David Straight, Author at E-rehab

Optimize Your Outdated Content for Higher Search Rankings

Being a content creator can feel like the Indy 500. The gas pedal is on the floor, but it’s just left turn after left turn. And every time you lift your head and look around, you’re on the same oval track, unable to punch through the pack of cars keeping pace around you.

In the world of content creation, that unending oval track is the hunt for higher Google rankings. It’s maddening to feel like you’ve done everything right, but still find yourself unable to punch through to the top three spots on the search engine results.

Today, we’re going to talk about how you can optimize your old content to improve your SEO and get onto that racetrack’s podium.

What Physical Therapy Content Should You Update?

“All of it” is definitely not the answer. You don’t have time for that.

Instead, look for content that is already ranking for a good keyword on the first page of search results — but not in the top three positions.

It may seem counterintuitive to focus on content that is already doing well, rather than on a blog post on page two or three.

Here’s why it’s not…

The jump in clicks that you’ll see by moving from position five to position three is significantly higher than the jump you’d see by moving from page three to page two.

The average click-through-rate (CTR) for a result in position one in search results is 34.2%. In position four, it’s 8.1%. By time you get to the second page of results, CTR is under 2%.

By moving from position 4 to position 1, you can quadruple your CTR. That’s how we get the biggest bang for our optimization buck.

To figure out which posts fit this criteria, use the free Google SEO Ranking Checker from The HOTH. Type in your website’s URL, and enter your email address to get your results. (Yes, this tool is a lead magnet for The HOTH, but it’s worth handing over your email address.)

You’ll get a report of your top traffic-driving keywords, as well as where your content ranks on Google. Hover over the blue keyword to see which piece of content is driving the traffic.

We’re going to pick a keyword that meets three criteria.

First, it should be ranking in the top 10 on Google.

Second, it should have good search volume. If you’re ranked #5 for a keyword that only gets 20 monthly searches, it’s probably not worth your time to shoot for position 1.

Finally, make sure the keyword has high value to your business. This means it should be something your potential customers are searching for. If you’re on the first page for the search term “best chocolate cake recipe” but you sell 1-on-1 coaching services, that’s not a keyword we want to focus on.

Next…

Recon Time

Time to do a little digital snooping.

Do a Google search for your target keyword to see which articles are beating you in the rankings. Audit their content. What do they have that you’re missing?

The purpose is not to copy…never. The purpose is to figure out what informational gaps your piece is missing, so you can figure out how to fill them.

In the world of search engine rankings, the most in-depth, helpful content usually reigns supreme. So you have to provide a more complete piece of work than the competition.

Next, read through your copy carefully. What has changed since you first wrote it? In the field of SEO, for example, best practices are changing all the time. An article from 2018 could be woefully outdated, and Google will prioritize fresher content.

Is any of your information old? Are there new policies or laws that need to be addressed? New studies you could cite?

Update Your Content

Fill in the gaps and update your article for the current climate. By answering the query more accurately and more completely, you’ll improve your chances of overtaking the competition.

Adding images and graphics can also help with your rankings. An infographic or a few handy charts can make your content more useful to the reader, and that’s something Google looks for.

Before you hit publish, check for broken links. Use a free plugin like SEO Minion or Broken Link Checker to verify that every link is still active.

And before you go live, update the publish date. Google will crawl the new content either way, but an updated publish date will also show readers that your info is current and cutting edge.

After You Publish

When your shiny new article is updated and re-published, promote the heck out of it!

Post it on your Facebook pave, Tweet it. Share it in a newsletter.

Treat it just like a brand new piece of content and push it all over your social media channels. Give it the best chance you can to climb up to Google’s coveted top three.

In a few weeks, check your keyword again to measure your results.

Now find another piece of content, and repeat!

Google likes established websites, but new content. This method lets you build on old work to keep your website fresh. With a steady routine of new and updated blog posts, you’ll keep your pieces accurate, useful, and Google-friendly.

That’s it for this post. If you have questions about physical therapy online marketing or PT blogging, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks for reading.

Use Storytelling for a Better Physical Therapy Blog

In ancient times, a powerful king oppressed his people. The citizens of the land feared the king and begged the gods for help. So the gods created a wild man that could equal the king and stop his misdeeds.

The wild man and the king fought a great battle, but the king showed superior strength. After it was all over, the two men became friends and began a grand journey together that would see triumph, heartbreak, and the search for eternal life.

This is the Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest surviving work of literature, written around 1800 BC.

Human beings are natural storytellers. We’ve been sharing tales around the campfire since the invention of the campfire! Even ancient cave paintings from 30,000 years ago tell stories of the hunt.

So what does the Epic of Gilgamesh have to do with blogging?

Turns out, a lot!

How Do Stories Draw in Readers?

Stories help your writing to stand out. In the unending ocean of blogs (over 500 million of them!), interesting stories share personality and entertain the readers. While viewers may be searching for answers to their problems, they also want to have a little fun!

Clever storytelling also helps the writer to connect with the reader. It shares your unique voice and displays your personality. Telling stories is how you can get people to look forward to your content eagerly, instead of reading a blog once and never coming back to your site.

One study showed that a blog post that opened with a story saw nearly 300% more readers scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Since the call to action in a blog post is usually near the bottom, that’s 300% more people with a chance to convert!

One of the masters of blog storytelling is Laura Belgray of Talking Shrimp. She uses clever storytelling to draw in readers to her blogs and emails. She’s been featured in Business Insider, Fast Company, Money, and Forbes, and she uses the same storytelling techniques in these major publications.

Where Can You Find Physical Therapy Stories?

Everyday in your office!

Even simple, everyday events can be repurposed into interesting anecdotes that illustrate your point.

Laura Belgray once used a story of her search for basil for a recipe to demonstrate how important it is to build an online community. The story was funny and engaging. And while it wasn’t clear at first how it was going to relate to her final point, the eventual connection made perfect sense.

You may find that when you’re sitting down to write, you have a hard time coming up with a relevant anecdote. This is a common problem. That’s why it’s helpful to create a “story bank.”

Note the wins, failures, and funny events in your daily life. Then when you need a story for a new post, you can refer back to that bank to find an appropriate tale. These don’t have to be major, dramatic life events. A simple metaphor can be enough to draw in the reader.

Also — stories don’t have to be true!

Now, this doesn’t mean you should make up a case study or testimonial. Falsifying results is unethical marketing. But you could absolutely invent a story to illustrate a point.

For example, let’s say I wanted to write a post about a fictional patient that didn’t do their home exercises or modified their daily activities according to your recommendations.

This patient may end up back at the doctor having unnecessary tests, taking opioids, or even having unnecessary surgery. You could certainly bolster this story with the plethora of research articles supporting the use of physical therapy first and how following through with PT care can save money, time, needless expenses, and risk.

Additionally, you might tell a story about a patient that chose physical therapy first over seeing their doctor. Elaborating on the fictional experience that one might have when making this choice.

Again, there’s good support for this story. A 2014 study suggests that patients who received physical therapy through direct access, i.e. directly from their PT (vs. physician referral) had a higher level of satisfaction and better outcomes at discharge.

Where Do Stories Fit In?

The best way to use storytelling in blogging is right at the top.

The purpose of your headline is to get people to start reading. And the purpose of your blog’s introduction is to get people to keep reading. So hook them with an introductory story.

