Physical therapy practice owners encourage adaptive marketing and branding techniques in an ever-changing world.

1. n a dynamic physical therapy indus-
try brimming with private practices
and abundant specializations, the
concepts of marketing and branding
have become hot-button issues. How does
a practice best identify and reach its core
audience? What about distinguishing itself
from nearby competitors? How much do
website and social media presence matter?
For these answers and others,
ADVANCE spoke to therapists
on the East and West Coast
with significant experience in
practice marketing.
Davis Koh, DPT, MBA,
GCS, CSCS, is the owner of
Koh Physical Therapy Lab,
with two California locations
in Irvine and Tustin. Because
Koh earned his MBA after
founding his practice, he
can offer a unique perspec-
tive on how business school
revolutionized his approach
to branding.
“When I started my practice in Laguna
Hills in 2003, it was just called Koh Physical
Therapy,” he told ADVANCE. “For the first
couple years, my marketing consisted of just
the usual business cards, fliers, and a basic
template website. But the MBA program
really taught me the importance of branding,
how understanding the business side would
help the clinical side, and vice versa.”
Envisioning an Identity
The classes also helped clarify what Koh
wanted his identity to be.
“It gave me the impetus to reflect on who I
am as a PT,” he continued. “How do I treat?
How do I present myself? What kind of PT
am I hoping to be, and how
can I best display that in every
aspect of my practice? I con-
cluded that my objective was
to be cutting-edge, in terms
of techniques, modalities and
equipment. I also wanted to
provide a very modern, pro-
fessional and warm envi-
ronment for my patients,
conveying that through my
branding efforts.”
In reaching this conclu-
sion, Koh realized his prior
marketing efforts fell far short
of the mark.
“I found that the theme really didn’t cor-
relate through every aspect of my business at
that time,” he related. “I asked myself, ‘If I’m
cutting-edge, modern and moving forward,
then why do I only have a basic template web-
site? Why do I just have a boring business
card with a traditional font?’”
It marked an epiphany for Koh and led to
widespread changes in his organization. The
timing proved fortunate too, since he was
also looking to buy a commercial building
where he could move the practice. This con-
fluence of circumstances provided a golden
opportunity for Koh to re-launch his brand
with a new facility, equipment, website, loca-
tion, promotional plan, and even name.
“We purchased the new building in Irvine
while I was in business school and opened as
Koh Physical Therapy Lab right after I gradu-
ated,” he explained. “The name ‘lab’ was very
important to me because I didn’t want to be
seen as a traditional clinic. So our facility has
metal and wood fixtures, with raised, exposed
ceilings, and sliding-glass doors for the patient
rooms. I didn’t want standard rubber mats in
the gym or anything like that.”
The emphasis on a lab environment
extends to staff attire as well.
“We wear navy-colored scrubs with our logo
branded on the chest, rather than the typical
khaki shorts with a polo shirt, or khaki pants
with a button-down shirt and tie,” shared
Koh. “So just as a surgeon gets into his scrubs
to conduct surgical techniques, we put on our
scrubs to perform manual techniques. While
the surgeon’s tool is a scalpel, our tools are
our hands. We don’t just put you on a modal-
ity and leave the room. It’s a medical facil-
ity, but not just for research with lab coats.
Patients understand the idea that we’re here to
conduct active therapy with them.”
Onward and Upward
Meanwhile in New England, ProEx
Physical Therapy has enjoyed impressive
expansion due in part to its own successful
marketing techniques.
“We’re a growth organization, and over the
past three years we’ve gone from nine to 14
locations in the tri-state area of Massachusetts,
New Hampshire and Connecticut,” related
Ben Barron, MSPT, director of business
development. “By the end of 2016, we plan
to have 20 clinic sites. My responsibility is to
grow the top line revenues through increasing
same-store growth, identifying start-up loca-
tions and acquisitions, and developing new
business lines.”
ProEx emphasizes a variety of market-
ing and branding efforts, starting with a
digital focus.
“I think that’s the first priority these days,
PRACTICE MARKETING
Brand New Day
PT experts encourage adaptive marketing and branding
techniques in an ever-changing world By Brian W. Ferrie
11 ADVANCE for Physical Therapy & Rehab Medicine February 1, 2016 www.advanceweb.com/pt
COURTESYDAVISKOH
Koh Physical Therapy
Lab in Irvine, Calif.,
emphasizes a progres-
sive brand promoting
the cutting-edge in
techniques, modalities
and equipment.
Online
For more practice
management
content visit www.
advanceweb.com/
ptbusiness

2. from making sure the website is positioned
as highly as possible on search engines to
developing a social media presence, which is
important for brand awareness,” Barron said.
“We also do a lot in the local communities we
serve, from advertising sponsorships to par-
ticipating in events. And we actively conduct
e-mail marketing to current and past patients,
particularly with the idea of mobilizing our
‘evangelists,’ those people who really love us,
so we can help them help us grow.”
That mobilization is key to spreading the
word about ProEx.
“Let’s say you provide great care and have
great customers,” shared Barron. “That’s why
you’ve been successful and are able to stay in
business. But it’s the execution of the next
step that’s pivotal. How do you identify your
most loyal customers who would do anything
to help you? Then how can you provide ave-
nues enabling them to do that? Because it has
to be a systematic process you’re continually
engaged in, not just something you do one
time, set it and forget it.”
Taking a Testimonial
Although these can be difficult questions,
Barron emphasized the answers aren’t always
expensive or complicated.
“We live in a world of testimonials, not just
for PT consumers but consumers in general.
Everybody is seeking people like ourselves
who have credibility as objective third-parties
when recommending a service. So at the clinic
level, that can be as simple and affordable as
taking a video testimonial of a patient with
your smartphone. Then posting the video on
your website and leveraging it through your
social media channels. Something like that
stands out much more than a typical written
testimonial that sits on your website for the
next decade.”
Furthermore, the demographics of testimo-
nials are also important.
“You want more than one testimonial, so
for example a young person can identify with
a certain patient, and a senior citizen can iden-
tify with somebody else,” said Barron. “That
way you reach all your target markets through
mobilizing different types of patients who
already come to your clinic. Then focus on
getting that word out in different ways, mak-
ing sure it’s fresh so you’re not just posting one
video testimonial for the year and thinking
you’re done. You need to frequently generate
new content that will get people engaged and
make them want to come back to your website
or social media channels.”
These types of marketing and branding
efforts can certainly make a significant impact,
but there’s no escaping one fundamental point.
“Frankly, I think the most important
aspect is the care that you provide,” Barron
concluded. “You can’t market and sell a bad
product, so it all has to start there. You’ve got
to get people better, and they need to have a
phenomenal experience while they do it. That
enables everything else to flow.” n
Brian W. Ferrie is on staff at ADVANCE.
Contact: bferrie@advanceweb.com
PRACTICE MARKETING
22 ADVANCE for Physical Therapy & Rehab Medicine February 1, 2016 www.advanceweb.com/pt
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