"Do you do Facebook Ads?" the voice on the other end of the call enquired. I took a moment, inhaled, and replied "Yes, of course. How can we help?" Of course, it was a completely wrong question. The right question would have been to ask "What's the best way for me to get new clients to my physio business?"
While Facebook MIGHT be a great option, it very well might not be. Choosing your media before you know your target market and the messaging you want to put in front of that target market is a surefire way to create a "losing" marketing campaign.
Use a "marketing map" to figure out which media is best for your needs. By starting with your goal (getting new physio clients) and working your way backward through each milestone, you will inevitably be at your starting point - choosing the right media to deliver your message to the exact right audience.
In our physiotherapy owner's business, the milestone before performing the service is to book a session. The milestone before that might be to call and find out what the prospect's session options are. And so on and so on until you finally get to the MEDIA (i.e. Facebook). Therein lies the next issue - most business owner's knowledge of the media available to them is remarkably shallow. For example, when choosing media for a particular cohort, you have the following
digital options:
FOR DIRECT ATTENTION...
* Website Push Notifications
* Email Lists
* SMS Lists
* Cold Emails
* FB Groups
* Telegram
* ManyChat
* Discord
* Twitch
* FB Messenger
* ClubHouse
* Social Media DM’s
* Geotargeting
FOR ORGANIC ATTENTION…
* Your Business's Website with:
* Banners
* Top Folds
* Pop-Ups
* Blogs
* Podcasts
SOCIAL ATTENTION…
* TikTok
* YouTube
* Snapchat
* Quora
* ClubHouse
REFERRAL/AFFILIATE ATTENTION…
* ClubHouse (again)
* Guest Posting
* Assorted Media
* Webinars
* Live Streaming
* Guest Podcasting
* PR
* Incentive-Based Referral Program
* Paid Referral and Affiliate Programs
* Geotargeting
PAID ATTENTION…
* Google Ads
* Search
* Display
* Video
* Shopping
* App
* Bing Ads (Microsoft)
* YouTube
* Quora
* Amazon
* Taboola
* Snapchat
* TikTok
* Relevant Newsletters
* Geotargeting (again)
Now, this MIGHT look like an extensive list but these are all DIGITAL. There are no analog media options like direct mail, radio, or business cards on this list!
Can you decide to "run Facebook ads" and get results? Sure. But are you going to get the best results possible for the lowest cost per new physio patient acquisition? Probably not... Now maybe you can live with that and if so, that's great. you will leave yourself at risk of losing clients to more aggressive competitors that are being more targeted and deliberate with their lead-generating efforts.
Our recommendation is to first determine the "WHO" that you want to acquire as a new client. For the physio owner, a new client that has been in a car accident and is covered by insurance might be a far better client to acquire than the 59-year-old, male, weekend athlete that stubbornly still thinks they're indestructible, paying out of pocket, and likely won't do the home exercise that the therapist prescribes. (This would be me actually).
Once you know the "WHO", you can figure out the "WHAT" to say. Imagine a small text display ad that says:
"Jill's Physiotherapy. 123 Any St., Mainville. 800-555-1212"
Not very enticing is it? Estimated number of calls or new clients - ZERO. Compare that to:
"Whiplash? Home remedy reduces head and neck pain for most car accident victims. Enter your name and email to watch the 1-minute video." with a short video snippet that shows a person reaching up, touching their neck, and saying "WOW!"
This ad is a LOT more likely to get responses.
Right?
We know "WHO" and "WHAT" we're going to say to them. Now we decide "HOW" to deliver that message. If the physio owner decides that they want to find those car-accident victims, is Facebook the best media? Truthfully, probably not for getting new prospective clients into the marketing pipeline. Geotargeting local hospital emergency rooms, chiropractic offices, and autobody repair businesses could potentially give a lot more "bang-for-the-buck" if the offer is right.
Then, once the initial contact is made and the prospective client's name, email, and phone number are captured, THEN use Facebook to retarget those prospects and remind them to book a physio session.
This is a very simple example of how you can make your marketing FAR more effective. If this sounds like something that could help market your business, is there any reason not to book a complimentary 15-minute call right now?
