With insurance referrals out of the equation, marketing for concierge medicine is a fundamental facet of any direct pay practice’s success. There has been an influx of physician and patient interest for value-based concierge medicine models, and more and more concierge medicine practices are setting up shop across the U.S. This is revolutionary news for the health care industry as a whole, given that it puts back on the pedestal the things that matter most: patients and their well-being.
If you are a concierge medicine doctor who just set up his/her own direct pay practice or if you have been a concierge medicine doctor for quite some time but are interested in growing your practice and acquiring more patients, read on. This piece is written especially for you.
First off, it is very important to note that concierge medicine marketing brings forward a powerful benefit aside from making sure concierge medicine practices have a steady stream of patients coming in.
When physicians prioritize marketing for concierge medicine, not only are they promoting their own practices, but they are also furthering value-based, personalized health care into patient consciousness. Direct primary care marketing gives patients the idea that there is more to life than traditional, insurance-based health care. With exorbitant fees, rushed, ingenuine appointments, and a one-treatment-fits-all approach, the insurance-based health care model has not had the patient’s best interests in a long time. It is high time patients are offered a new and improved alternative that is devoted to extending top-quality, preventive care to them.
Marketing for concierge medicine is a win-win for retainer medicine on both macro and micro levels. As patients grow accustomed to and gain knowledge about the benefits of concierge medicine, more and more patients will make it a priority to subscribe to a direct pay practice.
On that note, here are some medical practice growth strategies you may want to explore to grow your concierge medicine practice:
Despite being in the midst of a digital revolution, the classic in-person connection is still vital to success in personalized medicine marketing. Networking with patients as well as other health care professionals within your area can boost your concierge medicine practice to new heights.
Face-to-face interactions are a great way to build relationships, establish trust, and gain referrals. Attending industry gatherings, hosting events of your own, facilitating workshops — these are sincere opportunities to convince patients of the benefits of concierge medicine.
Below are some national, regional, and local events you can look into to expand your concierge medicine horizons. Remember, word of mouth is a powerful tool, so make sure to treat every human interaction as an opportunity to showcase what your practice is all about.
Learning health care marketing solutions in national and regional Conferences
In private practice marketing, national and regional conferences like the Concierge Medicine Forum and DPC Summit are great avenues to touch base with the industry. DPC physicians and concierge medicine doctors from all over the country flock to this annual conference for good reason.
Not only do you get updates about concierge medicine legislation, up and coming DPC technology and more, you also get to meet and take notes from DPC physicians and concierge medicine doctors from all over the U.S.
Other notable summits to keep tabs on are the Docs 4 Patient Care Foundation’s DPC Nuts and Bolts Conference and the Hint Summit.
Local events: growing a concierge medical practice through targeted marketing efforts
From business networking events like trade shows and medical courses to Chamber of Commerce-hosted events, country club events, SBA events, industry gatherings on a local level are opportunities for your community to learn about your business. It is a marketing strategy that opens up your doors to new patients and deepens the dynamics of your concierge medicine practice with the local community.
You can check the Chamber of Commerce as well as platforms like MDLinx to see if there are any local events scheduled within your vicinity.
Building a strong brand for your private medical practice via word of mouth
More than anything, the patients you look after are your best endorsers. Similar to when we love a product or service and can’t wait to share it to our family and friends, the same goes for concierge medicine. If your patients are satisfied, trust that they will spread the good news about your practice on your behalf.
You can also boost in-person connections by attaching incentives to referrals. A discount on their concierge medicine subscription or maybe a slew of complimentary services - this will encourage friends, family, and most importantly your satisfied patients to spread the word about your practice. Incentives are also a way of showing those who spread the word about your concierge medicine practice that you appreciate them.
You can also look into free first-time consultations. The concept of ‘free trial’ has been around for centuries and this can be successfully applied to marketing in concierge medicine as well. Given that physicians are dealing with skeptical patients who have been burnt by the traditional, insurance-based healthcare model, this method encourages patients to give your concierge medicine practice a shot at a lesser risk.
To sit down with a patient, one on one, is a golden opportunity every concierge medicine doctor should grab. This is a way to showcase your expertise and see if you and your patient are a good fit. This also gives patients the chance to ask questions and get a sense of your concierge medicine approach.
Lastly, concierge medicine doctors can also survey the area or community they belong in and partner up with local businesses that have the same target market. Look into health-related businesses, like gyms, grocers, wellness centers, spas, yoga studios, and the like. Being present where your patients are will help spread the word about your concierge medicine practice.
Given that every single person you know is online, it wouldn’t make sense for your concierge medicine practice not to be. Marketing your direct primary care services to busy professionals can be accomplished by building a strong online presence for a direct primary care practice.
Gaining online presence for doctors through a website.
In marketing for concierge medicine, a website establishes online presence for doctors. It is a major touchpoint of your concierge medicine practice, often serving as a first impression to your patients. In this regard, it is crucial that your website is easy to navigate, has all the important information patients look for, and provides a clear picture of your philosophy as well as the services/benefits you offer.
Once you have covered the basics of an effective, intuitive website, it is also crucial to prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) for doctors on your website. From your blogs to your website copy, make sure to use high-performing keywords related to concierge medicine so that your website ranks higher in search engine results. You can use various lead magnets and user acquisition prospects like blogs, contact forms and testimonials.
We understand this process can seem rather daunting so it is important to seek someone else’s expertise wherever needed. Hiring a website or digital team in charge of medical website design and development can fast-track the process and reap better marketing results.
Staying on top of social media marketing for medical practices
While we have already established that creating effective marketing campaigns for personalized medicine services requires a practice to be online, the bigger question is: which platform should you focus on when marketing your concierge medicine practice? There’s Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Tiktok, Youtube, to name a few - and it’s true, it can get overwhelming.
