Because You Made Them Smarter Sports Fans

By Ben Montgomery, BuildPT.com*

Establishing credibility with consumers is difficult without engagement—without having discovered a way to interact with people that establishes your credibility and conveys a sense of value for the physical therapy profession.

Fortunately, nearly all private practice physical therapists have the tools to easily connect with a large and particularly passionate group of people, a population that is always eager to engage with and reward experts in the field of movement.

I’m talking about sports fans.

Your typical sports fan is already eager to consume information not just about sports and competition, but about what makes the best athletes in the world. Often in awe of the athletic potential of the human body, sports fans are already in awe of the feats of professional athletes.

And when injuries happen, they want perspective not just about how long someone’s “out” but about the rehab process, how particular injuries may have been prevented, and what possible outcomes can be expected.

Competitive sports make an ideal entry point into deep discussions of the musculoskeletal system, and how physical therapy fits in to make the body work and compete on a higher level.

So, armed with a social media account and your own professional knowledge, take advantage of this national human passion for sports to create conversations with potential clients. Here’s how:

• ID a story. Identify a sports story in the news that discusses an aspect of an athlete’s musculoskeletal system in relation to an injury.
• State your perspective. Feature the story on your clinic’s social media account, along with your professional take on, what an injury like this means to the athlete, how it may have been prevented, and/or what kind of rehab process or surgical intervention or outcome the typical athlete in that position may face.
• Ask questions and seek comments. Don’t just talk at your audience. Ask if any of your followers/readers have experienced a similar injury, or have gone through a similar recovery, and see if they’re willing to share their perspective.
• Link to your website. Whether it’s to your blog or a service page on your website, share a link back to your clinic’s site where readers can find out more information about, postoperative rehab, injury prevention, athletic enhancement, etc.

*The author has a vested interest in this subject.