The story should have a main character, a problem, an action, and a solution in order to be interesting for the reader. Remember that without a problem, there’s no story!

After you’ve told your story, you’ll need to transition into the rest of the blog post. A smooth transition will make it easier for the reader to flow from the introduction into the rest of the piece. Your transition should connect the two, making it clear why your story aligns with the article’s message.

You may want to use a transitional phrase like, “What does this have to do with ____?” or “Why does this matter? Because…”

You can also split your story between the introduction and the conclusion of the post. Introduce your main character and their problem at the top of the blog post. Then get into the “meat” of the article, explaining ways to resolve it.

In the conclusion, return to your story. Share the action the character took to solve their problem (using one of the methods you explained), and how that action led to a solution.

Practice the Craft and Share Your Passion for Treating Patients

Storytelling takes practice, and it will take some time before you have a robust story bank to pull from. But start putting one idea in the bank daily, and soon you’ll have a wide variety of options.

Try adding stories to some of your old blog posts to see if the reader’s time on page increases. You might be surprised by what you find!

Don’t Have Time to Write?

Need help with blogging? We offer blogging services as part of our physical therapy marketing services. Contact us for more information at 760-585-9097.

10 Ways Online Marketers Make Their Products More Attractive*

I get more calls, now more than ever, from physical therapy clients trying to figure out how to build their practice back up to where they were pre-COVID.

This article is about some of the predatory marketing practices that I’ve seen in a number of online advertisements, as well as complaints I’ve heard from a number of PT business owner.

One paid $12,000 and didn’t get a single new patient in the two months they used them.
Another paid $17,000 for marketing training – no new patients
Another practiced owner estimated that they had spent over $100,000 in marketing services and it was a huge loss.

If you are a PT practice owner (I used to own a practice), you feel bad for these owners. All they want to do is care for their community and make a reasonable living doing so.

It has to be said that there are also a number of ethical marketing companies in the physical therapy space.

TL;DR

Online marketing companies use tactics to get you to buy
Here are 10 of them to be aware of if you are going to invest
Work with an online marketing company that knows physical therapy
Marketing companies have an obligation to provide ethical services

This piece is about companies that have aggressively targeted physical therapy private practice owners during the COVID crisis, fully aware of their limited business/marketing knowledge, as well as knowing that their products are unlikely to help their customers achieve the results that are being sold to them.

Desperate Times Can Lead to Bad Physical Therapy Marketing Decisions

It’s easy to understand why some practice owners face such a great challenge, when it comes to discerning good marketing versus bad marketing, especially when they’re desperate.

After all, if you’re faced with having your career, passion to help others, as well as all of the blood, sweat, and tears you’ve invested in your private practice business, stripped away, it’s easy to see why some clinic owners fall for these tactics.

Note: some of these sales strategies I have employed in the past. Because they work. Indeed, if you’re offering a good product or service and you use the strategies ethically, in many cases I see no problem with it. The problem is that many online and information marketers are taking advantage of physical therapists and small business owners.

At the end of the day, of course, the consumer is responsible for what they buy but, some of the psychological tactics end up leading to purchases that Even when implemented as instructed, will not have a positive benefit on the practice. It’s the marketers that are selling information products and services fully knowing that the results are unlikely to be achieved by a majority the purchase them, that I have a problem with.

Quick Backstory – Marketing Tactics Can Be Used for Both Good & Bad

Here are 10 ways to determine if a marketing company is likely to be disingenuous, but first, here’s a quick backstory: There have been many information marketers that have achieved great success selling their knowledge, experience, and services to others online.

Many of these information and service marketers use psychological sales/marketing techniques to persuade prospects to become buyers.

While some of these marketers do indeed offer quality information and services, many don’t. Moreover, the psychological formulas/sales tactics these predators use are so common, they’re very easy to identify.

10 Ways to Recognize if a Webinar is Offering Something that’s Unlikely to Get You the Physical Therapy Promotion Results You Want

So, here are some easy ways for you to recognize if an advertisement and/or a sales webinar is likely to be offering something that isn’t going to get you the results that they promise.

A rags to riches backstory. So many people that sell information online report that they went from having next to nothing to riches. Redo this to make it seem like anyone can achieve similar results. Fact is, to achieve remarkably remarkable results, takes a tremendous amount of work over an extended period of time. In fact, one of the true cornerstones of marketing is repetition.
Extraordinary income as a result of using the product. I’ve seen it many times, marketers saying if you use our product you can double your business, you can have a seven-figure practice, you can have your best month ever. While these results can sometimes be attained under rare circumstances, most of the time marketers are selling the outliers, the very best cases, results that are unlikely to be able to be repeated over and over. Worse yet, when people buy these products and try to implement what they’ve learned, and don’t get the results they are sold, they’re made to think that is their fault rather than the bad information that they’re sold. Often times people that buy these products are unwilling to speak out against them. They feel like they should’ve got results but it was their own fault that they didn’t. Fact is, extraordinary real results or just those extraordinary. When it comes to marketing getting a one, two, or 3% return on your marketing efforts is typical. In most other things in life if you got a 12 or 3% return on anything would be considered a failure. Having the proper expectations is important when it comes to implementing any marketing program.
Wishful identification. This is the next indicator that a product might NOT be a good one to buy. When the salesman is pitching you what life could be like before and after the use of the product, they’re playing upon your desire to attain a certain outcome. Again common sense applies. If the use of a product or service made it so easy to get rich quick, why would this marketer be selling it. Wouldn’t they just be doing it themself? Why would they share? If your goal is to double or triple your practice, you have to understand that to get to this place in business takes time, a considerable monetary investment, A willingness to test and retest, and some significant risk.
Demonstrating significant material reward. Many of the marketing gurus that sell information products will demonstrate their success by showing themselves in a new Lamborghini/sports car (that is probably not even theirs) or in a multi million dollar mansion, you don’t see this as much from marketers that are selling information to PhysicalTherapy ‘s. However, displaying materialistic rewards as a result of newfound knowledgeAnd a secret strategy that no one else has ever heard of, her common psychological tricks to get you to think that you too can achieve exceptional financial success.
Disguising their sales pitch as free expert information. A common tactic is to promise to reveal something unique, something extraordinary, something that no one has ever seen before, something that is new, something that is different, something that has been successful in another industry and now has been discovered to be successful in the physical therapy industry, all in the name of getting you to sign up for a webinar or a podcast. Now the information marketer has your name and email address and is going to drip market on you and tell you or in a week position financially in our desperation to find a solution. This is a common sales tactic. Moreover, this free information almost always ends up being a sales pitch for their product. How many times have you heard that you can do “what I’ve told you on your own,“ or you can buy my product and achieve things much easier. Now, well this is sometimes true, the tactic of promising free, unique, or secret information so that you’ll listen to the sales pitch is what information marketers are really after.
The heavily discounted product. Another strategy that information marketers used to sell their information is a heavily discounted product it’s very common for these marketers to say that they offered this information in a live course or as a video series but today we’re discounting it by not just 50% but 90% so it appears to be affordable for everyone. Moreover when you add on a couple of key psychological sales tactics like urgency (a deadline to buy the product) and scarcity, a limited number of the products being made available, it makes the information product even more attractive. You can get it at a discount price but you need to get it before the inventory runs out and the discount deadline expires.
Bonus after Bonus. Offering multiple additional bonuses on top of the main product is a common sales tactic. These bonuses are often used to make the entire package appear even more attractive. One way this is achieved itactic by marketers is through the use of an OTO or one time offer. You buy the main product but before you have the chance to start consuming the information, product or service you purchased, the marketer offers you a one time offer called an OTO. Moreover, it’s also common to upsell the prospect on more than one OTO. If the prospect doesn’t buy the first one time offer, then a common strategy is to down sell them the same thing at a lower price or offer even a different OTO. The net result is additional income in the marketer’s pocket.
Inflated value. What inflated value means is it if you were to buy individual components of the package that is offered, it was some up to be much more expensive than the cost of the product they’re trying to sell plus all of its bonuses. This tactic is called inflating the value of your product. Again, it makes the information product’s Price with all that’s included bonuses as noted above, much more attractive.
End the price in a seven (e.g. $497, $997, or $1997). This strategy comes from research that demonstrates of the prices the end of the seven are more likely to be purchased then Products that have a price and in a zero or a nine.
Risk reversal. This sales tactic is used to limit risk for the buyer. Offering a product guarantee or even the price you paid plus money back is again away to minimize risk. While this is an attractive offer to a prospect, if indeed the marketer will honor the guarantee, if the marketer makes it difficult for you to obtain your money back, add stipulations on a refund offer within the fine print ( e.g. you have to complete every single task in the information product or you can’t get your money back), or if the marketer simply understands that some people will buy the information product knowing that a certain percentage of paying customers will be too lazy, not have the time, or will simply for get to ask for their money back. In all of these cases it’s advantageous for the marketer to offer some sort of risk reversal.

