How to Use the Internet to Get New Patients
The foundation of an online marketing plan that generates new patients for your practice is a custom chiropractic website with unique, persuasive content.
But to boost results, you need a comprehensive strategy to drive new patient traffic to your site.
This comprehensive strategy may consist of:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
- Social Media
- Practice Blog
- Review Sites and Directories
{1}Search Engine Optimization
SEO is the process of optimizing a website for search engines. When done well, search engine optimization will allow your site to rank high in search results for the terms (keywords) your prospective patients are using to find a chiropractor.
Traffic earned through SEO is known as organic traffic, and it can send a consistent stream of new patients into your practice.
Search Engine Optimization, however, can have its limits. Let’s say your office is near two suburbs and you’d like to get new patients from both. Your actual office address, however, is in Suburb A. With recent changes to Google’s algorithm, even the best SEO will not enable your practice to rank on page 1 for both locations.
In this instance, you may want to consider complementing your SEO with paid traffic, also known as PPC.
{2} Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Social media sites and search engines like Facebook and Google sell advertising on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. This can be a way to propel your practice right in front of the eyes of your target local audience.
Let’s take a look at how it works:
You are running PPC ads on Google’s ad platform AdWords. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you are charged $5. One out of every eight clicks turns into a new patient.
That adds up to a cost of $40 per new patient.
Is $40 a good investment for one new chiropractic patient? Maybe you’re ready to spend a little more to reach patients in need of your adjunctive services?
Any PPC plan needs to be carefully executed and monitored to ensure a proper return on your investment. You see, a Google AdWords campaign or Facebook ad that works really well for one chiropractor, may not work for you. It’s important to have PPC specialists managing your strategy who understand your new patient marketing goals.
{3} Social Media
Social media is a part of your patients’ everyday lives. That means your social profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and so on need to be integrated with your practice site.
With millions of people using social media to connect with friends and family, learn what is going on in their town, and even search for a new chiropractor, you need to have a compelling presence.
That doesn’t mean constantly posting promotional status updates. In fact, the general rule for social media posting is “2 to 1.” Post two human-interest updates for every promotional post.
For example, you recently shared an update that practice manager Julie is expecting a baby boy and another about your experience on the ski slopes last weekend. Now you’ve earned the right to post about your new patient referral program.
Social media is a social marketing channel. It’s important to interact with your followers, share interesting updates, and increase your social authority to start seeing more new patient referrals from social media.
{4} Practice Blog
Your practice blog is an online journal where you can share your chiropractic philosophy, health tips, and other thoughts you may have about your industry.
Just like regular adjustments are important to the health of your body, regular blogging is the best way to maintain the overall health of your website.
It’s no secret that Google looks positively on websites that regularly publish new content. Blogging just once a week can be a great way to help your website rank higher for more keywords that prospective patients may be searching in your area.
However, blogging can’t be done randomly. Blog topics should be selected based on SEO and engagement factors that will help you maximize the blog’s new patient power.
{5}Review Sites and Directories
Review sites and online directories can send a great deal of traffic to your practice site. But it’s important to know which ones are best for your area.
For instance, Yelp might be a very popular search tool in Southern California, but barely used in Omaha, Nebraska. Perhaps patients in Omaha are utilizing Angie’s List to search for new practitioners.
Knowing which sites your practice should be featured on will help send more new patient traffic to your website. When a new patient finds, and likes, your listing on a review or directory site, they will verify their decision by visiting your site.
Essential Chiropractic Marketing
In addition to a beautifully designed website and well-written content, those are the five essential components of an effective online chiropractic marketing strategy.
With Perfect Patients website service, you get an integrated strategy that sends new patients to your practice and unmatched accountability with our New Patient Tracker that tells you exactly which marketing channels are actually generating new patients.
Ready to learn how Perfect Patients can propel your practice to new heights? Simply fill out the form below or call us today.