Can PT Learn From Podcast Marketing?

We already know I'm a big fan of podcasts. One of my most popular posts is about podcasts and I still update it every few weeks when I discover new ones. Which reminds me, it's been updated and re-posted. Here's the link: http://www.themanualtherapist.com/2016/04/are-you-listeningto-physio-podcasts.html.

One thing I've noticed after listening to a wide variety of podcasts over the past few years, is that there appears a common thread with some of their marketing and promotional strategy that perhaps PT could learn from.

Podcast hosts frequently have hosts of other podcasts on their show, which enables the guest to promote themselves and their own show and products. Very often, that guest will reciprocate and have the previous host on their show to do the same. And on it goes. I have myself discovered podcasts and books in this very way.

Here are just two examples: In December of last year, Scott Iardella (@RdellaTraining) of the Rdella training podcast had on as a guest, Danny Matta (@dannymattapt) of the Doc and Jock podcast. Later that week, The Doc and Jock podcast hosted Scott Iardella and helped him promote his new book, The Edge of Strength. Scott was able to promote his book not only on his own platforms, but others as well, which enabled him to reach an even broader audience--brilliant.

In November 2015, Mark Divine (@markdivine, @sealfit, @unbeatablemind), former Navy Seal Commander, author, founder of Sealfit.com, and host of the Unbeatable Mind Podcast had on Tom Bilyeu, CEO of Quest Nutrition (@tombilyeu, @insidequest). Just over a month later, Tom had Mark on as a guest on his show, Inside Quest. Even if there was already some overlap between the two tribes, members of each community were exposed not only to the thoughts and ideas of the other, but resources, products, and opportunities that they otherwise might not have known about.

So, can physical therapy, specifically physical therapy private practices learn from this? Jeff Moore (@jeffmooredpt) seems to think so. In an episode of #PTonICE, Jeff discussed one strategy that involved encouraging multiple small practices in a town to join together for marketing efforts and even things like journal clubs or mentoring sessions to help raise the quality of care delivered by all the providers in the area.

Jeff's thoughts on this strategy echoes what I heard Chad Madden (@MaddenPT), while a guest on the new PT Lanchpad podcast (@PTlaunchpad), refer to as "the abundance mindset." The abundance mindset basically is one that agrees that there are plenty of customers to go around. Jeff cited the recent Julie Fritz paper that noted only 7% of patients with acute LBP that presented to primary care were being referred for physical therapy. If we want to attract that other 93%, the efforts of just one PT practice in a town may not be enough. Perhaps working together to help promote the profession and educate the public is a good way to do it.

"How you market anything is how you market everything"-- Paul Gough

Traditionally, private practice PT is often just that--private. We like to keep our methods secret. The internet and especially social media has changed all that. Our profession has people like Jerry Durham (@Jerry_DurhamPT), Paul Gough (@ThePaulGough), Chad Madden, Paul Potter (@paulpotterptcom), and Jarod Carter (@DrJarodCarter), who spend a large chunk of their time promoting physical therapy and providing services to help private practices get better and become more successful.

As my colleague Eric Jorde (@EricJorde_DPT), says, "raising the level of all physical therapists helps raise the level of physical therapy everywhere." If all the groups in town that a physician refers to are good, the assumption by both the physician and the public might be that a large majority of us are good. And that can only help raise the profile of the value of PT.

Many of us bemoan the fact that we are surrounded by competition, whether it be hospitals, POPTs, large corporate PT groups, and even other private practices. But using just the back pain referrals as a model, if we are all either succeeding or just getting by on that 7%, imagine what we could do simply by doubling that number. Finding more space and more qualified therapists would become our newest problem, and that's a good problem to have!

The even bigger picture is that it's not just about our practice or business success. It's the public that will benefit the most. The more the public knows about the value of PT and what it can do not only from a traditional rehabilitation model, but also from a health/wellness/performance standpoint, the better for everyone. We can enhance peoples lives in so many ways, and that's what we can sell.

So maybe each practice doesn't have to be an island. We can help each other to help every-body.

Thanks for reading,

-Andrew

Interested in live cases where I apply this approach and integrate it with pain science, manual therapy, repeated motions, IASTM, with emphasis on patient education? Check out Modern Manual Therapy!

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