You Have to Invest in Marketing to Survive

We at E-rehab are first believers that the best care provided to patients occurs in a small private practice. So, it’s important that you invest money (i.e. put in a dollar and make more than a dollar back) in your marketing. E-rehab provides the best value, incredible customer service, and a suite of tools and marketing support to help any small practice. Make sure you invest to survive.

We Marketers Have an Obligation to Provide High Quality Services

Everyone in the PT industry has an obligation to provide great service to not only patients, but those that support PT clinic owners as well. Vendors should also feel an obligation to provide great information, products, and services to the physical therapy clinic owners that are for them as well.

For those vendors that don’t, I hope the information above helps practice owners tease them out.

Looking for an Honest & Ethical Marketing Company? Give Us a Call at (800) 468-5161 or Click Here to Schedule Some Time with David Straight

*Some of the information presented above is based on Mike Winnet’s Contrepreneur Formula https://youtu.be/vC5cmW8O3L8

12 Versatile Marketing Approaches To Consider When You Need To Do Something Different

The world has changed over the last several months, and businesses of all kinds are trying to figure out marketing strategies that will work going forward.

There are lots of options and while we will outline several below, there are some that are higher priorities than others. To find out what’s best for you, we recommend you…

click here to schedule some time with us.

Read on to learn about 12 versatile marketing approaches and which of them will work best for your practice.

#1 Cause Marketing

What values or beliefs are the heart behind your business? When you know what your business cares most about, you can use cause marketing to get your patients to kill two birds with one stone by purchasing your treatment or service. For example, for every new patient, your business will plant a tree. Not an environmentalist? That’s okay. For every new patient that comes in, donate to a local shelter or soup kitchen. No matter what cause you choose to support, this type of marketing goes far beyond brand awareness and reveals the heart of who you are as a practice.

#2 Close Range Marketing (CRM)

CRM allows you to send messages about your treatments or services to patients who are within close range to your business. When they’re passing by, why not take advantage of this quick and easy method to get them in the door?

#3 Relationship Marketing

Want to ditch all the cheesy sales tactics? Your patients base will likely thank you for it. Instead, opt for relationship marketing. Simply focus your attention on making connections with your patients — whether that’s through face-to-face relationship-building, through social media, or through email. Instead of focusing on how to get the sale, focus on the person behind it. You’ll be surprised how easily this method translates into patients’ loyalty (and even more sales) down the road.

#4 Transactional Marketing

On the other hand, maybe you’re finding that relationship marketing just isn’t enough cutting it. Transactional marketing could be the better option, as it focuses on maximizing individual sales transactions through coupons, discounts, and sales.

#5 Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

Everyone knows that word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. But how can you maximize it for the benefit of your practice? Put simply, when you wow your patients at every turn, you won’t have to ask them to share your practice with their friends and families. This means curating a stellar patient’s experience from start to finish. When you’ve got that down, word-of-mouth marketing is a natural result.

#6 Call to Action (CTA) Marketing

With so much dependence on technology these days, you can’t afford to neglect the web when it comes to your marketing strategy. CTA marketing is a method of getting your online visitors to engage with your brand through your ad or landing page design. Whether it’s to “click here for more information” or to “submit an email address in order to access a promo code,” your CTAs lead your web traffic to where you want them to go.

#7 Email Marketing

Speaking of technology, email marketing is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to reach many patients with just a few keystrokes. Through this avenue, you can offer discounts, convey new treatment or service info, announce upcoming events or treatment launches, or solicit sales.

#8 Event Marketing

Join or create your own event in order to create some buzz and invite potential patients to engage with your brand. Invite other businesses that complement what you’re trying to achieve, set out brochures and business cards, engage your patients face-to-face, and hype it up on social media. This is a trustworthy method to increase brand awareness and turn on-the-fencers into patients

#9 Inbound Marketing

If your business takes incoming calls for any reason, use this opportunity to sell your treatments or services. Of course, you’ll need to have a plan for meeting your patients’ needs so that you’re not trying to sell to the wrong audience. However, a little bit of script planning for diverse target audiences can make your inbound call marketing successful.

#10 Freebie Marketing

Everyone loves FREE. With freebie marketing, you simply promote free treatment or service giveaways to create a buzz around your business. Once your patients have experienced your treatment or service and come back for more, you can then sell additional treatments or services to meet their needs and boost your own sales.

#11 Content Marketing

Over the past couple of years, content marketing has become somewhat of a must-have for those wishing to boost online brand awareness. This method involved writing and publishing content (such as podcast articles, blog articles, expert interviews, or how-to exercises) to educate potential patients about your services. Of course, they don’t lead directly to a sale in most cases, but they do meet a real need for your audience.

#12 Social Media Marketing

People want to be social on social media. And it says a lot about your business and how much you care for your patients when you reply to your followers’ comments, concerns, or questions. Create that online relationship to boost patients’ loyalty.

And That’s Not All…

Of course, there are countless methods for marketing your business, and as technology changes, we can expect even more. However, the right combination of the methods covered above can take your marketing strategy to the next level. It may be time to shake things up and try something new!

6 Reasons To Include Physical Therapy Content Marketing In Your Strategy

You’ve heard it before: “Content is king.” And while other new marketing techniques may have your attention, content marketing is still a big player when it comes to bringing in patients and establishing credibility in your industry. Below, we’re going to talk about 6 reasons to include content marketing in your strategy. Let’s get straight to it.

#1 Build Trust and Credibility

Content such as how-to blog articles, podcasts, case studies, or interviews allows you to show off your expertise in your niche and help your potential patients at the same time. Content marketing will not only build your credibility as an expert, but it will also help you build trust with your audience which is essential for brand loyalty.

Make a list of the problems or pain points that your target audience experiences and develop content that helps them find solutions. And don’t use your content to sell, sell, sell. The purpose of content marketing is to help patients and establish your brand, which will lead to organic sales eventually anyway.

