Because You’ve Built Credibility
By Ben Montgomery, BuildPT.com*
Few marketing conversations these days are complete without a discussion about search engine optimization, or “SEO” for those in the know. This is for good reason.
Physical therapists, like nearly all other marketing professionals, are increasingly investing higher dollars toward digital marketing channels while sharing a common, transcending goal: to drive digital traffic to their websites.
Marketing is about being found, ensuring your brand shows up when people need you, and a good SEO strategy helps make this happen.
So let’s assume that your SEO efforts are successful, that you’re showing up high on pertinent local search results and people are clicking through to your website. Success, right?
Well, not necessarily.
When people connect to your website, that doesn’t mean they found what they came for. Yes, it’s great that your contact info stands out and your services are featured with prominent calls to action, but this likely also describes the websites of your fellow page-one competitors.
What is going to set you apart? Building credibility.
From a marketing perspective—and from a human perspective—building credibility is not something you can accomplish overnight.
However, ensuring your website has the proper foundation on which to build forthcoming credibility will enhance your company’s ability to communicate your message effectively. In order to demonstrate your credibility, consider including the following items on your website:
Testimonials: It’s not uncommon for credible health professionals like physical therapists to feature a web page full of testimonials. This strategy is successful, but you can be more effective by featuring some of your favorites right on the home page, perhaps in a slider with photos of the clients, which can draw greater engagement.
An active blog: One of the best ways to establish credibility is by sharing your expertise. A blog allows you to share tips and ideas regarding injury prevention, performance/life enhancement, etc. Relate these tips to activities that are important to your typical client, and prominently feature your most recent posts on your home page.
In the news: Sharing a piece of your professional selves is one thing; it’s a higher level of credibility entirely when someone in your local media objectively positions you as an expert in your field. So any time you are acknowledged in your local news, whether a newspaper article, a radio interview, or a TV segment, display this on your home page—with links.
Community efforts/partners: It’s said that “It takes a village,” and often this applies to operating a successful private practice. If you work with a local cycling and/or running club, sponsor a local fundraiser, or provide services and support for local sports teams, make sure this is reflected on your website.
Featured events: Do you host community talks or workshops? Does your clinic offer health or fitness classes, or host other medical professionals (i.e., nutritionists, occupational therapists, etc.) in-house? Keep your calendar of events prominent as a way of demonstrating your clinic is not only there to help individual clients but also the community at large.
Ben Montgomery is a former journalist who applies years of copywriting and message development experience toward serving physical therapists through www.BuildPT.com, the marketing services arm of Vantage Clinical Solutions, which serves private practice clinicians with content marketing and web development solutions. He can be reached at ben@buildpt.com.
*This author has a vested interest in this subject.