Marketing in a Chiropractor’s World
There are often many expenses that go under the radar when it comes to establishing and running a chiropractic office. Besides the known facts of renting office space, hiring and paying for a quality staff, and buying the necessary equipment, there are many more expenses that you need to take into consideration. Most notably website development and internet marketing. Even though these two optional costs go under the radar they are proven to be the most important and cost efficient tools you can utilize in establishing a high volume best practice.
In today’s digital world, having a website is a must. Your website must stand out from the rest of your competition in town. It must be fresh and up to date to draw attention and drive potential patients to your office.
What will Potential Patient’s be Looking for on my Website?
Let’s take an inside look at what a potential client will most likely do when looking for a chiropractor in their town. They will go online and Google search for chiropractors near them. They will probably look at the top 5 listings that Google provides in the search results. Then they will click on a couple links that interest them and look at their webpages… they are hoping to get a feel for you and your team through your website, perhaps through a picture of some sorts. The website must be updated weekly and have a feel good look to it for the patients to stay on your site. Then they will read the reviews about the chiropractors they chose to research. At this point, they will most likely make their decision and contact their office of choice to schedule a visit. If you would like to allow patients to log in to your practice and schedule their appointments, you must make sure that your EMR is patient portal friendly.
If your potential clients are using web services to find chiropractors, you must stand out from the rest. Of course, some clients may just visit the closest chiropractor to their home or work, but most of your potential patients will use the internet to choose the provider of their choice.
Marketing is optional… so is making money! It is entirely up to you to decide if and how you will market your practice. Your current status will determine how much money you should spend monthly on marketing. If you are comfortable with the client base you currently treat, then maybe you do not want to spend the money to build your practice. Most chiropractors want to make more money, especially if you are interested in building a high volume best practice. In this case you will spend anywhere from $1,000 – $3,500 on a monthly basis. This number may scare off a few doctors from purchasing these services. What these doctors do not know is that there is a direct correlation between marketing and monthly income… the more you spend, the more you make.
“What kind of Marketing will suit my Practice Best?”
There are a couple of necessities a chiropractor must consider when purchasing marketing services. First and foremost, you must have a website. Your site must be fresh and up to date. The marketing provider you choose must update your site weekly with new blogs, material, information, current events, etc. It is simply not efficient enough to build a website and let it go out of date within months. The other most important factor in attracting new clients is social media marketing (SMM). Just think of how many people interact with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Yahoo, and more on a daily basis. You need to have your practice involved with these popular sites. They will hear and learn about your practice here, and then go check out your website. All SMM will do is drive traffic to your site, then it is up to your webpage to close them and land them as clients. Website development coupled with social media marketing is the best option for a chiropractor to establish a best practice.
