First Settlement Physical Therapy

Kecia Barr

Healthcare Engagement Champion

Connecting Marketing with Patients, Employees and the Community

My biggest takeaway from working in marketing is that you have to understand the people you are trying to reach. At FSPT, we aren't just marketing physical therapy. We are trying to help people understand their options, find the right care and feel comfortable choosing us.

A big part of my job is making sure people understand who FSPT really is. We are a family-owned company that has been serving our communities since 1999 and we have grown quite a bit since then. Even with that growth, I don't want us to lose the feeling that we are a family. Our employees and our patients are a huge part of that.

I also think being involved in the community is important. We want people to know FSPT before they need us, not just when they are injured or dealing with pain. That means being involved with local organizations, schools, sports, community events and the people who live in the communities we serve.

Aligning Marketing with Business Goals

For me, marketing isn't just about getting likes or making something look good. There needs to be a reason behind what we're doing and how it helps FSPT.

Sometimes that means promoting a service people may not realize we offer. Other times, it might mean helping a new location get established, increasing awareness in a community, recruiting employees, building relationships with physicians, or simply making it easier for a patient to find information and schedule an appointment.

We use a lot of different tools to do that, including social media, our website, digital advertising, community events, physician outreach, patient testimonials, email campaigns and more. I try to look at the bigger picture and make sure all of those pieces are working together.

Listening to Patients and Communities

A lot of what I do starts with listening. I talk to our employees, hear what patients are saying, pay attention to what referring offices are asking for and look at what people are responding to online.

Our employees are actually one of my best resources because they are the ones talking to patients every day. They hear the questions and concerns that people have and that can help us figure out what information we need to communicate better.

“Marketing isn't just about getting likes or making something look good. There needs to be a reason behind what we're doing and how it helps FSPT.”

We also look at data. We pay attention to website traffic, social media engagement, appointment requests, reviews and how our campaigns are performing. I don't think you can rely on numbers alone, but they can help confirm whether something is working or tell us that we need to try something different.

Balancing Creativity, Data and Marketing Trends

I love the creative side of marketing, but I don't think we should do something just because it's trending. I always ask, "Does this make sense for FSPT?" and "Is this something our audience is actually going to care about?"

We try different things and see what works. Sometimes something we think will perform really well doesn't and something simple ends up doing great. That's part of marketing.

I also think healthcare marketing has to feel real. People want to see real employees, real patients and real stories. We can use trends and creative ideas to get people's attention, but the message still needs to feel like FSPT.

Building Stronger Marketing Through Employee Voices

I think one of the most important things is making sure people feel like they have a voice. Marketing doesn't happen in my office alone. Our employees are the ones out in the clinics, talking to patients and being involved in their communities every day.

I want our teams to send me ideas, pictures, patient stories, community events and things they are proud of. Some of the best marketing ideas come directly from our employees.

I also try to keep everyone focused on the bigger picture. We have more than 300 employees and 46 locations throughout West Virginia and Ohio, so there are a lot of moving parts. My goal is to help keep our message consistent while still allowing each location and each team to show their personality.

At the end of the day, I want our marketing to feel like FSPT. If someone sees something we put out and thinks, "That feels like them," then I feel like we've done our job.