Discounts and Promotions that Generate Patient Appointments

Most practices run a series of both recurring promotions, such as a Free Screening offer in the monthly newsletters, and seasonal offers to encourage patients to come to PT. Sometimes this marketing strategy works, and other times you may only get one or two patients who take advantage of the offer. What makes a campaign successful and drive patients to book appointment for physical therapy? Take a look at these key considerations in creating your next PT promotion.

Go with marketing over math

Use your retail shopper hat here. If an item is worth $10, it is better to say “Save 20%” or “Save $2”? Two dollars sounds small—the price of a coffee or a candy bar. But, “Save 20%” sounds like a big savings, even if it is the same discount. Think about your promotion like a savvy shopper and go for the sticker sell.

For a discount of $20 off a personal training session, which normally costs $60, your promotion should say “Save 30% Off a Personal Training Session”. A good rule of thumb is to always choose either the dollar value or percent savings with the larger number (ie. 30% is greater than $20).

Give value to your promotions

Offering something for “free” doesn’t necessarily correlate to a savings or discount to your patients—unless they know the full price value of the service. If you would normally charge $35 for a 15 minute free screening, market the $35 value of the free offer. “Get One Free Screening, a $35 value” gives quantifiable weight to your standard promotion.

Use orange in your promotion design

It might sound too easy, but people inherently associate the color orange with savings. The prominence of orange in advertising, from car commercials to store sale stickers, has lead our minds to psychologically associate the color with a discount. You can use orange subtly so as to not conflict with your brand and marketing style guide. Think about adding an orange flag to the corner of your marketing or a dashed, orange border around your coupon.

Avoid excessive capitalization and punctuation

It can be tempting to add @#!! to EVERYTHING to draw attention to the offer. But extra punctuation and all caps doesn’t equal increased engagement or patient visits. You want your practice to maintain a professional voice and consistency in its marketing communications. Reference the advertisements for corporate services, high-end retailers etc. These promotions typically use a clean, readable font and standard grammar. Mirror these style guidelines for your promotions.

Keep key details minimal, but prominent

If you have a coupon or printed promotion, be sure to include your practice logo, name, and phone number so that the patient can call to redeem the offer. Even if this promotion is included with other marketing materials, the paper may become separated and thus needs to stand alone as an individual component. For digital promotions, such as social media or email offers, include a link to your appointment request form or contact us page to facilitate easy booking.

For more tips on physical therapy marketing and promotions, check out our blog posts or call us today!

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How to Get More Referrals for Post-Surgical Rehab

For many patients, post-surgical rehab and physical therapy go hand in hand. After a orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, or injury, PT can be one of the most effective treatment options that both restores mobility and function, while keeping the patient active. Rehabilitation patients are often known for coming to all their appointments, working hard, and achieving great results—creating a mutually favorable relationship. So how can you get more physician referrals for post-surgical rehab?

Network with surgeons and specialists

Even in large communities, there are often only a few top doctors that perform orthopedic surgery, joint replacements etc. This niche market is prime for a strong referral network. Start by researching who the key doctors are in your local area. See who already refers to you and who you want to start referring patients. Once you have this list, begin your referral marketing campaigns and public relations efforts.

• Check that these professionals are on all your mailing lists for direct mail marketing campaigns.
• See if you have extra copies of your post-surgical rehabilitation mailer and send one to each physician at least once a quarter.
• Look for patient testimonials from past referrals. Send a personal note or card and include a copy of the testimonial inside.
• Call the office and see if the physician is available for a quick coffee or lunch. In person meetings can be both marketing and PR opportunities. Use that time to make personal connections, share stories (ie. “talk shop”), and build a relationship.

Promote your post-surgical rehabilitation services

As a key source of both referrals and patients, post-surgical rehab should be prominently featured in your print and digital marketing. Look for opportunities to reference these treatments, special equipment, and staff certifications in all your key services. Do you have a webpage on knee pain? Include a short paragraph about post-surgical rehab post knee replacement surgery. Marketing campaign and promotions ideas include:

• Newsletters and physician mailers on post-surgical rehab. Include patient testimonials and results to personalize the content.
• Brochures and rack cards. Keep these on hand to distribute to doctors, at events, and in the office. If you frequently work with athletes or sponsor sporting events, these can be included in the giveaway bags.
• Website. Have a dedicated page on your website that describes post-surgical rehab, the PT treatments, and the improvements to recovery. Include specific testimonials on the page to highlight your successful care.
• Postcards, email campaigns, and social media. Post-surgical rehab is not for every patient so be careful about over-marketing the service. Consider sending a targeted promotion once a year—say during the spring or fall sport seasons, to market your practice’s treatments.

