, and you need to be the first result they see. This is where you capture demand that already exists.

Your campaign needs to be built around keywords that signal this intent. You're not targeting "therapy"; you're targeting "expat loneliness help". The more specific, the better. We'd start with a tight list of keywords focused on location and the specific problems expats face.

2. The Passive Audience: Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Ads

This is where things get more interesting, and where that other agency likely got scared. A huge portion of your potential clients are struggling, but they aren't actively searching for a therapist. They're scrolling through Instagram, connecting with friends on Facebook, and feeling that pang of isolation. Your job here is to create demand by showing them a solution to a problem they might not have even fully articulated yet.

The targeting options on Meta are perfect for you. You don't just target "expats". That's lazy. You build a detailed picture of your ideal client by layering different targeting options. Meta allows you to target people based on "Lived in Country X, now lives in Country Y". This is incredibly powerful. You can run seperate campaigns for different nationalities in different cities. For example, "Americans living in London" or "Brits living in Dubai".

Then, you layer this with interests that signal an 'expat lifestyle'. Think about it: what pages do they follow? What groups are they in?

-> Expat Communities: InterNations, Expat Forum, country-specific expat groups (e.g., "Brits in Berlin").
-> Relocation Behaviours: People interested in international schools, relocation services, or visa assistance services.
-> Cultural Interests: They might follow pages related to their home country's culture or news outlets to stay connected.

By combining these, you create a highly qualified audiance. You're not just finding expats; you're finding expats who are actively engaged in the expat community, which often correlates with the challenges you solve. This is how you find your 'too small' audience and prove that they're actually the most valuable people you can talk to.

I'd say your message is everything...

Once you've found the right people, you can't hit them with a generic "Feeling down? Talk to a therapist." message. It won't work. You have to use a framework that speaks directly to their pain. I always come back to Problem-Agitate-Solve. It's brutally effective.

You don't sell 'counselling services'. You sell a good night's sleep in a foreign country. You sell the feeling of connection when you're thousands of miles from home. You sell confidence in navigating a new workplace culture.

Let's break it down:

• Problem: Start by stating the exact problem they're facing. Use their language. "Finding it hard to settle in since the move?" or "Is the excitement of living abroad wearing off?"
• Agitate: Pour a little salt on the wound. Remind them why this problem is so painful. "Feeling isolated even when you're surrounded by people? Missing the simple comfort of friends and family who just 'get it'?"
• Solve: Present your service as the clear, specific solution. "You don't have to go through it alone. Our therapists speciallise in the unique challenges expats face. Get support from someone who understands. Schedule a free intro call today."

This isn't just copywriting; it's empathy at scale. When an expat sees an ad that so perfectly describes their internal struggle, they don't see an ad. They see a lifeline.

You probably should rethink your offer...

This is probably the most common mistake I see, especially in high-trust services like yours. Your main call to action cannot be "Book a Paid Session." It's the equivalent of asking for marriage on the first date. It's high-friction, high-commitment, and presumes a level of trust you haven't earned yet.

You need to "delete the 'Request a Demo' button," or in your case, the "Book Now" button. Your offer's only job is to provide a moment of undeniable value and lower the barrier to entry. For a therapy service, trust is everything. The best way to build it is with a low-friction, high-value initial step.

Your primary offer should be a "Free 15-Minute Compatibility Call."

This is non-negotiable. It does several things:

1. It lowers risk for the client. They can meet a therapist and see if they 'click' without any financial commitment. This is huge for such a personal service.
2. It qualifies leads for you. You can quickly determine if you're the right fit for them, saving everyone time.
3. It builds immense trust. You're showing that you care about the right fit more than you care about their money.

This free call is the cornerstone of your funnel. You use your ads to drive people to a simple landing page where they can book this call. No complex forms, no credit card details. Just a simple calendar booking. This simple switch can dramatically increase the number of initial conversations you generate.

You'll need to understand the numbers...

So, what should you expect to pay for a new client? The cost can vary quite a bit depending on the market and service. For instance, I remember one campaign we ran for a home cleaning company where we achieved a cost of just £5 per lead. On the other hand, for an HVAC company in a very competitive city, leads were closer to $60 each. Given the specialised nature of your therapy service, I'd anticipate your costs could fall somewhere in that range, but it's entirely dependent on how well you can convert those leads into clients.

The real question isn't "How low can my Cost Per Lead (CPL) go?" but "How much can I afford to pay for a new client and remain profitable?". To figure that out, you need to understand your numbers. I've built a small calculator below to help you model out some potential scenarios. Play around with the numbers – especially the landing page and lead conversion rates. You'll see how small improvements in your website and sales process can have a massive impact on your final client acquisition cost.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

So, to bring this all together, abandoning the plan would be a huge mistake. You have a fantastic, valuable service for a clear and reachable audience. You just need the right strategy. Here’s a summary of what I believe your initial approach should be.

As you can see, this isn't about just 'running some ads'. It’s about building a system. It involves deep audience research, constant testing of creatives and targeting, and meticulous optimisation of your landing page and offer. It's a complex process, and getting it right from the start can be the difference between burning through cash and building a predictable pipeline of new clients.

This is where professional help makes a difference. An experienced consultant or agency can navigate these complexities for you, implement this entire strategy, and manage the day-to-day optimisations required to make it profitable. We've worked on numerous campaigns for service-based businesses and know how to find and convert these kinds of niche audiences.

If you'd like to discuss this further, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can go through your brand in more detail and map out a more concrete plan of action. Feel free to book a time that works for you.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh