Email marketing, where do you start? You want to reach your customers by sending them emails but there are so many different options it can be difficult to know what to include, how often to send and what attracts recipients to open the email in the first place. If you are just starting to consider email marketing or looking to shake up your physical therapy marketing strategy, here are some of the dos and don’ts for email marketing for your physical therapy business.
Do your best to make the subject line catchy. You need to attract the attention of the recipient and ensure that email is opened. Of course, the subject matter is important - you can write the greatest email ever but if it is never opened then the effort is for nothing. But what is the most attractive type of subject line? Well, personalization helps. Not too peppy as to sound (or read) like spam but enough to make the recipient want to learn more. Think about what makes you want to read an email when you see it in your own inbox.
Don’t make the subject line too long, if there is too much to read it will be passed along or deleted with no effect. The best advice to follow is to keep it under 50 characters, be direct and to the point and avoid any wording that will make it appear like spam. Too much punctuation and special characters are going to cause you a problem. Likewise, writing in all capitals can look like spam too. Spend some time creating the right subject line and this will make a huge difference in how many marketing emails are opened.
Do create compelling content that piques your audience's interest. Think about what your clients are interested in and target this when creating content. Make sure everything you include is relevant and interesting so they read to the end of the call to action. If you specialise in sports injuries then send out some good news stories about certain treatments or patient information that offers valuable and comprehensive advice. Or perhaps your patients are more interested in post-surgery rehabilitation, talk about how this works and what results are expected. Good content is what will keep readers reading and go on to click your links to learn more.
Don’t write too much and make sure the end product is perfect. That means no typos, and using the appropriate language. It also means making sure the format and fonts are right and all the links within the content work properly. You should check the images as well to ensure they load correctly as slow loading images will make it seem like spam. Once you think everything is done, take a look at it one last time and consider if you would like to receive this email yourself.
Do make sure you include a call to action within your content. Your email is a marketing tool and you need to ensure your purpose is within the content that you share. Make it a way to find out more about what you are talking about rather than the hard sell and you will get more clicks per email this way. You can also measure the success of your email marketing campaign by understanding how many visits you get that are a result of your emails. Your call to action should be clear and the readers should get what they are expecting when they click.
Don’t have too many calls-to-action though. If your email is full of click here or other such links, it might seem like too much for the reader and they will think you are being too pushy. Your call to action should stand out and be a specific action not accidental clicks or links that don’t have relevance to the content of the email. Saturating your message could crowd the page and make your message unclear. Be careful with your links and remember to make them relevant and clear to work best.
Do use an email marketing platform. It can be hard to find the time to devise and send the best email so finding a great platform to use to help you with this is essential. It will help you to create well-ordered and professional emails as well as being capable of scheduling your emails for you. It will also help you to arrange your audience and target certain segments for different campaigns. This makes it easier to set and reach your email marketing goal. Send different emails to different demographics and client type so they are relevant to the reader.
Don’t be too impersonal though. When using a platform, you may lose the personal touch that you would usually offer from direct emails. Make sure you use the right language, include content that the person will really want to read and sound like you care about what you are sharing. Check the addressee too, if you are just filling in the blanks you can get the name wrong and this is really important. Make the reader feel like the email is one that was meant for them alone and not just another mass marketing campaign.
Do include visuals. They are an important part of the total content of an email and can break up large chunks of text. Pictures and images can add context to what you are saying within the body of the email and make it interesting to look at too. It also makes your email look more professional, especially if you are using images and logos associated with your brand. Readers are likely to spend more time on your content if you include visual stimulations rather than text alone.
Don’t use image files that are too large. Image files that are too big can cause the email to load slowly, and when this happens the reader will give up and move on. Smaller images that work with your text are what should be considered for a successful email campaign. Don’t make the mistake of putting too many images in your content either as it can seem confusing and make a negative impact on the page load speed. You should also make sure they work on both mobile devices and computers so there are no loading issues depending on what device is being used. Find the right number of pictures and logos that work for your brand, email type and length.
Do reply to emails. If you get a reply to one of your emails then make sure your customers get a timely response. That means you must have a correct email address for your recipients to reply to either the one that the email was sent from or another included within the email itself. Avoid using a ‘Do not reply’ email address as that discourages replies and often is less trusted than an address that your business can actually be reached at. Even if it is just a quick acknowledgement that you will get back to them soon; that will be much more appreciated rather than just waiting for a response.
Don’t use generic email addresses. Although it might be easier to do so, generic emails can seem automated and impersonal. Even if your emails are automatically generated, having this sent from a personal email address that appears to be a person makes it more likely to be opened by the recipient. Choose the name of someone important at your business or from specific therapists depending on the email that you are sending.
Do send out regular emails. You want to send out emails at the same time every week, two weeks or month depending on how often you decide to send emails. To instil trust and confidence in your brand you should send emails that your clients will recognise at intervals that are right for your campaign. Using an email automation service to help you with your emails will ensure you stick to a regular schedule for sending your marketing messages.
Don’t saturate your clients with emails. You don’t want your readers to unsubscribe, so you must make sure you don’t send too many emails that will make your customers fed up of seeing your brand. Make sure the messages are relevant though, considering that sending generic advertising emails will stop the recipients reading and acknowledging your brand and they may even think of you as spam.
As you can see there are many different variables to consider when you are thinking about email marketing for your PT site. These dos and don’ts will help you to understand what to avoid and what to include when developing your marketing strategy. From crafting the right content and subject lines, to including visuals and calls to action, sending the right marketing emails can make a big difference to website hits and bookings for your PT clinic.
Still feel like too much? Why not think about talking to professionals and use a service that can do all this for you. At Patientsites, we can automate your PT Marketing, including email campaigns, so you can concentrate on your patients. Whatever you decide, whether to get some help or do it on your own, remember these dos and don’ts when you are looking at your email marketing for your physical therapy business.
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.
