10 marketing musts for acquiring new patients
By Timothy J. Gay, DC

New patients are the lifeblood of any practice, regardless of its focus — workers’ comp, personal injury, wellness, sports medicine, anti-aging, or family medicine.

To acquire new patients, a consistently executed marketing program is necessary — a marketing program that accurately portrays you and your clinic and “talks” to the type of patients you want to attract.

Here are the “marketing musts” that will bring patients to your doors.

1 Think like a patient. You have a shiny new X-ray machine, a mechanized table, and new office technology. Great marketing information?

Maybe not. Think like a patient. What do patients really care about — chiropractic and your practice’s amenities, or what you can do for them to make them feel better? Present marketing information to address what patients want and need.

2 Talk in plain terms. Whatever your marketing medium, words come into play. Use words that your patients can understand and relate to. Avoid jargon that only other healthcare professionals understand.

Your marketing message must describe patient healthcare problems and give solutions — the things you can do to solve these problems. Your message will help reassure your patients that they are in the right place for help.

3 Identify features; give benefits. Features are facts about chiropractic; benefits are what chiropractic does for the patient.

Your marketing messages should focus primarily on the benefits of what you provide. Keep in mind that patients want hope and they have a “what’s in it for me” attitude. They are interested in what they will receive by partic-ipating in your program — things such as more energy, improved productivity, and a better quality of life.

4 Take aim and target. An excellent way to market is to target a specific group. For example: Think about the specific health problems beauticians may have (arm and shoulder pain), or golfers (lower back pain).

Aim your marketing messages to address the needs of these targeted groups.

5 Use compelling headlines. Printed marketing materials need compelling headlines — headlines that attract attention and make potential patients read the material.

Keep in mind: The best headlines include a benefit to the reader, such as, “Migraine headaches are a thing of the past. Start leading a more productive life now!”

6 Include a call to action. Few practices can afford pure image marketing. Rather than dedicate materials to image marketing, include a “call to action” in your marketing materials. That “call” is a directive that tells potential patients what to do, such as to call for an appointment or to mail in a coupon for a free gift.

7 Create a sense of immediacy. Putting a time limit on your offer or limiting the number of special gifts or additional services creates a sense of immediacy in your call to action. Some examples of immediate action: “The next 10 callers will receive $100 off their initial visit” or “Call now for a free consultation.”

8 Use testimonials. People like recommendations. They feel more comfortable going to a healthcare provider when someone else holds that provider in esteem.

Testimonials serve as proof of your abilities. Select testimonials from patients who have truly benefited from your services and who have similar types of symptoms or health problems as the patients your marketing materials are targeting.

9 Offer a satisfaction guarantee. Satisfaction guarantees help break barriers that prevent patients from fully participating in their care.

A qualified satisfaction guarantee should be based solely upon the services provided, patient participation, and the willingness to work with the doctor on resolving the health problem.

10 Make it easy to become a patient. Have you ever wanted to respond to an advertisement, but couldn’t find the telephone number to call?

Make it easy for people to become your patients. Use prepaid postage business reply cards in your newsletters or advertisements.

Design order forms that are large enough for legible printing. And put your phone number in large letters in at least three places in your marketing piece. These things will put your name and telephone number within "easy reach" of anyone who wants to contact you.

Timothy Gay, DC, is the founder and president of Ultimate Practice Systems, a chiropractic management and consulting company. A graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, he has been practicing for more than 20 years. He can be reached at 866-797-8366 or through his Web site, www.ultimatepracticesystems.com.