Australia’s private physiotherapy clinics face constant pressure to grow as businesses, along with the primary task of providing world-class care for their patients. It’s quite a challenge to balance the health management and marketing needs of your practice, especially with growing competition and the possibilities offered by the Internet and social media.
The Internet? Initially, you may have viewed online media as a passing fad, but make no mistake, it has become a part of the mix for a variety of enterprises, including private health care practices. As both physiotherapist and businessperson, consider the possibilities of what an online community can do for you:
- Attract prospects and generate leads by encouraging visitor feedback and interaction on important physical movement issues you present on your physiotherapy website.
- Add new patients to your website subscriber list, who benefit from articles in your e-newsletter, share your physiotherapy and health related information with others, and gain privileged member access.
- Based on positive rehabilitation and patient experiences, as well as regular communication, earn repeat business from seniors, athletes, and others.
- Earn testimonials from satisfied customers, seminar and/or workshops attendees.
- Gain more referrals as your clinic’s reputation spreads within the local medical community, your peers, and the general population.
To further ease your entry into the social media sphere, consider using the popular microblogging platform Twitter to build a list of followers that depend on you for informative anecdotes, the latest developments in the field, and useful news feeds and links. Being connected to others ensures that you and your messages remain part of your patients’ lives outside the clinic, so vital for patient retention and referrals.
An up-to-date frequently asked questions (FAQs) list and a visitors’ comments section are other ways to gauge the pulse of your interactive community.
If you are still sceptical about the value of nurturing your own online community, just remember how Barack Obama used his frontline community organiser experience and campaign’s social media savvy to win the most powerful post in the world. Even in your physiotherapy clinic, the idea of sustaining a conversation with visitors and patients remains universal.