Thanks to Twitter, I have “met” some really forward thinking, dynamic DPT Students. During a recent conversation on marketing and branding, I was impressed by Melissa Dreger’s comments, and asked her to write a guest post for me. Melissa is a DPT student at University of Pittsburg. I think you will enjoy what she has to say, and I hope that we can stimulate some great conversation again here! Take it away, Melissa: Let’s face it, as Physical Therapists we’re always talking about becoming “more marketable” or “advertising to our clients,” but how many of us actually know how to accomplish this? How many of us even know where to begin? Well, here’s a simple step-by-step process that can get you started on how to better market yourself. Number one, we need to figure out our message. In other words, what’s our story? Some typical phrases thrown out there include “movement specialists”, “restorative specialists”, or “movement analysts,” but what do all of these have in common? It’s simple: we are pain managers and ultimately help to restore mobility and to decrease cost to not only our patients but to the healthcare system as a whole (taken from the APTA website at http://www.apta.org/AboutPTs/). There are many ways to twist and turn what Physical Therapists actually do – which leads us to the problem: If one of our goals as a profession is to be autonomous in nature, shouldn’t we have ONE consistent message? It is therefore our responsibility as a physical therapist and as private practice owners to determine what our message is. We can determine this in part by asking our patients directly or through a survey “What is the value of physical therapy?” Number two, we need to be make our message simple. There’s no need to include complex […]
Read more →VALUE While Humming The Theme What do you bring to the game? Business is a game. If you’re in it to win it, then your success depends on the value that your clients see in your business. A common business adage is “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” In order to be successful, you first need to identify your particular value, and then you need to properly convey your value to current and potential clients. To successfully identify your particular value, you need to determine your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Your statement of your UVP should answer the question: WHY should your ideal customer purchase from you rather than anyone else? In order to choose you, your ideal clients must be able to quickly understand your unique value (what YOU do better than anyone else) and why it should mean something to them. More than ever, clients want relationships they can trust, relationships that add value to their lives. Your UVP defines the intrinsic worth of the service you offer your clients, and defines what they will get for their money. Your value should be such that clients not only want to return to you when they need your particular service again, but that they want to become your Brand Ambassador and your best marketing tool. Once you have determined your UVP and crafted a value proposition statement, you need to effectively communicate that value to everyone who will benefit from your services. Internally, your partners and employees need to know the company’s UVP. Every employee needs to identify with the UVP in order to be a good fit. Externally, your clients need to know your UVP. You must convey your uniqueness to your target market through an outbound message. In crafting your outbound message, keep […]
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