Marketing Tip of the Month – March 2010
Marketing Direct Access to Your Advantage
If you are fortunate enough to be practicing in one of the 42 states that allow consumers direct access to physical therapy, you have a unique marketing advantage. You can market your services to consumers directly.
Physical therapists who practice in direct access states can grow their practices organically without reliance on physician referrals. Of the 42 states with direct access, 14 currently allow unlimited or unrestricted direct access. The remaining 28 direct access states have their own limitations, provisions and special requirements regarding access. Each is different.
Yet, within these guidelines and restrictions, most physical therapists can appeal to consumers directly through various marketing strategies. Common strategies include print advertising, brochures and other collateral materials, Internet-based marketing through websites, blogs and social networking media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites), community health events and public relations.
Marketing gives you the opportunity to educate potential patients about the benefits of physical therapy for relieving their pain and restoring their ability to function in everyday life. Many back pain sufferers are unaware that physical therapy is among the most effective methods of treatment available. They see their family doctors and are often prescribed painkillers and bed rest, neither of which addresses the cause of their pain.
If more patients were aware of physical therapy's effectiveness for treating back pain, they would surely choose your care. Direct access gives you the opportunity to educate them and, ultimately, correct their conditions.
Ask Practice Builders how we can help you market directly to potential new patients within your state's guidelines today.
Physical therapists who practice in direct access states can grow their practices organically without reliance on physician referrals. Of the 42 states with direct access, 14 currently allow unlimited or unrestricted direct access. The remaining 28 direct access states have their own limitations, provisions and special requirements regarding access. Each is different.
Yet, within these guidelines and restrictions, most physical therapists can appeal to consumers directly through various marketing strategies. Common strategies include print advertising, brochures and other collateral materials, Internet-based marketing through websites, blogs and social networking media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites), community health events and public relations.
Marketing gives you the opportunity to educate potential patients about the benefits of physical therapy for relieving their pain and restoring their ability to function in everyday life. Many back pain sufferers are unaware that physical therapy is among the most effective methods of treatment available. They see their family doctors and are often prescribed painkillers and bed rest, neither of which addresses the cause of their pain.
If more patients were aware of physical therapy's effectiveness for treating back pain, they would surely choose your care. Direct access gives you the opportunity to educate them and, ultimately, correct their conditions.
Ask Practice Builders how we can help you market directly to potential new patients within your state's guidelines today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – February 2010
Marketing Tip of the Month – February 2010
Attract New Patients With a Community Health Fair
As a physical therapist, you are in a unique position to help the people in your community achieve better health. What better way to help a larger number of people than by sponsoring a community health fair?
Today, more than ever, individuals and whole communities need help, particularly when it comes to healthcare. Many communities across America are suffering with 10%, 15% and up to 20% unemployment. Money is tight, even for those who are still employed. Regardless of their financial situations, they still need good health care. They need:
• Free blood pressure screenings
• Free body fat testing and weight loss advice
• Free BMI and bone density screenings
• Free advice about their aches and pains
• Free balance and postural assessments
• Free health and fitness assessments
Some PTs combine forces with orthopedic, physical medicine and rehabilitation and occupational medicine specialists, massage therapists and chiropractors – practitioners they have referral relationships with – to add greater value to the health fair. Often, a simple press release to local newspapers, radio stations and TV affiliates will provide you with enough free advertising to draw people to the event.
Ask Practice Builders how we can help you set up a community health fair for your practice today.
Today, more than ever, individuals and whole communities need help, particularly when it comes to healthcare. Many communities across America are suffering with 10%, 15% and up to 20% unemployment. Money is tight, even for those who are still employed. Regardless of their financial situations, they still need good health care. They need:
• Free blood pressure screenings
• Free body fat testing and weight loss advice
• Free BMI and bone density screenings
• Free advice about their aches and pains
• Free balance and postural assessments
• Free health and fitness assessments
Some PTs combine forces with orthopedic, physical medicine and rehabilitation and occupational medicine specialists, massage therapists and chiropractors – practitioners they have referral relationships with – to add greater value to the health fair. Often, a simple press release to local newspapers, radio stations and TV affiliates will provide you with enough free advertising to draw people to the event.
