When it comes to marketing your practice, there is no “one-size-fits-all” plan for chiropractic offices or small businesses in general. Marketing tools, techniques, and ideas are continuously evolving. A great strategy allows you to take advantage of that evolution. The most important thing to keep in mind is that marketing is not advertising. Advertising is simply one tool in your marketing tool belt.
Before executing a marketing plan in your office, you need to know your audience. Who are your target customers? Instinctively, you know that everyone in your community could benefit from chiropractic care, but the reality is that not everyone is part of your target market. To determine your target market, review all new patients for the past 90 days. How did they hear about you? Are they male or female? Are they married or single? How many started and completed care? Do they have insurance? What brought them into the office (headaches, back pain, sports injury)? Answering these questions will give you a profile of the patients most likely to utilize your services and complete their care. (Deiss, n.d.)
Once you know your target audience, you can begin developing your plan and establishing a budget. Your plan should include print advertising, social media advertising, brochures, website, clinic app, sponsored events, etc. Anything that helps build your brand and promote your practice needs to be included in your marketing budget. Create a monthly marketing calendar that outlines your marketing efforts throughout the month. A digital calendar will keep you and your team on the same page when executing the plan.
We live in a world where people Google before they shop, visit online review sites like Yelp before they buy, and “check in” via Facebook as they go about their days. (Leinbach-Reyhle, 2014) Since we never get a second chance to make a first impression, an easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website is necessary. Websites establish credibility for your business, so not having one is no longer an option. Your patients get to know who you are and how you help your community by looking at your website. Your website should include the services you provide, pictures of you and your staff, an explanation of chiropractic, what to expect on the initial visit, hours of operation, and contact information, at the very least. You can really “wow” your future patients if you also provide a way to complete and submit new patient paperwork online, a scheduling button to make an appointment, and a chat feature for when they need more information but don’t want to talk on the phone or wait for an email.
Next, you need to create a strong social media presence. If we have learned anything from the first half of 2020, small businesses that had an established following on social media presence did not struggle with statewide shutdowns or fluctuations in day-to-day operations as much as businesses that aren’t on social media. (Owen, 2020) How powerful is social media?
Overall, about 42% of the world’s population has a social media account. That’s 3.2 billion users across the globe.
That number is approximately 90.4% of millennials, 77.5% of Generation X, and 48.2% of baby boomers.
91% of these 3.2 billion users access their accounts through mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets.
61% of those people check their smartphones within 10 minutes of opening their eyes in the morning.
People check their smartphones at least 52 times during the day, though that estimate may be shockingly low.
"about 42% of the world’s population has a social media account."
No matter how you look at it, social media is an essential piece of your business marketing strategy. A strong social presence establishes your brand, allows you to communicate with authority on chiropractic care, allows you to share your personality with your community, encourages engagement, and is very affordable. (Marketing Insider Group, 2018) Several available online tools can help you create and schedule social posts in advance (a considerable time-saver for you and your team). The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP.org) also has tons of great content for excellent social media posts that are perfect for patient engagement.
Videos are the king of social content. Your videos should be no more than three to five minutes long, and make sure that the material is useful. Videos that demonstrate stretches for runners or exercises for common injuries (shin splints) are excellent and apply to many people in your community. August is a great time to talk about backpack safety, and there is never a wrong time to address “tech neck.” Make sure you use a tripod and good lighting. Many people feel nervous about making videos, so just focus on the message and not how you look. Don’t be afraid to use your team members in the videos because it helps the community get to know them and feel more comfortable with them. You will know your videos are compelling when people recognize you around town.
Finally, the most useful strategy that I have implemented in my practice over the past 35 years is relationship-building. It is also the most cost-effective. People do business with people they know and like. The best way for people to get to know you is to get involved. Join your local chamber of commerce and attend meetings and events. Volunteer on a committee. If your community has a local BNI (Business Networking International), join! Participate in and sponsor local charity golf tournaments, 5Ks, and little league teams. I will caution you not to do them all at the same time because each of those suggestions requires time out of the office, but it will be time well spent getting to know your community’s leaders. If you have associate doctors, divide and conquer. I have one doctor who attends BNI and another who takes part in 5Ks. Our clinic administrator coaches a soccer team, while another employee coaches a softball team.
Often, small business owners will ramp up marketing when business is slow and stop when things pick up and get busy. The most effective marketing for any small business is year-round consistency. A helpful tip if you haven’t experimented with these marketing tools is to start slowly. By introducing new tactics one at a time, you can better see what works in your area, and more importantly, what doesn’t. Track your data, try new things, and attract new patients. It really is that simple.
Dr. Ray Foxworth is a certified Medical Compliance Specialist and President of ChiroHealthUSA. A practicing Chiropractor, he remains "in the trenches" facing challenges with billing, coding, documentation, and compliance. He has served as president of the Mississippi Chiropractic Association, former Staff Chiropractor at the G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center, and is a Fellow of the International College of Chiropractic. To request a free one-page financial policy, send an email to [email protected].
