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Private practice physical therapy owners are constantly told they need more leads, better ads, stronger SEO, and a bigger digital presence. But according to Kayla George, Chief Marketing Officer of JAG Physical Therapy, growth does not start with a flashy campaign. It starts with people, community, clear systems, and a willingness to adapt.
In this episode of the Grow Your Practice Podcast, Kayla joins Chad Madden to share practical lessons from leading marketing at one of the largest physical therapy organizations in the region. Her insights are especially valuable for PT owners who want to grow without losing sight of their local community or their team culture.
The Problem: Marketing Keeps Changing
One of the biggest challenges for practice owners is that marketing does not stand still. Technology, patient behavior, search engines, and AI tools are evolving quickly. Kayla points out that the marketing tools available today did not exist 20 years ago, and with AI, the landscape is changing almost weekly.
That is why she recommends staying close to current trends. Her favorite resource is Morning Brew, specifically its marketing and healthcare newsletters. For busy leaders, the value is simple: a short daily read that helps them stay aware of trends, tools, and industry shifts without spending hours researching.
For practice owners, the lesson is clear. You do not need to know everything, but you do need a system for staying current.
Key Insight #1: Invest in People First
When asked about the best investment in her marketing department, Kayla does not point to software, campaigns, or technology. Her answer is people.
At JAG Physical Therapy, which has grown to nearly 200 locations, marketing is a team-based effort. Kayla emphasizes that culture, collaboration, and shared goals matter more than any individual tool. Technology can help, but the right people make growth sustainable.
For private practice owners, this is an important reminder. Your team is not just a cost center. Your team is the engine that carries your brand, patient experience, community reputation, and growth strategy forward.
Key Insight #2: Do Not Band-Aid Important Infrastructure
Kayla also shares a major lesson from COVID. Before the pandemic, JAG was growing quickly and focused heavily on team and culture. Meanwhile, the website needed deeper improvements, but it kept getting patched instead of fully rebuilt.
Then COVID hit, and suddenly every patient’s eyes were on the website.
That experience forced the team to rethink its digital infrastructure for the next five to ten years. The result was a stronger, more robust digital foundation.
The takeaway for PT owners is simple: do not keep delaying the systems you know will matter. Your website, digital presence, patient communication, and internal workflows may not feel urgent today, but they become critical when circumstances change.
Key Insight #3: Healthcare Lives in the Community
For someone opening a first clinic, Kayla’s advice is direct: start with the community.
She challenges the idea that physical therapy is too crowded or that every market is already saturated. Instead, she says healthcare lives in the community. New practice owners should understand the three-to-five-mile radius around their clinic, connect with local leaders, attend community events, educate residents, and become a trusted resource.
This type of grassroots marketing does not require a massive budget. It requires consistency, presence, and genuine interest in the people you serve.
A new PT owner should ask: Who lives near my clinic? What organizations matter here? What events bring people together? Who already influences health decisions in this community?
PR as a Digital Growth Tool
One of Kayla’s most overlooked trends in private practice marketing is public relations. Many owners think PR is only about getting media attention, but Kayla sees it as much more than that.
Strong PR helps shape how the media and community perceive your brand. It positions your clinicians and leaders as experts. It also creates valuable digital signals when reputable media outlets link back to your website.
For example, if a CEO or clinical expert appears in a media segment that is then syndicated across multiple outlets, those backlinks can support search visibility and brand authority. In other words, PR is not separate from digital marketing. It can strengthen it.
For smaller practices, this does not always mean hiring a large agency. It can start with offering expert commentary, building relationships with local media, writing educational content, and becoming known as the go-to local source for injury prevention, rehab, and movement health.
Conclusion: Growth Requires Adaptability
Kayla’s leadership philosophy comes down to positivity, adaptability, and focus. She believes in leading with positivity, saying no respectfully, protecting time by avoiding low-value meetings, and using exercise to clear her mind before solving difficult problems.
She also sees AI as a major opportunity. In marketing, AI can speed up research, content ideas, captions, and strategy. Clinically, it can reduce documentation burden and give providers more time with patients.
For private practice PT owners, the message is encouraging: growth is not about chasing every new tactic. It is about building the right foundation, investing in people, staying rooted in the community, and using technology to create efficiency without losing the human touch.
Learn more about Jag PT: www.jagpt.com/
