PT Classroom - Get More Physical Therapy Patients To Your Practice By Networking Like A Pro On LinkedIn ׀ by Samuel Awosolu, PT

Nowadays, when people search for a new physical therapist, they turn to social media. Unlike the telephone books we devoured in the past, social media reaches a much wider audience and incorporates patient reviews as well as an assortment of articles, tips, bios, and videos to help patients make the best choices possible for their new physical therapist. While other social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter focus more on the social aspect, LinkedIn offers a more professional medium for businesses.

LinkedIn is a fantastic way for physical therapists to gain referrals. Physical therapists can use LinkedIn to gain referrals by participating and engaging in groups that relate to the services they offer or have members who might need physical therapy services such as sports or dance groups. By engaging in conversations with members, they become familiar with your practice as well as your skills. If they find themselves in a situation in which they need a physical therapist, you will be the first one they think of.

Another thing to think about is visibility. The more "connections" you make on LinkedIn, the higher you will be placed in their search results. This can benefit you greatly! If you have been working diligently to network with other professionals and have gained quite a few connections, next time someone uses LinkedIn's search function to find a new physical therapist, you may head the list!

A great way to gain referrals is to reach out to other healthcare and medical professionals on LinkedIn. Especially in the case of physical therapists, people who are searching for a doctor to care for their injuries may be in need of more than one type of doctor. For instance, someone who has been injured in a car accident might need a general practitioner, a radiologist, and a physical therapist. If you have been networking with a healthcare professional whose patient needs physical therapy, your name and practice will be the first one they think of!

One of the best methods of advertising is word of mouth. Generally, when people search for a new physical therapist, they are likely to ask their families and friends before anyone else. Connect to your patients on LinkedIn and ask them to write recommendations for you. Their recommendations will show up on your profile page so that people who view your profile in the future will be able to see your glowing list of references.

One of the least utilized methods for attracting referrals on LinkedIn is to find local community groups on LinkedIn and sponsor their events or workshops. Every time the group advertises their event or workshop, they will mention your name or the name of your physical therapy practice. The repetition helps secure the name of your physical therapy practice in the minds of people from your community. It also may serve a second purpose. Unless the group states otherwise—such as, "Group A does not endorse this company. This is a paid advertisement,"—it serves as a recommendation. Many of the people who are at the event or workshop already support and/or trust the group holding it. Aligning yourself with that group will be evidence enough for many people to trust you and your practice as well.

The best part is that LinkedIn is still highly underutilized. By creating a LinkedIn profile before other physical therapists in your community, your practice will be the only result shown the next time someone searches for a physical therapist in your area. Consumers are more likely to choose your physical therapy practice over those without a LinkedIn profile because they will be more familiar with you and your practice.