Rehabilitation therapists looking to take advantage of direct-to-patient referrals might consider adding Reels to their marketing strategy—if, of course, it makes sense for the audience you want to reach. So we’ve outlined 10 tips rehabilitation therapists can take advantage of Instagram Reels to bring patients from their smartphones to your practice.
1. On purpose.
Our biggest tip for creating a successful Instagram Reel strategy is to do it consciously.Before posting, you must know why you are think release. Is it to gain more followers, educate and engage potential patients, re-engage past patients, or make more connections with other professionals? There’s no wrong answer—your strategy can be a combination of these goals—but ultimately, what works best for your practice is up to you.
As Julie Wiebe, PT, DPT, President of Julie Wiebe Physical Therapy and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan-Flint, puts it, “Know your why. You already have the expertise, so share and post what’s in your wheelhouse. Have A great starting point to build on – don’t just release because everyone else is doing it.”
Your timing also plays a role in intentional posting. Knowing when your target audience is most likely to see your Reels and posts is critical, so use the data you have available to gain deeper insight. However, more on that later. Now, just knowing being intentional and having a clear marketing direction can help you create cohesive, meaningful content.
2. Demonstrate interaction with your employees.
Now, onto the ideas part of this article. An easy way to create more buzz around your Reels, Wiebe explains, is to bring some community into focus. Attend events that match your brand and post videos of you interacting with other attendees. Find local stairs that people use to work out (like the infamous “Rocky Steps” or the Manitou Incline) and create a fun workout that incorporates the landmark. Or, use a local statue as a stretching device (legal, of course) and show yourself doing an activity that will pique the interest of your target audience.
3. Display of clinic facilities and equipment.
Bring your Reels from the community to your practice to show Instagrammers (aka future patients) what your space can offer them and why this is the practice they want to go to. Provide behind-the-scenes footage of your clinic, such as team meetings, staff training, or patient consultations. This is a great opportunity to show potential and current patients what your practice has to offer and inject a little personality into your content. People love seeing people on Instagram, and especially seeing them as real people they can relate to.
4. Highlight success stories.
No one loves a success story more than a patient seeking the best possible outcome after a horrific injury. To that end, sharing the success stories of patients who have achieved their recovery goals through your clinic will help build trust and credibility with potential patients. Likewise, posting educational videos showing the effectiveness of your services (such as dry needling) in treating various ailments (such as Domenic Mainelli, PT, DPT, does on his Instagram feed) is a great way to showcase your expertise and build on it. Best way to believable.
However, before posting about any clinic or your services, make sure you follow all HIPAA guidelines and obtain written consent for any social media activity involving patients.
5. Focus on education.
As a PT and educational instructor myself, I often remind patients and students that we are musculoskeletal (MSK) specialists. So you don’t need to be the most creative or the most outrageous influencer to generate great content. Use your passion for MSK to create reels that match your customers’ needs and desires.
JP Gloria’s Instagram is a good example. Gloria caters to the needs of runners who wish to learn more about their mechanics to improve their technique, or why certain injuries tend to affect these athletes. While some of these accounts are backed by production teams, you don’t have to lift a finger—there are plenty of tools online to help you get started.
6. Partner with local businesses.
A quick engagement tip for providers is to network with peer businesses or other healthcare providers in your area. These partnerships can help grow your online community, which in turn can help grow your “real life” community. You can do this by posting videos of you or your team interacting with community members at your local gym or competition. This type of content can help highlight the quality of care you provide while demonstrating your commitment to the well-being of your community – a real win-win!
Hashtags aren’t new, but that doesn’t mean their importance has diminished. Just search for #physicaltherapy, #rehabilitation, #healthylifestyle, or #traveltherapy to see the power of hashtags in aggregating posts around specific topics—so using the right hashtags can make your posts more visible. For example, there are a lot of questions in the travel therapy space, and Travel Therapy Mentor has done a great job of using hashtags to boost their posts and Reels to the top of Instagram related searches. This approach provides people with the answers they seek and establishes Travel Therapy Mentor as experts in their field.
8. Encourage followers to take action.
Using Instagram to reach potential patients means there are some rehab marketing best practices every provider should adopt, especially calls to action (CTAs). By using a strong CTA at the end of your Instagram Reel, you can make it easy for patients to book an appointment or contact your clinic for more information.
Using a witty CTA can definitely spice up your Reel, but remember, you’re the campaign expert—so give your target audience a command to address whatever problem you set out to solve. They will appreciate you even more for your clear communication.
9. Track the success of your Reels.
What would a digital application be without data and analytics? Luckily, you don’t need to hire a marketing company to do this, as Instagram has a number of built-in features to help you track the success of your posts and Reels. Use this data to refine your Instagram Reel strategy and create content that generates engagement organically. Taking it a step further, you can boost your well-performing posts for maximum results.
In addition to some of its analytics features, you can also add Instagram to your “How did you hear about us?” list. option and use this information to see how successful your outreach on Instagram really is.
10. Take full advantage of Instagram’s algorithm.
According to a resource from Later.com, “If your video is original, entertaining, entertaining, and high-resolution, the Instagram Reels algorithm is more likely to recommend it.” The visual content you create for your target audience should draw them in. Enjoy interacting, spending time on your feed and leaving comments. Using these keys, an algorithm will push your Reels and similar Reels to the forefront of your followers’ future feeds.
Rehab therapists can leverage Instagram Reels to reach your target audience, expand your reach, and generate a steady stream of new patients. With a little creativity and savvy messaging, you can create intentional content that reflects the mission and culture of your practice.
If you need further guidance on your marketing plan—and, more specifically, how to successfully incorporate social media—then check out our free guide to modern marketing.