Past patients are critical to the success of your physical therapy practice. They are living proof of the fantastic results that can be achieved from your treatments and often are the leading source of recommendations for your services to doctors, family, and friends. But once the last appointment is complete, it can be hard to maintain genuine contact and communication with past patients.
How to reactivate past patients
Do follow-up surveys
Task the front desk with calling each discharged patient approximately 3-4 weeks after their last visit to check in. Use this opportunity to confirm contact information and to see how the patient is feeling.
- Make sure the patient is added to all routine marketing mailing lists
Ask for a testimonial
Either during the follow-up survey or another point of contact, ask the patient for a testimonial (especially if you were not able to get one at the last appointment).
- Get the patient’s authorization for you to use the testimonial in office marketing projects
Hype the patient referral program
Start hyping your patient referral program in your monthly newsletter. Offer an incentive (gift cards or coupons work great!) for patients to refer themselves or others to your practice.
- Set deadlines and targets for X number of reactivations and include the deadlines in the newsletter marketing to encourage timely action
Send a postcard
A directive marketing campaign specifically referencing past patients can be a needed change up from your routine marketing messages. Be sure to call out past patients’ success with your clinic and highlight any specials or savings you are currently offering.
- Include a physical challenge, such as Can you briskly walk for 10 minutes? as a “teaser” to test patients mobility and function.
Download our free guide for tips on marketing your PT practice and getting more new patients
Run a social media contest
Think of fun (free!) contests that you can easily execute using social media. Have past patients Like or Share a post and be entered to win an incentive.
- Got a lot of Twitter followers? Encourage past patients Re-Tweet (RT) your message for a chance to win.
Spotted!
Do you give your patients t-shirts or hats? Schedule a day/time when office staff will be at a local gym or community center and have them look for past patients wearing your clinic’s tee. Those “spotted” patients can have their picture taken with their gift card or giveaway.
- Use social media or an email campaign to spread the word about the Spotted giveaway.
Coordinate with community events
Is the local 5K coming up? Offer a special pre-race training and conditioning appointment to past patients. Getting them back in the clinic before the race can prevent training injuries and improve performance.
- Most races give out goodie bags during bib pick up. Coordinate with the race team to get your business cards and extra newsletter copies included in the bags.
Host an open gym night
Extend your clinic gym’s hours one night a month and offer exclusive access to past patients. Have PTs on hand to assist and answer questions.
- Consider offering free childcare during the open gym to allow more parents to attend.
I Spy!
Do you have a company car with your logo on it? Or can you decorate a vehicle with magnetic logos and flags for the day? Go all out and park the car at a local shopping center with lots of visibility. Ask social media followers to post or tweet pictures of the car to your clinic and give the followers a free screening coupon.
- Make sure to get all needed approvals from the shopping center or parking authorities prior to the spying.
BINGO!
Start a game with past patients. Ask them to choose a Bingo number (ie. N34) on the day of their last appointment. Make a large Bingo card poster for the waiting room. Each week, draw one number for the game. If a patient chose that number, call them for a check in and offer a free screening. If that number makes a Bingo, give that patient vouchers for 5 free screenings to share with friends.
- This game can be an ongoing activity for the clinic, and you can have “Bingo weeks” when you draw daily winners or offer enhanced prizes.
Want more ways to reactivate your past PT patients? Our expert account managers will help you get creative with your practice marketing and get more patients back into the clinic. Give us a call today to start seeing results!