While it certainly grants you wider reach to be present in all platforms, the key to social media marketing for medical practices is to zero in on two to three platforms. The rule of thumb is to focus on the platforms where your patients are most active.
Take social networking platforms like Linkedin — this is a valuable space where you can show that you are an expert in your niche. Take time to author blogs, interact with other relevant content, and connect with patients and fellow doctors in your field.
By populating platforms where your patients and fellow doctors are present, you get the chance to highlight the value your concierge medicine practice can bring to their lives.
Attracting patients to your concierge medical practice through directory listings.
Participating in directory listing or patient acquisition platforms can take a huge load off concierge medicine doctors like you. Not only do you gain increased visibility, you also have a partner in engineering patient connections that could last a lifetime. Listing platforms like FindMyDirectDoctor.com make it easy for patients to refer to a consolidated list of concierge doctors in their area. Hundreds of doctors are benefitting from patient leads obtained via their profile on FindMyDirectDoctor.com. You can list your profile for free on most of the directory listing platforms. Why say no to free marketing and boosting your online presence?
Email marketing for healthcare providers
A great way to maximize concierge medicine marketing is to find avenues you can intermix. If you have your website all set up already, having email marketing is a proper complement. Build your patient database by having website visitors sign up to your newsletter in return for an incentive. It can be a free consultation, a percentage discount on the first month of their concierge medicine subscription, you name it.
Email marketing is an effective method to keep in touch with your patients, keeping them up to date with treatments, promotions, and important industry announcements .Obtaining a patient’s e-mail address is a step closer to their inner world, giving concierge medicine practices a window for higher value interactions and personalized engagement. It also allows you to filter the information you send them, based on their preferences and their medical history.
Podcasts: staying on-trend with medical practice growth strategies
In the era of digital information, it pays to be a key opinion leader in your field. The more opportunities you get to interact with patients and show them that you are an expert in your niche, the higher chances of them trusting you enough to book a concierge medicine subscription with you. Podcasts are all the rage right now because it, quite literally, feels like you are having an actual conversation with someone. It is a current best practice in marketing for concierge medicine because it is a way for doctors to tackle medical matters their patients are interested in, share learnings to other doctors, and even invite resource persons to cover other areas of expertise.
If you have additional resources, exploring paid strategies in high-end medical marketing can be a worthwhile investment. Paid advertising can help you with patient acquisition and retention, zeroing in on patient markets you otherwise might not be able to tap by yourself. It is all about finding the right marketing mix and spending your ad budget wisely.
Take note that your advertising budget is a finite resource. This means that it is not possible to cover all ground. When left unchecked, these expenses can accumulate over time and can drain your resources. Pick out which paid strategies are feasible for your practice and start trying only a handful at a time. This is so you can A/B test each paid initiative and see which ones are well-performing and cost-effective.
This is why it also helps to consider hiring a marketing expert/consultant (ONLY if your budget allows for it!) who knows the ins and outs of paid advertising. He/she can give you peace of mind that you are striving for the results you want at the most affordable price points possible.
Here are some paid marketing strategies you can explore:
Google ads, social media ads, and local ads: creating a personalized patient experience through targeted marketing
Similar to the principles of classic advertising, paying for mileage within these channels allows you to boost your concierge medicine practice as an advertisement. Google ads; Social media Ads on FB, IG, TikTok and X are some prime spots to advertise your clinic.
With millions of users on these platforms, paying for ad space gives doctors the privilege to tap patient markets they have not penetrated yet. The same goes when doctors acquire advertising spots in local magazines, local radio shows, local newspapers and local TV news channels.
Referral marketing for concierge medicine
If you have patients with personally established audiences, i.e. high social media following or their own Youtube channels or podcasts; and if they are genuinely happy with the service and care you extend to them, slipping in a positive word during their podcast or having a segment in their vlog can do wonders for your clinic. Please also understand that it is not legal to pay a referral fee/ commission to acquire patients. Paying for referrals is a crime - Anti-Kickback Statute [42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)]
Marketing your direct primary care services to busy professionals via out-of-home (OOH) advertising
Placing billboards or signages within your vicinity can also be another great way to conduct marketing for concierge medicine. Out-of-home advertisements serve as ‘visual nudges’ that communicate your concierge medicine branding to potential patients. Consider putting your billboard or signage in a busy area, where lots of people drive by or walk through.
Membership-based medicine has grown in number in the last decade, and is expected to take up more space in the healthcare industry in the next several years. In 2023, concierge medicine has reached an unprecedented high of $17.6 billion. By 2031, this up and coming industry player is forecasted to grow a whopping 7.22% in compound annual growth rate (CAGR), or the rate of returns an investment accumulates over a certain period of time.
At a time when direct pay practices are popping up everywhere and patient interest is at an all-time high, marketing for concierge medicine can make or break your clinic. The American Academy of Private Physicians (AAPP) reports that concierge medicine practices are multiplying at an incredible rate of 25% per year.
By working on these marketing strategies for concierge medicine, physicians are able to attract new patients and move the concierge medicine advocacy forward. Make sure to allocate a separate marketing budget in your business plan so that you have clear boundaries of how far you can take your marketing and which strategies you can afford.
If you are early on in your concierge medicine journey, do not fret. Many of the above strategies are free. You can start with those and scale up as needed.
Finally, here are some parting words to ensure you achieve success in marketing for concierge medicine: do not forget to track results, pivot marketing strategies as necessary, and never lose sight of what is most important: give patients the level of medical care they deserve.
Previous Post