Ask Practice Builders how we can help you set up a community health fair for your practice today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – January 2010
Try Public Relations for Your Practice
Advertising can be extremely effective if your budget covers the cost of creating an effective message and buying the media with which to showcase your message. One of the best alternatives for newer practitioners and those on tight budgets is…
Public relations or PR. A sound PR program has two big advantages for the practice on a small budget. First, there’s no media cost. Whether you end up with 20 column inches in the local newspaper or 3 minutes on network TV, it costs you nothing for the space or time. There’s only one catch. Your story has to be newsworthy.
Good PR people know how to package your newsworthiness and connect you with the decision-makers responsible for filling newspapers and broadcast airwaves with good stories. As a PT, you could be making news almost every day thanks to:
• Newer, more effective therapies you’re having success with
• Patients whose previous attempts at therapy failed, but were helped by you
• The special accommodations you made to help a special needs patient
• Community health screenings you co-sponsored
• Volunteer work you did to help the less fortunate in your town
• Small miracles that happen for the patients you treat
As a PT on a budget, consider making PR the centerpiece of your marketing program. Ask Practice Builders how we can help you get guaranteed PR for your practice today.
Public relations or PR. A sound PR program has two big advantages for the practice on a small budget. First, there’s no media cost. Whether you end up with 20 column inches in the local newspaper or 3 minutes on network TV, it costs you nothing for the space or time. There’s only one catch. Your story has to be newsworthy.
Good PR people know how to package your newsworthiness and connect you with the decision-makers responsible for filling newspapers and broadcast airwaves with good stories. As a PT, you could be making news almost every day thanks to:
• Newer, more effective therapies you’re having success with
• Patients whose previous attempts at therapy failed, but were helped by you
• The special accommodations you made to help a special needs patient
• Community health screenings you co-sponsored
• Volunteer work you did to help the less fortunate in your town
• Small miracles that happen for the patients you treat
As a PT on a budget, consider making PR the centerpiece of your marketing program. Ask Practice Builders how we can help you get guaranteed PR for your practice today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – December 2009
Differentiate Your Practice Marketing for Success
Without professional marketing help, many PT practices copy the strategies and marketing messages of their competitors...for lack of a better approach. Though this copycat strategy is easy, it is almost never effective because it confuses the consumer.
A much smarter strategy is to study your competitors marketing messages and find a way to set your practice apart, to make your practice appear different. Why? American consumers are exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages every day, on average. Given this kind of message clutter, you want your message to stand out, not blend in.
For example, if many of the PTs in your market use blue as the predominant color in their marketing materials, use a color or colors that make you look different. Your color choice should become part of your brand, along with the font (typeface), messaging and photos you use.
If other PTs in your marketplace have already staked out a sports medicine niche in the minds of referrers and consumers, then you must look for another niche you can own for your practice. If you have exceptional credentials and demonstrated good outcomes in treating low back pain, then make that the centerpiece of your marketing efforts. Go with your strengths and try to take advantage of your competition’s weaknesses.
Better still: Instead of trying to do all this yourself, call Practice Builders for help marketing your PT practice. We help physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
A much smarter strategy is to study your competitors marketing messages and find a way to set your practice apart, to make your practice appear different. Why? American consumers are exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages every day, on average. Given this kind of message clutter, you want your message to stand out, not blend in.
For example, if many of the PTs in your market use blue as the predominant color in their marketing materials, use a color or colors that make you look different. Your color choice should become part of your brand, along with the font (typeface), messaging and photos you use.
If other PTs in your marketplace have already staked out a sports medicine niche in the minds of referrers and consumers, then you must look for another niche you can own for your practice. If you have exceptional credentials and demonstrated good outcomes in treating low back pain, then make that the centerpiece of your marketing efforts. Go with your strengths and try to take advantage of your competition’s weaknesses.
Better still: Instead of trying to do all this yourself, call Practice Builders for help marketing your PT practice. We help physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – November 2009
The Most Powerful Words in Marketing
Is the pen really mightier than the sword? One of the best ways to find out is through marketing, where words can make or break your practice success and your return on investment…
Can you name the two most powerful words in advertising/marketing? They are, in no particular order, “new” and “free.” Even today, consumers are still powerfully attracted to new products and services and anything that’s free. Based on Practice Builders’ 30 years in healthcare marketing, we are compelled to add a third word to the list:
YOU!