#2 Build Practice Awareness

Do people know about your products or services? Do you have a reputation in your niche? If not, content marketing can help you change that. When people land on your website to get answers or find solutions, you increase brand awareness organically. Use your content to showcase your expertise, as we said above, and to increase traffic to your website. It’s a win-win.

#3 Get More Leads, Keep More Patients

It’s all about generating leads, right? And content marketing allows you to reach a pool of patients who might have otherwise not engaged with your brand. When you provide relevant, timely, and helpful content, you draw in new leads. Plain and simple.

Content also keeps patients coming back for more. People are more likely to return to a resource that has helped them in the past. Once they begin to depend on you to provide relevant content as an expert in your field, your patients will think of you when they have a need related to your niche.

#4 Rank Higher in Searches

Your content affords you the opportunity to weave in keywords that will help you rank higher in Google search. The more you post relevant content, the higher your authority, and that means more traffic to your website. We all know that no one (well, almost no one) ventures past the first page of search results, so the higher and longer you rank, the better!

Also, if you post quality content, other businesses will want to link to your website, which further expands your audience. Plus, these “backlinks” are great for your site’s SEO. Want to rank higher? Backlinks are a significant part of getting you there.

#5 Attract Your Target Patients

Yes, the purpose of content marketing is to attract leads, but you don’t want unqualified leads that will never result in a sale. Instead, you want to attract your target patients, your ideal buyer, so that you don’t waste time with the uninterested. So, how does content marketing bring in ideal patients? Put simply, only those who are interested in your industry will search out your content. And only those who search out your content will click your CTAs and end up perusing your landing page and viewing your products or services. This means that quality leads will be considering purchasing from you.

#6 Get People Marketing FOR You

When your content is valuable, relevant, and solves a problem, you can expect people to want to share it to benefit others in their social circles. And when that happens, there’s almost no limit to how many people can stumble upon your content in their feeds. Just make sure that, when you create content, you do so with purpose. People won’t share content that didn’t help them in any way.

Time to Create More Content

There’s no time like the present to start creating and posting quality content as a part of your marketing strategy. Add content marketing to your strategy, and welcome those organic leads!

For more information about content marketing and how we can help, simply schedule an appointment with us by clicking here.

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Some of the Physical Therapy Web Design Details Described in an Infographic

Nothing like an occasional visual graphic to help describe many of the things we consider when creating a physical therapy website design and what is included with physical therapy website development.

We like to describe what we do as a bicycle wheel.

E-rehab.com is a physical therapy website design and development company first and foremost. This is the hub of most online marketing strategies is the website. Practices should start with great website development first!

After you build the hub (i.e. a custom, responsive physical therapy website), practices can ad spokes – additional marketing strategies and tactics to reach their marketing goals…but the website is always first.

If you have more questions about how we can help, please contact us or request an appointment on our calendar.

10 Tips For Writing a Powerful Social Media Ad

Over the past decade, social media has become quite the marketing force, with businesses of all shapes and sizes expanding their ad game on multiple social platforms. But are all ads created equal? The answer is unequivocally “no.”

Physical therapy ads are targeting a unique audience – those in pain usually with movement disorders.

The Challenge with Social Media Advertising

The big challenge is that most patients don’t search for the help of a healthcare provider on social media. This is where ads come in. You put your message in front of a local audience that uses Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You’re guaranteed to get your name in front of members of the community.

The only problems are that most of them:

don’t have a problem they think you can help them with,
don’t know if seeing a physical therapist is the right choice,
have to go through several steps before they become a paying patient.

You only have a second or two to engage the social media user, so your ads have got to stand out. While there are challenges as noted above, your ads will not result in any meaningful return on investment if they aren’t compelling, well-written, and have visual creative (pictures or video) that gets Facebook/Instagram/Twitter users to stop scrolling and click on your ad.

But how? Today, I’m going to provide 10 tips for writing a powerful social media ad.

#1 Don’t Forget About Your Brand Voice

You want your current and potential customers to recognize your brand voice everywhere, so consistency is key. If your business’s brand voice is light and carefree everywhere else, then you want to make sure your social media ad copy reflects that too. Be careful with this brand voice. Healthcare providers are professionals. If you are going to keep it fun, always remember to be professional.

#2 Keep It Simple

Remember: you’ve only got a second or two before the user will scroll on and forget your ad even existed. That’s why it’s important to keep your social media ad copy simple. If it’s possible, for example, to take your ad from 5 sentences to 1 and maintain the same message, then do it. “Longer,” in the case of social media copy, is probably not better, but you have to test. Only through testing short and long ad copy will you know what works best.

#3 Engage Your Audience

The real purpose of social media is socializing, so your ad copy needs to reflect that. Instead of promoting, promoting, promoting, you’ll want to engage your audience in conversation. Ask them questions, ask for their opinions, or start a discussion about a relevant topic and ask them to weigh in.

Yes, you can still advertise, but don’t forget to converse with your local market and prospective patients. No matter how you choose to do it, socializing is much more effective in helping you make human connections than just posting ads dry ads.

#4 Target the Senses

Enhance your social media ad copy with visuals like intriguing images or videos. Much of your audience will be attracted to what they see and not necessarily what they read, so make sure those images or videos are good!

Think about your scrolling habits. When you’re perusing Instagram, for instance, does the written copy or the visual image/video catch your eye first? Chances are, you chose the visuals, and chances are, so will your audience.

#5 Proofread and Edit

Nothing is more of a turn-off than an ad that contains typos. Even the best writers overlook an error or two, so don’t feel bad about running your ad copy past another set of eyes. Trust me: you don’t want your audience to catch them before your team does. After all, your credibility and professionalism are on the line every time you click the “publish” button.

And there are extra benefits to passing your work off to another set of eyes. For one, your colleague could notice inconsistencies with brand voice. And second, you could get a different perspective on the tone of your ad. Sometimes when we’re “too close to the project,” we can’t see where changes need to be made.

#6 Target the FOMO – Fear of Missing Out on Natural Care & Pain Relief

There needs to be a sense of urgency in your ad copy. If not, then what would stop a potential customer from scrolling past while vowing to themselves to come back later? Adding an element of FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out, is a critical part of getting potential customers to click and buy in the moment.

So, how do you create this urgency? Offer educational information. If you are advertising and event, then use urgency and scarcity – deadlines and limited seating.

#7 Align Your Advertising

Instead of thinking of your social media ad as a stand-alone piece, you’ll want to take a step back and ask yourself how it fits into your strategy as a whole. Make sure that this ad — along with all of your others — is just a piece of a broader message about who you are, conditions you treat, how to prevent problems, and what patients can expect from your company.

#8 Your CTA

Once you’ve determined the goal of your social media ad (whether it’s for your potential customer to learn more, make a purchase, or refer a friend), write a call-to-action that encourages customers to take steps toward that goal.

Keep them simple and short, and make sure they deliver on the promise. In other words, if your call-to-action says “learn more,” then be sure that when they click on it, they learn more — avoid making your customers jump through several hoops by clicking on CTAs that don’t deliver.

#9 Use Emojis

If appropriate for your business’s tone, style, and feel, try incorporating emojis into your ad copy. Of course, if your audience isn’t in tune with emojis, then you should probably avoid them. But if you do decide to use them, make sure you’re consistent with which ones you use and how you use them. You can be funny and quirky and engaging if you choose the right emojis…but remember, you are a physical therapy practice.

