Today on the Podcast: 3 Steps to Plan Your PT Marketing in 2026
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About This Episode
Happy New Year! In today's short podcast, host Neil Trickett, PT share 3 simple steps to plan your PT marketing in 2026.
Because here's the bottom line: marketing is what GROWS your clinic. But it can also be super frustrating! So today, Neil will give some specific marketing advice while he walks you through these 3 steps:
- Where do you want to go in 2026?
- Who do you need to get you there?
- What do you need to invest to reach your goals?
After listening to this podcast, you'll have a clear idea of what you need to hit your new patient targets in 2026.
Happy listening!
Listen Above or Read The Summary Here:
Step 1: Define Your Destination with Clarity
Neil emphasizes that the first and most critical step in building an effective PT marketing plan for 2026 is clarity about your goals. He warns, “Vague goals lead to vague results. And if you cannot define where you want your clinic to be, by the end of 2026, your marketing cannot help you get there.”
Instead of jumping into new tactics or chasing the latest trends, Neil advises owners to start by asking themselves what they want to improve in the coming year. This could be increasing new patient volume to keep schedules full, encouraging more existing or past patients to return, or attracting higher-reimbursement cases. He notes that “that’s often the most profitable and overlooked source of growth.”
He also recommends paying close attention to key business metrics, such as:
- Cost per new patient lead
- Total patient volume
- Total annual revenue
Larger goals—like expanding into a new market, opening a new location, hiring more staff, or stepping into a CEO role—are all attainable with the right marketing and growth strategy. The takeaway: make your goals specific, measurable, and aligned with your broader vision for your practice.
Step 2: Choose the Right Team to Support Your Growth
Neil reminds practice owners that as their business grows, they can easily become the bottleneck. “When everything runs through you, growth slows down because you can’t do everything,” he says. Owners need to assess if they have the right help in place—not just clinically, but operationally, financially, and especially in marketing.
Consider these questions:
- Who is currently doing your marketing?
- Are they producing the results you need?
- Is it you, an internal marketer, a generalist agency, or a specialized PT marketing partner?
Neil points out that asking an internal marketer to handle everything from email to physician outreach is rarely effective. Similarly, using a generalist agency that doesn’t understand healthcare or compliance can lead to costly mistakes. He stresses the importance of honesty in this evaluation: “Do you have the right marketing team in place to reach your 2026 goals? If not, it may be time to level up.”
For owners who want to step away from daily marketing tasks and focus on growth, Neil recommends considering external support, whether that’s a business coach, billing specialist, or a dedicated marketing team with experience in PT.
Step 3: Invest Wisely to Reach Your Goals
A solid marketing plan needs the right level of investment to be successful. Neil shares a practical rule of thumb: “Reinvest about 10% of your annual revenue into marketing. This ensures you’re fueling massive growth, not just maintaining the status quo.”
For a more tailored approach, he suggests working backwards from your goals:
- Define your monthly new patient target (e.g., 60 per month).
- Calculate the gap between your current and desired numbers (if you’re at 35, the gap is 25).
- Estimate your cost per new patient (use $100 if you don’t know; Neil’s clients average closer to $50).
With these numbers, you can determine your required marketing investment. For example, to close a 25-patient gap at $100 per patient, plan to invest around $2,500 per month. This approach gives you predictability and allows you to plan hiring and expansion with confidence.
Neil concludes that when you define your destination, assemble the right team, and make the proper investment, “your marketing becomes predictable, scalable, and actually enjoyable because it is finally working for you instead of against you.”
Common Questions Practice Owners Ask About This Topic:
- What are effective marketing strategies for physical therapy clinics?
- How can I increase new patient referrals in my chiropractic practice?
- What budget should a physical therapy clinic allocate for marketing?
- Who should I hire to handle marketing for my healthcare practice?
- What are the latest marketing trends for healthcare practices in 2026?
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See how the right marketing ideas can help you grow your Physical Therapy or Chiropractic clinic