Marketing for Chiropractors-5 Best Ways to Create Referrals

Marketing for Chiropractors
5 Best Ways to GENERATE MORE REFERRALS!

1. EXISTING PATIENTS – Your best source of Referrals:

Your existing patients are your most valuable resource for attracting new patients to your clinic. If you are not encouraging them to send in their friends and family you are missing out on a massive opportunity. According to Neilson research – 92% of consumers around the world say they trust word-of-mouth or recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising. Here are some very simple ways to start tapping into your existing chiropractic patients as a source of chiropractic patient referrals.

a. Chiropractic New Patient Incentive Cards

A great way to gently encourage referrals from your patients is to hand out cards with an incentive offer on the back. Hand them out to all new patients, at health fairs, community events, and make them available at your front desk for all existing patients. They are a simple and affordable way to generate new patients. Blueiq software suggests the average lifetime value of a chiropractic patient is approx. $2000.
So if 1000 of our cards generates just 1 new patient they will pay for themselves 35X over. That\’s great ROI and smart chiropractic marketing!
Click here to see NEW PATIENT INCENTIVE CARDS

b. Poster / Wall Art Encouraging Referrals

An office poster that encourages referrals may seem simple – but it is also a powerful reminder. Patients are not always aware of just how important referrals are to the health of your practice. A continuous reminder that your office needs help in spreading the word about your care is an easy way to keep it at the forefront of your patients minds. If your office doesn\’t already have a referrals poster – we offer this as a standard poster | framed poster | canvas wrap and wall mural. Our framed poster / canvas wraps and wall murals also offer the option of complete custom message – Change the wording or image or add your logo to the background of the image all at no additional cost.

c. E-mails / Newsletters – Encourage Sharing

When you send an e-mail or newsletter with general content/information about your clinic – encourage sharing of your content with friends and family. “If you appreciate this content please share it with friends on social media”. Or a simple message at the end of your newsletters that says “Please share our content with others – the greatest compliment is the referral of family and friends”. If people know you want your content shared they are more likely to share. There is a reason why you-tubers ask you to press the like button during their video\’s – they know when they ask they get more action.

2. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS – Another Great Source of Referrals

Another great source of referrals are other health care providers in your area. Networking with other health care providers – medical doctors, massage therapists, naturopathic doctors, personal trainers, etc. – is another vast resource of potential referrals. This is definitely a more labor intensive method of generating referrals but because of that is often an untapped resource. Referrals from other health care providers means creating awareness, trust and understanding of who you are and how you can help their patients.

a. Referral Notepads

A professional way to encourage referrals from other health care providers is to send out letters that contain a referral pad that provides them with a simple and professional way to refer patients to your clinic. If you prefer to introduce yourself in person, having some referral pads and other information about your clinic and your services can start to foster a relationship and establish trust. When sending a letter to other health care providers there are many things to consider. Here are some great references to get you started networking with other health professionals:

i) Introducing Yourself to Other Health Care Professionals
ii) Physician Referral Marketing – A Strategic Approach

b. Sending Referrals

Having a customized notepad with your logo and clinic information is also a good idea when referring patients out of your clinic. This can help to establish a relationship of trust and professionalism with other providers you are referring to. It demonstrates a high level of professionalism to your patients and the providers you are referring to. Everything that leaves your clinic is an opportunity to display your brand to your community. Having quality products displaying your brand helps to market your clinic and shows that you are dedicated to quality and excellence in all aspects of your practice.

3. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE / LOCAL BUSINESSES

Getting to know other business owners in your community is a another great way to market your chiropractic office and generate referrals. Business owners who get to know and trust you can become a great source of new patients. Other business owners are often understanding of just how difficult it can be to generate traffic to a new or existing business and so are more likely to try and help with your referral needs. It is a good idea to have something to give to other business owners that they can easily hand out to their customers / friends / family when the opportunity presents. A small incentive card is a great way to encourage referrals – they are simple to carry and super affordable to hand out – “If you know anyone who needs my care I would love to help, here are some referral cards for 50% off an initial consultation and examination\” – or whatever the incentive is you are offering. Go around to local businesses in your neighborhood and introduce yourself. Some may be open to allowing you to leave information about your office with some referral cards. Try to find a place to leave your information where there is high traffic – either high employee traffic or high customer traffic. Be respectful and always ask before just leaving things – some business are welcoming of you sharing your information, others are not.

4. COMMUNITY EVENTS / OUTREACH

Getting out in the community at a health fair, health talk, or in some other professional capacity is a great way to introduce yourself to patients and start asking for referrals. After talking with a prospective patient and starting to develop a relationship is a great time to provide them with referral cards. You may be doing a harder sell trying to encourage a first visit to your office but if that fails, that is a great time to say \”Here are some cards for 50% off an initial consultation and exam – if you ever need care or know of any friends or family who need care I would love to help\”. While that person may not become a new patient, at least they become a potential source of referrals.

5. THANKING YOUR REFERRERS

When you receive a referral make sure you take the time to show your appreciation with a thank you card. If it is a professional referral, you will want to provide professional feedback in regards to treatment and progress if you want to maintain a strong relationship and encourage continued referrals (See – How to Write a Great Referral Feedback Letter – for Health Professional).

Some recommend incentivizing referrals by offering a free treatment, half-hour massage or some other gift to the person who provides the referral. This is another way to further incentivize patients to provide referrals. Providing a small gift as a token of your appreciation is a nice way to show your gratitude for the referral. Whatever gesture you choose, it is important that you take a moment to thank them for their effort and let them know you are sincerely appreciative.

Not everyone is the type of person who is likely to send referrals, but those that are, often become a source of continuous referrals. A sincere thank you letter and/or a small gift as a token or your appreciation is a considerate thing to do – and just makes sense.

Generating Chiropractic referrals does not have to be complicated or expensive – it just requires disciplined action and consistent effort. Think of each referral card you hand out as a seed that can bring in a new patient and the more seeds you spread the more potential your practice has to grow.

Marketing for Chiropractors 5 Best Ways to GENERATE MORE REFERRALS!