#10 Analyze Your Ad’s Performance – Even the Best Advertisers Miss the First Time

As always, in advertising your physical therapy services, there is usually quite a bit of trial and error. If you’re not willing to put in the time and some budget, don’t advertise. However, as long as you keep an open mind and a willingness to test, you should be able to tweak your ads to reach a wider or more relevant audience.

Once your ad goes live, take a look at how well it performs. Analyze the “why” behind its performance, and use this information to make changes to future ads. Then, analyze their performance to see if your tweak worked or if you need to make further changes.

It’s All About Ads That Perform

Of course, every business wants to produce ads that perform well. That’s why it’s important to assess your current ad copy’s strengths and weaknesses and to incorporate the above tips as you write more. Trying the new and tweaking the old is essential to good copywriting, and you’re sure to see results if you keep pressing forward.

8 Free Physical Therapy Marketing Strategies That You May Have Overlooked

Trying to put together a solid marketing strategy with a low budget? Sounds too good to be true, I know, but it’s possible with some consistency and creativity. Below, I’ll go over 8 free marketing strategies that you may have overlooked, but that — when implemented correctly — can help you expand your reach.

#1 Market in a Local Social Forum

It’s free to share ideas, right? That’s why, whether your marketing budget is limited or not, it’s a great idea to find a local forum where you can share your knowledge and expertise. As an expert in your field, you can answer questions, which is a win-win because you’re helping others in the group and boosting brand awareness and credibility for your physical therapy practice.

Caution: this isn’t the place to throw out a sales pitch. That’s a sure-fire way to turn forum readers off. Instead, include your name and a link to your website in your profile signature. That way, if anyone wants to learn more about you, they can do so without feeling pressured.

#2 Ask for Backlinks

If you want to rank high in a Google search, you’re going to have to have solid backlinks to your website. It doesn’t cost a thing to email your service providers and ask them if they’d be willing to link to your website. You can even offer to do the same for them. You can also do a quick search of your brand or company name and see if you are being mentioned anywhere on the web. If you find that other websites have mentioned your PT practice, email their editor and ask them to add a link. Remember, the more backlinks you have, the higher you’re likely to rank on a Google search, so ask and gather as many as you can!

#3 Host a Webinar

Brainstorm diagnostic conditions that will interest a local audience and put together an intriguing webinar that not only informs but makes your audience aware of your company and your specialty. Then, invite as many people as possible to join. Send out, messages, emails and text and post to your social media accounts. Call others in the community and invite them to join as well. Not only will you expand your audience with a webinar, but you also remind people that you are an expert (a generous one, too!) in your healthcare niche.

#4 Cross-Promote With Other Businesses

Ever heard the saying, “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”? Well, that’s the essence of cross-promotion. Think about your go-to doctors. Is there a surgeon who you think trumps all the rest? Or a doctor that has done an incredible job of referring for you in the past? In exchange for their referral to you, refer to them whenever possible. You’re rewarding stellar service, and so are they, and the customer gets to benefit from the best-of-the-best as well.

#5 Do Interviews

One of the easiest ways to get in touch with someone new is to ask them if you can interview them for your podcast, YouTube channel, or blog. It’s more exposure for them, and it’s an easy foot-in-the-door to new relationships for you!

#6 Set Up a Patient Referral Program

With a solid referral program, you get to let your customers do the heavy lifting. Incentivize them to pass on your information to others who would benefit from your physical therapy services, and watch as your patient base grows.

#7 Socialize on Social

Find local experts, follow them on social media, and communicate with them daily. Get your name out there and build practice awareness by becoming a consistent voice in your community. Do the same with your customers and prospects. Reply to their comments, retweet their ideas, and answer their questions. Show yourself to be the expert you are, and socialize instead of trying to push your marketing agenda. People will notice your confidence and lend you even more credibility.

#8 Get More Emails

Email marketing is free and effective. That’s why it’s important to try to garner as many email addresses as possible. Trade solid blog content, valuable diagnostic or treatment info, or a free consultation for email addresses, and then group emails into the demographics you’re trying to reach. Avoid sending out mass emails that don’t address a particular group’s needs or concerns. This will surely cause your potential patients to unsubscribe or scroll on past your messages.

Sometimes Hustle > Budget!

As you can see, it IS possible to market your practice without spending money. Of course, there are tons of marketing tools out there that will cost money and give you great ROI, but you can also get pretty far with the intentional and consistent free marketing tools that we talked about today. Give them a try today!

10 Steps to Market Your Physical Therapy Practice on Instagram

Are you trying to step up your social media game? If so, be sure to add Instagram marketing to your social media strategy. It seems that virtually everyone has an Instagram account these days, and users are engaging more and more with targeted ads. If you’re interested in jumping into the Instagram marketing game, read on to learn the ins and outs of marketing your practice on Instagram.

#1 Set Up Your Account Properly

First things first. To get started, you’ll need to set up a PT practice account on Instagram. Avoid using your personal account to conduct business. Instead, make sure you have a practice account. You’ll stay within Instagram’s Terms of Service, and you’ll get more tools and the ability to advertise with your upgraded account status.

#2 Add Your Website Link

In your Instagram bio, you’ll want to add a link to your website. This is your chance to turn interested prospects into patients. If they want to learn more about what you do and why you do it, the link to your website will give them that opportunity. Since the bio section on Instagram has a limit of only 150 characters, you need to make them count, and what could be more important than a link to your website?

#3 Craft Your Bio

Like I mentioned above, you’ve only got 150 characters to hook new followers, so craft a bio that gives them the goods right away. Your bio should be straight-to-the-point, telling potential followers what your practice does and how your specialty treatments add value to the feeds of followers. And remember: Instagram is not a selling platform… it’s for socializing. So, stay ditch the sales pitch.

One more quick note: Remember to update your bio when you’ve got something new to share with your followers, like an announcement about the physical therapy practice, a new offering, or a big sale, and then add a link so that they can learn more.

#4 Stay Consistent

If you’re trying to increase brand awareness and engagement through social media, you’ll need to make sure your message, your bio photo, and your name are consistent across all social media channels. You want your prospects to be able to recognize you immediately, whether they’re scrolling through their Facebook feed or searching hashtags on Instagram.

#5 Learn More About Your Audience’s Engagement Patterns

Instagram Insights gives you all kinds of information about content views, website clicks, follower activity, video views, and saves. Instagram Insights allows you to understand what’s working and what’s not. Armed with this knowledge, you can adjust your marketing strategy to expand your reach.

#6 Socialize!

Like I mentioned earlier, socializing is the main intent of a platform like Instagram, so instead of trying to sell, sell, sell, just socialize. When people comment, respond! When people ask questions, respond! Give your take when an interesting topic is posted. Share or reference another post that you found interesting. Show your audience — not to mention, your future audience — that you’re involved, engaged, and interested in what matters to them.

#7 Create Some Competition

Another great way to increase your social media presence on Instagram is to hold contests. People love to compete, and they LOVE to win, so holding contests gets people involved who may have otherwise scrolled past your page. Create a fun hashtag for your contest to get even more engagement, and share the winner and maybe even some of the close contenders with your audience. What a great way to engage people and boost brand awareness.

