If you’re a cash physical therapist looking to grow your practice quickly, you’re probably facing a lot of questions. When you first start out, it can feel overwhelming. From deciding on your marketing strategy to figuring out how to attract the right patients, there’s a lot to navigate. Today, we’ll answer 10 of the most frequently asked questions about growing a cash-based practice, focusing on the best strategies for success.
1. How Do I Market a Cash-Based Physical Therapy Clinic?
When you start out, the question of how to market your clinic can be daunting. The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Every marketing strategy—whether it’s Facebook ads, YouTube, Google, referral marketing, or SEO—can work. However, the key is to find the strategy that works best with your resources and time.
For many new cash PTs, paid ads (particularly on Facebook and Instagram) are the quickest way to get patients in the door. If you’re looking to fill your schedule quickly with patients who are willing to pay $200 or more per visit, Facebook ads are the most consistent and cost-effective strategy to pursue. But if you’re working on a tight budget, you may need to rely more on networking and referrals, which requires more time and hustle.
Takeaway: If you need patients now and have the budget, go with paid ads. If you need to build a referral network, get out into your community and start connecting.
2. What's the Best Marketing Plan for a Cash-Based Clinic?
For a cash-based clinic, your marketing plan should focus on quick cash flow generation at first. Whether it’s Facebook ads or workshops, go all in on one strategy to start, and make sure it aligns with your time and budget.
Once you reach a point where you have steady cash flow, reinvest those profits into other marketing channels, such as Google ads or SEO. As a rule of thumb, don’t add another marketing channel until one is consistently generating $10,000 per month in revenue.
Takeaway: Start with the marketing strategy that fits your needs—Facebook ads for fast cash flow, or workshops for long-term relationship building. Once you hit a stable point, diversify.
3. Do I Need a Niche for My Practice?
While focusing on a niche is important, don’t make the mistake of narrowing it down too much at the beginning. When you’re first starting, it’s all about building your patient base, so cast a wide net and help anyone who needs your services. As your practice grows, you’ll start to naturally narrow your focus to specific niches that align with your interests and expertise.
For example, you might start by helping general orthopedic patients, but over time you might find that you love working with runners or CrossFit athletes. Once you’ve established cash flow, you can pivot into that niche more effectively.
Takeaway: Focus on a broad patient base early on, then narrow it down to your ideal niche as you grow.
4. What’s the Difference Between Marketing for an Insurance-Based Clinic vs. a Cash-Based Clinic?
The marketing for a cash-based practice is fundamentally different from an insurance-based clinic. With insurance-based clinics, there’s no immediate sale to make—it’s free to the patient, and the insurance company covers it. However, in a cash practice, you need to show the value of paying out-of-pocket for care.
Key Strategy: Avoid offering free consultations or discovery visits. These types of leads are typically low-quality. Instead, run ads that target specific conditions or niches, like runners with plantar fasciitis or gym-goers with shoulder pain. This will attract higher-quality leads who are willing to pay for specialized care.
Takeaway: In a cash-based clinic, marketing needs to focus on showcasing the value of specialized, outcome-driven care. Be specific and target people who are ready to pay for your expertise.
5. How Much Should I Spend on Marketing Each Month?
The amount you should allocate to marketing varies depending on your clinic’s stage of growth. In the early stages, you may need to spend more on marketing to get the word out. As you scale, aim to spend around 10% of your total revenue on marketing. This can go up to 13-15% if you’re in a growth phase.
Start with $1,500 per month for ads, and refine your systems as you go. The key metric to focus on is your customer acquisition cost (CAC) and lifetime value (LTV). The goal is to spend enough on marketing to acquire patients profitably, without exceeding your LTV.
Takeaway: Aim to spend about 10% of your revenue on marketing, but make sure you’re tracking your CAC and LTV to ensure you’re spending efficiently.
6. How Do I Maximize Patient Lifetime Value (LTV)?
Your LTV is a crucial metric for determining how much you can afford to spend on marketing. To maximize your LTV, focus on retention. If you can keep patients longer and help them achieve long-term results, you can increase their lifetime value to your practice.
Additionally, providing continuity of care through membership programs can increase LTV by offering patients ongoing support and services even after their initial treatment.
Takeaway: Focus on retaining patients for the long term and offering continuity programs to increase their LTV.
7. What’s the Role of Referrals and Reviews in Marketing?
Referrals and reviews play a significant role in building trust and attracting new patients. As your practice grows, make sure you’re asking for reviews and referrals at every opportunity. Building a strong Google My Business profile and encouraging patients to leave reviews will help improve your SEO and organic reach.
Takeaway: Always ask for reviews and referrals from your patients to boost your online presence and organic marketing efforts.
8. How Do I Track My Marketing Effectiveness?
Tracking your marketing effectiveness is essential for making informed decisions. Use tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to monitor your ad performance and conversion rates. Tracking your ROI on marketing spend will help you determine which channels are the most profitable and should be scaled.
Takeaway: Regularly monitor and track your marketing performance to ensure you’re getting a positive ROI and adjust your strategy as needed.
9. When Should I Add Another Marketing Channel?
Once you’ve established a profitable marketing channel, reinvest profits into other channels. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to juggle multiple strategies too early. Wait until one channel consistently generates $10,000 per month before adding another.
Takeaway: Focus on mastering one marketing channel before diversifying into others.
10. What Should I Do If Marketing Isn’t Working?
If your marketing isn’t working, don’t just give up. Instead, look at the data and analyze what’s not working. Often, the issue lies with your follow-up process or how you’re nurturing leads. Refine your sales script, improve your lead nurturing, and make sure you’re offering a clear value proposition.
Takeaway: If marketing isn’t working, look at your processes and refine them. Make sure your lead nurturing and sales tactics align with your marketing efforts.
Conclusion
Marketing your cash-based physical therapy practice doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require a focused and consistent effort. By understanding the different marketing strategies available, investing in the right channels, and tracking your results, you can quickly grow and scale your practice. Start with the fundamentals—paid ads, referrals, and reviews—and build from there.
For more tips on growing your practice, stay tuned for the next episode of the Cash Physical Therapy Headquarters podcast!
Watch and Listen to the Full Video
For a deeper dive into a cash physical therapists’ journeys, make sure to listen to the full video: 10 Essential Questions Every New Cash Physical Therapist Asks and The No B.S. Answers You Need to Grow Fast.
About Author:
Although the company eventually failed, it provided Jordan with invaluable learning experiences. He became passionate about designing world-class patient experiences and building efficient marketing & sales funnels for cash physical therapists. Utilizing this expertise, Jordan became the CMO of a well-known physical therapy media company, and consulted for and built marketing funnels for some of the top physical therapy business coaches.
Eventually growing tired of the typical agency and consulting grind, Jordan, alongside Max Zirbel, founded Clinical Marketer. They infused it with the hands-on support and mentorship that they benefited from in their initial venture. The company was a success from the start, aiding clinics in scaling to 6 and 7 figures in revenue. During its first launch, Jordan and his team met Dr. Ben Bagge, whom they later partnered with after helping him grow his business from $200K/year to over $1M/year in three years.
