Marketing your sports therapy practice

Use the term people search for, “sports therapist”, and a name like “[Town] Sports Therapy” or “Sports Therapy with [First Name]”. Keep your menu short, show your membership of a body such as the Society of Sports Therapists or BASRaT, and use a professional photo and bio.

Injured people want an appointment fast. Offer instant online booking, a mobile number, a business email and a contact form. A free ‘Meet Me’ session suits people unsure whether they need treatment.

Listen to what the client really wants (usually getting back to their sport) and say how you can help. Highlight two or three USPs, such as weekend slots in race season or experience in a particular sport.

Your website needs to be fast and mobile-friendly with an always-visible ‘Book Now’ button, your bio, USPs, the injuries and sports you work with, accreditations, testimonials, services, contact details and location. Keep your Google Business Profile complete and collect Google reviews.

Sporting communities are perfect for AIDA: they gather in one place and share an interest. Offer an injury-prevention talk at a running club or pre-race warm-ups, with a simple message and an easy way to book.

Track the time and money each tactic takes and the bookings it brings, then improve the next campaign. Avoid promoting discounts or paying for referrals. Check your insurance covers event and pitch-side work.

Follow up after treatment, thank clients for reviews and send a newsletter timed around the sporting calendar. Stay in touch with coaches, personal trainers and physiotherapists who can refer to you.

Reply quickly, send details on parking, clothing and aftercare, and make paying easy. Start and finish on time, explain the expected timeline, give simple home exercises and book the next appointment before the client leaves.

Athletes talk. With permission, send a client a photo of them back in action, share tips they can pass to teammates, and ask for a review after each session with a direct link.

Share your cancellation and no-show policy at booking, display prices, take payment upfront and decline requests for discounts, including from clubs and teammates. Be firm with friends who expect free treatment.

Sport happens outside office hours, so diaries can swallow every evening and weekend. Decide which evenings and events you will cover, use techniques that limit physical strain, block weekly admin time and plan time off around the sporting year.

Set working hours in stone and keep work kit out of your living space where possible. Connect with other sports therapists to share ideas and stay motivated.

Work out your annual costs, savings goals and target revenue. Price clinic appointments from those figures, and quote event and pitch-side work as a day or half-day rate that covers travel, kit and waiting time.

Use a separate business account, savings pots for tax, pension, equipment and time off, and pay yourself on the same day each month. Take payment at booking and snap receipts into MTD-compatible bookkeeping software as you go.