How To Write A Marketing Piece That Can’t Fail To Get Your PT Clinic Phone Ringing “Off The Hook”…

by · 21st January 2015

Pull up a chair….

And let me give you a REAL marketing lesson…

…So I’ve told you all about the three different components of the *Marketing Triangle* that you need to know about to sharpen up your marketing tools and get more patients…

(Market – Message – Media).

And a couple times I mentioned something called “Direct Response” marketing.

Well….

I’ve had a flood of email replies asking to know more about what “direct response” advertising really is.

So, how about we take a look at an actual ad?

(One I ran recently myself.)

…I’ll walk through what makes it work so well and why people feel compelled to respond to it.

So take a look at this:

marketing ideas for physical therapists

(Use this link to down load it if you can’t see it in this email: http://d.pr/i/4VTW/Ypsrkftu).

It’s the type of advert that you can use in any media, including but not limited too: Newspaper, yellow pages, radio, television (speak it!), direct mail, website, talks, even public relations.

Note that the ad is NOT about me.

Sure, it features me.

(Even has a picture of me).

But it doesn’t say much about me other than it positions me as an expert, coming along with proven solution to quickly easily end neck and shoulder pain.

Next…

Take a look at the headline.

It’s all about the prospective patient I want to attract to my clinic (because I know I can help).

It resonates with their frustrations.

And even their acknowledges their “anger” at being told by a medial doctor or other people to just accept neck pain, or take medication.

This ad even has some “reverse psychology” in play by encouraging the reader NOT to read on… because they’ll regret not knowing about what I’m offering years ago.

If you read down the ad…

You’ll see it’s more of a story.

It feels more like something written by an editor than an ad placed by a local physical therapist.

I do that on purpose as to let people decide to read it before the work out that it’s really an ad.

And as the COPY (the words in the main body of the ad) flows, it unravels a story about how so many people aged 45+ (my target “WHO”) are suffering needlessly because of being told the wrong things by drug companies, friends or family, even their doctor!

This creates an “us Vs them” type mentality.

And gets patients on MY side immediately – making the person reading the ad thinking that someone else is to blame for their problems – positioning me as their friend right away!

What also happens in the main copy is that it agrees with what the patient is thinking about his or her problem – that SOMETHING must be out there to help them – even if it is to just help them a little.

Pat attention to your patients and most will say something like:

“If I can just get a little bit of relief from this I think I could cope better”.

So all I do is write what patients tell me, in these ads.

More:

The solution (my free tips report) doesn’t raise too much false hope, hype, or over the top expectations about being a new miracle cure – which actually puts people off from responding.

Given that we live in a very skeptical society, better to promise a little win, rather than a miracle cure and that’s what I’m doing in this Ad.

Note how I even give the reader a sneak preview of what’s inside the tips report…

I do that to confirm that the “tips” really are self help and simple, and that they’re the type that anyone can follow and benefit from.

Next:

Note how I ask for the Response.

The “hallmark” of a direct response ad is the call to action – to act NOW as a result of reading the ad and usually to get something before the offer ends. 

Now, in this ad I only give one way to respond.

(I was running a test…)

A week or so later I ran the same Ad again and I all I added was a website address to get the same report and a free recorded message for people to leave their details by calling a 800 toll free number.

Response increased by nearly a third…

And happened becauseI I added these “risk free” ways of the person getting in touch – no one to “sell them” on a pt session or anything like that!

And…

Just by adding an option at the bottom (1 or 2)…

…I have the reader think about “which one”, rather than “should I call”…

…and the scarcity (the limit to the number of free copies of the guide) DRAMATICALLY increase response – and it happens faster – as a result too.

To sum up todays “lesson”:

The goal of this direct response ad was to stimulate a response from people aged 45+ who would have had ZERO intention of ever calling a physical therapist and paying for treatment had I not offered the “bait” of a free report.

Remember, I’m essentially exchanging my advice (inside a free DIY tips report) for their contact details…

…Because once I have their contact details: address, telephone number and email address – my assistant (and my automated follow up marketing system) can get to work at tackling the objections and showing the person who I now know has neck pain – PRECISELY what I do can help them achieve their goals.

All I have to do is keep showing up on the phone or in their inbox or in the post with some direct mail that says the right things to answer the questions these prospective patients have … and BOOM! I’ve got my self a new patient.

So there you go.

Direct Response Marketing and the Marketing Triangle explained in one go..

You got any questions for me?

Or do you want some help from me personally to help solve your biggest marketing challenges?

Hit Reply and let me know what you now need to make your clinic the go-to clinic in town.

Maybe it’s help with creating your own Marketing System?

Whatever it is, let me know.

I love to hear from you and I read all your replies.

Talk soon,

Paul.

