Promoting your website, blog and physical therapy practice is essential in order to get more patient referrals coming through the door. Simply being content with your current patient base isnt realistic and should never be an option as patients come and go in our clinic. So in this blog post, I'm going to share with you a marketing strategy that has either been overlooked or not considered by most therapists.
Did you know you can really increase traffic to your site and the door of your private practice facility as a result of your continuing education courses? Yes, it is possible! Get comfortable in front of your computer and I will share and explain 5 ways you can do it.
It's All About Me
Nine times out of ten potential patient referrals who have been referred to your practice will check out your website prior to picking up the telephone. Usually, they click on the About Me page first of your website. People who are considering using your professional services will want to know as much about you as they can before deciding to make an appointment.
The About Me page is the place for you to brag about yourself and your accomplishments. Let your potential patients know who you are and what you like to do. You should always start out with your education and experience. Be sure to include every course and certification that you have taken so they understand your ability to treat musculoskeletal injuries, orthopedic problems and neurological dysfunctions. Follow this up with personal information such as marital status, where you grew up, your hobbies and affiliations within the community. This makes the potential patient connect with you personally and gives them the confidence that you are the right person to help them with their functional limitations.
Lessons for LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an absolute must for all physical therapists. The possibilities are endless with LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great place to showcase all that you've learned by taking CEUs. You have the potential to hire those that want to work for you due to the level of skill that you've developed. If you hold any certifications such as Manual Therapy, NDT or Myofascial Release, you could possibly attract local Physician Offices who may want to use your services for patient referrals.
The opportunities that may present themselves through networking in Physical Therapy groups or connecting with peers in our profession are plentiful. Other PTs may want to refer patients who might not be close to their own practice geographically. They might look you up to see if you possess the knowledge from CEU courses to treat a potential referral they may send your way.
Use Specifics to Get Specifics
It is essential that you use your specific training from the CEU courses that you've taken to market and promote to a specific patient population. If you've taken a course specializing in geriatrics, you should market to geriatric patients that have issues with balance and posture, joint mobility, endurance or other age-related changes that could affect their functional mobility.
Targeting your marketing messages in your brochures, advertisements, websites, blogs, reports and articles will help you to speak to a specific patient population. This will help you to get the right referrals to your physical therapy clinic. The knowledge gained from taking specific courses allows you to target your patient referral base and grow your private practice.
Wow Them at Workshops
Too many Physical Therapists don't bother to work at growing their referral networks. Taking continuing education courses can provide a whole new way for you to get new patients. You have the knowledge to hold workshops in your community for your target patient group. Use the information that youve learned to help those who are seeking more information about their diagnosis. By offering free workshops within your community, the attendees will immediately understand your qualifications and will more than likely contact you to help them with their problem.
Be Open Online
You should already know that your online presence is essential for a successful private practice but a website or blog just isn't enough. You really need to include your CEU training on businesses directories such as Google Places and Yelp. Indicate all of your certifications, courses that you've taken and any other information that will be of importance to patients needing services or physicians seeking trained PTs for referrals. People will be able to see your reviews and your coursework background as well as understand that you are consistently keeping up with new techniques in the industry.
Placing your CEU course background in the areas mentioned above will make it easier for potential patients seeking out a physical therapist to choose you as a provider. As the general population gets savvier on choosing who they want to see to address their mobility issues, it is up to us as physical therapy clinicians to market ourselves in every way possible to get these potential patient referrals coming through our doors.
About The Author
Samuel Awosolu is a licensed physical therapist with extensive knowledge in web and mobile marketing. He has written for Advance Magazine, PT Products Online, and other industry magazines. He has helped many physical therapists in private practice including companies in different industries promote their websites, traffic generation, new patient referral strategies, and with offline marketing techniques.