Marketing
March 25, 2024
Physical therapy marketing has changed in recent years. Physical therapists used to be able to rely primarily on referrals from physicians, but that's not dependable anymore. Now, physical therapists need a multi-faceted marketing strategy, so where should you begin?
In this article, you'll learn 15 strong marketing strategies to help your PT business succeed including how to use digital marketing, build your network, and even get referrals from physicians who can't give a referral to help you build your PT practice!
Physical therapists can grow their practice by marketing to existing patients, physicians, and the general public. This involves becoming known for providing excellent care, advertising online, and connecting with other healthcare providers. Sharing positive reviews and outcomes is the cornerstone of most PT marketing strategies.
Here are the most common ways physical therapists market their practice:
Let's take a look at each of these physical therapy marketing strategies.
Use digital marketing to build brand awareness. Use SEO strategies to show up in searches. Market to new patients using your website and social media. Build patient loyalty by contacting them via email marketing and turning your website into a resource.
Here are 4 strategies for physical therapy marketing online:
76% of consumers visit a company website before going to the physical location, according to research by Visual Objects. Your website is an opportunity to make a good impression. Focus your physical therapy website on positive outcomes, brand values, and what makes your practice particularly excellent. Also, work on search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure your website shows up in searches.
It's easier to maintain good relationships with existing patients, than it is to find new ones. If you do that, they'll be back when they need you and they'll refer their friends. So, stay in touch with them. Send a monthly email marketing campaign or newsletter that's full of useful information. Offer insights or tips for recovery and self-care.
When you search for "physical therapist near me," you'll notice the top half of the results pages is ads. Even if your website is well-optimized, you can get buried on the 2 page because of that. You can create a Google Ad of your own, so you show up on top. You can also create ads for social media, like facebook, to target new patients or physicians.
You can answer patients' questions and attract new ones by posting articles on your blog. When someone is looking for ways to relieve their pain, they google it. The answer Google gives them could be an article or video you posted on your blog. Creating these resources positions you as the expert and builds trust. It also improves the SEO of your website.
Physical therapists can build their network by cultivating positive relationships with their patients, becoming a resource to physicians, and improving their online presence. Networking can happen face-to-face with people in your community, on social media, or through registering with online directories.
Make this a habit. The pain you helped them with is a story they can share with their friends, family, and colleagues. You can get more referrals by sending automated referral requests, creating a referral rewards program, or just asking patients directly when they check-out.
Google reviews are a great way to attract new patients. People want a physical therapist who they believe can help them with their particular problem, based on other people's experience. If they don't know any of your patients, reading reviews is the next best thing. The best way to get more reviews is to send automated review requests to patients.
It's hard to get facetime with a physician, and even harder to find physicians who can refer their patients to you. There's a work around for that. Create a resource for physicians to give to their patients, as part of their treatment. A handout that outlines the best exercises for a specific diagnosis helps everyone. Add a CTA to the bottom directing them to your website for more information. It's not a referral, but it opens a window.
LinkedIn is a good place to connect with physicians, athletic trainers, and other physical therapists. This platform can help you build relationships with people who do what you do and people who can elevate you. Talk to other PTs about what marketing strategies work for them. Ask physicians what would be most helpful for them. Then put it into practice.
Online directories often show up on the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when you search for physical therapists. Make sure you're on those lists. Start by updating your google business profile. Then, look through the directories. If you're not on their list, create an account with them and register your business.
In-person marketing for physical therapists happens in their clinics, in doctor's offices, and in daily life, outside of work. Face-to-face marketing works best when you're both friendly and useful. Here's what to do: Listen to people's problems. Explain what you do. Offer a solution.
Partner with local healthcare providers to reach a broader audience. Physicians aren't the only option. Find providers in your neighborhood who provide a complimentary service, like chiropractors. When you introduce yourself, give them the resource you created for them to help their patients.
Attract people who need your help by hosting a workshop. You can do this in your clinic, a neighboring business, or community center. Think about a common problem your patients have and what you could teach them. Promote your workshop online, around town, and to your existing patients. When you introduce yourself and your workshop, explain what you do and who you help.
Engaging with your community is a great way to build brand awareness. Participate in community events or volunteer your time to make more connections in your neighborhood. You might consider sponsoring a sports team. That could make you the go to person for sports injuries.
Physical therapy software, also known as "practice management software" can help streamline marketing for physical therapists by using integrated marketing tools that operate within your existiing software stack.
This mean you can run your business (administrative tasks, documentation, reports, ect) while still running marketing campaigns alongside, using the power of the integration to automate processes and give your clients a personalized experience!
Getting more patients and marketing your practice can be time-consuming. ClinicSense can automate many of those marketing tasks for you with their all-in-one marketing stack.
With ClinicSense, you can stay in touch with all your patients by sending targeted email marketing campaigns. Send your patients a monthly newsletter or promote a new workshop you're hosting in the community.
After treatment, send patients automated referral requests, with ClinicSense. Use the Google Review Booster to automatically send a review request. Good reviews automatically get posted to Google, and less than perfect reviews are returned to you, privately, as feedback.
Make it easy for people to book an appointment by allowing online scheduling. Studies show people are more likely to choose a provider with online options. Practice management software allows you to integrate your scheduling portal with your website and social profiles.
Growing your physical therapy practice requires a multi-faceted approach. Choose strategies that you can do well, enjoy, and do consistently. Then, make those physical therapy marketing strategies the foundation of your advertising! If you are looking for support with your physical therapy marketing, or marketing software, reach out to us at support@clinicsense.com or sign up for a free trial below!
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