When running a physiotherapy practice, you want to keep the patients coming in. Digital marketing for allied health is a fantastic way to achieve this. If your first thought is, “I’m a practice manager: not a digital marketer”, that’s why we’re here. We are an allied health marketing agency that can take care of the marketing for physiotherapists.
If you’re interested in getting your allied health marketing done for you, call VIS Health on 1300 777 847. Alternatively, contact us online and we can pick up the conversation from there.
For now, let’s return to our regular programming of digital marketing and SEO for allied health professionals. Have you tried any of these five marketing ideas to boost interest in your practice?
Tip #1: Focus on location-based keywords
When a prospective patient researches a healthcare clinic, Google is often the first place they’ll look. From there, they will likely type a search term such as ‘physiotherapist near me’ or ‘physiotherapist Sydney. These search terms are what we call keywords. And these location-based keywords should bring up a plethora of physiotherapy clinics in Sydney or surrounding suburbs.
Why the focus on location? Because the location is a major determining factor when people are selecting a healthcare clinic or any type of service. They want something nearby that won’t take forever to travel to. When selecting your location-based keywords, don’t limit it to your suburb. Cast the net wider and include keywords pertaining to surrounding suburbs, too. So, if your clinic is in Sydney CBD, you might want to include keywords such as ‘physiotherapist in Woolloomooloo, ‘physiotherapist near Barangaroo, or ‘physiotherapist millers point’.
Tip #2: Write content that your patients are most likely to search for and that they understand
When writing website content, you need to keep it accessible. Remember you’re targeting physiotherapy patients, not physiotherapists themselves. As impressive as clinical jargon may sound to you, it won’t bring in the clicks and conversions. The truth is the average person won’t be searching for these terms in Google. The more common your terminology, the more likely it will be to turn up in a search. Plain English is powerful and you should use it to your advantage!
Tip #3: Encourage more Google reviews
The more Google reviews you have, the more credible your business will be. That’s why you should encourage your patients to write a Google review as soon as they’re finished with their appointment. At the reception desk, as they’re fixing up the bill, have the receptionist request a Google review then and there. It may sound pushy, but they will be a lot more likely to write the review a) with the in-person prompt and b) when the appointment is fresh in their minds. It may sound logical to send a follow-up message later that week (or day), but the allied health marketing philosophy is to strike while the iron’s hot.
A great way to encourage reviews is to include a Google Review QR Code at the reception desk. This way, patients can scan the code on the spot, which will direct them to where they need to go. This is a very effective way to build Google reviews as it adds a further aspect of immediacy to this request. It’s the closest you’re going to get to a clickable call to action in real life.
Tip #4: Share fitness tips on your website and social media profiles
Physiotherapy and fitness tend to go together. There’s even a sports-specific branch of physiotherapy. Ergo, it makes sense to fill your website and social media profiles with lifestyle and fitness tips. It shows that you not only have an active digital presence but that you’re active in your field and interested to share your findings. Your knowledge speaks to your expertise.
From an SEO perspective, you can’t go wrong with new content. The newer the content, the more likely it is to show up in a Google search. Moreover, new content encourages engagement on social media. The more social media engagement you receive, the more brand awareness you build, and the more likely it is that new users will visit your website.
Tip #5: Make sure your website and Google My Business (GMB) profile are constantly SEO-optimised
Finally, the golden rule for SEO for allied health professionals is to ensure your website and GMB profile are as easy to find as possible. This isn’t a case of setting and forgetting. This is a case of continuous improvement and research. For example, just because specific keywords are trending one month doesn’t mean they’ll be as popular the next. You need to monitor your primary and secondary keywords at least once per month and check if you should update them. The same goes for any other SEO strategies you implement. Quality visual content, for instance, is a shared necessity of websites and GMB profiles.
What do we mean by quality visual content? We mean original photos and videos from inside your clinic. Provide original images and footage and you’re giving an honest, authentic impression of your clinic. Stock photos, on the other hand, are often tacky and usually do not represent a unique brand. People may click away from your website because the photos hinder rather than help them in learning more about your clinic.
In the case of your GMB profile, you should keep your contact information up to date. GMB profiles facilitate many calls to action, so you want to ensure that they’re right. Hitting the Call button is a convenient way to skip dialing a number. But is there anything more frustrating than calling a number, only to find it’s disconnected—or, worse, incorrect? All information on your website or GMB profile should be not only findable but also accurate. Listing outdated information looks unprofessional.
SEO for allied health professionals is such a large topic that it could be a blog post in its own right. If you want to take anything from this tip, though: develop sharp SEO strategies and continue to refine them. Also, ensure that the information is accurate and something that a prospective patient would want to see or read. There’s a difference between viewing a website and sticking around longer than five seconds.
Want more information?
Like what you see? For more marketing tips for physiotherapists, why not contact an allied health marketing agency that gets it? Or, if you don’t have time for allied health marketing, we can take it off your plate altogether. In any case, give VIS Health a call on 1300 777 847 or book an appointment online. Our consultation is zero-obligation—what do you have to lose?
Running a clinic is a full-time job and then some. We’ll lighten your load and bring in new patients at the same time. SEO for allied health professionals has never been easier. Call now!
