Continuing with the theme of my last post, let’s take a look at your website’s homepage and discuss a tactic I use to convert visitors into patients (or at least compel them to look further into my site and not bounce to another).
A successful strategy for a private physical therapy practice homepage
The marketing technique that I have found successful for my Clinic’s Homepage goes something like this:
- Get the visitor answering “yes” to carefully crafted questions about potential problems/pain they are dealing with.
- Create an emotional association with that problem (ex: the pain is keeping them from doing things they love).
- Then inform them that you have an answer to their problem (sounds pretty similar to the About Page strategy, right?).
Some keys here are:
- Keep it Short and Simple – As a whole, the homepage should not be cluttered with tons of options and text. Not many people will read multiple long paragraphs on a homepage. They need to be hooked quickly and asked to complete your desired action, which leads to #2.
- Make sure you have a Call to Action (ex: “Call us now …” “See our testimonials …” “Click here to receive more info …” etc)
Optimize your homepage with video
Another way to really maximize the impact of your homepage is to use video. People love video and I’ve seen a number of studies that show it to produce far greater conversion rates than text and static images alone. (Aside: “conversion” simply means that the visitor completes a desired action … giving an email, clicking a link, etc)
Consider a short, professionally done introductory video on your Homepage which follows the above principles … Get them to answer a few “yes” questions and tell them how your practice will solve their pain/injury issues. Connect the idea of solving their pain with imagery of activities/goals that your prospective patients are likely to have (ex: running without pain, working out hard, picking up their child with ease, etc). Finish with a call to action: “Call us now…” or “Click above to explore this site and see why so many people choose _____ for their Physical Therapy needs,” etc.
I italicized “professionally done” above because this is definitely not a place to use a home-made style video. That’s okay when shooting treatment before/after videos, etc… but on the homepage of your site, a poor-quality video can turn people away rather than compelling them to set an appointment.
Get them saying “yes” to your messages
I’m sure there are plenty of marketing professionals who would suggest approaches other than those described above for homepages. However, the technique of getting people to answer “yes” to specific questions and offering a solution to the problem/emotions evoked by those questions is widely used, and for good reason.
What are some marketing techniques you use on your site that you know create new patients for your business?
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Hi Jarod,
Have you seen any research on whether it makes a difference if the professionally produced video features actual patients and therapists of the company vs “models?” I’m always curious if potential patients want to see the “model” or “ideal-looking” person in these types of videos vs seeing “real folks” actually being treated in the actual facility.
I have anecdotally heard patients say both – some like to see the “ideal” person in the video, as they are drawn in by wanting to look and perform like that person, where other patients are turned off by that, and (consciously or subconsciously) feel that since they probably will never look like that, then your facility is not for people like them (average body type, maybe overweight, out of shape, older, non-athlete, etc).
I suppose that it depends on the type of client you want to “draw” into your practice, right? If you specialize in the elite athlete, and you’re in Hollywood as this practice is, then you want everyone to look like a model/elite athlete….. if you specialize in treating the average person who exercises 2-3 times a week and wants to be able to play with their kids or grandkids, then you would have a very different promo video…. Just thinking out loud…any thoughts?
Thanks for useful info!
Ann
Hey Ann,
Great question but I think you answered it before I had a chance 🙂 I have had a similar response when I’ve asked my patients the same thing … some are compelled by people they can really relate to, and some are are drawn in by images of what they want to become.
After searching a bit, I found this blog post that has some interesting findings related to this topic: http://www.marketingexperiments.com/blog/general/stock-images-tested.html
Of course this was a case study. I don’t know of any big, well-designed research on this exact question though it may be out there somewhere.
I would say, like the link above, that your video/images should have a level of familiarity and relevance to your typical patient population (which is hopefully already the type of patient you want to attract).
Thanks for the question!