In the competitive world of healthcare, medical specialists such as chiropractors need to communicate the value of their services to patients who are unaware of the benefits of their work. Bodily conditions such as chronic pain and injury can be sensitive subjects and those who experience them want reassurance that the specialists they choose know what they're doing. Therefore, chiropractors need a marketing strategy centered around reaching the right audience and building their reputation through positive testimonials. In this article, we'll provide tips that you can utilize to boost your practice's visibility, drive patient engagement, and encourage more in-person visits to your practice.
Most businesses are expected to have an online presence, so you'll want to take your time developing your website and social media profiles. These digital representations of your brand will become your first impression to many of your prospective patients. You'll want to ensure that you adequately convey your expertise and include client testimonials that reinforce your reputation.
Your website should be functional and easy to navigate. Be sure to test your site for issues like slow loading times, cumulative layout shift, and 404 errors. Cumulative layout shift refers to when elements on a page move from their original position shortly after the page first loads, which can be an annoyance to website visitors. Technical optimization involves clearing as many of these obstacles away as possible to ensure a hassle-free user experience to all visitors. This also helps improve your website's ranking on the results page for search queries related to your industry and location because Google gives priority to websites that function properly.
Be sure to make your sitemap straightforward and simple to navigate. Clearly label your menu buttons and keep in mind that some medical jargon may go over the head of the average site visitor, so consider using more basic and concise language. Include links to your appointment scheduling page frequently throughout the site–not only on the menu bar, but at the bottom of your homepage and other informational pages as well.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are optimal places for posting patient stories and testimonials. You can post video interviews with satisfied clients to showcase the impact that your services have had on those you've worked with. You can also use educational content that explains certain aspects of chiropractic to reassure prospective customers that your practice is trustworthy.
Engage with your audience through comment sections and live Q&A sessions to add some humanization to your brand. This is vital because many healthcare patients worry about facilities being too business-oriented to give them the care and attention that they need. Show them that you're willing to respond to and address their needs and you'll build positive rapport among your community.
Once you have a well-optimized website, you may want to consider investing in some paid search or display advertising campaigns via Google Ads. Search advertising campaigns allow you to pay to elevate your position on the results page by bidding on keywords that are related to your industry and services. You can optimize when, where, and how you bid via the campaign settings, ensuring that your ads only appear to those who are most likely to visit your site and convert. You can also adjust your monthly budget so that your ads will automatically stop showing until the next paid period, ensuring you never spend more than you intend to.
Display ads are banner ads that can contain images and text that link to your website when clicked. They appear on the Google Display Network, which is an extensive network of more than 2 million websites, apps, and videos. Similarly to search campaigns, you can change your targeting options to control who your ads appear to. Display network campaigns give you greater visibility online by reaching internet users on websites instead of just the search engine results page. With an appealing design, you'll be able to attract the eye of individuals browsing their favorite news and sports websites, drawing in a wider audience.
Patient testimonials are especially important for healthcare facilities, as they'll serve as proof of your authenticity and professionalism. You can display your testimonials on your website, social media profiles, display ads, direct mail postcards or any other visual marketing materials for your practice. Of course, you'll need to collect some testimonials before you can make use of them. You can ask your established base of patients for testimonials by contacting them via email or mentioning it in-person after their next appointment.
Google reviews are a type of client testimonial that is specific to Google My Business. The profile for your business can be seen when you make the search engine results page for a location-based search that you meet the criteria for. Along with your other business information, searchers will be able to see your average google review score out of five stars. Having a larger volume of reviews will signal to Google that you have a popular and trustworthy facility–and that will result in your practice appearing more frequently at the top of relevant location-based searches.
Given that adults aged 55 years and older tend to experience more musculoskeletal issues, traditional marketing vehicles are still a viable way to market chiropractic services. Older generations tend to respond in greater capacity to print media such as newspapers and direct mail. So not only are traditional marketing strategies viable for reaching your target audience, they'll generally help you see a greater response per campaign as well.
Older demographics tend to respond in greater capacity to direct mail. This is, in part, due to the fact that adults aged 55+ grew up in an era where print media was significantly more prevalent, so they may perceive physical postcards and letters as more legitimate and trustworthy than their digital counterparts. Tangibility is another advantage that direct mail has over other media, as older individuals may appreciate having something that they can hold and keep for reference. Compared to emails which run the risk of being automatically deleted before the recipient has the chance to read their contents, direct mail postcards are more likely to be seen and read.
Consider mailing postcard advertisements to local households to introduce your business to prospective patients. You can select a mailing list based on geographic and demographic criteria, so your mailer will only arrive at households that contain individuals that match your prospective patient profile. For example, you can narrow down your list by age group demographic to target those older than 55 or if you have services designed to help children and younger people, you can target family households to reach their parents. Sending out frequent direct mail campaigns can help you tap into your local market and become a household name in nearby communities.
Partnering with local businesses and organizations is an excellent way to promote your services while building strong relationships within your community. For example, you could provide free chiropractic sessions to local gyms and fitness centers on a given day of the month. Doing so will allow you to showcase your services to potential customers firsthand and the fitness center will be able to enhance the value of their memberships with your services.
You could offer a wellness program for local businesses where you offer on-site chiropractic adjustments or ergonomic assessments for employees as well. You could also offer educational sessions to demonstrate your expertise in chiropractic. When visiting these other businesses, be sure to keep some promotional materials such as business cards or brochures so that attendees have something they can bring home and reference if they're interested in becoming a proper patient at your practice.
You can bring in new clients by leveraging your existing patient base and offering discounts or other benefits in exchange for referrals. Design a simple referral program and communicate to your clients what discounts and free add-on services you'll reward them with in exchange for patient referrals. You could even offer gift cards for local businesses and restaurants. Just be sure to check the laws in your area regarding healthcare-related referrals beforehand to ensure that your program is legally compliant.
Regardless of what marketing methods you select, your campaigns should always have an explicit goal and a key metric that can be used to measure your success. Some marketing objectives you can set include increasing patient bookings, boosting website traffic, or improving brand awareness. Some Key Performance Indicators that you can use to measure the response to your campaign include:
There's a lot that you can do to improve brand awareness and bring in new patients as a chiropractor, however, between managing your business, optimizing your online presence, and developing marketing campaigns, there's undoubtedly a lot on your plate. You may want to lighten your load with some assistance from a marketing expert. That's where Cactus Mailing comes in. With more than 22 years and 50,000 campaigns' worth of experience under our belt, we can help you reach your audience with your own direct mail postcards. We handle everything from design to mailing list selection to printing and distribution.
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