3 Marketing Strategies To Attract Patients to Your Local Clinic

Setting up a clinic business is easy. It’s lucrative, as well. The global hospitals and clinics market is anticipated to reach $10,161,857.24 million by 2030 from $5,630,809.33 million in 2023. That’s a whopping sum.

However, the business is profitable only when people walk in through the door of your clinic. Your clinic won’t survive, let alone thrive if people don’t visit it.

Getting customers through your clinic door the first time can be challenging. But this guide has a few tips that will make your clinic stand out and enhance its visibility, attracting patients.

1. Utilize SMS Marketing

If you’re struggling to attract patients to your local clinic, try SMS marketing. You’d argue that SMS marketing is dead, but it isn’t. Digital marketing might have taken over the marketing landscape. But SMS marketing isn’t obsolete yet. The open rate for SMS marketing is 98%. The return-on-investment on SMS campaigns is naturally high.

Connect with patients directly on their mobile devices by sending SMS. Send appointment reminders, follow-up messages after visits, and seasonal promotions to keep your clinic in your patients’ minds. You can even go a step further and personalize messages by addressing patients by their names and tailoring content based on their previous interactions and preferences.

You can also implement two-way communication. Allow patients to reply to messages with questions or appointment requests. This will foster engagement and improve patient satisfaction.

2. Invest in Local SEO

About 47.7% of adults aged between 30 and 44 used the internet the most to communicate with a doctor or doctor’s office in 2022.

Imagine how much your clinic’s bottom line would improve if it appeared high on the SERPs when people search for a doctor’s clinic. But, you will lose on all those potential revenues if your patients don’t find you in the SERPs when they are looking for a business like yours.

When you include local SEO strategies in your marketing mix, your clinic will show up in local search results. Potential patients in your area will learn about it and might even consider visiting. That is why investing in local SEO is important.

Optimize your website for local searches. Return On Now advises businesses to include their city or region within their content, and even URLs. It also advises them to add the address or local service area in places where search engines can find it.

Listing your clinic on Google Business Profile might help your business appear in searches with local intent, but only if you optimize the listing. Make sure all the information, including your clinic’s name, address, phone number, and business hours, is accurate. Use keywords your target audience might use to search for you in your profile description and services offered.

Take, for example, you run a dermatology clinic in Austin, TX. If anyone searches for “best dermatology clinics near me” in the city, your business will show up, provided you optimize the listing for local searches. If optimizing your website as well as Google Business Profile listing for local SEO makes you want to scratch your head, get in touch with a search engine optimization company in Austin, TX. These skilled professionals can help develop and implement a comprehensive local SEO strategy.

SEO Agencies can assist you with technical optimizations, keyword research, and local link-building efforts to improve your clinic’s search engine rankings. Their efforts can help attract more patients from your area, boosting your clinic’s growth and visibility.

3. Create Educational Content

A recent study found that over half of U.S. adults—or 58.5%—looked for medical or health information online between July and December 2022.

Now, the majority of health or medical content on the internet is written by writers with no experience in the medical field. Those content pieces lack in-depth knowledge.

You, as a healthcare professional, can start posting educational content on your website, addressing topics your potential patients seek information on in depth. This could include preventive care tips, explanations of medical procedures, or guidance on managing chronic conditions.

Consider producing a mix of content types, including how-to guides, infographics, and patient success stories, to engage different segments of your audience. When you post educational content on your website regularly, it will position your clinic as a trusted authority in healthcare and attract more patients.