WebPT Blog - Physical Therapy Marketing
-
3 CommentsJan 9, 2013| Charlotte Bohnett
Today’s blog post comes from Senior Writer Charlotte Bohnett and Community Manager Mark Kats.
Between Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Pinterest, Instagram, and whatever other cool, new social network just launched a minute ago, there are plenty of platforms for you to choose from. But which platform is right for you and your practice?
Social media is a conversation—not an ad—platform, so it’s not necessary (or advantageous) to suddenly arrive on the social scene with as many profiles as you can create. It’s much more important to select the platforms that best fit your practice and audience. You can spend all the time in the world tweeting, sharing, and liking without seeing the fruits of your labor so work smarter, not harder.
Here are some tips for choosing the right social media platform:- Consider your goals on social: Are you there to engage with and educate current patients; to win new business through referrals; or stay on top of the latest industry news and trends?
- Based off your goals, decide who you want to reach. Who is your intended audience?
-
Sep 17, 2012| Charlotte Bohnett
Today's blog post comes from WebPT copywriters Charlotte Bohnett and Erica Cohen.
A dose of healthy competition never hurt anyone. In fact, it can be exactly the motivation you need to be better in business; better in school; just better. But there’s a monumental difference between setting yourself apart from your competitors and entering into a features race. If we’re all on a mission to elevate the profession and positively alter perceptions about rehab therapy, then we should be focusing on the benefits of our own practices rather than throwing elbows at our fellow professionals. Here are six ways to set yourself apart professionally and successfully.
1.) Identify Your Differentiators
Choose your words carefully—and we’re not just talking about obvious professionalism. Craft your story then tell it, and do so without clichés. It’s really easy to get into a “we’re #1” race with your competitors (a la Verizon and AT&T). But it takes strength, creativity, and a strong understanding and appreciation of what sets you apart to market yourself in a new way (a la Apple). Avoid words like “best,” “unique,” and “top” and focus on the substance behind this language. Why do you do what you do? What do you believe? How do you fulfill what you believe? What do you offer that’s different? How will your patients benefit? What do you want to provide (even intangibly) that no one else has even thought of yet? For a little more inspiration, check out Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle TED Talk below.
-
Feb 6, 2012| Lindsay Bayuk
When it comes to marketing your physical therapy clinic, most of the commentary out there has to do with referrals from physicians. This is no doubt a key to creating a successful practice, but there is another base of referrals that is equally as crucial to nurture. I am talking about referrals that come directly from your existing patient base. Word of mouth referrals are the most powerful.Having your services recommended is the best way to establish trust in your community. Becoming an important part of the overall health of the community is a sure fire way to create a sustainable business.
- Ask one patient a week for a testimonial
- Email your discharged patients quarterly with new exercises
- Write a weekly blog & share topics with current patients
- Ask for referrals on your clinic Facebook page
- Volunteer for a 5K Race
- Contribute an article to your local newspaper
- Host an educational stretching class at your clinic for all patients
- Include your professional business card with patientdocuments
- Schedule one hour per week to make follow up calls to recently discharged patients
- Create a referral contest for current patients (the top prize could be an iPad)
The bottom line in all marketing, regardless of marketing to physicians or to patients, is to develop relationships. Meaningful relationships with the customer base you already have will lead to peer referrals that can be hugely valuable to your business.
What tactics have you employed to nurture referral patients in your practice? We’d love if you could share one idea that has worked for your practice. -
Jan 5, 2012| Mike Mannheimer
One of our New Years Resolutions this year is to tap into the brilliant minds that are a part of the WebPT member base. We have over 8,000 members, many of them in private practice, and I think we could all benefit from tapping their collective knowledge. Between guest blogs and interviews, you will be seeing a lot more WebPT customers around here ready and willing to share their wisdom.
I recently had the opportunity to pick the brain of Adam Banks, CEO of NY SportsMed in Manhattan. This month we are talking all things marketing, so I wanted to see what a business minded clinic owner had to say about nurturing and growing a sustainable referral base.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your practice, # of clinics, staff, location, years in business.
I run NY SportsMed in Manhattan. We opened our doors 5 years ago and each year we have made major investments back into the business. We opened 3 locations in the first 4 years. Our total staff consists of about 55 employees, inclusive of 14 physical therapists and a host of support staff. Each of our 3 locations located in very high-density areas of NYC and are very close to major transportation hubs. New Yorkers tend to be very neighborhood- centric. It was important for us to have multiple locations so patients don’t have to travel too far out of their normal commute to see a physical therapist.
I am not a PT. This has given me a unique perspective on the practice and has actually been a big help in building our business. I don’t look at the business the same way practitioners do. I am currently pursuing an MBA so that I am better able to manage a large and rapidly growing company.
Tell us something we wouldn’t know about NY SportsMed.
NY SportsMed has had the opportunity to work with some pretty famous clients. One of our PTs traveled with Bruce Springsteen’s band. Krista Simon was Clarence Clemmon’s personal PT. Krista actually went on tour with them, traveling the globe. She developed quite a bond with Clarence, so much so that he even mentioned her in his book. We were very saddened by his passing last summer.
What is one thing you think PT’s need to know when marketing to physicians?
Maybe its cliché, but I would challenge PTs to think outside the box and make it memorable. This past Christmas we must have gotten 14 baskets of candy in the week before Christmas. We received so many that we couldn’t keep track of who sent them. We decided to send Apple Nano’s as a “thank you” to our best referral sources last year. They are $50, about the same cost as a decent basket, and I know that we will be remembered for them. If you’re going to send a basket, be the first one to send it or send a Thanksgiving basket instead.
