Today on the Podcast: How I Market Our 7-Location PT Practice w/ Anna Starikov, Marketing Director
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About This Episode
Marketing Directors, this one is for you!
In today's episode, Neil talks to Anna Starikov, the Marketing Director at MTI Physical Therapy, a 7-location practice in Bellevue, Washington. She’s been there since 2013, so she’s got a LOT of experience in multi-location marketing and leading the practice’s marketing. MTI has also been a Practice Promotions client since 2017.
Anna will share with us today, how she and MTI approaches filling the schedules for 44 providers!
Whether you're a Marketing Director or a PT Owner looking to hire a marketing director, this episode is full of useful, practical advice!
We're the PT Marketing Agency You'll Wish You Hired First. Check out our PT marketing services today at https://practicepromotions.net/!
Listen Above or Read The Summary Here:
Embracing the Shift: From Physician Referrals to Digital Marketing
Neil and Anna highlight a major evolution in physical therapy practice marketing: the shift from relying almost exclusively on physician referrals and word-of-mouth to a more balanced approach that leverages digital marketing. Anna notes, “We kind of started out very, very heavy on mostly provider referrals and lots of friends and family referrals… but there was very little digital marketing going on 13 years ago.” Now, MTI Physical Therapy sees about a 50/50 split between traditional referrals and digital sources.
The landscape is rapidly changing, especially post-COVID and with the rise of AI. Patients are doing more research online, asking Google and AI tools for recommendations. Anna emphasizes the importance of not resisting this change but embracing new digital tools: “Instead of fighting technology as it’s evolving, we’ve embraced it… that includes using tools like Google Ads, AI search, and optimizing all of our digital marketing for those important tools.”
Retention Marketing: Leveraging Patient Relationships
While new patient acquisition remains vital, both Neil and Anna stress the equal importance of retention marketing—keeping current and past patients engaged. Anna advises owners, “Retention marketing is just as important as acquisition marketing.” She recommends strategies such as:
- Consistent email “drip” campaigns with check-ins and educational content
- Celebratory messages like birthday greetings or milestone follow-ups
- Encouraging satisfied patients to leave Google reviews and refer friends
- Sharing blog posts or targeted articles relevant to patients’ conditions
Anna calls these loyal patients “raving fans” and encourages practice owners to nurture these relationships, as they often become the best ambassadors for the practice.
Building a Data-Driven Strategy
Anna emphasizes the necessity of using data to guide decisions: “You cannot make decisions without data.” She routinely tracks metrics like new and returning patients, fill rates, and reactivated patients. Understanding both operational and marketing-specific data allows practices to pivot quickly when trends shift—whether due to seasonality, external events like COVID, or changes in Google’s algorithms.
Neil adds that marketing metrics—such as patient acquisition cost and tracking reactivations—are too often overlooked. He urges owners to avoid relying on what worked last month and instead stay agile and responsive to data trends.
Empowering Teams & Specialty Marketing
A unique strength at MTI is leveraging the individual passions of therapists to market within their affinity groups. Anna explains, “Each of them is a very unique individual… I love to understand that and help them to cultivate that and find ways to market within those affinity groups.” For example, therapists passionate about running can build relationships with local running clubs, while pelvic health specialists connect with OBGYNs, midwife groups, and postpartum fitness classes.
This approach makes marketing less of a chore and more of an extension of staff members’ interests, boosting both staff retention and patient engagement.
Recruitment Marketing: Attracting Top Talent
Marketing is not just for patients—it’s also essential for recruiting clinicians. Anna notes that a strong careers page and robust student programs help attract and retain top therapists. “Everything is marketing, right? So just even talking to your neighbor is marketing. Of course, using those same strategies for attracting the next generation of physical therapists is really important too.”
Neil recommends investing in a well-designed “Join Our Team” page and regularly updating it to highlight the practice’s culture, mentorship opportunities, and unique benefits.
Advice for Practice Owners: Invest in Marketing Leadership
For owners of growing practices, Anna strongly advocates hiring a marketing director or manager—even on a part-time basis. “Practice owners are amazing… but as a marketing director, I can’t do it all even within the sphere of marketing. That’s exponentially the case if you’re trying to do marketing and all these other things.” She reassures owners that this investment pays for itself by filling schedules, supporting growth, and freeing up time for strategic projects.
Anna also recommends involving the entire team in marketing efforts, framing it as relationship-building rather than just “marketing.” She cautions owners: “Try not to get overwhelmed. You can’t do it all, but you can do a lot. Be really systematic about it and figure out what is a priority and just go slow.”
Neil echoes this, pointing out that marketing has become too complex for one person to handle every technical aspect. The best results come from a combination of in-house strategic leadership and specialized agency support.
Looking Ahead: Staying Agile and Embracing Change
Anna’s top goals for the coming year include refining MTI’s marketing funnel, enhancing retention campaigns, and staying ahead of rapid AI-driven changes in search and patient behavior. She encourages owners not to fear change: “Don’t be afraid to explore change. I know it can be hard, but again, having experts who can help you navigate that change… can really help you get through that because you can’t just know everything.”
By focusing on data-driven strategy, empowering teams, and investing in marketing leadership, PT practice owners can position their clinics for sustainable growth and resilience in a rapidly evolving healthcare market.
Common Questions Practice Owners Ask About This Topic:
- How do you market a multi-location physical therapy practice?
- What are effective strategies for filling a physical therapy provider’s schedule?
- How can a marketing director improve patient acquisition in physical therapy clinics?
- What role does a marketing director play in a healthcare practice?
- How can Practice Promotions help physical therapy practices grow?
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