Marketing your PT clinic is tough work. It takes some finesse to stand out from the crowd and make your voice heard. And it’ll take more than a few witticisms and some tired clichés to achieve this. In this article, we’re going to discuss 5 challenges of marketing a PT clinic, and some of the ways that they can be overcome.

 

1. The competition is fierce

 

Within any given city, town, or state, the competition amongst PT clinics is fierce. A short trip through the heart of your community will reveal a handful of outpatient rehabilitation facilities, some within a stone’s throw of each other. Unfortunately, the average patient won’t know why your facility is the better option—and that’s where marketing your PT clinic comes in.

 

Marketing your PT clinic involves highlighting the things that make your clinic special. For instance, you might offer better rates than the other cash-based clinics in town. Perhaps you provide coverage for more insurance carriers than the PT clinic across the street. Or maybe your therapists have undergone extensive training and provide unparalleled treatment—these are all things worth highlighting in your marketing material.

 

2. Patients are demanding more from their service providers

 

Not just in PT, but everywhere, consumers are expecting more from their service providers. Whether it’s their mechanic or their physical therapists, they expect them to be on the ball—and rightfully so—because professional services aren’t exactly cheap.

 

These days, when a customer has a bad experience, they’re liable to write an online review. Online reviews can play a huge role in a new customer’s research process. There’s a lot to be said for social proof. So you can combat this by not only providing excellent service, but by offering incentives for people to write reviews. This way, there is a positive motivation for them to offer their honest feedback about your facility.

 

3. Physician Referrals Can Be Barriers to Treatment

 

It’s a well-known fact that physician referrals can present a significant barrier to treatment. The fact is that many patients’ treatment will not be covered by their insurance carrier if they don’t receive a physician referral.

 

One way to deal with this is by not only marketing to patients, but marketing to the doctors themselves.

 

Click here to read our article about how to garner more physician referrals in your PT clinic.

 

4. Digital Marketing is Not as Easy as it Seems

 

Many think that just because they updated their Facebook status once every six months, and they’ve posted a few pictures of their cat on Instagram, that they know how to manage a company profile on social media. Those people couldn’t be more wrong.

 

There’s an art to social media marketing. From the planning to the content creation, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. And whether you want to use your social media profiles as a means for advertising promotions, seminars, or for featuring testimonials, it’s a must-have item in your PT marketing toolkit.

 

5. In-house or Outsource

 

It takes a lot of work to launch a marketing plan. Some savvy clinic owners are game to manage all of this on their own. Others entrust the job to their office managers. But some clinics will go as far as to hire outside help.

 

The fact is, PTs are great at helping patients recover from their ailments, but marketing isn’t necessarily their forte. So if it makes sense for you to hire a small, dedicated marketing agency to help you develop your brand, it can be well worth the investment.

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