Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC)

From Credential to Community: Repositioning HTCC for Sustainable Growth

    Branding
Copywriting
Graphic Design
Marketing Strategy
Media Strategy & Buy
Research
Web Design & Development

Challenge

The CHT credential has long been recognized as the gold standard in hand therapy. But as early generations of CHTs began to retire, HTCC faced a critical need to shift from maintenance to sustainable growth.

Through discovery, research, and stakeholder interviews, Willow uncovered that HTCC’s challenge was not credibility but connection. Early and mid-career therapists often perceived the certification process as intimidating and transactional, with limited understanding of the long-term professional and personal value of becoming a CHT. HTCC also lacked the systems needed to nurture relationships across the full candidate lifecycle.

Solution

Willow recommended a strategic shift from transactional communications to a more relational, community-driven model, reframing certification as a supported professional journey rather than a single exam event.

We delivered a comprehensive marketing strategy and entered into an ongoing retainer partnership to execute it, including:

Audience segmentation across the certification lifecycle
Messaging and positioning updates focused on pride, purpose, and belonging
Brand evolution and modernized creative system
Website and user journey recommendations
CRM-supported email outreach and lifecycle communications
Organic social media strategy and content development
Paid digital campaigns supporting key exam application windows
Event strategy and marketing support for major conferences

Results

Together, these efforts created a cohesive, emotionally resonant experience across every touchpoint, and in the first year of execution, HTCC achieved one of its strongest performance years on record:

654 total exam candidates in 2025 (Spring + Fall) — second-highest annual total since 2012
335 Fall 2025 candidates, the third-highest fall window since 2012
370,463 paid digital impressions and 6,579 clicks across Meta and LinkedIn
1.78% average CTR, performing at or above credentialing industry benchmarks
Major organic social growth, including +1,000% Instagram reach and +7,700% Facebook link clicks

By grounding strategy in research and executing consistently across channels, HTCC successfully strengthened engagement, expanded awareness, and drove measurable growth in exam participation, helping position the CHT credential as both a mark of excellence and a thriving professional community.

654

Total exam
candidates in 2025

+7700%

Facebook link clicks

+1000%

click-through rates