#8 Add a Promo Code

If you’re trying to boost sales, you can always count on an offer to help you out. Try adding a promo code to your Instagram page (and don’t forget that link in your bio so they know where to go to take advantage of it). Everyone loves to save, so a free exam or a free massage might be the very thing that turns a hesitant prospect into a first-time patient. Promo codes are also great for measuring engagement and sales because when the patient uses it, you can tell exactly where they came from.

#9 Tell Stories

Instead of relying solely on your profile to engage your followers, take advantage of Instagram’s Story feature. You can string your pictures and videos together to tell — you guessed it — a story about your brand. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at your clinic or a testimonial from one of your loyal patients, you can engage your followers like never before with your Story. A quick note: each image or video in your Story is only visible for 24 hours, after which it disappears.

Get fun and creative with your Story, and be sure to offer your followers something that isn’t available on your regular Instagram page. This original content will keep them coming back for more.

#10 Work With an Influencer

In the Instagram world, Influencers are people with special expertise in a given field, and their endorsement of your product or service is a HUGE asset to your physical therapy practice. Before linking up with an influencer, be sure that he or she has a large following in your industry and that they’ve got a track record for influencing others.

You can get an influencer to work with you by offering them incentives and free samples to try. You can also pay an influencer to tout your business. Either way, getting an influencer on your side can cause a monumental increase in sales.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’re just starting out or you need to step up your social media game, Instagram is a great asset to your marketing strategy. It’s time to get out there and turn those likes and follows into new patients.

9.5 Marketing Tips You can Implement Right Now During The COVID Crisis

Tip 1: Update Your Website

Work on your message – is your home page optimized to convert viewers to patients? Are there calls to action?
Add a payment button – it’s an easy way to for patients to pay their statement online.
Add digital intake forms – these days, it’s much more convenient and saves time if you allow patients to fill out their forms on your website.
Add a store – this is a nice way to generate a little bit of revenue to cover some smaller expenses.
Update staff CVs – make sure that you have updated photos and biographies.
Feature areas of expertise, advanced degrees, board certifications, and specialized certifications.

Tip 2: Update Your Brand Materials

Refresh your logo – If you want to reopen with a more professional brand look, updating your logo is one way to do it.
There are a number of companies like 99 designs, Fiverr, or Logo My Way that offer various logo design packages.
Update your brochure – have you reviewed your brochures or rack cards recently? Consider refreshing them and clearly stating benefits and make sure you have a good call to action.
Take inventory of your referral pads
Create a digital business card – make it easier for people to connect with you. switchitapp.com/ is a unique service that provides digital business cards.

Tip 3: Use Social Media to Engage with Your Community Online

Create a series of posts to engage your community.
Boost posts to both your fans and the area 5-10 miles around your practice.
Post videos about home exercise types, home office setup, nonpharmacological pain relief.
Build your following with inspirational messages and a request to like your page.
Update your social media cover photos. Canva.com or snappa.com are good resources for this.

Tip 4: Create educational videos with your smartphone

What better time to shoot a video than now. Your practice is likely to be quiet so it’s a great time to shoot some videos. Here are some topics:
If you’re open, take some time to share how you’re keeping patients and your staff clean.
Create an expert interview video that differentiates you from the competition.
Discuss various conditions & demonstrate how you treat them.
Make a series of stretches and boost them out to your community – 1 per day for a month.
Contrast your service to other more aggressive treatments.
Here are a couple sample videos on the home pages of these websites:
GMSPT.com | Procarept.net | Ptcare.net

Tip 5: Review the patient value journey.

This an often overlooked and a great exercise to map out all of the places/things that a patient might see as they move from awareness to patient ambassador.
Break down each touch point and examine where you might be able to improve the processes and provide a higher level of service.

Here’s a blog post where I discuss the patient journey in more detail:
https://www.e-rehab.com/2020/01/26/physical-therapy-marketing-strategy-part-3/

Tip 6: Review & Update Your Google My Business Listing

Review your process to capture Google ratings and reviews…one of the best ways to differentiate yourself. If you aren’t getting 5-10/mo (obviously this depends on patient volume), you are missing a big opportunity.
Review how it works – I did a blog post about Google My Business – click here to review it.
Add pictures – this is a great way to show others some of the unique features of your practice. Create a regular schedule to add photos and delegate it to someone in your office.
Update your listing – if things have changed in your office, update your listing. For example, update your business description and add in keywords. Add any additional business categories as well.
Respond to reviews – responding to reviews is a great way to show people that are considering your practice that you care. Even a thoughtful response to a negative review can generate more business. I did a blog post on this this with some additional advice. https://www.e-rehab.com/2019/05/24/physical-therapy-ratings-and-reviews/

Tip 7: Send Out Email Messages to Your Past List

Introduce the idea of telehealth and offer a free telehealth session. Limit the time of the session to maintain your value.
Keeping in touch with past patients is a great way to generate more new business. Past patients are more likely to consume your content too.
Give them a combination of good will information…wellness information as well as educational information about the conditions you specialize in treating.
On occasion, you should make offers to your past patients. The combination of email and direct mail can be more effective.

Tip 8: Educate Referring Physicians with Research

If you get referrals from physicians, then take the time to collaborate with your referring doctors. Don’t be what I call a “physical pharmacist” and wait for the referral. Physical therapy is the best first choice for some many neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Make a point of reaching out to your referring physicians and send them a copy of a research paper. Put a post-it note on it saying something like – I thought you might be interested in this and sign your name on it.
To find these studies, do a Google search for a reference, add in the words PDF and often you will find that the document is public. Make sure you follow the necessary copyright laws.
Shortcut: the New England Journal of Medicine published an article with this conclusion: Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who underwent physical therapy had less pain and functional disability at 1 year than patients who received an intraarticular glucocorticoid injection.
Here’s a link to the article: https://www.nejm.org/do/10.1056/NEJMdo005728/full/
Look up additional authors like Julie Fritz, John Childs, or Gail Deyle to name a few.

Tip 9: Kill your Google Ads if They Aren’t Performing

I’ve run Google Ads for PT private practices since 2007.
One thing I can tell you, in my experience, most physical therapy practices are wasting their money on Google Ads because they aren’t managing them properly.
Don’t be afraid to either invest in having someone do them right or cut this cost and put the money elsewhere.
It’s highly likely that you’ll never notice you turned the ads off.

Tip 9.5: Look at your budget, ROI, and Opportunity Costs

In all of the years I’ve been marketing for PT private practices, I’ve notices that large percentage of practice owners don’t have a strategy.
They pick a tactic and spend some money on it…often not even knowing if they are getting anything out of it.
This is a good time to take inventory of what you are spending your money on and making sure you are getting value from it.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater but make sure you have some key performance indicators that suggest you are getting a good return.
If not, consider spending that money elsewhere.

If you need help with your physical therapy marketing, we have a variety of packages that will fit the budget of any practice. Click here for our package information.

Give us a call at (760) 585-9097 or Schedule a Time on David Straight’s Calendar by Clicking Here

7 Steps to Creating a Solid Referral Marketing System

Most physical therapists today would like an endless stream of direct access patients. While this is a nice idea, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to increase your number of new patients if you are not developing physician referrals.

If you’re ready to expand your patient base, then it’s time to create a solid referral marketing system. But before you can get started, you’ve got to make sure that the patient experience and your clinical expertise are worthy of referrals. Once you’ve refined those areas of your practice, you can feel confident about asking physicians to refer their patients to you.