P.S If you have a marketing piece that you’d like me to critique and dissect for you, then send it over by reply 😉

Note to reader: you can receive regular marketing lessons like this by signing up to Pauls email list which you can do by opting in at the top or the bottom of this webpage – you’ll get some freebie marketing goodies too to help you 😉

Attention Physical Therapists : Why Marketing Your Services Doesn’t Work.

by · 20th January 2015

Over the last year, I’ve been hearing this term a lot:

“Market your service”.

I first heard it from a practice management “guru” I watched at a seminar in San Diego and I’ve continued to hear it ever more from companies advising PT’s on how to Market.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it.

Just, “market what you do”.

As in, run an advert in the paper, or send out a postcard to people in your town, buy some likes on Facebook (and now pay more to “boost your post”) and just make people more aware or YOU and what YOU do.

And if you do, they will call.

And hey, “yes”, I get the idea behind it and even the theory.

I just don’t don’t agree with it.

Simply because it doesn’t work.

(Even less so if you’re an independent or a small town clinic battling against the big hospitals or the POTS).

Why?

Simple.

People don’t care about “you”.

Heck, most don’t even know that what you do – is what they need – so they won’t even call your clinic when the offer is a “freebie session”.

So, instead of the message in your Ad begin about you, why not switch it to say something about the problems you know how to solve?…

Say, or better yet, “offer”, like bait, something that can help someone (ideally your “WHO”), solve a problem or pain in their life and at least let them know there is a solution out there and tell them exactly how and where to get it – i.e. by calling your clinic.

We’re now talking about your “MESSAGE”.

(The third part of the Marketing Triangle).

Think of it this way:

To the person who is sat at home on his or her couch…

And starting to get frustrated with gradual and ever increasing intensity of their back pain, who really doesn’t want to have to go through the hassle of contacting their network and doesn’t even want to contemplate having to sift between all of the PT’s on display in the yellow pages, to choose between the self labelled “best in town”…

…is he or she more likely to be motivated to call YOUR clinic, if they see an advert with a message which offers a free “tips report” on the best ways to end back pain?

Or, one who offers a free telephone consultation with a PT before going any further and signing the forms – just to help them make the right decision?

Probably.

So your MESSAGE – it has to be compelling enough to spark a response.

Preferably, one which is going to solve their particular problem, in the easiest and fastest possible way – that THEY See it.

(Which, at this stage, is NOT attending for 10 session of treatment).

However…

When they are calling your clinic (to request the free “DIY tips report”), THEN you can begin a conversation which gets to the source of their pain point – i,e, the thing that concerns them most about back pain – such as loosing their ability to work, or play time with grandchildren.

And when you know that…

THEN you can begin to educate the person about how what you do, as in your PT skills, really is the best option to solve that specific problem.

(And you do that while on the phone and you’ve got all the time you need).

Most clinic owners get poor results from their advertising and marketing because they give no reason to respond (free sessions aren’t enough!), they offer no “bait” like a free report to self help, or they put out the wrong bait for the people they want to attract.

If you’re not giving people compelling reasons to respond in your messages, then your doing brand advertising – which is what the corporate hospitals love to waste money on – and I urge you not to copy.

Your marketing message should be “direct response” style.

It should have a deadline, a reason to respond TODAY and even include some scarcity too.

A free report is a good place to start.

But make it interesting.

Something that promises a benefit.

And the trick is to make this message magnetic – something which screams, “that’s for me”.

As soon as the person sees it….

…They get on to the phone to your clinic because it is so clearly written for them, is about them, and matches them for their pain, fears, goals, values and hopes for the future.

Make sense?

Hope so.

(Maybe I’ll come back to this in the next email with something to help you some more).

Look out for me in your inbox in a few days.

In the mean time, let me have your questions by reply.

I read all replies.

Talk soon,

Paul.

P.S And if you want to talk with me personally on the phone or on Skype in a free strategy call to help you with this problem you’re having, then let me know in a REPLY to this email.

Marketing Ideas For Physical Therapists: Where To Look To Find All Your Best Patients (Part 3 of 5)

by ·

So now you know more about how to pick the “WHO”.

The next part of the Marketing Triangle is the “Media”.

Let me explain what this is:

It’s the where you choose to run your ads and the list is long – often so long that it can feel overwhelming and stop you in your tracks before you’ve even got going.

The Media includes but is not limited too:

===

* Facebook

* Google

* Newspapers

* Magazines

* Yell

* Coupons

* TV

* Radio

* Etc, Etc…

===

The question is, which is best?

And the answer.

There isn’t one.

It varies a lot by WHO, YOU, want to reach.

An example:

If you’re trying to reach a 65 year old gentlemen who loves to play golf and take cruises with his wife (because that’s WHO you have decided you want to work with), then is he likely to be looking on Google?

