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12 Marketing Ideas for Physical Therapy

There’s a lot of bad marketing advice out on the internet today and for some strange reason, a lot of it tends to be in the field of physical therapy. This business niche is seen as a destination business where you receive referrals and no off-the-street business. Because of this, marketing efforts are often geared toward doctors or hospitals solely and no effort is made to reach out to the community.

The start of any good marketing effort in physical therapy begins with the development and implementation of a solid website. Put up information about your personal philosophies, the type of therapies you provide, and any other bonus services you might offer. That will give people an idea of who you are and potentially start a long-term relationship.

Top Physical Therapy Marketing Ideas

1. Utilize Google+
In the world of social media, those who use Google+ regularly are often viewed as some of the most intelligent people in the world and they’re looking to create circles of expertise. By joining this platform, you can create hangouts that will further your own brand and market directly to people who want to utilize your services and expertise when they have a PT need.

2. Write a Good Blog
A good blog is an effective first step in establishing a niche expertise that will help you to build a good customer base. The best way to do this is to incorporate the blog with your website, but even a free Blogger or WordPress blog is better than nothing. Focus on value data, offer relevant content, and try to work it around special events in your community.

3. Get Video Testimonials
Video marketing helps people relate to other people in a unique way almost as if it was a person-to-person conversation. When you’ve got real customers talking on camera about the services that you provide, you’ll begin to attract new patients because you’ll be establishing a higher level of credibility.

4. Begin an Email Marketing List
Information is the most valuable commodity of this current age and the more value you can provide someone, the more likely they are to come visit you when they have a physical therapy need. Get email addresses by offering something valuable in return, like a short ebook on how to prevent wrist pain while working in a cubicle. These reports will help with your SEO too, pushing your website higher into local search rankings.

5. Encourage Online Reviews
A vast majority of people search for reviews online so they know what to expect when they visit your office. Good reviews will do more than set their mind at ease – they’ll also contribute to better levels of business because it will establish a solid online reputation for yourself. Use your website to link to these reviews, encourage patients to write them for you, and maybe even offer discounts or other perks who follow through.

6. Get Yourself on YouTube
If there’s something that sets your physical therapy practice apart from your competition, then put it on film and then post it onto YouTube. Videos play a major role in search results, even local search results, and will let potential patients see your clinic and feel more at ease. You can use a cheap digital camera to create it and even a photo tour of your specialized equipment is better than no video at all.

7. Be Willing To Answer Questions
Health care related questions are burning up the internet because people just can’t afford to see the doctor these days for every little problem they might have. If you are willing to invest a little time every day to answer questions, even just for 15 minutes, you’ll increase your exposure online and even build links back to your website that can help with your ranking.

8. Promote Online
Many physical therapists will create promotions in their local community to encourage higher levels of patient traffic and ignore the rest of the online community. If you’re willing to offer a prize to someone off-line, then why not offer a prize to online contributors that are willing to spread the word about your practice? A blogging contest, for example, that requires a link to your site and a blog post about physical therapy will not only spread your name out, but will also create excitement as you judge the best posts and award prizes.

9. Use QR Codes
You can pack a lot of data into a QR Code so create one and put it onto your business cards, your business promotional materials, and anything else that has your brand. You can program the QR code to take people to your website, have their phone call a number, or send them to a place for other perks or discounts.

10. Create a Referral Program
If people like the work you do, then encourage them to share their experiences through a referral program. You can offer incentives that they can work toward based on the number of friends that begin using your practice, offer cash back or discounts per referral, or almost anything else that your local customer base might find tempting. People love to earn something and becoming an ambassador for you to do so is about as easy as it gets.

11. Network Yourself
If there’s a local job fair or trade show scheduled, then book a table and get people to know that you’re in business and looking to fill up some appointments. You can find local events through your local Chamber of Commerce, a local physical therapists organization, and other health related industries. The more you network and get people to know you, the more likely you are to have patients come your way.

12. Always Provide World Class Services
If you provide excellent services and help people recover then this is the best marketing effort possible. People may not always talk about good experiences, but they most certainly talk about bad ones! Don’t give them that chance and you’ll create an outstanding physical therapy practice over time.

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