Ready to get started?

Let’s cover how to create a referral marketing system that works best for your practice.

#1 Set Goals

The first step to creating a solid referral marketing system is deciding what your practice goals are. Here are some questions you need to answer:

Are you a new startup trying to create an initial patient base or have you been in the game for a few years and want to try to generate a few additional referrals?

If you’ve been in business for several years and currently have physicians that refer to you, this is a great opportunity. Your goal is to get doctors that send 2-3 new patients per month to send just 1-2 more.

Do orthopedists refer out or do they own their physical therapists?

Physician-owned physical therapy services, or POPTS, is the business arrangement whereby the orthopedist(s) have their own physical therapy inhouse. It’s not easy to get them to refer out because they will lose the revenue they generate from treating their own patients. (This is a huge ethical issue more on that here. If they own their services, they refer more (reference). Doctors are a powerful group with big money, a strong lobby, and a public perception of doing what’s best for patients…not always the case).

Are their GP, internal medicine, sports med, and/or physiatrists in private practice?
You need to know if they can refer out or if they are required to refer to their employer (i.e. a hospital that owns them).
How many new patients or additional new patients can you see (i.e. what’s your capacity)?

Knowing this along with your cancellation rate gives you an idea of your maximum capacity and helps establish the number of new patients you need to reach those goals.

If you don’t have referring physicians, then you’ll need to obtain a list of referring physicians from an online database service. Here’s a good resource for that https://leads-app.infousa.com/Physicians/Selections

#2 Analyze Your Referral Data

Once you define your goals, you’ll need to determine how your referral strategy can and will help you reach your goals. Download a list of all of your referring physicians over that last year.

Look at the data. What does it tell you about your target doctors and patients? What kinds of patients come from these doctors and how often?

Answering these questions will help you determine what your ideal patients and referring physicians look like. This is the first step toward drawing up a strategy for referrals.

Next, identify the number of patients each doctor refers to. Who refers the most? How many do they refer per week/month? These are the ones who know the most about your practice, who send patients to you most often, and who believe in your services.

Finally, sort your list and determine who are the top referral sources. These are the referring physicians you never want to lose. They may keep your practice in business. Always assume your competition is whispering in their ear trying to take referrals away from your practice. You should spend the most time on this group.

Next look at the next group of doctors. Maybe they send 1 or 2 per month consistently. This group is aware of you but doesn’t send many. Your goal is to try to get them to send 1-3 more each month.

Finally, you have a group that sends one or two patients over the course of the year. This group is the last segment you spend time on. The patient may have been the one that chose your practice. In other words, the doctor may have not referred to you. Therefore, you don’t spend a lot of time with this group…initially.

#3 Equip Your Referrers

In Step 2, you determined which of your current referring physicians would be ripe for providing additional referrals. Now, you just need to give them the tools to be successful. A big part of equipping them to do the job right is to educate them about the value of a. referring to physical therapy and b. why they should refer to you.

One easy way to accomplish this is to visit their office and provide educational research about the value of referring to a physical therapist in the first place. The recent article published in NEJM is something you could easily print out, add a post-it note to it, that says “I thought you might be interested in this,” and hand it directly to the doctor. I also suggest you highlight key parts of the abstract so he/she can scan it.

If you cannot, put it in an envelope and write something on the outside of it like, “Dr. Smith, I thought you might be interested in this new research…”

Second, repeatedly showing up in their office, providing materials with your logo on them and your name, are good reminders that you are there for them.

#4 Next You Need to Differentiate Your Practice from the Competition

Once you remind them of the research that supports referring their patients to physical therapy, then you need to make sure they know what makes you different from the competition — in many cases, they’ll know this just by interacting with your you and the experiences patients have an report back to them.

Some ways to differentiate your practice are:

Your expertise – board certifications & specialties
Your location
Your reputation
Your clinical outcomes
Hours of operation
Communication
Customer service
Your fees
Types of insurance you take
How quick you can get a patient into your office

Don’t forget to tell your referrers what types of patients you are best at treating (also from Step

Last, make it easy for your referrers to send their patients to you. Referral pads, business cards, rack cards, and brochures can help. A QR code that patients can scan and those patients to your website is helpful too.

#5 Take Action & Ask

It’s time to put your plan into action. Grab that list of ideal referrers and reach out. Remember: your physicians may be motivated in different ways, so if you see that part of your strategy is falling short, don’t hesitate to change it!

If you are talking with a front office person or any other support personnel, then you need to ask lots of questions. As the saying goes, you have one moth and two ears, use them proportionally.

One way to pique the interest of the receptionist is to tell them that you are an expert at treating the spine or extremities. Follow this up with a complex question, one that requires the receptionist to ask someone in the back office to get an answer. You might say, “My board certification was in the treatment of spondylopathy. Who does Doctor Smith refer to when patients have spondylopathies?”

Here’s another tip that’s equally important. Include the idea that you provide a “new treatment” to add curiosity. Medical staff are interested in providing referrals to clinicians that provide new treatment options (high-intensity laser comes to mind).

Other questions you want to find the answer to are:

Who does Dr. Smith refer to?
Who decides where the patients go? If the answer is that the doctor or referring staff member picks from a list, then you simply ask, “How do I get on that list?”

I’ve observed a number of physical therapists and salespeople (commonly and errantly called marketing people) have a nice conversation with a doctor but fail to ask for referrals. This is very important to do. When the time is right and you’ve established that you can provide value, simply say, “I’d like to see more of your X patients. Can you send me a few more so I can?”

#6 Recognize Your Referrers

People loved to be recognized for good deeds, and referring to your practice should count as one of them. When you thank and recognize your referrers, you further solidify your relationship with them. You can send a simple card for every patient that is referred, a gift of nominal value to avoid breaking legal anti-kickback regulations, and make sure that you provide timely, short and scannable progress and discharge reports..

#7 Track Your Progress

Once you’ve got a few weeks under your belt, it’s time to analyze the results and adjust accordingly. Take a look at the numbers: how many referrals have come in? What process worked best? In what ways can you make changes to your strategy to realize more ROI?

The Bottom Line

Patients coming to your clinic via direct access is a good thing; but, remember: adding more new evaluations to your schedule allows you to provide not only patients but doctors conservative, natural treatment options.

As you implement your referral marketing strategy, you might have to make several changes before you nail down a plan that really works. Be open to that, and remember to keep not only the patients’ experience but also your referring physicians’ experiences at the forefront of your efforts.

Need More Training?

E-rehab.com offers a program call More MD Referrals – Physician Sales & Marketing Training. If you have questions about this or any of our other services. Don’t hesitate to contact us at 760-585-9097 or email David Straight, DPT at dave@e-rehab.com.

10 Ways to Promote Your Small Physical Therapy Practice on a Budget

Whether you’re just starting your PT private practice or you’ve been running your clinic for a few years, during these times you have to be efficient with spending money on physical therapy marketing. For the savvy PTPP director who wants to save some money, here are some tips for marketing on a budget.

#1 Find Some Local Online Facebook Groups

You may be open and still treating patients, or you may be just doing telehealth; either way, you can leverage your community to market your business. Get your name out there by sponsoring local Facebook groups where moms gather, sports teams gather (e.g. a running club), or your neighbors gather. Get creative about offering value. How can you help members of the group? Offer to speak on a Zoom webinar where share your expertise. This will boost awareness about your practice help you make one-on-one connections.

