Thinking About Physical Therapy Blogging? Watch Out for These 4 Common Mistakes When Hiring a Writer

Physical Therapist have chosen their professional career path because they want to take care of patients.  You’ve spent years investing in education grad school, fellowship training, con-ed galore and there’s no question you are the specialist in relieving their patients’ pain.   Why would PTs ever want to trade the fruits of their labor  (i.e. billing for patient care), and instead, start physical therapy blogging?

Sure it might seem fun at first, but keep in mind the importance of getting it right. Writing your practice’s blog is a specialty of its own.  It represents who you are, and how you would like your patients to perceive you. In the Adage of today, it is a key component to your total marketing campaign.  It should not be underestimated.

Once a practitioner understands the significance of his/her blog (i.e. communicating your value and expertise to your community), it often becomes clear that hiring a professional writer might be their best bet.  If this is an avenue that you would like to pursue, consider the following 4 biggest mistakes that can be made, before hiring someone to manage your blog.

First common mistake: Taking the cheapest route available.

What is the saying?  If you are going to do something, do it right.  In the case of physical therapy blog writing it is imperative to get it right, too much is at stake to just wing it.  This is a marketing component that needs total commitment once you embrace the need to blog.

Remember your ultimate goal, letting your patients know what your practice represents.  Having a poorly written blog can say “I don’t really care about the end result. I just need to get this done.”  Your patients are smart, and they are critiquing your message and how well it is written. Does it provide information that is meaningful and well researched.  Is this information unique? Does it entice the reader to want to find out more?

It’s ok to be mindful of your budget, just keep in mind the importance of what is being accomplished here.  Consider reworking where your dollars are spent, if you are not impressed by what your budget is is able to offer.

Second Mistake often made:  Not looking at your PT blogger’s portfolio.

Your blog writer needs to have the experience and capacity to understand exactly what it is you would like your patients to take away from each blog.  Is your future writer knowledgeable enough to communicate the overall philosophy of the practice, the issues you find to be important, and the personality you would like conveyed?  If your office is fun, warm and caring, a heartless message about the newest scientific studies may not be the style you are looking for.

Even if all the grammar, and spelling is perfect the message can get lost in the boredom of the delivery.  An experienced writer can adapt well to whatever the message is. Sometimes that requires seriousness and sometimes being a little playful.  Find someone who offers you versatility.

This is your time to do some research.  Ask for sample writings of what they have done for other clients.   Check out their online portfolios and be sure to ask for a sample writing of what they can do for you.  

Third mistake often made:  Not spending the time to establish goals and setting a workflow process.

You have found an author who seems to be a perfect fit for you and your practice, now you can sit back and keep your eyes on your patients, SORRY not yet.  There is still some work ahead. You and your future writer need to sit down together and map out your expectations of what it is you wish to accomplish. Plan out a series of physical therapy topics, and how they will fall into a calendar of blog releases.  Discuss the tone each one should convey, and what sort of images, if any, you would like used.

Together create a blog marketing strategy with your wants and specific directions, so your author can refer back to your discussions. Establish deadlines of when you expect each blog article, and the process of proofreading before publishing.  This roadmap should discuss both your needs and your authors, preventing frustration on both ends. By setting guidelines and strategies you will both be able to focus on what you do best. You can keep your attention to your patients, your writer can develope amazing article to wow your patients.

Last mistake to watch out for:  Developing and maintaining your relationship.

Never take it for granted that you and your author are doing just fine.  Along with your blogging roadmap, set quarterly appointments to come together and touch base with how things are going. What are the things you feel positive about? What areas would you like to see grow? You should take a look at your scheduled post and see if they are still pertinent?  Maybe there is something in the news lately you would like to address, or there is a buzz about a new service that your clinic is offering. This is the time to keep on topic, aligned with your marketing strategy, which when written up correctly, can give the community you serve the right perception…that you are on the cutting edge of your industry.

