Chiropractic Marketing for New DC's
Last Updated: May 6, 2019
So you're a chiropractor. You made it through school, you have some understanding of technique, and you're about to open your first office. The scary topic of chiropractic marketing is about to become one of the most important parts of your life.
As a former practicing chiropractor I've been through it all. I've worked in some of the largest offices in the country and my wife and I built our own large practice. Much of what you will hear coming out of school is false so I decided to write my thoughts about what it took to make an office successful.
Why You Need Chiropractic Marketing
You just joined a profession that is only accepted by about 10% of the population. That means when you're marketing your message will only be interesting to about 1 out of 10 people. On top of that you have to figure in that only a small percentage of that 10% is looking for a new chiropractor. The deck is stacked against you to say the least.
While that sounds like doom and gloom it doesn't have to be. Many chiropractors do extremely well in practice, but the numbers above should serve as a wakeup call as to the intensity chiropractic marketing can demand.
Here are Some Common Things that Don't Matter:
BRANDING - Chiropractors call me regularly telling me they are working on branding. I've never yet seen a chiropractor effectively brand their office. You might be able to brand yourself, but no one cares about your logo or the philosophy of practice that you hold dear. You don't have enough money to brand those ancillary things, but you can make yourself famous. My wife was almost a celebrity in town from all the ways we put her image and stories out there.
LOCATION - You will hear time and time again "Location, Location, Location". It sounds good, but is it really important? The answer is NO. Most of the largest chiropractors have terrible locations so clearly it doesn't matter. Also, if you have a primetime location you are going to be paying primetime rent which is something you can't afford when you first open. Trust me when I tell you that walk-ins are a pipe dream no matter how great your location is. You're going to have to drive people into your practice if you want to survive.
YOUR WEBSITE - Now this one is a killer for me because I sell websites so here's what I mean by this. A website is important, but it's not going to rank well enough in the first year to generate new patients for you. Far too many young chiropractors call me thinking the website will save their practice. That's a bad position to be in. You need to look at your website as a long term investment that will pay off big in the future.
Chiropractic Marketing Fear
Let's be honest. Almost every chiropractor I know was or still is afraid of marketing. Standing at a screening booth will put fear in just about every doctor, but you have to be able to overcome this fear to survive. I'm not saying you have to do screenings, but chiropractic is not a profession where you can be fearful of people. Patients are looking for the doctor that exudes confidence. You're going to have to overcome your fear of approaching people about how you can help them. I know for me I told myself I was on a mission to help people. I had a hard time marketing when I thought it was only for my benefit.
Building Chiropractic Marketing Momentum
Most new chiropractors give up before they build enough momentum. They normally find one thing that brings them some initial patients and then they stop. The normal fail point is around 50 visits per week. Most doctors manage to get to this point, but then they start sliding backwards. Most offices that can't figure out how to get past 50 and keep growing will eventually close their doors.
Going past 50 means you must have multiple marketing efforts going on. Many of your efforts will fail, but if you can manage to get two or three going you will have no problem building momentum. If you don't stop working at it you will be successful.
Here Are Some Great Marketing Ideas
In 2013 I decided to give away all my best chiropractic marketing information for free. Every detail of every program I did was recorded in videos and text. I'm not selling anything or asking for anything in return. I'm just giving away some of the best marketing information that has ever been offered to the profession.
Here's the link to all my best programs. By dropping in your email you will gain access to my most detailed information for Free.