No matter what marketing strategies you are using (print advertising, radio, TV, collateral or Internet), you will find that “YOU” is the most powerful word of all. It lets your audience know that you are tuned into them, their wants and their needs.
If your current marketing strategy is not delivering the response you hoped for, it may be that your wording is not resonating with your target audience. Whether you are trying to reach out to potential new patients, existing patients or referral sources, write as if you are talking to just one person. Using the word “you” focuses your message on the reader.
Other words you should use freely in your messages are emotion-based words such as feeling, enjoyment, now, savings, lifetime, lifestyle, solutions, special, important and pleasure. These words offer a stronger emotional appeal to help your prospect make a buying decision. Remember that consumers’ buying decisions are nearly always based on emotion, then justified later with facts.
Better still: Instead of trying to do this yourself, call Practice Builders for help marketing your practice. We help other physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Can you name the two most powerful words in advertising/marketing? They are, in no particular order, “new” and “free.” Even today, consumers are still powerfully attracted to new products and services and anything that’s free. Based on Practice Builders’ 30 years in healthcare marketing, we are compelled to add a third word to the list:
YOU!
No matter what marketing strategies you are using (print advertising, radio, TV, collateral or Internet), you will find that “YOU” is the most powerful word of all. It lets your audience know that you are tuned into them, their wants and their needs.
If your current marketing strategy is not delivering the response you hoped for, it may be that your wording is not resonating with your target audience. Whether you are trying to reach out to potential new patients, existing patients or referral sources, write as if you are talking to just one person. Using the word “you” focuses your message on the reader.
Other words you should use freely in your messages are emotion-based words such as feeling, enjoyment, now, savings, lifetime, lifestyle, solutions, special, important and pleasure. These words offer a stronger emotional appeal to help your prospect make a buying decision. Remember that consumers’ buying decisions are nearly always based on emotion, then justified later with facts.
Better still: Instead of trying to do this yourself, call Practice Builders for help marketing your practice. We help other physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – October 2009
Are You Touching Your Patients?
According to numerous patient surveys we’ve seen over the years, patients value the healing touch of a good physical therapist. It makes them feel cared about and it makes them feel better.
But the studies have also shown that many patients are never touched by a physical therapist and are often dissatisfied with their physical therapy experience as a result. Patient satisfaction is largely dependent on whether or not hands-on manual therapy techniques are used in the practice.
Some physical therapy practices are “shake and bake” practices. They rely mainly on modalities (heat, ice packs, electric stimulation and therapeutic exercise) to treat patients. In the worst of these practices, patients may be handed their own clipboards and directed to use a specific piece of equipment while the physical therapist goes off to work with someone else, or disappears entirely.
Manual therapy makes a big difference
But the best physical therapy practices, many of which are Practice Builders’ clients, use hands-on manual therapy techniques (soft-tissue mobilization, myofacial release, etc.) to help patients overcome their pain and dysfunction. These physical therapists actually touch patients in a healing manner and stay with their patients for the duration of each physical therapy visit.
Often, the patient sees the same therapist at every appointment. This builds a valuable rapport between the clinician and the patient and leads to better outcomes.
Practice Builders helps physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
But the studies have also shown that many patients are never touched by a physical therapist and are often dissatisfied with their physical therapy experience as a result. Patient satisfaction is largely dependent on whether or not hands-on manual therapy techniques are used in the practice.
Some physical therapy practices are “shake and bake” practices. They rely mainly on modalities (heat, ice packs, electric stimulation and therapeutic exercise) to treat patients. In the worst of these practices, patients may be handed their own clipboards and directed to use a specific piece of equipment while the physical therapist goes off to work with someone else, or disappears entirely.
Manual therapy makes a big difference
But the best physical therapy practices, many of which are Practice Builders’ clients, use hands-on manual therapy techniques (soft-tissue mobilization, myofacial release, etc.) to help patients overcome their pain and dysfunction. These physical therapists actually touch patients in a healing manner and stay with their patients for the duration of each physical therapy visit.
Often, the patient sees the same therapist at every appointment. This builds a valuable rapport between the clinician and the patient and leads to better outcomes.
