Why Every Cash Based Practice Needs a Strong Marketing Strategy
Whether you’re a cash-based practice owner selling physical therapy, chiropractic, or integrated care services, you want to help as many people as possible. But with so many options for medical care, it can be difficult to stand out and attract new clients. If you run a cash-based practice, or you’re thinking of switching to a cash-based model, marketing is even more important.
There are a few reasons why it matters so much for cash based practices to develop a strong marketing strategy.
First of all, cash based practices or out-of-network providers need to put a big emphasis on marketing since they can’t get patients through insurance companies.
Cash-based practices need to work twice as hard to convince people that their practice is the right one to meet their needs.
After all, you’re asking people to pay for your services upfront and out of pocket. But if you can reach the right people with your marketing and effectively demonstrate the benefits of your services, you can run a successful cash-based practice.
Top Marketing Strategies for Cash Based Practices
In this section, you’ll learn successful strategies for marketing your cash based practice. There are both online and offline strategies.
The Old School Way: Marketing Your Cash Based Practice Offline
Before the Internet, marketing was done differently. Think printed signage, direct mail, newspapers, radio, etc.
It’s great to bring some of those elements back into your modern-day marketing. But as cash based practice, it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money on branding that doesn’t generate measurable results. Here are some ideas that will go a long way in building stronger connections with your patients.
Mail Hand-Written Notes
Hand-written welcome notes when a new patient joins your practice can go a long way in building patient loyalty and retention. You can also send hand-written thank you notes to referral sources to build continued goodwill.
Yes, these things can take time. But, how much is a healthy and sustainable relationship with your patients worth?
To save time, there are print and direct mail services that can write and mail hand-written notes for you. A quick google search for ‘Send handwritten notes’ will generate several options.
Network with Referral Sources
Building relationships with other healthcare providers can be incredibly beneficial for cash based practices. For instance, if you’re a physical therapist, you can build referral relationships with chiropractors, massage therapists, local gyms, or local employers. Attend local events, join professional organizations, and offer to give workshops for referral partners’ clientele.
The New School Way: Marketing Your Cash Based Practice Online
Online marketing is where you will want to focus the majority of your marketing efforts. Online marketing makes it possible to measure the results of your marketing and ensure you’re generating a strong Return on Investment (ROI).
Email Your Patient List
A past patient list is your most valuable asset. These are people who already know, like, and trust you. With a little bit of outreach from you, they are likely to return for more treatment the next time they have any pain or conditions you treat.
To save time and get the most out of email, you’ll need a software platform that automates email. With email automation, you’ll be able to:
- Send an indoctrination email sequence when someone becomes a new patient
- Send nurture email sequences to your past patient list
- Automatically trigger email conversations when someone interacts with your website or online content
Focus on Patient Education in Your Content
Across all your marketing channels, you want to focus on patient education. Patients who understand the benefits of your type of treatment are more likely to choose your practice over others. They’re also more likely to become loyal patients when you build trust and credibility by demonstrating your authority and expertise. You can create educational resources like blogs or videos, and share them on social or via email to your patient list.
In educational content, use lay-person language rather than medical terminology. Focus on educating your patients about the different conditions you treat.
One mistake many owners make is to focus on branding their clinic and talking about why prospective patients should choose them. The moment you shift the focus from them and their problem is the second we see most people losing interest. Instead of highlighting what you do and how good you are, keep your patient and their problem the focus of your messaging. Make it all about them and their paint points. You can create content that educates patients about their condition and learn how your services can help them get back to normal naturally.
An example might be a video or article on the importance of a good posture whilst working from home and best practices to optimize the work-from-home setup. The goal is to provide value and educate. Again, this is a great way to engage your patient base and to make sure your practice is top-of-mind.
Encourage Patients to Post Online Reviews
Encourage satisfied patients to leave positive online reviews about your practice. This can help you attract new patients and establish trust with potential clients. When a patient graduates from their Plan of Care, this is a great time to email or text them asking for an online review.
Leverage Organic and Paid Social
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can be powerful tools for reaching new patients. Share articles, videos, and testimonials about your services and interact with your followers.
Online advertising via paid social or Google is a proven way to attract new patients. You can test different types of ads and offers. The key is to ensure that you’re generating a strong Return on Investment (ROI). So you need to be able to track results from online advertising, from leads to paying patients. Use patient-centric language and direct response copy that includes a call-to-action (e.g. register for workshop, book an appointment, watch video). The goal of your ads should be to drive people into your clinic and generate new patients.
Optimize Your Website
A professional website can help you showcase your services and reach new patients. Make sure your website is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and optimized for search engines. Again, keep the focus on educating patients and illustrating how your services can transform their lives.
How A Patient Demand Platform Can Help
Adding both off- and online marketing strategies to your workload may seem time-consuming, but it’s key to running a successful cash based practice.
Leveraging a Patient Demand Platform streamlines and optimizes every marketing touchpoint with your clients — from attracting new leads, to converting leads to patients, to reactivating past patients, and measuring your results.
With a Patient Demand Platform, you can:
- Reactivate past patients with pre-written, automated email and SMS campaigns with just one click
- Reach your target audience with digital advertising campaigns
- Attract new patients with educational workshops and online ads
- Make it easy for your staff to follow up with leads at the exact right time with pre-populated task lists
- Track ROI so you can do more of what works, with done-for-you reporting
- Build your team’s marketing skillset with on-demand courses, training, and networking
It’s important to work through all the pros and cons as you decide whether to manage marketing yourself, hire a marketer, or invest in a marketing partner. Even if you do all the work yourself, you’ll ultimately need software to scale your marketing efforts.