Providing great content is what E-rehab.com specializes in.  We provide physical therapy blog posts for patients that are about the value of physical therapy and are regularly posted on your website, and consistently present the value of seeing a physical therapist first.  

If you’d like more information, contact us for details about E-rehab can help you with your physical therapy blogging.

Additional References

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/outsource-blog/

 

Responsive Physical Therapy Websites – E-rehab’s New G5 Platform

We are pleased to offer physical therapy responsive websites.  Websites developed by E-rehab.com are even better with our advanced G5 development platform. Built on top of the WordPress infrastructure, they are screaming fast, extensible, and highly customizable. Today, I want to share with you one of the very important features of our new G5 platform…our responsive, mobile optimized websites. Why does this matter? Take a look at your website analytics. You’ll notice 25-40%+ of your website traffic is coming from mobile devices. It’s critical that all PT private practices have responsive mobile website… one that is not only optimized for smartphone screens but is also optimized for physical therapy patients. You see when a patient looks you up on their smartphone, chances are, they want to contact you right now. You want to make sure that your website has the right technology. You need what we call quick access buttons. Here’s an example. Notice quick access buttons right on the home screen of the mobile optimized website. They are highly visible, designed for the specific actions that physical therapy patients commonly take, and make it faster and easier for patients to:
  • Tap once to call you,
  • Find you on Google or Apple Maps,
  • Request an appointment,
  • Follow you on Facebook, and
  • Even review your practice online.
Does this really matter. The answer is yes. We’ve tracked over 250,000 calls, calls appointment requests, Facebook actions, and Maps request from our physical therapy mobile optimized websites. The calls are often from patients that are ready to come in for treatment. Don’t miss out on new patients that are trying to contact you. Let us help.  You can see several examples of our responsive designs by clicking here. Call E-rehab.com today for a free consultation. You can reach us at (760) 585-9097. We hope to hear from you soon.

Physical Therapy Marketing Online – The Total Online Presence

In this post, I would like to share with you a little bit about what a total online presence is. I describe these key components because these are the basic online technologies that new, existing, past patients and even referral sources will engage with.

So, what exactly is a total online presence for a physical therapy practice?

Number 1

You must check on page 1 of Google especially in the maps listings. Are you there? That’s step one of a total online presence. SEO or search engine optimization is the strategy that is required to rank your physical therapy website on page one of Google, Bing, and well, Yahoo. Yahoo doesn’t matter much anymore.

Number 2

you need to have a five star reputation so you convert people that are looking at you online in the patients. Having a 5-star reputation is a great way to differentiate yourself from the big-box companies, POPTS, and hospital systems.

Number 3

you need a great looking, fast, and responsive website that looks just as good on a desktop as it does a tablet and smartphones.

Number 4

you also need video. Video helps you build authority and trust and allows you to deliver the key message that you want patients to know. Video gives people confidence that you are more engaged in their needs too.

Number 5

you need an e-mail marketing system that will welcome patients, allow them to download their paperwork, thank them for choosing you, and send monthly newsletters that creates both goodwill and gets patients to come back to you next time they need care.

Number 6

you need to create social network properties like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Foursquare, and Instagram. Then you need content and a social media marketing platform to post your content on these social properties.

Number 7

you need to be advertising online. Pay-per-click advertising can be a great way to generate leads for your practice especially in niche markets like TMJ treatment, vestibular rehab, women’s health, and balance rehabilitation to name a few.

If you have questions give us a call at (760) 585-9097

Physical Therapy Patient Marketing: Setting the Right Mood in Your Online Content

physical therapy patient marketing

Physical therapy patient marketing is a process that probably sounds challenging if you think you can’t set yourself apart from your competitors. Maybe you’re feeling like you’re just blending in with all the other physical therapy clinics in your town or city rather than looking unique enough. Even if you don’t have anything overly innovative to offer compared to your competitors, it doesn’t mean you can’t stand out from the crowd.