Perhaps.

But maybe you’d have more chance of finding more gentlemen aged 65 with back pain, by running an ad in a golf magazine, appearing on a website for a cruise company or sending out a postcard to a list of highly targeted individuals who fit this description and offering them a free tips report titled:

“Golfers – how to swing without
back pain at 65”

And of course, one of the tips that is going to be included in that report is YOUR service.

And you’re also going to get the Gentlemen’s contact details when he calls to get his free report…

And here’s the real GOLD in today’s lesson…

…So that you can have a nice chat with him to find out precisely what his problems are, what he wants and needs for the future, and politely make him aware that physical therapy IS something that will help him get there faster.

And the process that I’ve just described there, that’s something called “direct response” advertising.

And my advice is that whatever Media you’re going to choose – it must allow for you to deliver a “direct response” message – or skip it.

(I’ll talk more about “direct response” in another email).

With that said…

Your goal as captain of your ship should be to use as many different MEDIA as possible to seek out your preferred “WHO”.

Most clinic owners become very lazy at this…

…choosing to be dependent on only physician referrals…

Or on only one, two or three means of getting new patients.

Leaving them very vulnerable to sudden disruptions in business – or never really feeling as though they can move from, say, seeing 30 patients per week, to seeing something like 100 (and employing others to do the work for them) – not to mention the threat from competition opening up in the same market place.

Anyhow…

Have you got any questions for me?

If so, HIT REPLY to this email…

Or, apply to talk to me personally on a free strategy call and I’ll work with you to identify the best media for your clinic and how to get the best response from it.

Do that, here:

Yes! Let Me Talk To Paul And Have My Biggest Marketing Challenges Ended For Me >>>

I’m happy to help you figure this out faster…

And if you’re application for a FREE strategy call is successful, all I ask in return is you give me a testimonial for my website 😉

Sound fair?

If so, Hit Reply and let me know that you want a strategy call with me, or fill out this form to let me know more about your challenges:

Yes! Let Me Talk To Paul And Have My Biggest Marketing Challenges Ended For Me >>>

Hope this helps,

Paul.

P.S The free stately call is limited to just one per week… and is offered on a first come first serve basis… and is only for my email subscribers.

(Note to blog post reader: join Paul’s email list by opting in at the top right of this webpage – there’s a free gift waiting for you there, too 😉

Do it in time, here:

– Yes! Let Me Talk To Paul And Have My Biggest Marketing Challenges Ended For Me >>>

Marketing For Physical Therapists : A Lesson On How To Market To Find Your Own Patients

by ·

One of the most common reasons that a PT will ask for my help is, by their own admission, something that goes like this:

===

“I know I need to “market” to get more patients, I just don’t know how to do it as successfully as I would like”.

===

…Is that happening to you?

If it is…

Then over the course of the next few emails I’m going to help you out by giving you a few “tips” on how to better market to find more patients and make more cash.

(Opt in to Paul’s email list to receive all the lessons in this series – do that over on the top right of the page ^)

Ok, where to start…

“Ah yes…”

Well, the first thing I think I’m going to do is tell you that getting good at marketing is NOT easy.

No way.

And in a strange way, I hope that makes you feel a little better.

See…

I sense that many PT’s get frustrated (and even stressed out!) at this whole “marketing their services” thing – even more so when they look around at their competitors who “appear” to be marketing better than they are.

But here’s the thing:

Most “marketing” efforts are ineffective and wasteful.

Done only because the business owner feels as though they HAVE to do something, just because the other PT’s around them are doing it.

And, as a general rule, there’s a “copy cat” mentality in play too.

One clinic looks across town at their competitors, see’s them advertising on TV, on the radio, appearing first in the paid for Google Ads, in newspapers or magazines, even buying up “likes” on Facebook – and feels forced to so the same.

Maybe even on a bigger scale, spending more, trying to gain the advantage.

But doing so with no real understanding of what to say (or write) in those AD’s to motivate people to respond.

And the number reason why the phone doesn’t ring as much as the business owner would like?…

Usually because they don’t know precisely “WHO” it is they’re trying to catch the attention of.

Truth is…

All successful marketing must start with a crystal clear idea of the type of person you want to see walk through your clinic doors.

In marketing terms, that’s known as identifying the “WHO” or the “Market” you’re going after.

And, is one of the three critical components that make up what I call a *Marketing Triangle* that is essential you know more about.

See, if you’re sending out postcards, trying your hand at Google Ad’s or even Facebook, you’ve got to know “WHO” it is you want to target FIRST – so that you can say the right words to motivate that specific person to take action i.e. call your clinic (and not your competitors across the street).

