Marketing an urgent care center is different today than it used to be. We walk through four top urgent care marketing strategies to attract new patients.
WHY MARKETING MATTERS
Much like any other business, urgent care centers are only profitable if the services they provide continue to find an audience over time. But unlike other industries such as dining or retail, the approach to urgent care marketing can be a bit trickier, as these facilities may lack the budget to increase volume and engage with the community on a sustained level. An urgent care marketing plan may seem like a secondary concern, but even if you employ world-class professionals and provide cutting-edge services, your bottom line will suffer if you aren’t increasing incremental patient volume.
Within the healthcare industry, urgent care traffic is driven more by location, wait times, and other immediate factors than traditional hospitals or doctor’s offices. These additional factors make identifying effective marketing strategies even more essential to your clinic’s success.
MAKE YOUR BUSINESS VISIBLE
Since urgent care centers rely on consistent walk-in traffic to grow impact, where you choose to locate your business is of the utmost importance. But it doesn’t stop there. Your location may be convenient to many, but it means nothing if people don’t know you’re there. Outdoor advertising such as billboards, bus stop posters, and other transit signage is ranked among the highest marketing tactics for urgent care centers. To that end, your brand name and logo design should be eye-catching and memorable. So, whether your center is in a strip mall or you occupy a stand-alone building, your signage will be instantly recognizable to individuals in need of your services.
BUILD A STRONG ONLINE PRESENCE
Your facility, employees, and services may be top of the line, but if you can’t be found online or your website lacks helpful content or easy navigation, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity. You can either manage a website yourself or rely on the expertise of digital marketing professionals. They can help grow your accessibility and imprint by offering more information about your clinic and its services, as well as other useful tools such as relevant blog articles. Social media is another way to connect with prospective customers, as well as complementary businesses. Hiring digital marketers can be a very useful tactic in your urgent care marketing strategy.
ENGAGE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
As more and more people have become frustrated with the inefficient, impersonal, and costly process of waiting for healthcare services in hospital emergency rooms, urgent care facilities can seize the opportunity to provide a higher level of care for a range of injuries and illnesses.
All healthcare is local. Whether you’re new to town or have been around for decades, people seek out businesses — particularly healthcare providers — they can trust. Eye-catching billboards and online outreach are important, but grassroots marketing is just as effective, if not more so, in reaching potential new patients and building loyalty and repeat business.
Through different types of involvement, such as sponsorship of local and special events, participation in charities and fundraisers, and other forms of partnerships and outreach, you can build strong relationships with the community you serve.
PARTNER WITH THE LEADING NAME IN URGENT CARE
A lot of work and consideration goes into starting a healthcare business, and urgent care marketing strategies may not be at the top of your urgent care startup checklist. Luckily, American Family Care (AFC) is here to provide you with the advantages of owning your own business while receiving the expert training, support, and marketing assistance of a brand that truly cares about you and the community you serve.
To learn more about what AFC has in store for you as a franchise owner, apply now.