Your key to success is putting yourself in the shoes of the prospective patient and providing what you’d expect if seeking out physical therapy for the first time. Much of this comes in setting the proper mood rather than attempting to look superior to someone else.

Never underestimate the value of communicating compassion, clinical excellence, and using video as the marketing medium, when promoting your practice on your website, on social media, or other online properties. The reason these qualities are important to share is because first-time clients are nervous and often don’t know what to expect. Ultimately, you can name two places where clients are probably the most uptight: Law firms and medical clinics.

If someone doesn’t know what to expect from you, you can gain trust by showcasing compassion and clinical excellence to you help those prospective patients feel better before they even come in for their initial evaluation.

Sharing the Message of Compassion & Caring

Utilize positive feelings in all of your web content and social media marketing, which includes elements of smiling. Yes, with medical proof of how smiling affects moods, showcasing pictures and happier content makes a big difference in how a new patient perceives you.

You’ve no doubt seen other medical sites post pictures of people smiling as a header on content. It’s worth doing the same thing, if at least keeping your tone positive in the information you present. Avoid talking about procedures or illnesses, because you may want to showcase information about your techniques in a more visual way later.

Part of this positive mood should include humor. This can sometimes be a tricky balancing act, especially in a serious subject like physical therapy. Be sure not to act cavalier in your humor when talking about a serious health problem. Light humor is the best path to take when it’s appropriate.

Some of this lighter humor works well in entertaining infographics where you can rib the process of going to a clinic for the first time as a meta form of calming nerves.

Trust comes from Clinical Excellence

You also want to prove that your clinicians are extremely knowledgeable about what they do they and understand the latest innovations. Providing information that’s valuable and accurate is what many patients want.

The information you provide should always be consistent with the current best health reserach. Let your visitors know you’re providing exclusive care only those in the physical therapy community know about. Be sure to back up the information using links to renowned medical journals so you bring validity and trust.

Keep in mind that when you’re providing medical content, a sure sign of intelligence is making it easy to understand for the masses rather than using confusing medical jargon.

Brand Yourself as the Best with Video

Videos continue to be a powerful influence in marketing campaigns. Whether it’s an emotional testimony about why you started your physical therapy practice, showing procedures being done in real-time, or satisfied patients,  video helps build trust and a better understanding of what physical therapists do.

Transparency definitely help to attract the patients you are targeting your videos with.

Contact us here at E-rehab.com and we’ll help you create effective content for your physical therapy practice. We’ll find the right mood you need in your content based on your personal approach to patients.

Physical Therapy Blogging – E-rehab in the Top 50

We are honored to be recognized as one of the Top 50 physical therapy blogs by Feedspot.com .

 

I thought this would be a good time to talk a bit about physical therapy blogging.

I see a lot of PT blogs and most of them die a rapid death.

The owner/practice marketer realizes that it takes a lot of time to create quality blogs post on a regular basis.

Others that blog on an ongoing basis don’t seem to have the strategy of “blogging with purpose”.

Blogging with purpose means creating blog post that are:

  1. full of quality information that visitors to a PT website might find useful,
  2. original content that isn’t copied from some other website or a graphic someone grabbed from Pinterest,
  3. representative of the services you provide (no point in blogging about personal training if you don’t do it),
  4. optimized for the search engines.
  5. good content to be shared on your social media properties

Too many times I see blog posts that aren’t original, don’t have the target audience in mind, and simply wouldn’t be of interest to physical therapy patients.

Ask Yourself These Questions…

When marketing, Dan Kennedy says you need to fulfill three requirements: market, message, media and they must match.

There are three main keys to your success in Magnetic Marketing.

  • Message: Without the right message, you are going to be in trouble. Most people do not have a well-crafted message…
  • Market: The second thing is making sure you are actually marketing to the right people..
  • Media: The third piece of the triangle is media. You need to have the right message and it has to be delivered to the right market via the right media.

