Like many small businesses, physical therapy clinics likely don’t have the resources to create grand marketing campaigns. Time, energy, and capital are focused predominantly on providing quality care for patients. There are, however, several ways that physical therapy clinics can create affordable and effective marketing campaigns to bring in clients. Marketing efforts should be based on the customers and knowing who they are and where to reach them, but afterwards here’s some useful places to continue the effort.
1. Optimized, Responsive Website
It is absolutely essential these days for businesses, including physical therapy clinics, to have a website. Furthermore, the website should be search engine optimized (SEO) and built with responsive design so that it functions both on desktop and mobile browsers. There is no where that people turn to before the Internet and Google is normally the jumping off point for most queries. Getting the website optimized, with appropriate ‘keywords’ to come up at the top of the search results, is probably the best marketing weapon a clinic can have.
2. Blogging
Blogging goes hand-in-hand with the website because a blog is one of the best way to stay SEO relevant and add content that’s focused on the local level. Adding a few articles a month about physical therapy topics and mentioning the clinic as a place that provides physical therapy services can be a great way to drive traffic. In an article on Forbes, contributor Steve Olenski offers some suggestions for writing engaging blog posts that entice readers to comment and participate in the conversation.
3. Incorporate Social Networking
For good or bad, there’s no getting around the fact that people spend much of their Internet time on social networks. Incorporating Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or any number of other popular social networking sites into a marketing campaign can be a great way to build a brand and create a buzz between customers. Furthermore, social networks are an excellent way for clients to share and give reviews on a clinic. According to David Straight of E-Rehab, physical therapists and clinics who have taken the time to add social networking as part of their marketing efforts have seen significant increases in traffic.
4. Marketing via YouTube
Physical therapy is particularly suited to utilizing video marketing, according to resource provider Patient Sites. Creating short videos and adding links of information about the clinic at the end of the video can give a clinic great exposure. Many people turn to YouTube to search for exercises to help with back pain or relief from injuries and a video from a clinic is likely to get a hit. There’s no need to get complicated, just straightforward video or even photo slideshows with text, can go a long way to marketing a clinic.
5. Answer Physical Therapy Related Questions
Answering questions about physical therapy questions can be a great exposure as well because people go to the Internet for answers. Some great places to look are discussion forums and answer sites in popular places like Yahoo Answers. Providing the answers can give exposure to a clinic both on a global and local level.
6. Networking Events
According to Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI, a professional business networking organization, getting local traffic is key to the survival of the clinic. Misner suggests that the best place to let people know about the excellent website and other marketing efforts is to attend networking events in the area. It’s a great way to find new patients and meet other local businesses. There’s nothing better than positive word-of-mouth for getting new customers in the door.