Practice Builders helps physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – September 2009
The Real Power of Patient Testimonials
You’re probably not surprised to learn that advice from a friend is more believable than the advice of an ad in the local paper. What’s surprising is how much more believable.
According to recent surveys, a whopping 78% of people will believe a friend or acquaintance. But only 14% believe an advertisement. That’s why testimonial-based advertising is often so much more effective than other types of advertising. A testimonial ad basically offers personal advice and recommendation from someone who is part of the target audience.
Testimonials are particularly effective for physical therapy practices. Good physical therapy practices are highly regarded by patients who have experienced first-hand care and good outcomes. Such patients are often willing to provide real testimonials and grant permission to use their names and likenesses (photographs) in marketing materials, including print, electronic and broadcast advertising. All you have to do is ask.
Just remember to have the patient sign a standard model release form before you use their name or likeness in your marketing materials. This signed release will protect you and your practice from any future financial compensation claims from the patient. (If you need this form, call Practice Builders and ask to speak with a senior account manager.)
Practice Builders helps physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
According to recent surveys, a whopping 78% of people will believe a friend or acquaintance. But only 14% believe an advertisement. That’s why testimonial-based advertising is often so much more effective than other types of advertising. A testimonial ad basically offers personal advice and recommendation from someone who is part of the target audience.
Testimonials are particularly effective for physical therapy practices. Good physical therapy practices are highly regarded by patients who have experienced first-hand care and good outcomes. Such patients are often willing to provide real testimonials and grant permission to use their names and likenesses (photographs) in marketing materials, including print, electronic and broadcast advertising. All you have to do is ask.
Just remember to have the patient sign a standard model release form before you use their name or likeness in your marketing materials. This signed release will protect you and your practice from any future financial compensation claims from the patient. (If you need this form, call Practice Builders and ask to speak with a senior account manager.)
Practice Builders helps physical therapists successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – August 2009
Find Your Market Niche
Whether your practice is located in an urban setting, a suburb or a rural community, you are likely to have competition. Your competitors may be solo practitioners, groups, physician-owned or hospital-based. You may have many competitors or few.
Finding your market niche is of critical importance to the success of any marketing effort. In addition to knowing who your competitors are, you should also be aware of how they market themselves and what their reputations are in the community. What services are they promoting? What are others saying about them?
By finding your own niche, you can often eliminate competitors. If, for example, there are 12 competing practices in your area and only two treat balance problems or vestibular disorders – services your practice is particularly adept at – you can effectively eliminate the other 10 competitors and compete against two by heavily marketing your balance training and vestibular rehab program. Follow these three steps to find your niche:
1.) Look Around – Look at competitors. Are they actively marketing? What are they saying about themselves? What services are they promoting? Do they have special qualifications for treating sports injuries, work injuries or balance problems? What are your patients telling you about them?
2.) Look Inside – Look at your own practice. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What services do you offer? Are you the only hands-on manual therapy practice? What special qualifications do you have? What are you known for in the community? Where do you get your best results? What do your patients say about your care?
3.) Choose Your Niche – Based on everything you learn about your place or position in your market, you can choose a niche that suits your strengths and exploits your competitors’ weaknesses. Think about what really makes your practice different – and better than – the others. What can you offer patients that the others cannot?
Practice Builders helps physical therapists define their market niches and successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Finding your market niche is of critical importance to the success of any marketing effort. In addition to knowing who your competitors are, you should also be aware of how they market themselves and what their reputations are in the community. What services are they promoting? What are others saying about them?
By finding your own niche, you can often eliminate competitors. If, for example, there are 12 competing practices in your area and only two treat balance problems or vestibular disorders – services your practice is particularly adept at – you can effectively eliminate the other 10 competitors and compete against two by heavily marketing your balance training and vestibular rehab program. Follow these three steps to find your niche:
1.) Look Around – Look at competitors. Are they actively marketing? What are they saying about themselves? What services are they promoting? Do they have special qualifications for treating sports injuries, work injuries or balance problems? What are your patients telling you about them?
2.) Look Inside – Look at your own practice. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What services do you offer? Are you the only hands-on manual therapy practice? What special qualifications do you have? What are you known for in the community? Where do you get your best results? What do your patients say about your care?
3.) Choose Your Niche – Based on everything you learn about your place or position in your market, you can choose a niche that suits your strengths and exploits your competitors’ weaknesses. Think about what really makes your practice different – and better than – the others. What can you offer patients that the others cannot?
