The Basics of Building a Practice

posted by Bryan Hawley, DC on Friday, October 31, 2014

Do you know who your ideal customer is?

Whether you’re a new graduate or an experienced practitioner, the answer to this question is your starting point for building your practice.

Any health care practitioner can benefit from implementing sound basic marketing principles to ensure that their practice is fulfilling their vision and attracting those ideal patients. Here are six practical tactics that can help you get there.

1) Advertise (the right way). We all know there’s no magic bullet to advertising. We also know that if you’ve placed an ad and the phone’s not ringing, there’s a marketing problem. One great advertising tactic that positions you as an expert in your community is an advertorial: an ad that features a short article or tips related to a “hot topic” that patients in your community are concerned about, such as degenerative disc disease or sciatica. At the bottom, place your clinic’s information and invite the community to come in for a screening. Alternatively, you can post this type of information in a blog or reach our to your local newspaper and offer to be an expert source on this topic for a health article.

2) Do some investigative insurance work. Find out what insurance companies are paying in your area, and concentrate your marketing efforts to reach patients in communities supported by those insurance companies. These could be patients living in a certain neighborhood or who work at a specific company.

3) Rely on a little help from your friends. Your biggest cheerleaders are probably your happy customers, so invite them to be a part of your marketing team. You can launch a Friends Helping Friends program that encourages patients to send referrals in return for a thank-you gift, such as a massage or nutritional product.

4) Throw a party, literally. When you open your practice or launch a new service, celebrate it by holding an open house, but don’t do it alone. Invite community partners to join in with you, such as the local chamber, other health care practitioners, police department, fire department and other vendors. These partners can offer free screenings, provide education or set up displays. Suddenly, it’s a party, especially when your partners invite their friends and neighbors, too.

5) Get social. Social media such as e-newsletters, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are vital in connecting with today’s patients. Keep content fresh by posting regularly and attract likes by announcing your social media presence in the waiting room, via e-newsletters and in advertising. Ask your “likes” to help generate other “likes” too: For example, offer product giveaways for the person who brings the most new “likes” to your Facebook page every week.

6) Market via other services. Clinics that offer multiple services can leverage these services to help them attract patients who may then choose to return for other treatments. For example, a client may come in for massage or weight loss, but come back when they experience a chronic pain issue. Having multiple services to bring in patients and expose the clinic to a wide variety of patients is crucial in today’s market.

As a final note, take a look at your day-to-day practice. Is your practice high-energy? Is your staff happy and welcoming? Is your waiting room attractive, offering uplifting music? The best marketing in the world can’t overcome an office that’s not welcoming and unpleasant to visit. In my experience working with thousands of clinics on building their practices, those with positive energy tended to attract more patients and be more successful. So as you hire your staff and outfit your practice, be sure to envision a positive, hopeful atmosphere. Make it happen, then watch the patients follow.