5 Medical Clinic Marketing Ideas You Can’t Ignore in 2024: How to Attract Patients to a Clinic

The number of clinics is increasing yearly: the large medical networks are expanding, and new private practices are emerging… Only those one on the edge of new marketing ideas and their successful implementation can count on patient flow growth and the income correspondingly.

The Bookimed marketing team has collected the most efficient digital marketing tips for clinics how to attract more patients to your clinic and scale your business.

Bookimed has grown from 0 to 920 partner clinics and 1,000,000+ requests for 8 years. So we have some marketing insights to share that can bring impressive results.

Explore top clinic marketing ideas and get more patients:

Table of Contents

• SEO for clinics
• Affiliate marketing to get hot leads
• Social media marketing
• Video content marketing
• Your patient reviews base
• World-of-Mouth (WOM) marketing

1. SEO to Engage Patients in Search Engines 

Google and other search engine rankings are a top source of getting new patients to a clinic in 2023. Medical SEO for clinics attract new patients is more effective than offline promotions. At Bookimed, we receive 70% of patients from Google search and continue to promote our positions to expand our presence in Google search engine ranking.

Check the Google content guide if you search for options to optimize your content and make it how Google likes. Note that the clinic's content belongs to Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics, so it must be safe and trustworthy, reviewed and/or made by a person with a medical background. Google rolls out annual updates that mainly influence sites related to health or money. So, pages of such sites must be regularly optimized and updated, and contain only fact-checked information. It requires some effort from the clinic's team and content writers, but the reward will not keep you waiting.

Bookimed SEO specialists and marketers use such instruments to analyze keywords, competitors, and current positions to get more patients to your clinic:

Ahrefs.com

This SEO tool effectively collects data on patient queries and their frequencies. Due to this, you can search for what potential topics you should promote and which of them are less or more competitive. Ahrefs.com also shows the top 10 best performance sites according to a certain query, so you can analyze them and create better pieces. 

For promoting clinics, it is better to pick “localized” queries, such as “cancer treatment in {country} or {city}”. Google boosts such locally optimized pages and often puts them on top. Well SEO-optimized pages is a way on how to get more patients.

Google Search Console

This Google’s tool shows your current position upon a certain query, an average CTR (click-through rate) for a period, and the number of clicks made. So, you can see whether your page is well optimized, and if not, you can provide deeper research for its improvement. In practice, it looks the following way: 

• Pick a page you want to optimize.
• Put its URL into Google Search Console to measure its effectiveness: look at what queries a page is ranging and what positions it takes.
• If you see that the page is far from the top on Google, analyze your competitors upon a query you want to promote your page. Use your findings update the content for the page and refresh its structure according to the best practice in top Google ranking.

Topvisor.com

Topvisor is a great tool to track the positions of pages by queries. And you can use this tool when want t o know what you can do to attract more patients to your clinic. You can see changes in positions before and after updates implemented on your pages. It is possible to set up the ranking on Google from any country to see the current page's performance. Using Topvisor, you can also track competitors' positions for the same query.

2. Engage Affiliate Marketing Ideas for Medical Offices

Affiliate marketing supposes cooperation between brands to provide clients on a payment basis. It is powerful marketing idea to promote clinics or doctors office. The best affiliate options for clinic marketing are medical tourism platforms or agencies. 

For many clinic marketers or owners, this way of promoting the medical center is new. However, it remains one of the most influential and budget-saving alternatives to increase international patient flow by 40%.

So, how it works, and what perks your clinic can get cooperating with medical tourism platforms:

1. You pick a medical tourism platform or several ones and register your clinic.
2. Your medical center is listed on the medical tourism platform in such a way, so patients can book your clinic, among other ones presented. It works kind of booking.com, but for clinics:
3. A patient picks your clinic and sends the request directly to your sales department.
4. Reputable and well-promoted medical tourism platforms like Bookimed do not ask for fees in advance. A clinic pays only a commission or percent per each received patient, preliminarily determined in the agreement. You do not pay for being listed on the website.

