We’ve already discussed how to get started with blogging for your physical therapy and rehab practice.
Today, we’re walking you through the ins-and-outs of email marketing strategy for PT, OT, SLP, and multi-specialty therapy practices, so that you can drive engagement with both current and potential patients!
Defining Your Email Marketing Strategy for PT and Rehab
Similarly to blogs, you’ll want email campaigns to deliver information to targeted groups of people (preferably buyer personas) as well as promote content that is both educational and engaging. However, what makes emails and blogs differ is that most often, email audiences have performed an action to provide their contact information.
Whether it’s because they were an existing customer or a prospect lead that filled out a contact form, these people have expressed interest, whereas blog viewers are generally gained through public awareness.
Design: Make Your Emails Visually Appealing
Once you have strategized your messaging, identified your audience and mapped out a campaign, the next step is to prioritize the visual format by designing a template that adheres to your practice’s style guidelines.
HTML email design is specifically beneficial for this purpose, allowing you to create dynamic, engaging email content that not only speaks to your audience but allows them to experience your brand first-hand.
Here are some tips on how to avoid lengthy or boring emails:
- Avoid excessive scrolling by condensing your content to 2 – 3 paragraphs max.
- Capture your viewers’ attention with eye-catching email headers and visuals.
- Break up your text with graphics or bulleted lists and leverage call-to-actions (CTAs).
- Use headlines that are straight to the point and highlight important details.
Business Intelligence: Dive Into Your Data
We can’t emphasize enough the importance of measuring your campaign’s health by tracking the readability, open rate and click through performance of the actual email content. If you’re new to marketing through email it will largely be trial and error at first, that’s why A/B testing is a great way to experiment new tactics as well as discover what works or what doesn’t, so that you can get the most value out of your campaigns.
Campaign Paths: Create Content With Purpose
For both blogging and email marketing, always be sure to connect each piece of content to a strategic purpose or resource! Once you have solidified your approach, ensure that your email is accompanied with at least one referential link to your website and/or social media accounts, so that you can improve your chances of conversion through increased organic traffic.
For example, if you are a therapy practice and have written a blog on the importance of morning stretches, it would be smart to promote your website if you have a relevant video or landing page regarding stretching. You could even add an appointment link at the bottom of the page for anyone who may be interested in seeking your services.
Later on, if you decide to create another campaign that relates back to stretching, your email should link to any of your previous content that may be topically similar or prove helpful. Why? Because in case the reader isn’t interested in the promoted event or attached CTA, this tactic will help reduce unsubscribes and prevent bounced contacts by providing an additional route of engagement.
💯 Practical Advice
Check out these guides from Hubspot on Email Strategy, Mailchimp on running a successful Email Campaign, and MailerLite on Email Marketing for Healthcare Providers.
Provide Value: Multi-faceted Emails
While linking to your own internal content is recommended, you should also provide links to external sources that not only enable multiple streams of value to your audience, but increase your credibility with information from trustworthy references.
Read the Guide:
A Roadmap for Effective, Patient-Centered Marketing