Defining and growing small segments of your practice’s patient population can lead to big results for both your marketing and business. Post-surgical rehab may only be a few patients a month, but you can turn that service into a major source of physician referrals, patients, and revenue for your practice.

For more marketing tips and business consultation, contact the experts at Practice Promotions today!

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How to Overcome PT Reimbursement Challenges

As the insurance landscape continues to change and evolve, physical therapists are struggling to overcome reimbursement challenges. Practice marketing expert, Neil Trickett, has a one minute video with tips and strategies to improve your practice’s finances and management.

Click the video above to watch and learn!

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How to Host a Physical Therapy Workshop

Many people have not been to physical therapy and may wonder what goes into a course of PT treatment. Will it feel like a workout with a personal trainer or an alignment at the chiropractors? One way to demonstrate the types of treatments and their effects is to host a physical therapy workshop. This gives you the opportunity to show prospective patients PT in action, share your expertise, and help them feel better—building community engagement and public relations for your practice.

Tips for hosting a successful physical therapy workshop

Choose the right location and audience. You want your workshop to be held in a space that easily accommodates demos and exercises without a lot of set up. And, you want to attract attendees who can really feel the benefits almost instantly.

• Look for community centers, retirement communities, or athletic facilities that have large, open rooms with space for both a seated information session and active demos.
• Target a small population segment. Open houses are best suited for general interactions and can be held at the clinic to show off your practice. Physical therapy workshops should bring your services into the marketplace and create a comfortable space. Invite groups of people who already have a shared connection, which can encourage attendance and provide support. Groups such as retirement communities, civic groups, or faith-based programs can be a great source of connections.
• Set a minimum and maximum number of attendees. You don’t want to have 30 people show up in a space that is meant for 12. They might feel crowded or have trouble hearing/seeing the presentation. Plan the maximum headcount so that each person can have both a chair for the info session and a floor space, say the size of a yoga mat, for interactive demos. You also don’t want only a few people to show up as they might feel uncomfortable trying exercises in a small group. We recommend having at least 6 people to encourage engagement and boost morale.

Focus on the interactions and not the presentation. Remember in college when your professor droned on and on about something and you felt like you were in a trance. Don’t become Professor Boring! Plan your content and agenda to keep the audience engaged.

• Start with an activity. This immediately sets the tone that you will be hosting a fun, interactive physical therapy workshop. Ask participants to do a few simple stretches in their chair to gauge their mobility and flexibility.
• Keep the presentation short and relevant. Don’t go into philosophical backgrounds or the history of PT. Focus on your clinic, your services, your certifications, introduce staff at the event, and emphasis the benefits of PT.
• Change presenters. As the practice owner, you should probably lead the presentation and then let a lead PT coordinate the demo. But, if you really aren’t a fan of public-speaking, then let someone who likes the stage take the lead. Introduce yourself and spend time creating one-on-one interactions with attendees.

Bring your marketing materials and giveaways, plus food and drinks. It’s a no-brainer to bring your practice brochures and flyers, but be strategic about how you hand them out. Giveaways, food, and drinks always add to the event and you can quickly throw together a strong physical therapy workshop spread.

• Use your brochure during the information session. Have a copy available on every seat and walk through your services, practice history etc. during the presentation. This makes the participants actually read your brochure and get valuable information.
• Have plenty of old newsletter available. Bring several on a variety of topics and have extra copies to encourage attendees to share them with family and friends. Also, have a sign up station where people can opt-in to receive mailed newsletters and other promotions.
• Bring fun, seasonal giveaways. If you are hosting a physical therapy workshop in the warm weather, bring sunblock sticks and water bottles with your practice logo. Cold outside—create small goodie bags with tissues, chapstick, and hand sanitizer for some healthy winter giveaways.
• Keep the food and drinks simple. You want people to remember the workshop and not the meal. Opt for healthy options like veggies, dip, crackers etc. Avoid nuts and other allergens. Go for individual drinks, like mini water bottles or juices, that don’t require pouring and open cups. Spills and hot beverages can create commotion and a mess during the demo.

Hosting physical therapy workshops gets easier with practice. Set a goal to host one a quarter each year and try a variety of formats and venues. Tailor the presentation and demo to the intended audience, such as mobility and balance for seniors and injury prevention with flexibility for athletes.

Our last tip is to have a follow up engagement plan. Send a thank you letter to attendees approximately 1-2 weeks after the workshop to remind them to come see you for PT. Include a promotion, such as a free screening, and track the responses!

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