#2 Be Ready with a One-Liner, Talking Logo, or Elevator Pitch

If someone asks you what you do, does your answer put them asleep, confuse them, or arouse curiosity?

A good one-liner as Donald Miller states, is one sentence that can grow your business (more here).

Another way to describe your business to another is with what John Jantsch calls, a talking logo. John describes a talking logo as follows: “a tool that allows you to communicate verbally the single greatest benefit of doing business with your firm. A talking logo is a short statement that quickly communicates your firm’s position and ideally forces the listener to want to know more.” (more here)

Yet another way to think about it is by simply following this formula: “I help x get y using z.” An example might be: “I treat people in pain naturally recover with nothing more than my hands and mouth.” If you were speaking with someone the first time, can you see how this type of answer invites additional questions? Fast, concise, and arousing curiosity are the keys to developing a good one-liner or talking.

#3 Network with Other Local Businesses

Find other businesses that you believe in and make connections with them. Offer them your willingness to promote them if they’ll do the same for you. You could even come together for a community event and refer potential customers to each other.

Massage therapists, yoga instructors, personal trainers, acupuncturists, running, swimming, and sports equipment stores and of course medical doctors are some examples of companies you can cross-promote. Make a list and start reaching out.

No matter how it looks, it’s a win for you and a win for the other businesses in your community.

#4 Take Advantage of Free Social Media

We all know that there are countless social media platforms out there, and it can seem a little overwhelming. But the good news is that it is either free or very inexpensive to market your business through this medium.

If you are looking to treat middle-aged and senior patients then Facebook is the platform you should use. If you are looking for the younger 20-35 y.o. crowd, then Instagram is a good place to start.

But here’s a quick tip: your goal is to nurture relationships by showing interest in them, providing good content and by asking others how you can help them. One surefire way to kill your reputation is to look self-serving. Following someone else on IG hoping to get a follow back won’t likely foster your relationships. Social media is meant for socializing. Imagine if you were at a party and you approached a group of others, you would disrupt the gathering of people by trying to get everyone to focus their attention on you right away.

#5 Create and Publish Great Content

Sharing helpful content is important. As the saying goes, content is king. Not only does it establish you as an authority and increases practice awareness, but it also helps people. Of course, you don’t have to spend any money to create great content (if you someone at your practice is willing to do create the content on their own). If you’ve got older content, an easy way to get the message is out is by simply refreshing that old content. Add some graphics, update the content, add a new take on an age-old issue… whatever the case may be, don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to.

#6 Call Up Your Referring Physicians

Believe it or not, many physicians are in the same boat as you are during this COVID crisis. Give your referring physicians a call. Ask them questions about how they are doing, their staff, their family. See how many patients they are seeing now. Offer to help them out. Ask how telehealth is working for them. Offer to help them promote their practice or find a collaborative opportunity. Offer to do a video conference call, record it and share it to your email list or Facebook fans.

#7 Email an Offer to Your List. You Could Offer a Free Telehealth Session

Many are just now experiencing how health care is delivered via remote video conferencing with systems like doxy, Zoom, Vsee, BetterPT, etc. When it comes to a hands-on provider like a physical therapist, the notion of communicating online assessments and treatment seems like a contradiction (when coming from a PT).

One way to start the conversation and to get people to consider your physical therapy services is to email them an offer. Here’s how you can do this:

Get a list of first names and email addresses. Go to your EMR system and download a list of email addresses and names. I am assuming that you have permission to email your patients.
Send out an email blast. You want to put together a personalized message, first name only, and use a subject line like this:

Remember, the goal of the subject line is to get them to open the email message.
Get them to “click” to the next step. In the body of the message, you need to make a compelling offer. Let your past patients know how you’re STILL able to serve them during this crisis – but it’s in a slightly different way. Remember, the goal of the email message, in most cases, is to get them to click on a link to do something next.
Give them something of value. Offer a free 15-minute “virtual” mini-evaluation to get them on the phone to see where they need the most help and let them know about your virtual services, or if you’re still open, to see if they are good candidate to come in for some therapy.

For some, this might be the solution they are looking for. If it is a valuable, compelling offer, your past patients will take you up on it. If not, think of another offer. Most marketing campaigns fail on the first try; so, don’t be afraid to try again.

#8 Ask Your Patients for Referrals

Whether it be during a video conference or in person, ask your patients for referrals. This is how you can accomplish this.

First find out if your patient is willing. Take their “temperature” by finding out how satisfied they are with your services. If you get a lot of positive feedback and you sense they are very pleased, then you can move to the next step.
Ask an open-ended question. Don’t make the mistake of asking, “Do you know someone else I can help?” That’s a closed-ended question that will result in a yes or no.
Take it slower with multiple, open-ended questions like:
- “Who do you know that has a problem like you?”
- “What have they done to deal with their pain?”
- “What are you thoughts about how they might respond to this kind of treatment?”
- “How could I work with you to see if they might benefit from what I’m doing with you?”

Knowing when and how to ask your patients for referrals will increase the likelihood of success. Give it a try and understand you’ll either get a No (in which case you’ll improve your ability to ask for a referral from your next patient), or you will get a Yes and you might be able to help them.

NOTE: if you do get a name from your patient, make sure you complete the process by having your patient make a warm introduction. Be willing to do a simple conference call with the patient and their family member or friend to take it to the next step.

#9 Increase the Value of Your Business Card and Add a QR Code

Business cards are cheap these days. Take a look at yours. Does it need a redesign? Can you add services on the back? How about a QR code that when scanned take the viewer to a video about you on YouTube or a web page where they can learn more about what you do, or perhaps to a page where you make them an offer?

QR codes were popular back in the 2008-2012 timeframe; but, the need for users to install a QR reader app on their phone made them a challenge to use. Back in September, 2017 when Apple released iOS 11, iPhone cameras became readers. Simply point the camera app at a QR code and it reads it.

Get creative with QR codes. Head over to QRstuff.com and create your own.

#10 Seek Out Recognition for Your Great Work

Believe it or not, it costs nothing to apply for business awards for your niche. If you are selected, you can tout that award on your website or on your front desk. This is a nice way to add credibility to your physical therapy services and it gives you another thing to write about in your social media posts.

#10.5 Bonus Tip

As of the date of this post, I’ve been in the PT private practice marketing space for almost 20 years. If there’s one thing I can share with you that is going to dramatically increase your odds of success it’s these 3 things: One, take action. Most just read about marketing and never take any action. Two, make sure you invest in your marketing. Marketing pays dividends and gives you returns. Sometimes your investments result in a loss but then you learn. Sometimes they provide you with a good profit. This leads me to my third point, persistence. Marketing is an ongoing process over time. It never stops. The more you do it, the more you learn and improve that process.

Working within Your Budget

You might think it is difficult to market your practice on a small budget. There is some truth to this. After all, you might be up against large hospitals, corporate big-box clinic chains, and POPTS clinics. The resistance is proportional to the reward though. If you want to generate patients that might net you up to $1000 when you complete a plan of care with them, it’s going to take some work.

Looking for the Best Online Marketing Services on a Budget?

E-rehab.com provides different packages of marketing services, training and tools to help you generate more new, repeat, and word-of-mouth business.

For more information about how we can help, click here to schedule some on my calendar and we can discuss your needs.