10 Strategies For New Patient Acquisition | Clearstep

Acquiring new patients is labor intensive and the reality of high patient turnover means you need to maintain an ongoing outreach strategy.

Retaining a patient is much less expensive than acquiring a new one. A sustainable hospital should invest in both acquisition and retention to remain competitive.

For now, let’s focus on new patient acquisition and what it means for the lifeline of your hospital. With new patient-customers comes fresh word-of-mouth and exciting opportunities for improvement.

Scaling your healthcare organization is easier with improved technology. We established Clearstep to make healthcare access and management simpler.

1. Advertise on Google with Google Ads

Google Ads is a prime resource for promoting your healthcare organization. According to a recent survey, Google leads the search engine market share by over 80%.

When thousands of your potential customers are using Google, it’s up to you to meet them where they are. Google is frequently used by patients seeking answers and solutions to health-related concerns. Think about how much more attention your organization would get if you came up in their search results.

2. Leverage SEO To Create Powerful Patient-Friendly Website Content

SEO is a word that’s often misunderstood. While some businesses treat SEO solely as a way to get more attention, the most impactful SEO is informative and organic.

SEO is short for search engine optimization, allowing your patients to encounter your site with organic search terms. These terms can look like keywords for symptoms, medication, or technology. Another common SEO tactic is to target common questions.

If you haven’t updated your website’s blog lately, we highly recommend crafting more SEO-friendly content.

3. Use Patient Testimonials and Reviews

A recent study found that online reviews have a direct response on customer product returns. Think about the impact your patient reviews could have on your organization’s reputation.

It’s worthwhile to take the time to gather patient testimonials and reviews to improve your company’s reputation. This information can be gathered through online surveys, text messages, and social media. Make sure to be transparent on how you will use their information, since the point is to make these reviews public.

Ready to upgrade your patient acquisition marketing strategy? Contact us today for a demo.

4. Create A Strong Social Media Presence

Social media marketing and healthcare go hand-in-hand. Self-diagnosis is a rising problem and can contribute to medical malpractice that has a ripple effect on your business.

A strong social media presence will impact your organization in several positive ways. With the aid of a carefully monitored social media account, you’ll be able to meet patients at their location. You can answer common questions, alleviate concerns, and keep patients caught up on important news.

When patient care is starting to resemble Tinder, it would be a missed opportunity to leave this digital tool behind.

5. Create A Positive Online Reputation

Your online reputation is usually where your customers find you first, so make sure it’s positive. Engage in social listening practices to keep up with your reputation. Social listening involves typing your business name into Google to see which reviews show up in front of your audience. You can also search through Twitter or Facebook to see if your brand gets detected. Pay close attention and you’ll be amazed at how much you learn.

6. Develop More Engaging Material For Current and Potential Patients

Your blog, video, or social media content shouldn’t be made with clicks in mind. Your fundamental goal should be to help your current and potential patients get what they need.

Take a look at your current content marketing strategy and see where the weak spots are. If your blog isn’t getting enough attention, consider making more in-depth posts with stronger SEO tactics. If your social media doesn’t have many followers, reach out to associates or partners for cross-promotion opportunities.

7. Create Authority Using Blogs

What makes blogging such a powerful marketing strategy, anyway? The point of blogging is to provide value to your audience. For example, if your patient has a migraine and is searching for the cause of his or her migraine, then it’s valuable to have a blog article about the causes and treatment of this ailment. The patient starts reading the article, learns some interesting facts and information, and feels more confident about engaging your organization for help.

They are less likely to go to competitors because they’ve obtained value from your blog, and are therefore more familiar with your organization, moreso than the competition.

Keep in mind that no two blogs should look exactly the same. We recommend starting off with the principles below:

Publish content on a regular basis, such as twice per week
Guide your strategy with SEO-focused keywords and questions
Break up your content with images and/or video
Keep your paragraphs short and your tone consistent
Eliminate typos or inconsistent formatting

8. Build Referral Relationships With Local Businesses

Remember where we mentioned collaboration with your clients? Referral relationships with local businesses will generate reliable word-of-mouth that gets you new patients.

More often than not, new patients need assistance finding a new business. While your website or blog is helpful in convincing them, trustworthy insights and opinions go further. Therefore, referrals from friends, family, or businesses can be a significant influence to pushing your customers towards your direction.

9. Offer Online Booking Capabilities Through Your Website

Online convenience is the standard nowadays. If your business doesn’t make it easy to book an appointment, you’ll have little chance of acquiring new patients.

Easy online tools like symptom checkers have changed the way patients interact with their healthcare providers, thus boosting convenience to the next level. Take time this year to review your website’s accessibility. Will patients have an easy time filling out online forms and care requests?

10. Use Practice Management Software To Improve Patient Experience

Last but not least, consider practice management software for your patient experience. Both new and current patients will appreciate how much smoother their healthcare process is.

A patient management software should do the following:

Improve patient engagement
Encourage steady follow-up
Automate common processes

Best Strategies For Acquiring New Patients

Ready to improve your healthcare marketing strategy and supercharge your patient acquisition efforts? The best strategies we have for acquiring new patients (and helping current patients) are as follows: