Physical Therapy Marketing with Instagram

Though the first image that might come to your mind with any mention of Instagram could be the constant flow of filtered personal pictures sent between so many with no real objective in mind.  Physical Therapy Marketing with Instagram can also be a powerful tool if you are trying to reach a younger audience. When used properly, the extremely popular and successful photo sharing application has the capability to increase your practice’s exposure, increase your name recognition and increase demand for the physical therapy services you provide.

[note_box]With over 150 million users it is no wonder that so many businesses are turning to Instagram to engage consumers and boost their brands. Recent statistics on Mashable.com revealed that 40% of the top 1000 videos on Instagram are from big brands. MTV, Starbucks and TopShop are regularly featured in the top 10 brands using Instagram.[/note_box]

They invest time and money into marketing on Instagram because its been proven to work. To take full advantage of the power of Instagram and to bring in more patients for your physical therapy practice, sign up for the application and follow these six tips:

1. Show Your Services in Creative Ways

Instagram has so many advantages and one of them is to be able to promote window-shopping by using Instagram to show off a collection of your services.

You don’t even need to be an expert photographer as the application already comes with filters and editing options that help you to be very creative. It is so easy to add your style to your photos. This will help grab the attention of users to your photo.

Photos attract users but it is the conversations that engage them. You want your pictures to be good enough to provoke a good reaction from your followers so that they ‘like’ the photos and add their positive comments. It is even better if they decide to share the photo on other social media platforms as well.

Instead of just writing out the different types of services you provide, add a picture or a sequence of images to better illustrate these services in action to give prospective patients a better idea how they work. Visualizing the treatment and seeing how things work inside a practice will always be a more attractive option to patients than reading form a list.

2. Post Behind-the-Scenes Photos of Your Practice

You can take a shot of almost anything and share it on Instagram. A great suggestion is to post behind-the-scenes photos of your practice, such as a patient receiving treatment.

You will find that your followers really like these kind of photos and will be keen to ‘like’ and comment on them. Why? Because on the whole, we are a curious breed and it’s interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes of any business. Let your patients and followers see what you are doing to provide them with the best offers and service.

3. Show What Your Services and Treatments Can Do

A good way to increase demand for your services and treatments is to show patients ways how they can benefit from them. Engage your followers by inviting them to comment and let you know what they think of the work being done by your practice. You can create an Instagram contest, which is a very effective way of guaranteeing their involvement and spreading the word. For example, ask users to share photos of them after recovering from an injury as a result of treatment from your practice.

4. Update Followers on Your Latest News and Developments

What better way to get the word out about your practice than using Instagram to share the latest activities and events that are happening. Post photos of new staff members, services offered, local news or anything else that you think might interest patients.

To get even more publicity don’t forget to use popular hashtags like #physical therapy, #back pain rehab or #dry needling, etc. This will make it much easier for people who are not following you on Instagram to find out about your offers.

5. Introduce your Employees

Introducing your employees to your followers on Instagram will bring a human touch to your brand and will increase customer loyalty even more.

Use the caption box to share a little bit about your employee such as their role within the company or what their hobby is.

You can spread these posts out and make spotlighting a member of staff a weekly feature. Include all departments within your company and put a human face to your brand. Your followers will love you for it.

6. Expand and Grow Your Audience

You don’t need to confine your followers to Instagram. Why not connect your Instagram account to other social media networks and use relevant hashtags (e.g. #yourbrandname ) to make it easier for people to find your account.

Your followers will love it and reward you with their loyalty if you respond to their comments. You can encourage dialogue by asking questions in your photo caption to engage them.

Your goal is to make them want to interact with you and make some sort of positive response whether it be a comment or simply a ‘like’.