Many think marketing and advertising are dirty words, especially for physical therapy and other professional services. Maybe that is why some physical therapy marketing service firms like to call themselves “practice” or “business” development consultants. Essentially, in the physical therapy industry, these firms provide advice on communication to prospects, patients, and other professionals using websites, sales training, ads, letters, and other materials. Go ahead and call it something else, but it’s hard to deny the fact that it’s also called marketing and advertising. To us, this is an important distinction, because if you don’t strip away the disguise, you can’t see the plethora of options you really have for educationg your prospects through marketing and advertising.

If you are reluctant to consider advertising, then you will have a hard time finding a way to communicate with a large number of prospects systematically. Without being exposed to indications for physical therapy, many people will make their decision about treatment options without considering you. For example, before we learned more about physical therapy from our clients, we just assumed it was something you do only when a doctor tells you to. So how do you share in the responsibility of educating the public and other professionals about the benefits of physical therapy?

Your options are:

  • do nothing and wait for your competitors to do it for you (this might sound good, but they end up positioned in front of you to enjoy the benefits),
  • do it yourself (who has the time or the professional expertise?),
  • hire an ad agency or PR firm (they will learn about what you need on your dime), or
  • find an “industry” solution.

Regardless of which option you chose, rule number one is not to trust anyone with your marketing until you have your own philosophy, vision, and goals in place. If you haven’t already, take some time to refine your marketing philosophy. Learn from experts by reading marketing articles, news reports, and books. To start, you can take advantage of the free resources offered on our website for marketing management.

You can also see our schedule of free physical therapy marketing webinars, preview videos, and other free resources at www.PTreferralMachine.com/free_resources.

The process of soaking all this up will fill your head with the basic principles that shape your marketing philosophy. Now you can compare agencies that best fit with your philosophy. Or, as a shortcut, see our list of The Six Essentials to actually execute good marketing on a limited budget at

Why is the PT Referral Machine an Obvious Choice?

  • Speed to Market (Is 30-60 days fast enough?)
  • Ease of Implementation (We do it for you)
  • Affordability (Starting at only $395/month plus setup fee)
  • Return on Investment (Tracked results to insure your marketing investment is producing cash rather than draining your bank account).

Four Ailment Module Marketing programs offer a full range of choices serving even the smallest practice budget – Basic, Standard, Premium, and Platinum. See our program and pricing chart at www.PTreferralMachine.com/program_pricing.