Affiliate marketing is one more idea to enhance your clinic promotion strategy. And its main benefit is that you can attract international patients, not only local ones. That opens new opportunities to scale your business and earn money.

3. Social Media Marketing to Be in Touch with Potential Patients

Social networks unite people of any age and origin. So you will definitely find your target audience there and can be a primary marketing ideas for doctors offices. It is one of primary sources on how to increase patient flow to your clinic.

You do not need to promote your presence on all social networks. Pick those where the more significant segment of potential customers is represented.

Short demographic overviews of different social media:

Using social media promo tools, you can attract new patients by offering them discounts or limited deals. For doctors and clinics working in plastic surgery, it is a perfect way to demonstrate the results of their works, publishing before and after photos. 

At Bookimed, we actively use Instagram and Facebook pages to promote our services and announce prominent events. We have created our Youtube channel with clinics and useful tips overview. Also we have an epilepsy community on Facebook with 2,500+ followers.

Plus, social media is a comfortable way to contact any organization, ask questions, and schedule appointments. So do not deprive your customers of such a comfortable way to stay in touch and watch your latest updates. Social media marketing (SMM) is one of the most powerful tools for  medical practice marketing.

4. Video Content to Improve SEO and Boost Medical Practice Marketing

Video is another tool to tell your audience about your product and boost SEO. Adding videos on Youtube positively influences your presence on Google and is one more source to promote your clinic.

Nowadays, people have a limited time to consume information, and video content helps to get more details on a topic.

Compare, what is more efficient for a user?

1. A customer can read writing content with a volume of 2,000 words for about 1-2 hours.
2. A customer can watch video content for 5-10 minutes and get core info.

It is obvious that the second option is more preferred because a patient can catch more about your clinic, wasting significantly less time. 

What kind of video content can you create to increase patient volume to your clinic?

There are 3 major ideas you can use for video content. However, do not limit yourself, be creative and launch experiments to find which one works the best.

1. General overview of your clinic. Show renovated and modern design of your clinic, demonstrate new devices, and comfortable wards. Customers expect to get advanced service and won’t give their money to a medical facility with poor hygiene or conditions of stay.
2. Show your clinic’s perks. Every patient wants to know what they benefit by picking you. Consider your clinic’s strong points to promote: advanced equipment, reasonable prices or deals, and board-certified doctors.
3. Promote your doctors. Patients entrust their health and appearance not to a clinic, but to a doctor first. Get on your potential patients with the best employees: take short interviews about their experience and achievements, show before and after treatment photos.

Bookimed makes a video overview of partner clinics and promotes for free those medical centers providing the best service according to patient reviews:

5. Create Your Clinic and Practice Patient Review Base

About 87% of customers read reviews about a business before making a purchase or ordering a service. Just imagine how many clients your clinic can miss if a patient does not find reviews online on your medical facility. Frankly speaking, chances to attract patients compared to clinics with many positive feedback will equal zero. 

So, how can you start collecting your patient reviews?

1. Create your clinic’s profile on Trustpilot, an independent review platform. Patients that have visited your clinic can share their feedback. However, you have to provide excellent services and solve disputes to get positive reviews.

2. Collect reviews on Google. Every patient can add their feedback just by clicking your clinic’s name or address on Google maps. So make sure your clinic’s contacts are correct.

3. Collect reviews on Bookimed. The Bookimed medical tourism platform has created a base with 4,000+ patient reviews, so each client can leave feedback about the clinic. Via this service, a clinic’s representative answers patient reviews and solve situations when patients are unsatisfied with service.

6. Word-of-Mouth Medical Marketing Ideas

Word-of-mouth marketing is a strategy that relies on patients’ experiences with medical centers and recommendations they share with their friends and relatives. It’s a form of free advertising triggered by impressions and feelings.

