I first met Jason when my friend Vicky suddenly had her knee buckle out from under her last Fall. A few tweets to figure out the urgency of having her injury treated and she had found a local physiotherapist to help her out (Jason, in case you hadn’t figured that out :))
Since then I’ve been to Jason to help me with my headaches (he solved it in two sessions when countless massages were just a bandaid to the tension headaches that had been plaguing me for months), and I can think of several others who have been to see him after meeting him online.
Jason is a great example of how twitter can help build a client base, but there’s more. Because of him, I have joined the Orleans Chamber of Commerce - an organization that has been helping tremendously with my business. I am now helping the Chamber get more active in social media and hopefully will get many of their members online as well.
All because Vicky hurt her knee and tweeted about it. Twitter is awesome. (and vicky’s knee is doing much better!)
Jason is the manager of the Orleans location of Family Physiotheraphy Centre and answered a few questions about how he’s been using social media.
About Jason’s business
Family Physiotherapy Centre is a dynamic forward thinking physiotherapy service provider that strives to help every client minimize their pain and maximize their mobility by delivering researched based Best Practice programs of care based on the complexity of every case that they treat. They’ve been providing outstanding professional service to patients in Eastern Ontario since 1999. They deliver their services in state of the art Wellness Centres which provides each client with an environment that promotes privacy and peace of mind.
The Orleans location is a 2200 sq.ft. Wellness Centre designed to offer clients a positive experience by providing them with an unmatched professional healthcare environment. Equipped with the most modern modalities and private treatment rooms coupled with professional staff that offer a variety of therapy options makes this Wellness Centre Orleans’s foremost multi-disciplinary rehabilitation centre. The centre opened in late fall 2010 and offers a variety of services such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, custom orthotics, senior’s fitness program and occupational therapy
How actively involved are you in social media to promote your business?
My business is not very active in social media, though I do have a Facebook page and a business Twitter account for my clinic. However, I quickly realized that people want to make a connection with an actual person, not someone hidden behind a company name. I’ve had a personal Facebook page for years but never utilized it to it’s full potential. I created a personal profile on Twitter early in the new year and not long after that I started making real connections that actually translated to increased business. Now I solely focus on my personal accounts, but I do make reference to the business accounts.
What has been the most successful tool in getting you more exposure or clients?
I would have to say that Twitter has been the most successful tool thus far. I’ve been able to connect with a number of business people that I would never have been able to with traditional business networking. This has also facilitated conversation when meeting someone in person who I have been following online with Twitter.
I’ve also been connected with people who were specifically looking for a physiotherapist or a health care professional that could help them with their pain or injuries. I’ve made a handful of clients not only for myself, but for other health professionals in my company or other therapists in my profession. The social media world seems to be very vast, but yet it’s a quite a tight-knit community, so positive experiences have led to a number of word of mouth referrals.
What would you tell other business owners about the value of using social media for their business?
It’s quite obvious that social media is another tool to help your business get exposure or clients. It doesn’t cost anything in terms of dollars or cents, but rather it’s the time you put into it. If you are willing to take the time to make connections and build relationships, people are more likely to think of you when they need something you sell or require a service you provide. Social media is new to a lot of people, but using social media can be helpful to learn new business strategies or discovering tools from people who may have more experience online.
What tip would you offer to others about social media?
Social media networking is exactly as the name indicates: social and networking. It’s a forum that allows us to network online, but it comes down to being social. It’s about making a connection with others, instead of trying hard sale tactics. Being too aggressive turns people away and that is no different then conventional networking events or opportunities. If you wouldn’t do it in face to face meeting, you shouldn’t do it online either.
Thank you Jason for taking the time to answer these questions. If you’re in Orleans and are having any chronic pains, or have an injury that needs taking care of - I highly recommend you go see him. They also do custom orthotics if that’s something you’re looking for.
