Avery Simmons
As a physical therapy practice owner, you’re probably busy with a million different things every day: treating patients, managing staff, keeping up with new PT techniques…oh, and running a business! Investing in marketing can seem like a luxury that you don’t have time for.
We get it. But not investing in marketing is actually a critical mistake that we’ve seen too often over the years. Are you making that mistake today?
In this blog, we’ll discuss the top 11 myths that PT owners believe about marketing…and why they are holding you back from some amazing opportunities!
Myth #1: I Can’t Afford It
Marketing isn’t just about advertising, and it’s not just for massive companies with big budgets. Whether you’re just starting up your practice or already have multiple locations, you can create a plan based on your budget. To do that, check out our blog on how to manage your PT marketing budget.
Plus, have you considered the potential return on your investment?
In January 2021, Practice Promotions client Rocky Mountain PT made $75k in profit just from sending newsletters to their past patients. How much is it costing you to not market?
Truth: Not doing marketing may already be costing you thousands of dollars per month in lost potential patients.
Myth #2: I Don’t Have Time For It Right Now
We hear this myth all the time.
Just like moving or having a new baby, there’s never a good time to set time aside for your business. But if you want your practice to grow and help more people, you’ll make time for marketing.
Plus, why are you so busy?
Do you need to offload a piece of your business? Do you not have appropriate systems in place to make sure you have a consistent inflow of new patients?
Rogan Taylor, owner of FYZICAL Provo knew he didn’t have the time to market his new third location. He realized he needed a complete marketing system to reach his new patient goals, so he called us. Just three months after signing on with Practice Promotions, FYZICAL Provo saw a 31% increase in new patients!
Truth: You don’t have time to do it ALONE… but your clinic still needs someone to spend time on it each month. Invest in help for best results & less stress.
Myth #3: We Already Have Enough Patients Or We Are Too Busy! We Don’t Need Marketing
We are glad you have patients!
But are they consistent? Are they coming from one or two doctor referrals? What happens if that doctor stops referring?
In order to feel secure about your clinic’s future, you need to take control of your marketing.
For example, in 2017 owner of BioSport Physical Therapy Leo Chavez noticed that after 15 years in business, physician referrals were dwindling.
“I knew I needed to find something new,” said Chavez. “I was focused solely on marketing to physicians and didn’t know where to start with past patient marketing.”
But after just 5 months with the Practice Promotions team, BioSport PT doubled their new patients!
Truth: The marketing you do today determines your success in the next few months, not today. If you don’t know exactly what’s making you busy and how to do it consistently, your volume could fluctuate up and down & seem random.
Myth #4: Our Customers Are Not On The Internet
Unless your patients live on a secret moon colony, your customers are on the internet.
According to an April 2021 study by Pew Research Center, 93% of Americans use the internet, which includes 75% of people aged 65+.
Plus, in April 2021 the AARP reported that 40% of Americans aged 50+ use a smartphone for personal health activities like telehealth visits, ordering prescriptions, or making appointments.
Even if your elderly patients aren’t on the internet, their caregivers certainly are. Today, you just can’t afford a weak online presence.
Truth: 93% of all Americans and 75% of Americans aged 65+ are on the internet.
Myth #5: Since We’ve Never Needed Marketing Before, We Are Fine
If you’ve talked with doctors to get physician referrals, you’ve done marketing. The only difference is that marketing your practice today looks different than it did 15 years ago: you need a website and a PT marketing strategy that connects you directly to patients.
Plus…is your practice fine? What are some risks you foresee in your future? You don’t want to lose out to competitors by not doing the basics.
Or what about succession planning?
If you want your life and workload to look different 5 years from now, you need to be taking steps now to make that happen. Getting consistent results from marketing could give you the flexibility and freedom you need to reduce your hours or take a vacation. What are you doing now to make that happen?
Ultimately, by not making it easy for new patients to find you, you risk not being able to help more people in your community. That means more unnecessary surgery and harsh medications. And if you don’t know where to start with marketing, check out these 5 physical therapy marketing ideas.
Truth: If you own a practice, you’ve done marketing. The question is: are you ready for the risks in your future?
Myth #6: I Can’t Learn Marketing
We know that marketing can feel overwhelming. You probably didn’t go to business school–and that’s okay!
You shouldn’t have to.
That’s why Practice Promotions created an online workshop for PTs like you: the Ultimate PT Marketing Funnel. This online training will give you 5 steps to developing a marketing strategy, so you can feel confident that your marketing plan will drive new patients to your doors.
