2011 will be a great year for physical therapists in private practice if they go beyond their usual ways of marketing and advertising. When I say “Usual Ways” I’m referring to relying on yellow page ads, newspaper ads, radio advertising and other traditional means of marketing. These mediums are slowly becoming less effective in reaching the audience you want to target. Hopefully in 2010 you were able to avoid some of the physical therapy marketing mistakes that could have prevented you from seeing healthy profits last year in your business.

Moving forward into 2011 as my reader, I don’t want you to become one dimensional in your marketing efforts. An example would be to heavily rely on physician referral marketing as your only marketing strategy. What if the physician that refers to you one day decides to refer to another clinic? Do you have other marketing streams in place you can tap into? Hopefully you see where I am going with this and stick around to see where I want to take you.

In 2010 many physical therapy private practice owners have discovered new ways of marketing to potential patients using the internet. Some have obtained new patient referrals through their website using effective search engine optimization strategies that I teach on this blog. Others have done it using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. One thing is certain is that using the internet as a way to obtain new patients and clients for your private practice will be something you cannot ignore moving forward into 2011.

How you market your physical therapy private practice in 2011 will determine the outcome of your future revenues and your overall profits. So below I have a few marketing predictions I feel will emerge in 2011 and that can position your physical therapy practice to receive some healthy profits in the future.

1. Mobile Marketing – Statistics have shown more people own a mobile phone than they do computers. People use their mobile phones as location devices, to receive text messages, search for local services in their area, and much more. What better way to get in front of your audience then through the device they use everyday! As a private practice owner you can send appointment reminders via text message, mobile coupons for cash based services, and create a mobile version of your website for those seeking out your services locally. This is only scratching the surface! There are a lot of things you can do with mobile devices in terms of marketing that can really help impact the growth of your private practice. More to come on this hot topic in future blog posts!

2. Online Reviews – More users are looking to online review sites like Google Places and Yelp to read what other patients have to say about their physical therapist. This is why it’s important to get your patients to write raving reviews about the PT services you offer. Good reviews written by your current patients will help build immediate trust between you and that potential patient who’s searching for a physical therapist. When a potential patient sees that other patients you’ve helped were very happy with the services you provided, they’ll trust that you can help them too.

3. Better Website Content – It is important that your website have quality content that provides the right information for your patients and to the public. Providing resourceful articles and informative videos helps potential website visitors view you as a trusted source of information and an expert in your field. The information you provide on your website could be a major pivotal point for a local website visitor to pick up the phone and call your office for an appointment.

4. Local Marketing – Optimizing your website for local keyword search terms will be vital to how people find you online. For instance, if your practice focuses on pediatrics and you are based in Marietta Georgia, then you want to make sure your website is optimized for the keyword phrase “Pediatric Physical Therapist in Marietta Georgia”. Placing your website in the local online directories also increases your visibility to the local community about your services.

5. Ebook Style Newsletters and Exercises Sheets – If you haven’t noticed, the sales of the Barnes and Noble Nook Reader and Amazon Kindle were a hot seller this past Christmas. This is a strong indication that users will soon choose these devices to consume books, magazines, and web content. I see plenty of opportunity here for you, the private practice practitioner, to create content like newsletters or exercise sheets for your patients to be viewed on these devices. Why not go with them when they are on the move? Creating content for them to use in these “on the go” devices is a great way to brand your physical therapy practice and stay in front of your existing patients that use your services. You will also get a lot of cool points for being on the cutting edge of technology.

6. Better Strategic Use of Social Media – Social Media is probably one of the best free marketing and advertising tools online you can use to promote your physical therapy services. It is the most simplest and cost effective way to introduce your services to a mass market without squashing your marketing budget for the year. Strategic use of sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter can really help you to reach out to more people and spread the word about your physical therapy services. Just keep in mind it takes time to see a return from using social media. Most of your time will be spent building relationships and providing value to your existing patients and those who inquire about your services. If you view it more as a communication tool vs a sales tool then you will have better expectations about the time spent using it and the returns it can provide to your private practice in the future.

