WebPT Blog - PT Marketing
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1 CommentsSep 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.
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Sep 12, 2011| Mike Mannheimer
The social revolution
We are currently decompressing from our last month Social Media crash course. If you missed any of the content, including our Webinar, you can view it here and here.
One thing we learned based on all the feedback is that the medical community, physical therapists especially, are very interested in joining the social revolution, but they just don’t know how. These tools were never a part of their daily lives and now they are foreign and hard to understand. This idea leads us to the fundamental problem of knowledge and comfort level and how that leads to acceptance. We hear a lot of “This all sounds great, but I don’t have the time” or “I think this Social Media thing just isn’t for me.” Ignoring this movement in communication is a folly, and successful clinics everywhere will take the time to learn, integrate, and update their social outlets.
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Aug 14, 2011| Heidi Jannenga PT
Social Media has revolutionized the ability for people to connect with one another. While great for connecting with friends and family, it can also be a huge asset to your business. Contrary to what you may think, social media is not just for posting random thoughts or crazy videos.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube are avenues for marketing, clinic name recognition, and networking. It is the new generation of communication that can't be ignored. If you are hesitant and don't know where or how to get started, here is some food for thought:
5 Things to Think About Before Using Social Media for Marketing
1) Don’t believe the hype; at least not ALL of it
It's important to assess the social landscape and see what is going to work for you. Healthcare and specifically Physical Therapy has never been a competitive market in advertising. So, it is not important to blast on to the scene with as many forms of social media as possible. It's more important to be organized and calculated about time, strategy, and staffing. Social media can be time consuming, so choose wisely. If you aren’t keen on jumping on all the bandwagons, simply choose one and focus on it. Creating a profile and then never updating it is worse than not being there at all. If you are already familiar with Facebook for personal communication, start with it for your business marketing as well. If the almighty Twitter speaks to you, check out this presentation by Dale Boren Jr. and Casey Kirkes on how to use it for professional advancement.
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Nov 15, 2010| Heidi Jannenga PT
The WebPT team attended and exhibited at the annual APTA PPS 2010 Conference last week in Washington DC. This conference emphasized the business side of PT and how to improve your practice. This year's focus was marketing and tools to build your business. In this time of declining revenues per visit, PT clinic owners are being forced to think outside the box and really go after referrals, improve their billing practices to maximize returns, develop creative staff retention ideas, and come up with alternative cash-based services that can be offered to increase revenues.Of the classes that I attended, several sessions stood out with information that could be taken right back to the clinic and implemented.
Practice Productivity
Kevin Basile, PT, OCS, MTC and Roger Nelson, PT, PhD, FAPTA spoke on productivity as a key strategy in practice management. As the decline in therapy procedure reimbursement continues, the logical thought to most is, "well, I guess I have to see more patients." According to Basile and Nelson, this is not necessarily the case. They advocate for change in the professional behavior and practice to be more productive:
