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Chiropractic Marketing Goes Beyond Paid Ads
Did you know that one in five businesses doesn’t have a marketing plan?
And it’s likely that this same statistic may be true of one in five chiropractic practices.
And when so many of us tend to think of marketing and advertising as one and the same, it makes some sense.
But… what is marketing?
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Marketing is how we connect with our potential and current patients, and contrary to what so many of us have been told and sold, great chiropractic marketing ideas aren’t limited to paid ads.
When you get down to it, great marketing is everything.
When you run a chiropractic practice – aka a chiropractic business – marketing can be the most effective tool you have to separate yourself from your competition.
(You might recall from a recent blog where we reviewed 5 key strategies for attracting new chiropractic patients that there are, in fact, 35,000+ chiropractors in the United States alone.)
Marketing matters, and so does your marketing mindset.
From your social posts to your email newsletters to your personal professional interactions at local events – yep, it’s all marketing.
Pro Tip
We’ve found the best marketing strategies for successful health professionals are built on a TIC framework – that is, a Teach & Invite, Consistently framework.
By highlighting everything you have to offer and your unique brand of care with a few fresh chiropractic marketing ideas, you’re sure to boost your “know-trust-like” factor and increase your patient base.
So, let’s dive into some great ways you can create awareness around your practice and drive traffic to your website and your door all at the same time.
"The Smart Chiropractor has helped me stay constantly booked. No bait and switch discounts that make you look worse than a used car salesman."
Dr. Sam Liveriadis, DC
North Road Chiropractic
5 Entertaining and Engaging Chiropractic Marketing Ideas You Should Try Right Now
Remember, marketing is bigger and wider and more than just advertising.
Most advertising is designed to do one very specific thing, and that’s to get a breathing body with a spine in the office for the lowest cost possible.
Rest assured, we’re not going to limit our top 5 chiropractic marketing ideas to 5 ways to run a discount ad here!
Instead, the strategies we’ve highlighted below are designed to help you create a tribe of people who’ve had the chance to learn from you and develop trust in you and who are ready to come in, participate in their care, pay, and stay.
So, let’s get started.
1) – Share Original “Behind-the-Scenes” Videos
Video marketing is an especially effective and attention-grabbing way to tell the story of your chiropractic practice.
Facebook Stories, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, you name it – the videos that fill your social channels give your past and potential patients live snapshots of your practice.
After all, going to a new doctor can be, well, scary!
What is the office like? What are the people like that work there?
Are the people that go there happy? What’s the first visit going to be like?
Do they do patient appreciation events? Celebrate holidays?
When so much of your time is spent inside your practice, it can be easy to overlook the fact that the majority of people in your community have no idea what goes on in the four walls of your practice unless you show them.
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Shooting behind-the-scenes videos with your team can help turn those “I don’t know’s” into “I should go’s” and ultimately inspire those who were once reluctant to do so to hop on your schedule.
So, when it comes to the king of chiropractic marketing ideas (video marketing), where to start?
Well, one route you can take is to start shooting videos of you treating your patients.
These videos will help potential patients understand what to reasonably expect when they take the leap and come into your office for care.
Pro Tip
You might consider shooting videos where you…
- Demonstrate stretches your patients can do at home.
- Give a guided tour of your practice.
- Run through how a first appointment typically goes.
You name it.
If past, present, or potential patients would benefit from your topic of choice, make the time to shoot and share an engaging video.
You should also consider writing up a handy blog.
2) – Post Helpful “Who, How, and What” Blogs
Blog posts are another terrific way to share helpful information with your would-be patient community.
Blogging allows you to educate your new and current patients on everything chiropractic related to your care – your location, your team, your services, your care, your patients, and your results.
Pro Tip
The key is to provide relevant information (with a local focus) that proactively answers the questions people have about their health and the care you provide.
And, as with any of the truly worthwhile chiropractic marketing ideas, it’s also essential to post your blogs on a consistent schedule.
We recommend posting a blog of 1,000-1,500 words once a month.
This accomplishes a few important things.
First, it feeds the “Google Monster.”
Google will see that you are regularly posting content, and that can contribute to a boost in your content’s search result rankings.
Second, every blog provides more and more crucial context for Google to be able to determine where your practice is, what services your practice provides, and why your practice is or isn’t relevant to local Googlers.
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Your online content is what helps Google understand who to show your content to.
Educate your online visitors about those important chiropractic topics that tie directly into the services you provide.
Mention your location, the areas you serve, the business you work with, the local events you’re hosting or participating in, highlight local patient testimonials, etc.
Remember – no content, no traffic.
More content, more traffic.
And the same principle applies offline – more “face time,” more traffic.
3) – Speak at Local Community Health Events
One thing we try to ensure our Smart Chiropractor members understand whenever we discuss branching out and trying new chiropractic marketing ideas is that they are influencers whether they think of themselves as influencers or not.
You’re an influencer, and your influence extends beyond your social media channels.
That’s because you’re a part of your community’s pool of local health experts.
As such, it makes sense for you to either host your own events or join in at other health events at your local community centers and other facilities to attract new patients.
During these events, you can speak about the benefits of your services so potential patients unsure about the chiropractic field can learn more about what you can do for them.
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Speaking will help you steadily establish yourself as an authority figure in your community.
It’s one of the oldest and best ways to build a practice and a key component of most effective chiropractic marketing ideas.
(As an extension of this, you might also consider podcasting as well!)
When speaking, we recommend that you primarily focus on the benefits of your care more so than the exact techniques you’ll use and the results your patients enjoy more so than the number of visits, standard care plans, and so on.
Pro Tip
When it comes to implementing your preferred chiropractic marketing ideas, always be thinking “what’s in it for them” (WIIFT).
The truth is that pitching chiropractic itself, well, sucks for you and for them, and letting them know how you can make their life better is a far more powerful approach.
It also helps you better define your brand of care and what makes your practice stand apart from others in your area.
Adding a digital storefront can also help your practice stand out on and offline.
4) – Expand Your Brand with an Online Shop
Supplementing your practice’s website with e-commerce is a great way to promote your favorite products, add a new passive revenue stream, and serve your patients.
This makes our top 5 list of chiropractic marketing ideas because by offering an online shop, you’ve made it easy for patients can access your recommended supplements and wellness products 24/7 without having to physically be present in your office between adjustments.
That’s something worth talking about on your social channels and as part of your email marketing campaigns.
You can shoot videos, write blog posts, create advertisements, and more to showcase the benefits for your current and future patients.
Pro Tip
Some things you might opt to sell via your e-commerce store include:
- Body pillows
- Exercise equipment
- Supplements
Here’s another way to think about it.
What are your ideal patients already buying for their health and wellness?
Well, offering those products in your store may be a good idea!
Again, you want your online e-commerce store to have your favorite things – those things you authentically endorse and are likely already recommending to your patients.
You’ll be serving them and your chiropractic business by adding a way to generate revenue that’s not fully dependent on delivering hands-on care over your adjusting table.
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E-commerce gives you a way to generate revenue 24/7/365 from anyone who follows you online.
It’s a blue ocean of opportunity, especially when promoted with our recommended Teach & Invite Consistently marketing framework.
Now, when you think about e-commerce (just like when you started working on your new chiropractic marketing ideas), you’re likely also thinking about ads.
The two really do go hand in hand, after all.
The key to effective advertising and to truly leveraging the power of these and other modern-day chiropractic marketing ideas in a way that can make a real impact on your chiropractic business’ bottom line and patient base is targeting your ads to the right audience.
5) – Run “Heat-Seeking” Pay-Per-Click Ads
While it’s true we at The Smart Chiropractor don’t recommend chiropractors resort to discount ads to promote their services (you can read more about that here), ads do still have a place in your chiropractic marketing.
When you search for a product or service on Google, you’ve likely noticed that the first few results pinned to the top of the page have the word “Ad” included in the listing that appears on your search results page.
Those are pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
You can target PPC ads for your ideal audience to attract people who live in your area and are interested in your services.
You might opt to create a unique landing page for users to land on when they click on your ad as well if you featured an offer or highlighted a particular service.
Pro Tip
Be warned (and remember this for all of your chiropractic marketing ideas)…
Running discount ads to cold traffic is a BAD strategy.
You may get some clicks, but it’s a losing proposition or what Seth Godin calls a “race to the bottom.”
It’s far better to retarget your inactive patients, website visitors, or social followers.
Remember, great SEO just like every single other aspect of online marketing – from social media posts to emails to ad campaigns – starts with knowing your audience.
Retargeting is one of the best forms of paid advertising because it allows you to continue to market to a warm audience who is already familiar with your practice and your services at some level.
This warm traffic will come with higher conversion rates, and ultimately cost less over time, and these more qualified leads are more likely to actually show up in your practice at a far higher rate than cold leads.
At the end of the day, it’s all about connecting with your ideal patients, not some hypothetical lead.
Mindset Moment: Great Marketing is How You Stay Connected to Your Community
You’re a doctor of chiropractic and a teacher.
Marketing for your part should be all about reaching, teaching, and inviting.
And employing proven chiropractic marketing ideas like those we outlined above is a great way to attract new patients.
These marketing strategies will also help retain your current patients by leveraging the exceptional content only you can provide.
Use them and use them wisely!
Pro Tip
When implemented within an overall Teach and Invite, Consistently marketing framework, you’ll be able to create a comprehensive digital marketing plan that helps you both achieve your career goals and sets you up for an improved ROI and a schedule book full of more of your ideal patients.
Don’t limit yourself to advertising.
Always be providing value.
And remember that marketing can be the most effective tool you have to separate yourself from your competition.
A Word About The Smart Chiropractor Program for DCs
Looking for more guidance, tools, retention tips, and chiropractic marketing ideas to help you start attracting new chiropractic patients and help your practice grow?
We’re here to help.
The truth is that most chiropractors don’t have a new patient problem.
What they actually have is likely a retention and reactivation problem.
If you have over 500 people on your email list – that’s 500 local patients that have walked through your doors and experienced your care – you shouldn’t “need” to run discount ads.
Think of it this way.
When you have holes in your bucket, and the faster you dump new patients (water) in the top of the bucket, the quicker it will pour out the sides (retention) and bottom (reactivations) until you seal the holes.
That’s where The Smart Chiropractor comes in.
Schedule a demo with our team today so we can talk through how our tried and tested chiropractic marketing ideas can help you activate more new patients, improve your retention, and improve your reactivations without any additional ad spend.