As a physical therapist, you may not intuitively think that you need to have strong marketing skills. The reality is, if you own your own practice, you need new clients. Marketing is one way to attract new customers and outstanding service is how to retain them. Because there are a number of physical therapists and clinics, it’s important to apply the methods that will make your clinic stand out from the rest. Take a look at these physical therapy marketing ideas to improve your practice by attracting the ideal patient.
1- First Step, Define Your Culture
Before you market your business to customers, you need to define the culture internally. This is an expression of personal values and beliefs. It also shows how those beliefs and values work together to create an interactive environment with your patients. Something to remember, applicable to all PT’s, is that you are your brand! If you find that some patients drop out because they are not a good fit, that’s okay. You want to work with patients that share the same values as you and align with your brand and culture.
Your entire marketing campaign should be focused around your culture. This is what will set you apart from the competition. You are unique and your brand should express this. The better you express your brand and culture, the more likely you are to attract customers that are a good fit with your practice.
2- Blog About Your Practice
Anyone can post a list of services on their website, but what differentiates quality websites from others is good content. Blogs are a great way to share patient case studies, educate patients on physical therapy rehabilitation, and take them behind the scenes. Your patients and customers want to interact with your brand, and blog posting is one of the physical therapy marketing ideas to make that happen.
Posting content on a regular basis gives your readers a real sense of your business culture and personal theories on therapy and rehabilitation. By making a statement about your practices and beliefs, you will be attracting like-minded patients into your clinic. Take a look at this list of topics you could write about to create content for your blog and website:
- Employee recognition
- Education events
- Community participation
- Company events
No matter what you choose to blog about, make sure to do it consistently. Create a publishing schedule and stick to it. As your audience grows, they will expect new content on certain days, according to schedule. Continue to post according to schedule as to not disappoint anxious readers.
3- Meet Patients On Their Turf
Think about your ideal patient… What is important to them? Do they volunteer? What charities do they give to? Where do they congregate online?
Answering these questions (and many others) will give you a better understanding of your ideal client. This is the first step to building a well-rounded buyer persona. Once you understand your ideal patient and where they hang out, you can then start to create valuable content just for them. The more personalized it is, the better.
Getting out and participating in community events is also a great way to market yourself. This puts you in direct contact with your ideal patients and gives you an opportunity to connect with them on a more personal level. This also shows them that you care about the same causes that they do.
4- Network With Other Health Professionals
Seek out other health and wellness professionals that market to similar patients as yours. As you reach out to other healthcare professionals and build relationships, you can facilitate a stream of referrals that go both ways. Make an effort to cooperate with other professionals that have a similar culture as you as well. This will ensure that the patients referred to you will be a good fit. To make this a viable resource, you need to expand your reach beyond the traditional doctors and chiropractors. Look to connect with health food stores, gyms, holistic coaches, etc. Co-working spaces are another outlet to reach new patients as they are consistently looking to add amenities for their members.
Look for partners who can benefit from adding your services to their existing clients by providing additional value. Think outside-the-box when searching for referrals and you will find unique sources of consistent new patients.
5- Social Media Marketing
One of the best ways to showcase your culture is through engagement with your patients via social media. This allows you to highlight your personality and values. You can also use this space to brag a bit and share any awards, certifications, etc. When someone leaves a positive review of your practice online, post about it on social media. You can even highlight some of your patient’s recovery stories. Show how you got them back to optimal physical health. Their story will resonate with potential patients as they see themselves in your patient’s story. Just make sure you get your patient’s permission to share their story before you post it online.
Before making a buying decision, most consumers will go online to gather information and check customer reviews. Because of this, it’s important to have a strong online presence with good reviews.
These physical therapy marketing ideas are a good start to developing a steady stream of leads and referrals. This can significantly help grow your practice. Remember that these marketing ideas are not a one-time initiative, you need to market your practice on a regular basis. If you’re just starting off, implement one idea at a time to track it’s success and not become overwhelmed from a marketing overload. You’ll be able to track the effect each new strategy has on your overall marketing efforts. As these new patients come into your practice, you should offer a unique & personalized physical therapy mobile app to assign custom exercises for every patient. This will definitely make your practice stand out and you it is yours to use for free .