The forms of digital word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing for clinics may be the following:

• Reviews. Patient feedback influences other people’s decisions to pick one or another clinic. So, medical center’s marketers should monitor what patients write about the clinic. And react by improving the medical services or keeping the same high level, medical clinic service must be improved or kept at the same high level.
• Blogger posts. WOM is closely related to influencer marketing. You can buy a blogger's promotion working close to the health or beauty fields. They will tell you about your clinic to a target audience, so people will start sharing info about your medical center. 
• Communities for discussions. One more option where people share their experiences about treatment, best doctors, and treatment is through forums. It is a perfect platform for creating medical topics, involving people in discussion, and offering your clinic services unobtrusively. Literally, it is a digitalized form of traditional word-of-mouth marketing.

At Bookimed, we collect patient stories who want to share their experience after treatment. Real person examples inspire and help others make more informed decisions and book a represented medical field more often.

Final Take

All above-mentioned clinic marketing ideas can work well together or alone, only in the case the marketing team in the clinic of medical office understands its core value — a person looking for options to solve a minor or severe medical issue. All clinic marketing efforts can become meaningless and dead-end if the medical center provides poor service, hires not qualified staff, and does not focus on patient needs but only on money making. Keep in mind — make your marketing strategy successful, promote a medical service level patients will appreciate.

FAQ

How to get more patients to your clinic?

To attract more patients to your clinic, focus on improving online visibility through optimized websites and social media, offering competitive prices and insurance options, providing excellent patient care and utilizing patient reviews, networking with other healthcare providers, using targeted advertising, encouraging patient referrals, and keeping up-to-date with industry trends.

How to improve your medical clinic marketing?

To improve your medical clinic's marketing, enhance your online presence by optimizing your website and social media, offer a unique value proposition, use targeted advertising, network with other healthcare providers, encourage patient reviews and referrals, and stay up-to-date with industry trends. Focus on providing a patient-centered approach and highlighting your clinic's unique services and technologies to differentiate yourself from other providers.

What are the top marketing ideas for medical clinics and doctors practice?

Marketing ideas for medical clinics include content marketing, email marketing, referral marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing, collaboration with local businesses, community outreach, and using patient testimonials.

How can patient flow increase if we use medical marketing ideas properly?

Studies show that content marketing generates 3x more leads than traditional outbound marketing, and email marketing has a 122% ROI. SEO drives a 14.6% close rate for healthcare businesses, and social media marketing has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate. 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Effective marketing can significantly impact a clinic's patient flow, increase brand awareness and build trust with its audience.

What are the 4 Ps in hospitals?

The healthcare industry has unique challenges when it comes to marketing ideas for doctors office, and the traditional 4 Ps of marketing — Product, Price, Place, and Promotion — do not always apply. Instead, hospitals and healthcare providers use a different set of 4 Ps, which can be used to develop effective healthcare marketing strategies.

1. Patients. The first P of healthcare marketing is the patients. The healthcare industry is centered around providing quality care to patients, and understanding their needs and preferences. By focusing on patient-centric marketing, healthcare providers can tailor their services to the specific needs of their patients and build a loyal patient base.
2. Physicians. The second P of healthcare marketing is physicians. Physicians are often patients' primary point of contact, and building strong relationships with physicians is critical to attracting and retaining patients. Hospitals can build these relationships by providing physicians with the resources and support they need to provide quality care and creating opportunities for collaboration and continuing education.
3. Processes. The third P of healthcare marketing is processes. Healthcare services can be complex and involve many steps, so optimizing processes is crucial to ensuring that patients receive high-quality care efficiently. This includes streamlining administrative tasks, reducing wait times, and improving communication between healthcare providers and patients.
4. Proof. The fourth P of healthcare marketing is proof. In healthcare, trust and credibility are essential to building a solid patient base, and providing proof of quality care is key to building that trust. This can include evidence such as clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction scores, accreditations, and awards. By providing this information, healthcare providers can demonstrate their commitment to quality care and build a loyal patient base.