Practice Builders helps physical therapists define their market niches and successfully market their practices every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – July 2009
Three Ways to Keep Your Patients
According to the latest research, many PT practices have experienced declines in new patients, new patient inquiries and current patients. A substantial number of PT practices have even failed entirely during the current recession. This recession has fueled intense competition among the remaining practices.
To make matters worse, the more aggressive competitors are using all kinds of tactics to woo your existing patients and prospects away for themselves. So how do you hold on to your existing patients and ensure their loyalty, trust and future referrals. Here are three critical ways:
1) Satisfy Patients – Survey your patients at regular intervals to determine how satisfied they are with your services, personnel and practice. Let patients tell you how you might improve your care. Address any negative feedback immediately and personally. Call or speak to any unhappy patients and resolve their complaints swiftly. Word will get around and help you build trust and loyalty.
To make matters worse, the more aggressive competitors are using all kinds of tactics to woo your existing patients and prospects away for themselves. So how do you hold on to your existing patients and ensure their loyalty, trust and future referrals. Here are three critical ways:
1) Satisfy Patients – Survey your patients at regular intervals to determine how satisfied they are with your services, personnel and practice. Let patients tell you how you might improve your care. Address any negative feedback immediately and personally. Call or speak to any unhappy patients and resolve their complaints swiftly. Word will get around and help you build trust and loyalty.
2) Package Services – Think of ways to package your services so they better serve your patients’ perceived needs and wants. If many of your patients want relief from back pain, don’t offer “spinal rehabilitation.” Instead, offer a “goodbye back pain program.” Patients don’t think in clinical terms. So try to think like a patient instead of like a clinician. Then speak their language when communicating your services and benefits.
3) Strengthen Bonds – If patients feel like part of your family, they are less likely to seek other practitioners. Build personal bonds through hands-on treatment, thorough explanations of treatment options and expected benefits, patient/staff group activities and events such as picnics, parties, family health days and anything you think patients would enjoy or gain added benefit from. Add services such as post-treatment fitness programs and personal training that keep your patients coming back after they stop being patients.
Practice Builders helps physical therapists market their practices and retain their patients more successfully every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Practice Builders helps physical therapists market their practices and retain their patients more successfully every day. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – June 2009
Conduct Your Annual Marketing Health Checkup
Market conditions are constantly changing. In fact, the only constant is change itself.
New practices open. Older practices retire or change hands. Economic conditions fluctuate. People move in or move out. Businesses relocate. That’s why it’s important that you revisit your marketing program at least once a year to make sure it’s still meeting your practice needs and keeping up with changing market conditions.
This annual marketing health checkup is just as important as any health checkup. After all, if you are like many PTs, you have made a commitment to marketing and an investment in a carefully considered strategic marketing program for your practice. You also understand that marketing is not a “sometime” thing; it’s an all-the-time thing. And, perhaps most importantly, you have been carefully tracking your marketing results.
Because it’s not enough to “have a sense” or opinion that your marketing is either working or not working, and it’s not enough to simply guess. You need to know the facts with certainty. Tracking is the only way to achieve that (see last month’s tip). What should you be looking for during your annual marketing health checkup?
Your overall return on investment (ROI) – For every dollar you have invested in your marketing program, you should receive about three dollars or more in revenue, or a 3:1 ROI. Most marketers consider 3:1 a good baseline return.
Your ROI for each individual strategy or tactic in your marketing plan – if you are like most of our PT clients, your marketing program consists of several different tactics or strategies. These may include print or radio ads, referral-generating strategies, health screenings, seminars, email blasts and any number of other Internet e-marketing tactics. Knowing your specific ROI for each strategy or tactic will tell you what’s working best and where you need to invest more or less. An ROI of less than 2:1 means you should probably rethink and possibly even remove or replace that tactic. Some Practice Builders’ physical therapy clients have generated ROIs as high as 50:1 on individual tactics.
Analyze each of your marketing tactics the same way. Keep a marketing log from year to year that details your expenditures and revenue results. Adjust or eliminate those tactics that are not working for you. Consider investing more in those tactics that are working. And if you have questions about your marketing health, ask a Practice Builders consultant to advise you.
