Understand the benefits of red light therapy
Red light therapy integration will attract more patients and enhance their experience
Featured article in Chiropractic Economics Magazine, Issue 17: October 22, 2023 chiroeco.com
ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR A VERSATILE AND INNOVATIVE ADDITION TO YOUR BUSINESS that can help treat many afflictions and improve the overall health of your patients? Whole-body red light therapy may be the answer to your business goals. This emerging technology, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM), is revolutionizing the health industry with its remarkable benefits. By harnessing the power of red light therapy, you can unlock a myriad of advantages for both your patients and your bottom line.
Red light therapy is not a passing trend; it’s backed by research. Numerous studies have illustrated its effects on the body, revealing its potential to improve the skin’s appearance, promote healing, quicken recovery and improve overall well-being. But how exactly can this therapy be integrated into your business? The possibilities are endless! From incorporating it into wound care, weight loss or pain relief treatments to offering red light sessions alongside your chiropractic adjustments, there are countless ways to make red light therapy an integral part of your business.
Red light therapy accentuates most modalities
To fully integrate red light therapy into your business and ensure maximum benefits for your patients, consider the following benefits and how you can incorporate them into your current offerings. By incorporating red light therapy into your services, you may attract more patients and enhance their experience. Additionally, you may increase revenue by offering red light therapy as an additional service.
Skin health. Red light therapy not only improves skin tone, reduces redness, diminishes scars, improves acne and softens wrinkles, but it can increase collagen production to help with post-operative healing and even accelerate wound healing.1,2 By integrating this service into your practiced skin health modalities, you can offer patients pain-free, noninvasive treatment options delivering visible results and boosting your revenue.
Muscle and tissue recovery. Incorporating a whole-body red light therapy bed into your practice can provide patients with faster muscle recovery and improved performance. A study confirmed 3 red light therapy can help athletes reduce their wait time before returning safely to their sport following an injury. Over a 15-month period, 395 injuries were treated with red light therapy, including sprains, strains, ligament damage, tendinitis and contusions. The study found the treatment successfully brought about accelerated healing in all wounds at different stages, and successfully controlled secondary infections. This unique treatment offering will set your business apart from competitors and attract patients seeking to stay on top of their game.
Chronic inflammation. The root cause of many diseases can be tamed using whole-body PBM. It’s no secret most of us have chronic inflammation somewhere in our body, a condition that should be treated in its own right using preventative therapy. In fact, inflammation in the heart can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease. A study published by Lasers in Surgery and Medicine4 explains how near-infrared light can help the heart and reverse the signs of cardiovascular aging.
Pain relief. Integrating red light therapy into your chiropractic clinic can benefit patients by alleviating pain. A 2014 study investigating sciatic nerve pain found that red light therapy significantly helped reduce pain. 5 This holistic approach to health care will appeal to individuals seeking natural alternatives for pain management.
Integration: Combine your services with red light therapy
Combining your services with red light therapy will set your practice apart from your competitors and provide a unique and comprehensive experience creating added value for your patients. For example, pairing red light therapy prior to an adjustment will increase circulation, reduce pain and ease stiffness. It may even help hold the adjustment for a longer period of time due to the increase in circulation.
To encourage repeat business, consider offering package deals or membership options. This allows patients to enjoy the benefits of red light therapy regularly while saving money. Remember, each patient’s needs vary, so tailor your offerings accordingly. Whether they seek pain relief, improved brain function or enhanced performance in sports activities, highlight how red light therapy can address these specific concerns.
Integrating full-body red light therapy into your business shows your patients you are committed to providing powerful, innovative tools for their optimal wellness. In addition, it allows you to offer more hands-on services without diminishing patients’ results or experience.
Marketing: The key to unlocking red light therapy’s full potential in your practice
Getting the right red light therapy equipment is the start of creating new revenue streams. The next thing you must focus on is marketing. Harness the power of social media to spread the word about your PBM services. Engage with potential clients by creating captivating content showcasing the benefits of PBM. Here are some strategies to consider to maximize your reach and impact on social media.
Share success stories: Create and share before-and-after pictures, video testimonials and case studies showcasing how red light therapy has helped patients achieve their wellness goals.*
The research: Using studies, share informative posts about the results from red light therapy studies. Make sure to post information on a wide variety of applications of PBM to attract a spectrum of patients.
Collaborate: Partner with influencers in the fitness and wellness industries to help endorse or showcase the use of your red light therapy equipment on your social media channels. Using people of influence and recognition gets more eyeballs on your posts. Even the local high school sports team could help showcase and promote.*
Demo product: Create posts demonstrating how the red light therapy equipment works. Consider a simple demonstration video set to energetic or trendy music so potential new patients know what the device looks like.
