Starting a physiotherapy clinic involves a lot of paperwork, equipment and leases. Marketing is the part owners leave until the doors open, which means the first months are quiet. This guide covers the marketing side only, as a 90-day plan.
It isn’t legal or business-setup advice. Registration, licensing, insurance and advertising rules differ by province, state and country, so check with your regulator and a local adviser.
Before you open: weeks -8 to 0
Settle the name
Choose a name patients can spell, say and remember, and check it before you print anything. (Naming guide)
Claim the basics
- Google Business Profile. Create it as early as you can. Google doesn’t charge to add or claim a business, then you choose a verification method, and verification can take a little while, so start early. (Checklist)
- A simple website. One page can be enough at the start: who you help, what you treat, where you are, how to book. (What a new patient looks for)
- Online booking. Set it up before opening, so the first caller can book at midnight. (Booking link on Google)
- Signage and a working phone number. Ordinary, but forgotten.
Decide who you want to see
“Everyone” is hard to market to. Pick two or three groups you’re set up to help: desk workers, runners, seniors, post-surgery patients, kids in sport. If you plan to work on a cash-pay basis, see marketing a cash-based physical therapy practice. Your website, talks and referral visits all get easier when you have a clear answer.
Meet referrers early
Family doctors, orthopaedic and sports medicine offices, personal trainers, gyms and massage therapists can all send patients. Book short visits before you open. Bring a one-page summary: what you treat, when you have openings, how to refer, how you’ll report back.
Days 1 to 30: be visible and easy to book
- Check that your Google profile is verified, complete and showing your booking link.
- Tell everyone you know. A friendly announcement to friends, family and your own network, with a clear “here’s how to book”, often produces the first patients.
- Ask your first patients for reviews. Do it at the moment they tell you they feel better and ask everyone. (How)
- Add “How did you hear about us?” to intake.
- Visit the referrers from your list again, with an offer of a quick patient update.
Days 31 to 60: build the habits
- A routine for reviews and follow-up. After a final visit, send a thank-you message with the review link.
- A page for each main thing you treat. Short, plain, using patient words.
- Answering the phone well. Agree on wording before the calls start. (Front desk phone script)
- Local presence. One talk at a workplace, gym or club. Offer something useful, such as a short mobility session.
- A no-show policy and reminders, in place from the start. It’s easier to start with a policy than to add one later.
Days 61 to 90: look at what’s working
Review your intake answers. Which source sent the most patients? Which brought the best fit?
Then decide where to put your next effort:
- More of what’s working, such as another round of referrer visits.
- Showing reviews on your website. (How)
- Basic search visibility for your town. (SEO basics)
- Reaching patients who started and stopped. (Reactivation)
Only consider paid ads once booking and reviews are in good shape, and check your regulator’s advertising rules first. (Overview, Google Ads basics)
What not to spend on yet
- A large website with many pages you can’t maintain.
- Print adverts and flyers before you know who you’re targeting.
- Anything promising “guaranteed” patients or Google rankings. No one can guarantee either.
Be patient, and be present
New clinics fill gradually. The first months often depend on your own presence: your relationships, your reviews, your reputation with the first handful of patients. Treat each early patient as the start of a referral chain.
A practical check
At day 90, you should be able to answer:
- Is my Google profile verified, complete and showing a booking link?
- How many reviews do I have, and is the next one coming in this week?
- Which three referrers sent patients, and when did I last speak with them?
- What is the most common answer to “How did you hear about us?”
If you’re joining or buying an existing clinic
The same plan applies with a twist. You inherit a name, a Google profile and a patient list. Check who owns the Google profile, the domain and the website, and make sure you have administrator access to each before the sale completes. Then spend your first weeks meeting existing patients and referrers, so they hear about the change from you rather than discovering it on their own.
If you’re working alone
A solo practitioner has one pair of hands. Keep the plan small: one referral visit a week, one review request per patient who improves, one local talk a month. Block the time in your diary like a patient appointment, because otherwise treatment will always win.
If you’d like a second opinion on your Google profile and website before you open, we’ll go through both and send you the results. Claim your marketing audit to get started.