Marketing Tip of the Month – May 2009
How Will You Know if Your Print Ad is Working?
Last month we talked about building a better, more effective print ad. We offered a half dozen simple tips for making your print ads stronger. But even if you follow our advice, how will you know that you have, in fact, created a more effective ad?
First, let’s define what we mean by effective. Effectiveness is about making your telephone ring. Period. It’s that simple. There is no print ad strategy that will actually convert the prospect to a patient for you. That’s your job. The print ad’s job is to make your phone ring.
But what if your phone rings and no one answers (or a machine answers)? What if the person who answers is in a bad mood or annoyed by the ringing telephone or acts gruff or unprofessional with the caller? What if the person who answers your phone has not been trained to ask every new caller questions such as:
1. How did hear about our practice? (Caller might say, “I saw your ad.”)
2. Where/when did you see our ad?
3. What was it about the ad that caught your attention?
4. What was it about the ad that prompted you to call us today?
These questions are called “tracking” questions. They are designed to help you track the effectiveness of your marketing/advertising program. Because it’s not enough to “have a sense” or opinion that your ad is either working or not working, and it’s not enough to guess. You need to know with certainty. Tracking is the only way to achieve that.
Obviously, the people who answer your phones are critical to your success. In fact, according to our latest research, your practice could be losing up to $50,000 or more each year due to poor phone-answering skills alone! Can you afford to lose that much?
Keep in mind that, in addition to creating effective print ads for physical therapy practices from coast to coast, Practice Builders also provides staff phone-skills and customer service-oriented training programs. Ask us how we can help you today.
First, let’s define what we mean by effective. Effectiveness is about making your telephone ring. Period. It’s that simple. There is no print ad strategy that will actually convert the prospect to a patient for you. That’s your job. The print ad’s job is to make your phone ring.
But what if your phone rings and no one answers (or a machine answers)? What if the person who answers is in a bad mood or annoyed by the ringing telephone or acts gruff or unprofessional with the caller? What if the person who answers your phone has not been trained to ask every new caller questions such as:
1. How did hear about our practice? (Caller might say, “I saw your ad.”)
2. Where/when did you see our ad?
3. What was it about the ad that caught your attention?
4. What was it about the ad that prompted you to call us today?
These questions are called “tracking” questions. They are designed to help you track the effectiveness of your marketing/advertising program. Because it’s not enough to “have a sense” or opinion that your ad is either working or not working, and it’s not enough to guess. You need to know with certainty. Tracking is the only way to achieve that.
Obviously, the people who answer your phones are critical to your success. In fact, according to our latest research, your practice could be losing up to $50,000 or more each year due to poor phone-answering skills alone! Can you afford to lose that much?
Keep in mind that, in addition to creating effective print ads for physical therapy practices from coast to coast, Practice Builders also provides staff phone-skills and customer service-oriented training programs. Ask us how we can help you today.
Marketing Tip of the Month – April 2009
Six Ways to Build a Better Print Ad
Many physical therapists advertise their services in newspapers, magazines and yellow pages in an attempt to attract new patients to their practices.
Many rely on the “expertise” of the creative staffs (writers and layout artists) at those newspapers, magazines and yellow pages. And some simply create their own do-it-yourself print ads. But how “expert” are the writers and layout artists when it comes to understanding the unique needs of healthcare marketing? And how effective are these ads at gaining the desired results?
The typical results, unfortunately, are neither expert nor effective. To help you avoid wasting money on ads that are neither expertly done nor effective, here are six basic tips for creating a more effective print ad in any medium:
Many rely on the “expertise” of the creative staffs (writers and layout artists) at those newspapers, magazines and yellow pages. And some simply create their own do-it-yourself print ads. But how “expert” are the writers and layout artists when it comes to understanding the unique needs of healthcare marketing? And how effective are these ads at gaining the desired results?
The typical results, unfortunately, are neither expert nor effective. To help you avoid wasting money on ads that are neither expertly done nor effective, here are six basic tips for creating a more effective print ad in any medium:
- The headline needs to be bigger and bolder than the rest of the text.
- The headline MUST communicate a benefit to the patient. Your practice name has no inherent benefit to the patient, so NEVER put your practice name or logo at the top of your ad. Think about what your potential new patient wants or needs from you (e.g. relief from pain, return to function, improved function, etc.) and build a headline around that.
