

Top 10 Ways To Boost Your Patient Leads With Zero Dollars
May 15, 2023
5 min read
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Introduction

As a healthcare provider, you know that patient leads are crucial to the success of your practice. Unfortunately for all healthcare providers like yourself, patient leads do not drop out from a tree or fall from the sky.
So what if you are operating on a tight budget and cannot afford to spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on advertising or marketing budgets?
Fortunately for you, there are plenty of ways to boost your patient leads without spending a single dime. Here are the top 10 ways to boost your patient leads with zero dollars.
Top 10 ways to boost patient leads with zero dollars
1. Search engine optimise (SEO) your website

Your website is often the first point of contact for potential patients. This makes it exceptionally important to make sure that it is optimised for search engines so that your patients are able to find you.
Optimising it can be achieved by:
Using relevant keywords in your content
Adding meta descriptions to each page
Ensuring that your keyword is placed into your hyperlinks, your meta descriptions and your content
Linking internal and external links
Making sure that your overall website is mobile and user-friendly to navigate.
If your clinic marketing manager has already done so, you have set yourself up on the first step to boosting your patient leads.
Wordpress Websites
For most clinics in Singapore, a Wordpress website might be your default website platform. If you are using Wordpress as your website platform, you might benefit from plugins like the following:
Purpose of Tool | Name of Tool | Free or Paid |
SEO friendly website templates. | Generatepress | Free with paid option |
Create duplicate posts from an existing template. | Yoast Duplicate Post | Free |
Creates SEO-friendly pages and recommends suggestions to increase readability and rankability. | RankMath | Free with paid option |
Enhance page loading speed by minimising cache scripts, styles and HTML code. | Autoptimize | Free with paid option |
Stores all media in the cloud to prevent slow page loading speeds. | Cloudinary CDN | Free with paid option |
Connects to Google Analytics and Google Search Console to analyse the traffic coming into the website. | MonsterInsights | Free with paid option |
While there are many other components to SEO, getting the basics right can help set you on track to optimising the patient journey, and thus boost your patient leads.
2. Leverage social media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok can be powerful tools for attracting new patients. Some factors that ought to be taken into consideration when using social media are:
The audience that you are targeting
Content that your audience is looking for
Content formats that your audience prefer
Popular browsing times specific to your audience
By sharing valuable content and engaging with your followers, you can build trust and establish yourself as an authority in your field.
3. Offer valuable educational content
Creating valuable content such as blog posts, e-books, and infographics can help attract potential patients to your website.
By offering informative and engaging content, you can establish yourself as a trusted source of information and build relationships with potential patients.
4. Implement collection of online reviews
Online reviews are an important source of information for potential patients who wish to find out more about the clinic, the clinicians, the environment of the clinic and the quality of the treatments at the clinic. Patient testimonials are one of the key ways patients make a decision before heading to a clinic.
Positive reviews can help build trust and credibility, while negative reviews can provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your services.
5. Utilise email marketing to reach new and old patients
Email marketing can be a cost-effective way to stay in touch with your existing patients and attract new ones.
By sending regular newsletters or promotional emails, you can keep your practice top-of-mind and promote your services to potential patients.
6. Be a thought leader on online communities and forums
Joining online communities such as forums, Facebook groups, and LinkedIn groups can help you connect with potential patients and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
By answering questions and providing helpful advice, you can build trust and attract new patients to your practice.
Based on interviews with doctors and dentists in different specialities, we have gathered a list of common questions that patients want to know before entering a clinic:
Common questions that patients ask
Do I have to visit a doctor or dentist if I have the following symptoms?
What causes my condition?
What are the available treatment options for my condition?
How long will the treatment take?
What are the potential risks and side effects of the treatment?
Will my insurance cover the cost of the treatment?
How can I manage the pain or discomfort associated with my condition?
Are there any lifestyle changes I should make to improve my health?
How often should I come for follow-up appointments?
Are there any alternative treatments or therapies available?
What can I do to prevent the recurrence of my condition?
Are there any support groups or resources available for patients with similar conditions?
How can I reach you in case of an emergency or if I have further questions?
Can you explain the test results and what they mean?
Are there any dietary restrictions or specific medications I should avoid?
7. Work on understanding your patient database better
Running a clinic without understanding your patient database can lead to losing valuable patients or missing out on targeting patients that might be interested in your treatments and services.
Using tools like Medtrik to understand the demographics, psychographics and behaviours of new and returning patients can help you to offer the right kind of information to patients looking for you.
By answering questions that patients require, you can establish yourself as an authority in your field and build relationships with potential patients.
8. Offer reduced cost consultations
Offering reduced cost consultations for high value treatments can be a powerful way to attract new patients to generate increased revenue for your clinic.
By providing value upfront and demonstrating your expertise, you can build trust and establish a relationship with potential patients.
If you are puzzled as to how much you should be pricing your consultations in comparison to your competitors, it might be helpful to use tools like Medtrik to do a comparison of competitors in your vicinity.
9. Partner with other businesses
Partnering with other businesses in your community can help you reach new audiences and attract new patients. By collaborating on events or promotions, you can leverage each other's audiences and build relationships with potential patients.
10. Utilise patient referrals
Encouraging your existing patients to refer their friends and family to your practice can be an effective way to attract new patients. By providing excellent service and asking for referrals, you can build a loyal patient base and attract new patients at no cost.
To sum it up
Attracting new patients does not have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, most of the times, all it needs is a great attitude and the use of existing resources that your clinic has.
By optimizing your website, leveraging social media, offering valuable content, implementing online reviews, utilizing email marketing, joining online communities, hosting webinars, offering free consultations, partnering with other businesses, and utilizing patient referrals, you can attract new patients and grow your practice without spending a dime.