You should never under estimate the power of word of mouth marketing. It is so important to be recommended both on and offline and it makes you much more credible as a Physical Therapy clinic. Most customers, more than half, will research online reviews and information before they decide to book with a therapist. So, the information out there must show you in the absolute best possible light.
According to Neilson 92% of people trust the opinions of their friends and family and 70 % trust the opinions of those reviews and comments posted online by consumers. That is a large chunk of the market that look for recommendations by word of mouth first before other forms of marketing
But how do you get word of mouth marketing right? Here are some top tips for your marketing strategy and how to hack word of mouth marketing for PT sites.
This is content that is created and shared by your own customers. This can be pictures or recommendations shared online which will have a great reach to all your customers friends. It is honest and organic without being forced so it is great advertising for your business. Encourage your customers to like and follow your social media pages and share their progress. There is nothing more encouraging for potential customers than seeing genuine progress being made with you by someone that you know. Photos and great recommendations give your marketing strategy a boost and an avenue to work with.
To get people to share unique content you can create your own hashtag so they are encouraged to share and be liked by more followers. You can also offer a feature if you share your own content. Things like “race ready” or “back in the game” are great titles to photos and posts that will get traction and needs to be featured. Using this type of user generated content on your website and social media shows a sense of community and boosts trust and confidence with your clinic. Plus, most people love to get their own content featured so will be more likely to share if there is a chance their post will be seen by a wider audience.
Reminding your customers that you receive reviews and appreciate feedback at the time of their appointments will make the think about leaving their own opinion on your website. You should have the option of leaving reviews both on your website and on your social media page such as Facebook. Having this featured in a prominent part of your website and reminding visitors to your clinic that they can leave a review means more reviews will be left. Your website should have the facility to leave comments and feedback. It is a good idea to have a filtering process and spam filter to prevent unwanted and malicious comments.
However, you should make sure you respect and respond to genuine comments too. Addressing the positive as well as the negative will show how genuine you are and that you care about what is being said about you. Resolve any issues that previous clients may have encountered and show you have learned from and value their feedback. Visitors to your website, are more likely to book if there are good reviews explaining why your clinic is great and can increase your sales and likability.
Influencer marketing is a great way to showcase your Physical Therapy brand and reach a range of potential customers in your demographic. Those who fit your brand such as sports personalities, trainers or even bloggers who have an influence on those who may need your services. You should definitely allocate part of your marketing budget to this kind of promotion within your strategy. Depending on the reach and popularity will depend on the price of influencers, so factor this in when thinking about approaching influencers. Different services are available from just a mention to a full video review.
It is a great arm of word of mouth marketing as influencers will often only promote a service if they really believe in it. So, after a visit to your clinic, they can explain what to expect, what the staff and service was like and the results of the visit too. More people are being attracted to products and services showcased by influencers so it is definitely one word of mouth marketing effort you should be using. You may even want then to include a video of their visit or a tour of your clinic, shared on their platforms.
There’s nothing better to make a customer feel valued than offering a loyalty scheme offering rewards to those customers who are repeat visitors and use your services often. There are many different rewards that can be offered per number of visits or discounts on new treatments or additional extras. This is a great way to get people talking about your business and let others know about how you value your clients making them more likely to visit themselves. Make your customers aware of the scheme as soon as they visit and you will increase the number of return visits.
You can also offer a referral scheme which rewards current customers for referring friends and family. This is a way to really get people talking and sharing information about your services and increase the number of visits to your PT clinic. This could be a free consultation or first visit free, or perhaps a discount for your initial treatment. Choose what rewards to offer and let word of mouth carry the message to your new clients. Giving incentives to both existing and new customers and getting people talking.
Using your own and other blogs can be another way to market your clinic by word of mouth and social media. Sharing your own blog posts with excellent quality content gives your clinic credibility and value. Blogging is known to improve the knowledge and trust in the services that you offer and make your business more personal too. You also give valuable information about treatments you offer, the clinicians and therapists working with you so customers know what to expect on their first visit.
Writing blog posts is just part of it though, they should also be sharable in order to reach the required audience. By interested customers sharing your content and creating talking points around the information you have provided you add positive word of mouth suggestions and recommendations. This kind of marketing gives your clients confidence in your services the more they see and hear positive things about your business, the more they will be willing to book in with you. You can also market to other bloggers either paid or recommended articles to post on their own blogs. Giving your word of moth marketing an even further reach.
So, you know what works but what do you need to do to get even more people talking about your business and brand? Here are some tips on how to improve your methods and increase the scope of your word of mouth marketing.
You don’t want to blend in with your competitors, so make sure you have something unique and interesting to make you stand out. Perhaps it is a specific treatment you offer or certain services that you offer that others do not. Make sure you express this about your business as this will be what generates interest and start conversations about your physical therapy clinic.
If you have seen or heard something that triggers emotion it makes it more memorable as you have had a physical reaction as well as a mental one. So, when you share information and stories, choose ones that will touch people enough to want to share it with their friends. Good news recovery stories are a great way to show how your treatments work.
No one is going to want to talk about something if it does not add value to their conversation or the people it is reaching. You must make sure that what you offer and share is valuable to the audience. This is where targeted social media and influence marketing is essential for the right information to reach the right people.
A little conversation can go a long way, so it is really important that people are saying good things about your business. There are many different ways that this type of marketing can help your business and it is extremely valuable to both repeat clients and to encourage new customers.
If you are still struggling with how you will conquer word of mouth marketing, or if you just don’t have the time to spare. Patient sites can help you with your marketing needs. Just decide what type of marketing you need and they can do the rest. Whether you choose to market yourself or use a marketing company you should never underestimate word of mouth marketing.
Do you need some help with your physical therapy website and marketing? Download our Free Evergreen Marketing Blueprint for Physical Therapists and start creating long-term assets that generate new patient bookings for years to come.