Is newspaper marketing a good idea for a physio business?

BelfastPhysio&Massage

Free Member
Nov 8, 2017
10
1
Hi guys,

I'm new in Belfast I've moved from London and I rented a Physio room at Paul Cooney Fitness.
I have a website and I distributed flyers around the area and now I am thinking of promoting myself in the newspapers for Christmas and New Year.
Do you know any newspaper in which I can promote my business? Does this type of advertising work?

Thank you very much for your attention.

Greetings.
 
It could work for you as you are targeting older customers. But I think that you could use your advertising budget in a more effective way than spending hundreds of pounds on a 3 inch ad space. The newspapers might boast that they have a large circulation but how can you be sure that people will actually read all the pages and find your tiny ad on page 16. I hope you understand where I want to get.

Instead of spending money on newspaper marketing, you could use the same money for doing facebook ads and google adwords. Also you could make another leaflet round.
 
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fisicx

Moderator
Sep 12, 2006
46,824
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15,460
Aldershot
www.aerin.co.uk
Do your prospective clients read newspapers? If so do they know they need a physio?

Flyers and newspapers don't offer a good ROI. Get yourself a website and start advertising online. Don't mention physio anywhere. You need to sell the benefits of fixing bad backs and wonky knees. People don't want a physio, they want to get better.
 
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28+ is not "older", at least not when you're in your 60's ;)
I would say majority of newspaper readers are more likely 50+ or older.
However, it also depends on the newspaper. The Sun readership (and age) is different from the Times which is different from the Guardian and so forth.
Short answer is that newspaper advertising can work - for the right audience.

Perhaps consider some sort of association or advertising with sports clubs or their publications.
Become their officially recognised physio.
Offer a free report on how to avoid injuries in their specific sport, or what to do about specific injuries. Include a special offer just for club members...
Do the same for other groups who might be your customers...
 
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S

Scribe Copywriting

Do you know any newspaper in which I can promote my business? Does this type of advertising work?

If you've got a good ad in the sporting pages of the local paper, you'll certainly be in the right place. One ad is rarely enough to cut it with newspaper advertising; ideally, you want consistent, continuous coverage, and that can get expensive.

You need to get top-of-mind with local people who are going to need your services ...what about doing something outside of traditional advertising, e.g. approaching a local amateur sports club and doing some sort of sponsorship deal with them? It doesn't have to be the standard thing where you purchase hundreds of rugby shirts -- it could be a donation of clubhouse first-aid kits, a water fountain with your logo on it -- whatever your budget allows.
 
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Ashley_Price

Free Member
Business Listing
How many patients have you got currently? Why not offer them a free treatment (or a percentage off a treatment) for, say, every three people they send your way and give the new patient a 10% discount as well for the first visit?

There is no better advertising than word of mouth. To give an example, because of work I did for a researcher at Oxford University, I ended up getting a large contract with an international company based in Abu Dhabi.
 
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columbo

Free Member
Jan 27, 2013
349
78
Print advertising still works and brings in a different sort of customer compared to customers from the internet. They are often more loyal.

But do not waste your money on advertising spend in Dec. People are not in the mood for buying personal services like physio. Second week in January and on wards - that is a good time to advertise.

Don't forget the power of referrals. GP offices and pharmacies refer people a lot to other health practitioners. Might be worth visiting these in Dec with a Xmas gift and some cards/flyers.
 
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O

Orla_marketing

Hello,
Here's a few suggestions:

Make the most of any communication channels available through Paul Cooney Fitness e.g.

1. Member newsletter. Do they have one? Could you get a mention on it or write an article for it? Failing that could you advertise on it?
2. Solus email to their members. This means that you pay them to send out an email to their database on your behalf. You provide the email copy/images etc to them and then they send it out.
3. Website: could you get a feature on their website? If not a feature an advertise or a link? Perhaps you could write an article for it.
4. Posters. I don't normally recommend print, because you can't track it, but I have seen posters on the back of toilet doors in gyms for other things.
5. Social media - could they share your posts or post on your behalf??
6. Pull up banner: are you allowed to have a pull up banner in the gym advertising your services?

In respect of the above, you need to do at least 3/4 of the above at the same time. Doing only one of the above isn't going to work.

Regarding newspapers, I wouldn't pay. I'd try and get a features article in local magazines. Someone else recommended an article. Are there some exercises people could do in advance of the ski season to make injury less likely?? Approach features editors of local publications.

Read a book: I'm currently reading "15 essential marketing masterclasses for your small business" by Dee Blick. The first chapter is about how to write a marketing plan.

Longer term a new trend in email marketing is to use GIFs. It looks really cool and would work really well for exercises. When I went to the NHS I just got some sheets of paper and I wasn't sure if I was doing them properly.

Hope helps,

Orla
 
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daleepc

Free Member
Nov 30, 2017
3
1
London
I would suggest a few things things:

(This assumes you already have a clear idea of what your ideal customer is like.)

For quick results:
- Advertising: I'd suggest Facebook as a starting point.
- Publicity: Write a press release announcing your launch and get it out to relevant local newspapers and websites. If your website can take bookings, include it in the release and say so because this is precisely the right call to action.
- Social Media: This is unlikely to get you immediate sales but it'll help build up your presence. Post daily to a Facebook Page and Instagram for starters. Once you have a few followers start doing live video as well. This is free!

Slower build (but very important):
- Write blog posts about your business. Use Google Keywords Planner tool (free) to try to figure out what people are searching for, so that you have the right keywords. There may be little web traffic available so you may need to look for broader terms.

Other concrete things:
- Build partnerships and offer a 'trial' or 'first-time' deal.
- Build a list of clients and offer them a deal (e.g. discount) if they can refer their friends who book.

Hope this helps.
 
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James Taylor

Free Member
Dec 1, 2017
3
0
Manchester
Hey,

Sorry if I'm a bit late to this, just wanted to note that from a publicity view, you can't go wrong with spreading your marketing efforts across several mediums. For me it all comes back to Google, so making sure you have targeted local SEO in place to effectively rank for local terms is a must.

Other than that I would consider a paid social campaign, and perhaps even PPC (budget dependent), and the other mediums you have previously mentioned.

If you're new to local SEO please drop me a message, happy to give you a few pointers :)

Cheers.
 
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Hahnbeck

Free Member
Aug 4, 2017
35
8
Spend time visiting local GPs who can refer patients to you. Explain the benefits of private physiotherapy for certain patients (faster treatment = better outcomes). Don't forget to "close" (literally ask them if they are happy to refer patients to you) - a verbal commitment makes them far more likely to actually follow through and remember to do what they have said they will do. Visit other potential referrers too, not just GPs. When they do refer patients to you, thank them and keep them updated with progress letters, out of professional courtesy. Build these relationships over time.

All of this is basically free to do.
 
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