Those are my marketing predictions for 2011. I will expand more on some of these topics in future blog posts. If you have any predictions of your own or want to share what your physical therapy business will be doing different this year, please share your comments below. Would love to hear from you!

Similar Posts:

• Why Online Reviews Matter For Your Physical Therapy Practice
• Improve Your Online Physical Therapy Marketing By Understanding Basic Keyword Research?
• Top 5 Physical Therapy Marketing Mistakes To Avoid In 2010
• 6 Reasons Why Your Physical Therapy Business Should Be In Google’s Local Business Search Directory
• The Advantages Of Listing Your Physical Therapy Practice With Online Business Directories

 I have a fairly large number of computers that I use regularly. I have a work PC, a home PC, laptop, and then a smartphone which I use when I’m on the go.

Having so many devices has become a must for me because of the nature of my business. I’m sure a lot of you have more than one computer that you use in the clinic, the office and at home.

The problem with this kind of setup is that you have to  keep track of which files were created on which computer and then email them to yourself if you want to access it from another computer. It was a process I had to do in order to get access to files on computers I was working on. It was a time waster and sometimes killed my productivity.

For a long time I used portable USB drives to transport and transfer my media files from computer to computer. The problem with this was I would forget the USB drive at home or would have to worry about structural damage from drops. I was more terrified of losing data from constantly transporting the USB device everywhere.

I also tried to use Google Docs to overcome this problem but realized that they have a long way to go as far as functionality is concerned.  All of this was a real pain until I discovered a neat little service called Dropbox.

This service allows you to create and sync folders with all the computers you use at work and at home with each other.  You can save and transfer all kinds of  files like word docs, power point presentations, video, audio, etc. The highlight of the Dropbox service is knowing that what you saved in one computer is accessible from another. Your files are also accessible over the internet and works with both MACs and PCs. This makes you 100% virtual! You can basically be anywhere with an internet connection and access your files on all of your synced computers.

The service is easy to use and you can get started as soon as you sign up with them.  All you have to do is create folders on your Dropbox account. Then drop your files in that folder and Dropbox will do the rest for you. It detects every time there is a change in the folder and does its magic.

With Dropbox you can also create shared folders for access among your staff or team members. For example, if I have a Powerpoint presentation that I want to share with my colleagues, I can drop the file into my Dropbox folder then send all team members an email notification. Once the email notification is received they will be prompted by Dropbox to visit the website for downloading instructions. It’s that quick and easy!

They offer you 2 GB space for free and so far this has been enough for my needs. Here are some other great features of this service:

1. Ease of use: The service is really easy to use. Once you have it configured, all you need to do is drop your files in the folders and you will be able to access your files from all your synced computers and devices.

2. Works on multiple platforms: The service works on Windows, Mac and Linux, smartphones and syncs any type of file.

3. Collaboration: This service allows multiple people to collaborate because they can work on files from a common location and are able to see each other’s changes in real time.

4. Creates Photo Galleries: It creates photo galleries from photos in your Dropbox.

5. Online backup: Your data is backed up online on their servers and you will be able to restore previous versions of the file.

6. Web Access: You can access your files from the internet and the interface allows you to manipulate files like editing, deleting or renaming them.

The Dropbox service is really efficient and because it is free for up to 2 GBs there is every reason for you to try it out today! You can try it out using —> my referral link and let me know what you think about the service.Similar Posts:

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Local search is one of the least talked about features of Google but it is one that is gaining popularity very rapidly.

Local search is catching on because search engines are getting very good in recognizing when people are searching for something locally. In most cases these local business listings are shown on top of the other search results. Do a search for “physical therapy rehab and (put your zip code)” and see for yourself which are the search results that Google will serve you on the front page. Is your physical therapy business listed there? If not keep reading on!

