Physiotherapy Marketing 101: For Physios Who Don't Like Marketing

10 Minute Read

A recent discussion with a marketing expert about the difference between 'push' and 'pull' marketing strategies helped to clarify how physiotherapists can best reach potential patients using two distinct strategies.

Pull marketing

This is used in instances when a consumer or patient is aware of a need they would like filled and go looking. Your best strategy in this instance is to be found as easily as possible. In physiotherapy terms, this would be the patient who has sudden onset low back pain and immediately conducts a google search for a local physiotherapist. To be the physiotherapist they call, you first and foremost need to rank highly in the search results, have a professional looking website when they click and have a simple pathway for contacting you. This is why having a highly ranking website is so important for physiotherapy clinics, so many people already know they need a physiotherapist, you just need to be found when the moment arises.

Push marketing

This is used for products or services that people don't necessarily know exist yet. In physiotherapy terms, this would be for patients who are unaware of the huge scope of conditions physiotherapists are able to help with. With one of the most common grievances of physiotherapists being that the public think all we do is "massages", the potential for public education is huge. Without even touching on the more specialist physiotherapy areas such as women's health, neuro-rehabilitation and treatment of cardiorespiratory disorders, patients are often unaware of the wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders physiotherapists are capable of treating. It's always a little sad to think of the number of people who are putting up with conditions that are perfectly treatable, simply because they don't realise that help is available.

What this means for physiotherapy clinics is you can separate your marketing into two distinct strategies.

Strategy Type 1:

Be easy to find when patients go looking for you.

Your search engine results are extremely important for catching patients who are looking for you right at the moment they need you. Your website landing pages should demonstrate excellence in treating commonly experienced problems such as acute low back pain, shoulder injuries and sporting injuries. A professional looking website that ranks high is worth it's weight in gold, and investing in strategies that will boost your rankings is highly recommended for business success.

Here are some tips to keep your clinic placed well to collect these patients when they go looking for you

1. Have a website.

There are clinics who still don't, it's very easy to make your own using a site like wix.com or squarespace.com or you can pay someone to help you build a generic physiotherapy template.

2. Use the right keywords words on your website.

You want to have as many of the words a patient might use to search for you as possible on your site. For example, your city/suburb, physiotherapy, physio, back pain, ankle sprain etc.

3. Make sure your website is mobile friendly.

This is becoming more and more important as mobiles become our primary device. It's not enough for your website to look good on a laptop. It needs to be ready for mobile and easy to use.

4. Purchase a .physio domain.

Due to the registration of .physio domain being limited to only in the physiotherapy industry, .physio adds an element of relevance to search terms. With providing relevant search terms being the ultimate goal of google search, having an industry specific domain can indeed boost your results.

5. Being listed on a proxy booking site such as HealthEngine.

Currently booming in Australia, keep your eyes open for similar sites in other countries. You often have to pay to be listed and pay a commission per patient.

6. Find a way to thank those who send patients and streamline the referral process.

Thanking and encouraging your referrers is one of the best ways to encourage a steady flow of patients.

Strategy Type 2:

Tell patients why they need you.

Your other strategy, to educate the public and help them to seek treatment where they otherwise may not have, is where your blog, newsletter and informational brochures will be of the most help. This is particularly useful if you or any of your staff have specialised in a particular area. You can use these platforms to educate patients. You will have patients who have been treatment for a more generic injury who many not even have thought to ask you about another problem. Other patients will have friends and family who are putting up with a problem they have never sought help for. Thanks to social media, you can also target potential patients who live near you, for relatively low cost.

Here are just a few topics that can be used to educate patients:

Women's health issues

Rib Injuries

Chronic Pain

Complex pain disorders

Neurological disorders

Breathing dysfunction

Proprioception

Post fracture recovery

Pre and Post natal care

Falls prevention

Balance retraining

In summary, successful clinics are able to harness both the push and pull aspects of marketing by focussing on ranking well with search engines and also effectively using their social media reach to educate patients as to the full scope of physiotherapy treatments.