Want to know more about how to choose the right “WHO” and the “Marketing Triangle” that will help you solve your problem?

If so, be sure to open up the next email you get from me in a few days time where I’ll explain more on how to market to find your own patients successfully.

In the mean time…

If you have any questions for me about “marketing”, just REPLY TO THIS EMAIL and I will personally answer them for you.

Go ahead…

HIT REPLY to this email and let me know what concerns you most about marketing.

What have you tried so far?

How successful was it?

Are you frustrated by what your competitors appear to be doing successfully to market their services, and wondering why you can’t do the same?

Let me know by hitting Reply.

I read all replies and love to hear from you.

Talk soon.

Paul 😉

P.S Each week I give away just one free 45 minute strategy call to the PT’s on my email list… (note to reader: to subscribe to my email list, opt in for the free tips report at the top of the right hand side of the page).

And so if you want to finally get a grip on this “marketing” thing, and you feel as though someone like me could help you get there more quickly, then just fill out this form or Reply to this email and let me know that’s something you’re interested in.

HIT REPLY, or fill out the form to be with a chance:

– Yes! I Want To Talk To Paul About Solving My Clinics Biggest Marketing Problems >>

Marketing Ideas For Physical Therapists: Why Offending Doctors And Drug Companies Is Often Profitable

by ·

Trying to figure out this marketing game is difficult enough…

But if you’re doing it with no real idea about who you want to attract as a result of running your ad’s or messages, then it’s the equivalent of playing a marketing version of “Blind Archery”.

Which, is a very dangerous (and costly) game.

Now…

Every *marketing system* I ever devise for a PT business owner has been based on a Marketing Triangle which has just three components.

And one of them is the “WHO”.

Yet sadly, most clinic owners cannot accurately and completely describe “WHO” they want to respond (from their ads), WHO their ideal patient is, even WHO their current patients are.

At best, I usually hear, “people with back or neck pain”.

But knowing that is not enough…

Let me explain with an example from my own clinic:

Personally, I discovered that my best clients – hassle free, high paying, less likely to “no show”, arrive on time, pay up front and follow through on every one of the visits I recommended in a care plan – are, FEMALE.

What’s more…

Are aged in their mid-50’s to mid 60’s.

Married with children (and now have grandchildren who they adore), are politically “conservative”, pay using American Express Cards (rather than VISA or Mastercard) and are MORE interested in things like maintaing self worth, independence and mobility and playing with those grandchildren in the park – than they are ending “back pain”.

I even got it down to which newspaper and magazines she likes to read, what TV shows and which radio station she is more likely to be listening too…

More:

I spend so much time thinking about her and talking about her, I felt I had to give her a name – so I did, and it’s “Mary”!

And whenever I’m preparing a marketing piece to attract more “Mary’s” to my clinic…

I go so far as to look at a picture of a “best” patient of mine (called Mary) – one who accurately represents the type of person I love to work with and want to see more of.

Consequently, when I sit down to write these marketing pieces, say for a newspaper advert, I have a clear understanding of what to write that will motivate many more people like “Mary”, to respond to my message.

And that “Message” (another part of the triangle) has nothing to do with “me”, my services, how reputable I think I am, or how many years I’ve been in business.

I make NO attempt to be all-inclusive or to cast the net wide to catch as many fish as possible – like most of the guru’s will tell you to do…

Nor do I even give a minutes thought to who I might repel, even offend (usually doctors or drug companies!) when I do so either.

In fact, the more I mention those two in my ads in a negative way, the more calls I seem to get from Mary’s!

I know my prime target (the “WHO”) – and I design my “Messages” and choose my “Media” accordingly.

How about you?

What messages are you writing, where are you placing them and who are they going to?

Are you doing what most other PT’s do and making the mistake of “marketing your services”?

Or, are you writing cleverly worded messages that seek out your ideal patients by aligning your specialist services with the values of highly motivated patients…

…Ones who feel compelled to call YOUR clinic because you seem to “get them” better than anyone else?

If you’re NOT currently doing that…

Want some help to get started?

HIT REPLY to this email now and let me know what questions you have for me.

Or, if you want to talk on the phone or face to face on Skype, give me a signal in the same reply.

Be quick though…

For obvious reasons, like my own time, I can only give one free strategy call away per week.

If you think you need it, get it from me now by filling out this form:

– Yes! I’d Like To Talk To Paul About Solving My Clinics Marketing Challenges >>>

Talk soon.

Paul.

P.S Now you know about one of the components in the Marketing Triangle that is essential in your clinics success…

I’ve also mentioned the other TWO components in todays email… (Note to reader: join my email list by signing up on this webpage to get the other marketing lessons sent to you)

I’ll discuss them in much more detail, next time.

Be sure to watch for my name appear in your inbox 😉