Local search is also catching on because of its ease of use, large number of results served, a Google map of the local listing being searched and the ability to read reviews about that local listing.

Do you remember the last time you opened up the Yellow Pages to look for a local business? Most people will tell you they are using phone books in their home as step stools to get into hard to reach areas. Everyone is using Google for search. This is a known fact. People are looking for all types of services online from haircuts to auto mechanics and of course physical therapists.

It is in your best interest to have a Google Business listing for your physical therapy business so that you appear on top when people search for such services. If done correctly, this can mean a large number of potential patient referrals, clients or customers without ever having to pay the typical cost associated with using traditional advertising .



Let me take you through six powerful benefits of listing your physical therapy business on Google’s local business search listings:

1. People are searching for your physical therapy business online: This is so basic it goes without saying but I need to say it anyway. A large percentage of searches on Google pertain to local search and out of these searches a good number of them can translate into new referrals, clients or customers for your business . If you are not present on Google’s local business search listings, you are missing out on a lot of new patient referrals, clients and customers. Think about that.

2. Results are near the top of the page: Study after study of search engine users show that they scan a triangular area which includes the area of the first result and then gradually diminishes as you go down the page. Most people never go beyond the first half of the first page. Putting your business listing into Google’s local business directory ensures that your listing will show up in the area where people have the maximum chance of noticing it.

3. Easier than getting on the first page of Google: In most cases getting a business listed in the directory and appearing on the first page for a local business search term is easier than paying high fees to an SEO consultant to have your website appear on the first page for a general search term. When you have your listing listed through Google’s local business search directory you still enjoy the benefit of a large number of views without having to go through the struggle of getting on the first page for your website and paying high fees to an SEO consultant to do it.





1. Google Provides A Map Of Your Business Location: Google will show a map of your business location to web users and even provide them with directions to get to your doorstep. Now that’s powerful! Your front office secretary can focus on coding and billing while Google handles the directions to potential new patient referrals and clients.

2. Google’s local search Listing is free: You don’t have to pay anything to get listed in Google’s business listing. There is absolutely no investment involved and the listing is working for you 24hrs a day all year long. This is a no brainer for anyone with a tight marketing budget.

3. Reach a large number of potential referrals or clients locally: The best part about this is people who engage in local search obviously have a need that has to be met. So when someone calls your physical therapy business through a Google business listing , there is a high chance that person contacting you needs your service and is ready to come through your door almost immediately.

If you take action on including your physical therapy business into Google’s local business search listings, you will enjoy the benefits of getting targeted local patient referrals and potential clients. Most importantly you will have done this simple inclusion of your physical therapy business into Google’s listings at no cost to you. This is a great marketing strategy for your physical therapy business and something you should consider doing soon.Similar Posts:

• The Advantages Of Listing Your Physical Therapy Practice With Online Business Directories
• Why Online Reviews Matter For Your Physical Therapy Practice
• Improve Your Online Physical Therapy Marketing By Understanding Basic Keyword Research?
• The Benefits Of A Facebook Fan Page For Your Physical Therapy Business And How To Create One
• 5 Tips To Drive Traffic To Your Physical Therapy Website

Welcome fellow colleagues to  PT Marketing Unleashed. This blog is for all physical therapists wanting to learn how to market their business on the internet. My name is Samuel Awosolu. I am a licensed physical therapist and I am also a web developer and internet marketer. I have gather tons of experience over the years building and marketing websites for small businesses and other individuals. Now I want to show you what I have learned over the years to help you build a commanding presence online.

The first thing I want you to do is sign up for my news feed so you know exactly when a new blog post becomes available. On this blog I will write and demonstrate online and offline strategies, techniques, tips and tactics to help you promote your physical therapy business on the web. I am excited to share with you all that I have learned over the years on web marketing and development. I look forward to teaching and connecting with you as we move forward on this journey!

Thanks for stopping by!Similar Posts:

• Welcome To PT Marketing Unleashed!