In-person workshops have proven to be the most effective way of converting the general public into direct access patients.
During the COVID-19 crisis, many owners in the Breakthrough community have experimented with online PT workshops. Making the switch from in-person to virtual workshops isn’t as simple as you might expect, but the results have been similar.
Here are some ways you can get the most out of your online PT workshops to make them even more successful and worthwhile:
1. More Engagement = More Appointments
Engaged audiences are more likely to become patients than passive participants.
But holding someone’s attention is much easier when you are giving a presentation in front of them, face-to-face. With virtual workshops, attendees are at home watching on their computer screens and only one click away from checking social media or otherwise being distracted.
Giving simple directions like “Look at the screen” during your presentation can recapture their attention and pull them into what you’re talking about. Give them directives and keep them in the moment.
2. Stick to the Format
It’s easy to go off course in an online workshop, which is why we recommend sticking to a format that logically moves you through each part. Download the free Online Workshop Template to discover a proven format for structuring your physical therapy workshops.
Practice it to get comfortable in teaching an audience that isn’t right in front of you.
3. Focus on Your Final Five Minutes
No matter how long your workshop is, the last five minutes are always the most critical, as you’re giving your audience the call to action to move forward with you. The CTA should be clear so that people go right into scheduling an appointment with you.
Make sure your “next step” is congruent with the online format and avoid asking attendees to do anything that would require them to leave their computer.
Other Ways to Set the Stage for Success
There are several moving parts to conducting a successful online workshop, and knowing these parts can help you get one step closer to your goal.
First, you need to have people in pain watching your workshop. This is where strong workshop marketing skills come into play. If you don’t have the right audience in seats (or the right eyes on your presentation), you’re not going to get the results you expect.
Second, you need to know what to say that’s going to trigger conversions. This is different from in-house workshops. It takes more engagement, more interaction, and more conversations to help people feel safe enough to come in for an appointment.
Also, you need a follow-up sequence to follow up with people who didn’t schedule an appointment right away. Again, this looks a little differently than it does for in-house workshops because it all takes place online.
And finally, you need to understand the right levers to pull to get the most engagement from your workshop.
If you’re like most practice owners, online workshops are new to you and you may be wondering how to get started.
That’s why we created a free Online Workshop Template that shows you how to create a presentation that will maximize conversions. At Breakthrough, we’re purpose-driven and want to help people get back to a pain-free life naturally, and the best way to do this is through private practice owners like you.
