In the last post in this 2-part series, I wrote about ‘How to Get your Contractor to Build Your Brand.’ In that article we shared 4 steps to tapping into contractor psychology triggers.
The psychology triggers form the basis of bringing you contractor’s into the fold, so they take ownership of their role and in your business.
Once you have those triggers in mind, you’re ready to use the power tools that will make you look like a marketing genius. Both you and your contractors must get on board to make these 5 key things happen.
Are you ready to add $10,000 to your revenue sheet at year end?
Let’s dig in.
Your Marketing POWER TOOLS
I’m super excited for you to put the following into action because it is going to skyrocket your clinic. If you can instil the following in your contractor compadre you will see this lift your revenue.
Power Tool # 1 – Start realize there is a new kid on the block
If you haven’t already noticed most patients have already looked up their ailment, tried the YouTube DIYs and or replicated some tips from a top SEO blog. In most cases this strategy has lead to limited success, which is why they are sitting in front of you.
Like your patients, most newer PTs are pretty tech savvy. So, you need to stop thinking about just doctors’ lunches and dramatically shift what you think is marketing.
You need to tap into the tech savvy and narcissistic tendencies of your contractors. The perfect way to harness this is to start marketing using forms of social engagement.
Your platform of social engagement will depend on what your contractors hyper niche is and where their target audience is. So if your contractor is a pelvic floor PT who is a ninja in getting new moms back to their Spin & Barre classes, then Pinterest or Facebook are great choices. What PT niches are best for Instagram or SnapChat?
The beauty of what I’m trying to convey here, is that whatever digital strategy you decide as a team, it highlights key measures of job satisfaction – autonomy to create social recognition for their work as a Ninja in their field.
Power Tool # 2 – If my grandmother’s knitting club has a website why doesn’t your contractor?
In this digital economy if you don’t already have this as part of your contractual agreement please stop reading this article. Next open your 2005 word document and add the following: “I’m hiring you because I think you are an All-star, I think the world should know this too. So that’s why every contractor that works at (Insert Your Clinic Name) needs to have an independent website that promotes your brand.”
I know you think I’m crazy, but hear me out first. Mobile searches for therapy services are the new norm. People are increasingly looking for therapists that share common beliefs, common activities and most importantly looking for expertise in the therapeutic field.
A personal website is the first step in building rapport with your next client. Remembering that people buy based on how you make them feel, not just what you do. So, your contractor’s website needs to be real, it must speak of their passionate pursuits, their means to make PT suited to their pursuits and why like minded individuals could benefit from seeing them.
As a clinic owner/manager you are probably thinking what’s in it for me? The mastery in marketing comes from online booking and/or linking back the clinic owner’s website. So once the potential client is ready to book, it shifts the user from the contractors’ to the clinics website. This is not only an effective lead generator for your clinic, but is also a great benefit for SEO on Google. But wait there’s more… continue to the next section.
Power Tool # 3 – It’s time to burn the Physio Trifold pamphlet on your front counter.
Most people don’t want more clutter in their house. They want to be able to turn on their iPad or smartphone and look up stuff. If the words “Content Marketing” are new to you please do the following: please pick up the phone and find a new website promoting team.
The reality is most people are completely overwhelmed with the number of therapy choices they have these days. If you talk to any marketing expert, MORE options leads to MORE consumer fatigue and the NET result is not to book with anyone. The key is to make this a binary decision, that is “Yes I like you and I’m ready to book vs No not just yet.”
But how do you get your clinic to the winners circle?
My first suggestion is to get your contractor involved in developing content that engages themselves and prospective clients on both their website and the clinic’s.
The key point here is that we are in a new economy, it’s called delivering value, delivering abundance and building a relationship of loyalty before you actually meet. Quite simply the more value you deliver, the more likely the binary decision is made.
If you pay your contractor $75 dollars per article, that’s $150 for original content made by a real expert. How many websites out there are delivering that? How much are you paying a marketing agency/ month to promote your website?
What if I told you that one of Google’s SEO strategies is to promote websites that are delivering new useful content? Think about it. Are you interested in building consumer loyalty before they even walk into your practice?
But wait….how do I get the word out?
Power Tool # 4 – Please sign me up for another newsletter.
I know what you’re thinking – does the world need another email newsletter?
The fact you’re reading this means you are interested in reading valuable content that comes to your inbox. Done correctly, eblasts that deliver incredible content are the key to linking the content marketing, social media, brand exposure and loyalty.
One of the key method’s your contractor can use is an email marketing tool such as MailChimp, Aweber or Constant Contact. Used appropriately, this can keep their patients connected with the therapist, provide content delivered by the clinic, and most importantly, keep your facility top of mind.
Remember there is a true art to an eblast newsletter.
For those using this strategy, how are you making content remarkable for the end user? What strategies are you using to decipher what content your patient is actually wanting to learn from? What quick forms of feedback are you utilizing to measure patient experience/satisfaction and improve your overall brand?
Power Tool # 5 – The Perfect Therapy Experience (PTE) doesn’t just happen.
What do Roger Federer playing at Wimbledon, a bride on her wedding day, a woman in labour and a skydiver about to make their jump at 50,000 feet up all have in common?
They have all visualized the perfect moment, whether it was the backhand return or the feeling of a newborn on a mom’s skin; they have dreamt, felt and rehearsed that moment in their minds. When that perfect moment happens, those moments of visualization make reality that much better.
How does this apply to physiotherapists in general?
Creating the Perfect Therapy Experience (PTE) in our minds is the critical marketing strategy that each therapist should rehearse before they start their day.
Let me share a personal example.
A few years ago I worked with a fresh new grad who had a unique way of treating. Since we all worked on 10 minute increments, if a patient was booked for 10 minutes, that therapist would only work the patient for a maximum of 600 seconds. In short, patients would be in and out of the clinic within 10 minutes. I’m trying to imagine how this therapist was able to create a PTE in that short amount of time. The reality was that complaints accumulated and patients stopped coming or asked to rebook with someone else. So what went wrong here?
It is absolutely essential as a clinic manager or clinic owner to ask this critical question to all their contractors and employees. What do you visualize is the Perfect Therapy Experience?
This concept needs to be discussed, reviewed and refined. Your definition of that experience must contain the following:
- Consistency
- Earning trust
- Promoting incredible value
- And providing effective and sound therapies
You need to think of a Perfect Therapy Experience as a story you visualize, your patients’ experience, and most importantly, what your patients’ share glowingly with their peers.
RECAP
Let’s recap these power tools that will make you a marketing genius:
Step 1: Allow your contractors to engage in social media activities for the business/ profession
Step 2: Ensure your contractors have their own independent website/ brand that links back to your clinic for booking
Step 3: Start using valuable content to attract the right customers by getting your contractors to write articles for your website or blog
Step 4: Get contractors to create e-newsletters for all their patients
Step 5: Visualize the Perfect Therapy Experience and ensure your contractors have shared goals and visions for performance.
In my opinion this is the most critical power tool I have shared today. Always remember the Perfect Therapy Experience requires you to visualize the flight path before you fly.
As you can tell I’m obsessed with cutting away from the norm. My passion is cultivating a masterful experience that is remembered long after the ailment has healed.
I start each day humble and realize there’s always more to learn. I’m hoping you get great value in this short dialogue together. I’m always happy to hear from my other peers of what works for them so please do share.
Most importantly, I’m always excited to have more soldiers join me on our quest to set in motion habits and rituals towards epic performance and a world class legacy for our profession!