Think of it as a triangle with message, media and market at each corner. All three of these must be working together synergistically for you to get the greatest impact that you can from your marketing  

Reference: https://dankennedy.com/images/PDF/MagneticMarketing_FR.pdf

Summarizing the Concepts of Physical Therapy Blogging

  1. Make sure you are writing for a specific audience that can use your PT services.
  2. Make sure you message is value-packed and entices people to take the next step in your funnel.
  3. Make sure you are using the right media…blogging can be the right media to use especially if your posts rank on the search engines.
[note_box]NOTE: a good example of a blog post that you might want to write is a post with the title: Lower Back Pain Treatment in *Your City*.  If this post ranks on Google, then people that are looking for lower back pain treatment in your area just might read it and take the next step, i.e. call you.[/note_box]

Looking for someone to blog with purpose for your practice?  Give us a call at (760) 585-9097.

Responsive Physical Therapy Website Designs from E-rehab

responsive physical therapy website designs

E-rehab.com is proud to announce its new offering – fully responsive physical therapy website designs.

Physical Therapy Websites for All Screen Sizes

What is a responsive website design?  Smashing Magazine defines it as follows:

“Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation. The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media.”
Reference: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/01/guidelines-for-responsive-web-design/

For Smartphones

A responsive website is one that automatically responds to the size of the device that is requesting it.  In other words, if a smartphone user visits an E-rehab responsive website, it will be sized and optimized for an exceptional experience on that user’s smartphone.

Unlike other mobile optimized websites, E-rehab applies Quick Access Technology to site designs and development.  This allow patients to quickly find the links and actions they are interested in like:

  • Click to Call,
  • Map a Practice Location,
  • Social Media functions, Quick Appointment Request,
  • and more.

For Tablet & iPad Users

If a tablet or iPad user visits an E-rehab responsive website, the website will automatically resize and reformat itself for an exceptional user experience on the tablet.

 

For Desktop Computer Users

Likewise, if a desktop computer user visits the web address of an E-rehab website, the desktop version is displayed.

An E-rehab responsive website provides prospective and current patients with the best user experience thereby increasing the likelihood that the visitor will pick up the phone and call the practice or submit a digital appointment request through our specialized and secure appointment request system (no other provider offers this at our price point).

The Latest in Web Design and Development Technology at an Affordable Price for Any Physical Therapy Practice

To learn more about how we can help you out, give us a call at (760) 585-9097.

What Sets Us Apart from the Rest?
Almost 15 Years of Experience, PT Owned, and We Do All the Work for You so You Can Treat Your Patients and Run Your Practice!

Physical Therapy Local SEO – The Keys to Ranking Well

physical therapy seo
For small businesses, showing up on the first page of Google is a must – showing up in the Google 3-pack, local stack, or snack pack can be the difference between significant new business and merely surviving.

For example, one client of mine Metro Physical Therapy, used to show up for the search physical therapy Garden City .  They reported that during some months a significant percentage of their business came from patients finding their listing on Google, seeing the great reviews, and then calling them.  Unfortunately, with recent changes to the Google algorithm, their rankings in the local stack have slipped.

SEO is a Fluid Process – Google is Always Changing

All Google services change as Google finds ways to make search better and, yes, to make more money.

As such, they are always updating their search algorithm that determines which position your website ranks at for a given search phrase.  Over the years, there have been names given to their algorithm updates – Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, Pigeon, and Opossum (hence the animals in the graphic above 🙂

There are a handful of factors that Google uses to decide which physical therapy websites to show when a person searches for “physical therapy town name” (e.g. physical therapy in Garden City).

While we have previously shared our thoughts on reviews, today I want to talk about the keystone of local search engine listings – a Google My Business Page (GMB page).