- Symmetry may be a desirable feature of the human body, but it’s an effectiveness-killer in a print ad. A perfectly symmetrical ad is boring and static to look at.
- Make your ads more dynamic and interesting to look at by moving elements around (flush right, flush left, centered, etc.) to lead the reader’s eye to your name and phone number at the bottom.
- Include a photo or image of one or more people. A photo of you and your staff is fine if you are attractive and approachable looking. A stock photograph of a person or small group of people enjoying some activity that represents the happy end-result of therapy will fit the bill even better.
- Include an offer. This could be a free or complimentary sports-injury or low back pain screening or something similar that attracts the specific type of patient you most want in your practice.
If you follow these six tips, you will increase your odds of having an effective print ad and better results. Better still, call Practice Builders for real expert help in designing and writing your print ads and yellow pages ads.
Marketing Tip of the Month – March 2009
external media.
Before you decide to follow this common conventional “wisdom” and cut back or eliminate your external marketing, consider the real facts.
Over 75% of those businesses either seriously declined or failed as a direct result of their cutbacks. - Over 95% of those who eliminated their marketing budgets entirely ended up losing their businesses entirely.
Now do you really think advertising (an integral part of marketing) is just a needless expense? Marketing is an investment in your practice. It’s an investment designed to increase your revenues, referrals and steady growth by keeping your name in front of your prospects.
Let your competitors cut back or eliminate their marketing investments. Then you can market to capture all those patients left without care after their practices fail. And, as an added bonus, you can leverage and negotiate bargain rates for print, radio and cable TV during the recession.
Marketing Tip of the Month: February 2009
Want More Cash-Based Business?
Many of our PT clients have added cash-based services to their practices with great success, even in a down economy. One client was so successful at this that his whole practice is now 85% cash-based!
How did he do it? Of course, it didn't happen overnight. It took years. It also took a unique combination of physical therapy techniques and Pilates to achieve better results faster for his insurance-covered PT patients.
Once he saw that his PT/Pilates patients were improving dramatically within just 3-4 visits, he thought about transitioning them to a "fitness/wellness" model. This kept many of his patients coming back to his facilities for one-on-one personal training, group fitness classes and long-term memberships.
Many PTs are offering these and similar cash-based services. Sport-specific training, sports performance enhancement, sports conditioning and personal fitness programs are some of the cash-based services being offered.
The advantages for patients include being able to train or continue rehab in a professional atmosphere (not a "meat-market" fitness club) with professional supervision from licensed PTs, certified strength and conditioning specialists and certified athletic trainers. Patients who enjoy the PT environment are also able to continue, on a cash basis, enjoying the lifelong health benefits.
Aside from the obvious financial advantage of having cash-based services to supplement insurance reimbursement, PTs benefit by optimizing their floor space and equipment and gaining greater revenue from both. They also benefit from the long-term relationships (and referral opportunities) with their patients.
How did he do it? Of course, it didn't happen overnight. It took years. It also took a unique combination of physical therapy techniques and Pilates to achieve better results faster for his insurance-covered PT patients.
Once he saw that his PT/Pilates patients were improving dramatically within just 3-4 visits, he thought about transitioning them to a "fitness/wellness" model. This kept many of his patients coming back to his facilities for one-on-one personal training, group fitness classes and long-term memberships.
Many PTs are offering these and similar cash-based services. Sport-specific training, sports performance enhancement, sports conditioning and personal fitness programs are some of the cash-based services being offered.
The advantages for patients include being able to train or continue rehab in a professional atmosphere (not a "meat-market" fitness club) with professional supervision from licensed PTs, certified strength and conditioning specialists and certified athletic trainers. Patients who enjoy the PT environment are also able to continue, on a cash basis, enjoying the lifelong health benefits.
Aside from the obvious financial advantage of having cash-based services to supplement insurance reimbursement, PTs benefit by optimizing their floor space and equipment and gaining greater revenue from both. They also benefit from the long-term relationships (and referral opportunities) with their patients.
These Marketing Tips of the Month are just a small sample of the ways that Physical Therapy Practice Builders can help you grow your practice without wasting money on marketing. Our marketing experts are ready to advise you and can be reached at 800.679.1262.