In today's healthcare industry, patients have more choices than ever before, and healthcare providers need to develop effective marketing for medical services that cater to the unique needs of their patients. By focusing on the 4 Ps of patients, physicians, processes, and proof, healthcare providers can create marketing strategies that build strong relationships with patients and healthcare professionals and provide the quality care patients expect and deserve.

How can healthcare providers and doctors offices use social media to promote their services?

Social media has become an increasingly important tool for healthcare providers to connect with patients and promote their services. In fact, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 72% of internet users have searched for health information online. This highlights the importance of healthcare providers establishing a strong online presence and using social media marketing strategies to reach potential patients.

Here are some effective ways healthcare providers can use social media to promote their services:

1. Share educational content. Healthcare providers can use social media to share educational content, such as articles, videos, and infographics. By providing valuable information to their followers, healthcare providers can establish themselves as experts in their field and build trust with potential patients.
2. Highlight patient success stories. Sharing patient success stories on social media can help to build credibility and trust with potential patients. Patients are often more likely to choose a healthcare provider when they can see the positive outcomes of their services.
3. Use targeted advertising. Social media platforms allow for targeted advertising, which can be used to reach specific audiences. Healthcare providers can use this feature to promote their services to people in their local area or those who are interested in specific health conditions.
4. Engage with followers. Social media allows healthcare providers to engage with their followers and answer questions about their services. This can help build relationships with potential patients and create a sense of community around the healthcare provider.
5. Promote events. Healthcare providers can use social media to promote events such as health fairs, community events, and educational seminars. Healthcare providers can reach a larger audience and generate more interest by promoting these events on social media.
6. Adhere to HIPAA regulations. Healthcare providers must comply with HIPAA regulations when using social media to promote their services. This includes protecting patient privacy, obtaining consent before sharing patient stories, and avoiding using identifiable patient information.

Overall, social media can be a powerful tool for healthcare providers to promote their services, engage with patients, and build their brands. By sharing educational content, highlighting patient success stories, using targeted advertising, engaging with followers, promoting events, and adhering to HIPAA regulations, healthcare providers can create effective social media marketing strategies that help to attract and retain patients.

How important is patient satisfaction in healthcare marketing?

Patient satisfaction is critical in healthcare marketing as it can impact patient retention and reputation. A study published in the Journal of Medical Practice Management found that patients highly satisfied with their healthcare experience are three times more likely to recommend their healthcare provider to others. Additionally, the same study found that patients dissatisfied with their healthcare experience are four times more likely to switch providers.

Here are some ways in which patient satisfaction can impact healthcare marketing:

1. Reputation. A patient's satisfaction with their healthcare experience can impact the healthcare provider's reputation. A positive experience can lead to positive reviews and recommendations, while a negative experience can lead to negative reviews and word-of-mouth advertising.
2. Patient retention. Satisfied patients are more likely to continue using a healthcare provider's services, which can increase patient retention and revenue. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Medical Practice Management found that satisfied patients are more likely to remain loyal to their healthcare provider and generate more revenue over time.
3. Referrals. Patients who are highly satisfied with their healthcare experience are more likely to refer their friends and family to the same provider. According to a study by the American Osteopathic Association, 94% of patients who were referred to a healthcare provider by a friend or family member were satisfied with their experience.
4. Online reviews. Patient satisfaction can impact a healthcare provider's online reviews, influencing potential patients' decisions to use their services. In fact, a study by BrightLocal found that 87% of people read online reviews before choosing a business, and 72% of people say that positive reviews make them trust a business more.

Overall, patient satisfaction is a crucial factor in healthcare marketing. Satisfied patients can help to improve a healthcare provider's reputation, increase patient retention, generate referrals, and improve online reviews. On the other hand, dissatisfied patients can lead to negative reviews, lost revenue, and decreased patient retention. Healthcare providers can improve their marketing efforts by prioritizing patient satisfaction and ultimately increasing their success.

Also check:

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