How to attract repeat business

Competing for the attention of new clients is never easy, especially in the healthcare industry.

Physio practices can get caught in the stress of constantly trying to acquire new clients while forgetting about the ones they already worked hard to attract. This is a common issue in most businesses despite the fact that it can cost 7x more to acquire a new client than it does to retain an existing one.

Accordingly, smart practice owners should skew their marketing efforts towards retaining clients rather than acquiring them. So what can you do to ensure your existing clients are coming back time and time again?

Here are three simple ideas that are low cost but can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line.

1. Build loyalty through personal connection.

If you want loyal clients, you need to build trust which means you will have to earn it. But that doesn’t mean it will cost a lot either. Clients often need health care when they are in a vulnerable position both physically and emotionally. This is your opportunity to provide outstanding care and to show your clients that you are invested in their health. One way to show this is make follow-up calls after their consultation. Not only does the show you are committed to them, it also provides you the feedback required to determine the effectiveness of your treatment but also allows the opportunity to offer valuable advice and possibly book another appointment. These small, personal touchpoints go a long way to demonstrating that you care. And as the saying goes, People don’t care what you know until they know you care. Best of all, this won’t require major physical or financial resources to accomplish apart from your small commitment in time.

2. Provide an outstanding service.

Delivering outstanding service is a sure fire way to get clients return to your practice but it’s not just the quality of your physio service that matters. Clients take into account the treatment they receive from the moment they first set foot inside your front door to the time they walk out. Everything from the smell, lighting, décor, cleanliness and especially, personal attention. Therefore, it is important for every member of your staff to treat clients with kindness, honesty and respect. Doing this will help build client loyalty and encourage them to tell others about your practice.

3. Keep connected through your website.

Approximately 15-30% of clients looking for healthcare will search for it online. Therefore a well-designed website can not only help you attract new clients, but also encourage existing clients to stay in touch and return when they need you. You can do this by pointing patients to a section on your website where they can find educational content via a blog or downloadable material updated regularly to keep them coming back for more. Content you might like to include could be:

• Interesting ways to maintain physical health that you know are relevant to your client’s needs.
• Notices of upcoming deals, seasonal promotions or new services available.
• Pictures of your staff dressed up for a holiday or special event.

It not always easy to maintain your existing clients and you can’t expect they will return just because you are there. Building loyalty takes work but compared to acquiring new clients, there is no comparison and proven to be the smartest way to build your physio business.