How to Market Your Acupuncture Practice
If you’re like most acupuncturists in clinical practice, you have been surprised by how challenging it can be to build and maintain a thriving acupuncture practice. Now, let me say up front that this is not because you lack solid clinical skills or a true passion for what you do. Most acupuncturists are very good at what they do and they love their work.
The problem is that you were never taught the right ways to market your acupuncture practice. Building a practice is largely based on how well you understand the ‘game’ of getting exposure for your practice. After this, it is essential that you have the right systems in place in order to fully leverage your time and to ensure that each patient’s experience in your practice is smooth and professional. Most acupuncturists I have worked with do not have a lot of the systems they need to guarantee their practice stability and growth.
So, how do you get exposure for your practice? Well, there are many ways you can do this. Many acupuncturists try to place a pretty expensive display ad in the local paper, only to discover in frustration that it was a waste of money. Advertising can work, but only if done in the right way. Generally, I recommend direct response advertising. This is when your ad has a 1-800 number or a web link you can send the reader to where they can get a free report or some form of information in exchange for their contact information. This approach works much better than just placing an ad in the paper that says ‘In practice for 10 years, specializing in allergies, located in ___,”
Aside from advertising, you absolutely need a website for your practice. There is a whole method behind creating an effective website that is beyond the scope of this article. When your site is set up right, in most markets you should be generating 2-5 new patients a week from it. You should also consider aligning with other practitioners in your area. As with everything, there is a science behind how this is done. You should also consider networking groups such as BNI.
Getting enough qualified leads to know about your practice is really just the first step and certainly does not guarantee your success. What if a lot of those leads aren’t converting into new patients? Or what if they only come in for 1 or 2 treatments and then they disappear? This is where patient education and systems come into play.
For now, spend some time learning about internet marketing and setting up a website that actually sells what you do and gets traffic to it. Do some inexpensive direct response advertising, and make strategic alliances with other practitioners. This will be a good start to marketing your acupuncture practice in a very effective way. To your success!