There’s a lot of recent news about the GMB page and its disassociation with Google+, but for now GMB page data is still vital information that feeds to Google Maps and even in some of the experimental versions of the results that people see in the on a live search results page.  Components of a GMB page, such as ratings and reviews, will continue to be important and a ranking factor.

The presence of the Google Maps data, also in mobile searches, makes GMB page data increasingly important for most local physical therapy practices. I have a client in 60% of their current traffic on mobile devices such as iPhones and Android phones.

Make no mistake about it.  The combination of Google My Business data and the number of patients that do mobile search can have a significant impact on your practice.  Survey companies like ComScore recently reported that 78 percent of local-mobile searches resulted in an immediate offline purchase.

There’s little chance of showing up for local searches unless you claim and optimize your GMB page first.

A little Google My Business housekeeping

There’s a pretty good chance that you have a Google My Business page that already exists in the Google My Business database of local businesses.

  • Last but not least, believe it or not, we’ve found that one way (sometimes only) way to interact with Google My Business is via Twitter – that’s right – put your questions and requests in here: https://twitter.com/GoogleSmallBiz

Now that we’ve discussed a few housekeeping points (some people do have a number of duplicates), let’s get to the optimization process.

Optimizing Your Physical Therapy Google My Business Page

So, you found your page and now you are ready to make it as good as possible to improve your chances of ranking as well as provide appropriate data for Google Maps and most important, for prospective patients that are looking for you.

Here are some things you should consider:

  • Are Name, Address, and Phone the same (exactly) as you have on your website?
  • Is the category precise – i.e., Physical Therapy Clinic, Physical Therapist, etc.
  • Have you written a keyword rich description?
  • Is your website listed in the profile?
  • Have you added relevant images of the outside of your business, inside, and some action photos?

Here are some cool ideas to set up your Google My Business page up the way they suggest.

Some more advanced options

Beyond the points stated above, there are some other specific ways that you can optimize your GMB page.  Before you dive into these, make sure that you have the basics in place as noted above.

  • Consider adding a Google Street View Tour of your business. Google is pushing this as it adds an incredible verification and trust element for them. Here’s an example of one we did for a local vet clinic – it’s on their home page.
  • Update images with fresh, hi-resolution images. Google will compress them as needed, but they will look much better. You can and should feature hi-res logo, exterior shots, interior shots, staff and behind the scenes work. Here’s a detailed guide to images from Google.

Are you too busy to take the time to figure all of this out yourself?

Do you have questions about your specific practice? If need some help fixing your online GMB page, you might consider one of our packages here.  For an extra fee, we can sort everything out for you.

The basics of SEO often aren’t that complex, but sometimes it makes sense to get a pro involved. After all, optimizing directory profiles over treating patients usually isn’t the best use of a PT’s time.

Either way, if you keep up your local SEO efforts and implement our tips along the way, pretty soon when someone searches for physical therapy in your neighborhood, they’ll find your practice.

 

Thanks to Our Customers – 14 Years of Physical Therapy Marketing

Just a quick thank you to our customers.  We were just awarded the “People Love Us on Yelp” Award!

BIZM_20161031_PLUOY_IGFeed_1080x1080

This January marks the official 14-year anniversary of E-rehab.com too.  

E-rehab-Team-1 E-rehab-Team-2

 

A huge thank you to our PT customers, vendors, and consultants we work with!

 

 

 

Blueprint: More Physical Therapy Referrals from Physicians

There is a systematic way to generate more referrals from physicians.  Here’s the simple blueprint we’ve used to generate more physical therapy referrals from doctors:

physical therapy marketing - generating more physical therapy referrals from doctors
Blueprint on How to Generate More PT Referrals from Physicians

Video Marketing – It’s Within Reach of All Physical Therapy Private Practices

This is a short post but I wanted to share a few ways that physical therapists can leverage video:

Reputation Videos – create a video to feature the five-star service that you provide at your practice.

Expert Interviews – share what makes you different from your competition, in a video.

Patient Video Testimonials – written ratings and reviews are powerful, but patient video testimonials are also useful and authentic.

Video is easy, affordable, and a great way to get the message out to your community.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to email me at dave@e-rehab.com or give us a call at 800-468-5161.

How to Add Your Physical Therapy Practice to Apple Maps

There are a number of different ways to increase the visibility of your physical therapy practice throughout the Internet, and one of the most effective moves you can make is to have it listed on various navigation sites like Apple Maps Connect. Adding your practice to Apple Maps and other sites will make it easier for prospective patients to locate you in their area and find information regarding your services that can lead them to becoming a new patient.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to adding your physical therapy practice to Apple Maps Connect:

1. Perform a Google Search for ‘Maps Connect’ 

a

Using the Google search feature, type in the term “Maps Connect,” hit enter, then click on the first search result: https://mapsconnect.apple.com/.

2. Enter Your Apple ID and Password

b

Enter your Apple ID and password in each of the designated tabs and hit enter. If you don’t have an Apple ID, click below where it says “Create one.” You will then be taken to another page to create a free Apple ID, which is a brief process that only requires some basic information like your name, birthdate and creating a few security questions.

3. Click ‘Add My Business’ 

c

After you’ve entered your Apple ID or created a new one, the next page will prompt you to begin the process of adding your practice.  To start, click where it says “Add My Business.”

4. Agree to the Terms of Use

d

Before adding your practice, you’ll need to agree to Apple’s Terms of Use. Read through the terms, tick the box that reads “I have read and agree to these terms of use,” and click “Agree.”

5. Search to See if Your Practice Has Already Been Added

e

There’s a chance your practice may have already been added to Apple Maps. To see if it’s been added yet, enter the name and location of your practice and then click “Search.”

6. Select Your Practice (If it’s Found)

f

If your practice appears in the search results, click on the business name to be prompted to the next page.

7. Claim Your Practice

g

On the next page, click “Claim This Business” on the upper right hand of the page.

8. Add Your Practice (If it’s Not Found)

p

If your practice doesn’t show up in the search results, click “Add New Business” on this page.

9. Enter Details for Your Practice

h

The next page will have you enter some details about yourself and your physical therapy practice. If your practice was already added, there may be some details entered in to begin with. If not, you will have to enter all of these details yourself.

10. Confirm Your Address

i

Apple Maps will search for the address you entered and ask you to confirm it if so that it matches the specific coordinates on their map. Click “Use Address” for the most accurate address for your practice.

11. Verify Your Phone Number

j

After you enter your primary business phone number, Apple Maps will need to send a PIN code to that number. When you’re ready, click “Call Me Now,” and they will call the designated phone number with the appropriate PIN code. Enter this code when prompted.

12. Confirm Your Business Location

k

Using a satellite image of the area surrounding your practice, drag the red pin to your building and drop it closest to the door that patients should use to enter. Once it’s dropped on the proper location, click “Continue.”

13. Enter Your Business Hours

l

Confirm the days and hours your practice is regularly open each week. When you’ve completed this section, click “Continue.”

14. Add More Details 

m

The next page will ask you to enter additional details about your practice. If you have a website, Facebook page, Yelp page or any other sites connected to your practice, enter the appropriate websites here. When finished, click “Continue.”

15. Submit Your Profile

n

Once you have successfully and accurately entered all of your information onto Apple Maps, click “Submit Now.”

16. You’ve Got a Apple Maps Listing!

o

That’s it! Once you submit your listing to Apple Maps, it will be automatically added to the site. Patients will now have an even easier time finding your practice when performing a search in their local area.

[titled_box title=”Contact Us for Additional Guidance”]If you have any additional questions on the process of adding your practice to Apple Maps Connect or would like some other help with your website, E-Rehab is here to help. Contact us today to see what we can do improve your web presence and ensure that you’re getting the most out of all your online efforts[/titled_box]