Truth: You don’t need to know everything yourself, it’s your job to put the right TEAM in place and be their leader. Set the vision, don’t try to do all the work.
For more on this, download our free PT marketing guide here.
Myth #7: I Can’t Market My Practice In An Unstable Economy
If you’re nervous about the economy, then you need a plan.
In a time of crisis, you need to put your foot on the gas when it comes to marketing & outbound communications.
When everything feels chaotic, your patients are looking for certainty. Be the voice of certainty in your community. To help PTs during and after COVID, we created the COVID Recovery Plan, which many of our clients have used to grow even during COVID. Check out the COVID Recovery plan here!
Truth: While your competition plays it “safe” in fear, companies that communicate MORE will ultimately get the most volume in ANY economy.
Myth #8: Now That Covid Is Ending And Patients Are Coming Back, I Don’t Need Marketing
Here’s the hard truth: temporary relief does not mean recovery. What you are seeing now is a backlog of patients.
If you want the same volume of patients coming to your practice in 6 months, you need to plan and control your recovery.
Imagine one of your star patients, Sara. Sara’s been doing her exercises every day and coming to all her appointments on time, but as soon as she sees some recovery from her torn ACL…she stops doing her exercises!
As a good PT, you’d tell Sara that if she wants to get back to playing soccer, she needs to stay the course and not take her foot off the gas!
The same is true for you and your marketing. Effective marketing requires consistency. What you do today will produce results 3-6 months from now. So don’t assume you can stop marketing just because recovery has begun.
Truth: Cutting marketing just when you’re pulling ahead is one of the most deadly mistakes you can make. Effective marketing requires consistency to get results.
Myth #9: I Need To Hire More PTs Before I Can Take On New Business
We know that many PT owners are struggling to hire (or rehire) enough staff to meet the current patient volume. You may want to scale back your marketing until you get the PTs you need.
But marketing can take time to scale up.
What if you stop marketing, hire someone, then pay their salary for 3 months before volume comes back? Is that better than having a wait list?
Marketing is a long game. Investing in your website, digital, and print marketing now means you will reap the reward in new patients 3-6 months from now.
Not only that, the quality of your website & marketing actually impacts how likely prospective hires are to join your team. More on that here.
Truth: Cutting back marketing doesn’t hurt your volume today, it hurts your volume next month and after. Set yourself up for future growth by making sure your website and marketing plans are effective NOW and consistent each month.
Myth #10: We Can’t Measure The Results Of Marketing
I’ll admit it–before I got my first job in marketing, I believed this myth too. But both digital and print marketing can and should be measured!
Result tracking can sound hard, but it’s 100% possible.
For example, our client Eastern Shore PT increased its patients 368% in just 10 months! How? Well, one reason was that our SEO Specialists helped them rank 1st on Google for six key phrases! To read their full story, click here.
You can measure direct mail, too. For example, after direct-mailing their patient newsletter in January 2021, Pro-Active PT received 92 reactivated patients within 30 days–that’s approximately $88,000 in revenue! Read more print newsletter success stories here.
Truth: Both digital and print marketing can and SHOULD be measured. Make sure you have the team you need to make it happen.
Myth #11: The Patients I Have Now Have Nothing To Do With My Marketing Efforts
Whatever you do, you want to see results.
But most of the time someone says this it’s not as much true as it’s impossible to figure out WHICH marketing efforts are working and which aren’t.
You have too much at stake to make decisions without good data, so your marketing team & website should include clear metrics each month.
That’s why we set up a Business Center for our clients, which tracks all the new patient leads from our clients’ website!
“Practice Promotions’ system post-website reveal is easy to work in and allows you as a practice owner, with a million other things going on, to stay informed and organized!”
-Tiffany Walker, Hampstead PT
Truth: Don’t make marketing decisions on “feel.” If you ever hear yourself or a team member say “I feel like this isn’t working” stop and find the data to support that or you could accidentally cut off a source of new patients.
Choose Action
We know that marketing can feel overwhelming… uncertain.
That’s why many practice owners believe a lot of marketing myths that prevent them from taking advantage of opportunities.
But in the end, believing myths don’t bring new patients to your clinic… Action does.
Take The First Step:
The first thing you need is a proven strategy to keep your team laser-focused & ensure you don’t waste time testing tactics that don’t move the needle.
Check out our Practice Marketing Services, which are used by thousands of clinic locations across North America!