Promotions: Get patients in the door by offering limited-time offers and special promotions on red light therapy services. A great way to get new potential patients to notice your posts and engage is with a first-time introductory offer. Make sure your introductory offer includes the benefits of red light therapy so they understand why they should give it a try. Offering a discounted rate with listed benefits could be the thing that might sway an apprehensive person to give red light therapy a shot.
Host live sessions: Conduct live Q&A sessions or demonstrations on platforms like Instagram or Facebook to interact directly with potential patients.*
*NOTE: In regard to sharing success stories, collaborating with influencers and hosting live sessions, etc., it is important to continually monitor your social media channels for any content that could be misconstrued as false claims.
Allocate a sufficient marketing budget
Marketing red light therapy is more than posting content to your social media pages. Most business owners leave marketing to their patients last on their list and give it the least amount of attention and resources. To fully integrate red light therapy into your business, you will need to look at your entire marketing budget and make the most of all your resources to maximize return on your investment.
Take a good look at your marketing budget. Determine your appropriate budget based on your goals and audience. Consider factors such as the size of your business, competition in the market and the potential return on investment (ROI) from implementing red light therapy.
Make your marketing goals your business goals. We all want a practice that is healing patients and thriving, and making your marketing goals your business goals will help you focus your efforts, asily see progress and identify priorities quickly. Of course setting goals is great, but you must track them to see the ROI or you will never know if your new email campaign reached any new patients.
Use Google MY Business (GMB) to its fullest. GMB is free and it is where many potential patients will be looking for red light therapy. Make sure you post photos of your equipment, office, video testimonials, photos of services, benefits and anything you feel will promote your red light therapy service to your GMB account. Also ask your patients to rate you on your GMB page. You can make it a part of a feedback survey or as a link on their invoice. Many chiropractors underutilize this valuable marketing service.
Invest in online advertising platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads. These platforms offer targeted advertising options that can reach your desired audience effectively. Specifically, Performance Max by Google Ads helps you generate goal-based ads in one campaign. These keyword-based search campaigns help you find more patients across all of Google’s channels like YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
Track marketing expenses and analyze ROI regularly to optimize future campaigns. Keep a record of how much you spend on marketing efforts related to red light therapy integration and compare it against the revenue generated. This will help you identify which strategies are working best and where adjustments need to be made.
To successfully integrate red light therapy into your business, gathering client feedback is crucial for your social promotions as well as your marketing goals. By promoting red light therapy’s benefits across all your social channels, implementing effective marketing strategies, allocating a sufficient budget, and offering introductory deals and bundled services, you can create a successful red light therapy experience for your patients. Prioritizing patient feedback, you can continuously improve and tailor your red light therapy offerings to meet your patients’ needs. This will not only enhance patient satisfaction, but also help attract new patients through positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Remember to leverage the power of online reviews and testimonials from satisfied patients to build trust and credibility. Sharing success stories and before-and-after photos can further demonstrate the effectiveness of red light therapy.
To ensure a smooth integration process, allocate a sufficient marketing budget specifically for promoting your red light therapy services. Implement targeted advertising campaigns across various platforms to reach potential patients who could benefit from this innovative treatment.
Closing thoughts
Overall, integrating red light therapy into your business can be a game-changer for both you and your patients. By following these tips and consistently seeking patients’ feedback for improvement, you’ll position yourself as an industry leader while providing valuable wellness solutions.
SHAWN POE is chief marketing officer at RedLight-Wellness.com, the industry’s leader in full-body red light therapy manufacturing in the U.S. As a creative ambassador of global brands like Apple, Kraft, Ford, Sage, Sprint, Microsoft and Unilever, Poe has spent more than 10 years aligning award-winning creative with marketing goals across emerging platforms. Poe is currently passionate about harnessing creative innovation and technologies that are changing the health and wellness field. She can be contacted at Shawn@redlight-wellness.com.
References
Calderhead RG, et. al. Adjunctive 830 nm light-emitting diode therapy can improve the results following aesthetic procedures. Laser Ther. 2015;24(4):277-289. PubMed Central website. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4751092/. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
De Abreu Chaves ME, et. al. Effects of low-power light therapy on wound healing: LASER x LED. Laser Ther. 2014;89(4):616-623. PubMed Central website. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4148276/. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
Foley J, et. al. 830 nm light-emitting diode (led) phototherapy significantly reduced return-to-play in injured university athletes: a pilot study. Laser Ther. 2016;25(1):35-42. PubMed Central website. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4846838/. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
Syed SB, et. al. Photobiomodulation therapy mitigates cardiovascular aging and improves survival. Lasers in surgery and medicine. 2023;55(3):278-293. Wiley website. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lsm.23644. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
Masoumipoor M, et. al. Effects of 660- and 980-nm low-level laser therapy on neuropathic pain relief following chronic constriction injury in rat sciatic nerve. Lasers in medical science. 2014;29:1593-1598. Springer website. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10103-014-1552-1. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
