11. Claim Local Listings

Whether you know it or not, your practice can be found on multiple sources online, even if you don’t have a website…which is something that should be handled as soon as possible. Many of those sources include: 

• Google Business Profile (the box with the map, images, and NAP info that comes up on the side of the screen when you search for something) 
• Facebook
• Healthgrades
• Instagram, X, Bing, and RateMDs

Claiming your listings ensures:

• Accurate NAP information (Name, Address, Phone number)
• Optimized office hours, photos, and descriptions
• Control over patient reviews

By claiming listings, your practice improves local SEO, increases visibility in search results, and becomes more appealing to potential patients. While it can be a minor inconvenience, these steps are well worth taking, especially for the big name search engines like Google, Bing, and Facebook. 

12. Verify Accuracy in Existing Listings

After claiming listings, verify that all information is accurate. Errors or inconsistencies can negatively affect local search rankings.

Check each listing for:

• Correct NAP details (Name, Address, Phone Number) 
• Accurate office hours (for holidays too!) 
• Updated services and descriptions

Maintaining accurate listings strengthens SEO and ensures patients can trust your online presence.

13. Collaborate with Other Healthcare Professionals

Building relationships with physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists opens new referral opportunities. Collaborative marketing can include:

• Cross-referrals
• Shared educational events
• Co-created content

These collaborations:

• Expand your network
• Build credibility and trust
• Increase patient referrals
• Generate valuable backlinks to boost SEO

A strong professional network enhances your practice’s reputation and drives sustainable growth. It also gives each practice involved the potential to get backlinks! Backlinks are links from other websites to your own! This is something that search engines look for in order to build more authority for your website! 

14. Partner with Complementary Businesses

Form partnerships with gyms, wellness centers, or spas to reach new patient segments. Joint promotions can include:

• Co-hosted events
• Shared educational content
• Cross-promotional offers

Benefits of business partnerships:

• Increased brand visibility
• Access to new audiences
• Additional credibility and trust
• More SEO-friendly backlinks

Strategic collaborations enhance marketing reach and can lead to long-term practice growth. And again…backlinks! The more quality backlinks your site has, the higher ranking in the search engine results you will be. 

15. Be Consistent in Your Branding

Consistency is key for trust, recognition, and effective local SEO. That’s why it’s important to spend time upfront deciding what your practice’s branding will look and sound like. 

• Use consistent fonts, colors, logos, and tone across all marketing channels.
• Align email templates with your website branding.
• Maintain a uniform voice in social media and content marketing.

It may seem like small details, but they add up. When everything feels cohesive, patients begin to recognize your practice instantly. Consistent branding strengthens credibility, makes your marketing more memorable, and helps reinforce your presence in local search results! 

16. Determine Offers

A successful medical marketing strategy is all about interconnected elements, and “offers” play a critical role.

An offer is something valuable you provide to potential patients in exchange for their contact information, helping you stay top-of-mind when they need care. Examples include:

• eBooks or guides with helpful healthcare tips
• Discounts on services or products offered in your office

By giving something valuable, you apply Robert Cialdini’s Principle of Reciprocity, which encourages patients to respond positively, building trust and engagement with your practice.

17. Create a Content Calendar

Marketing plans have a lot of moving parts and keeping track of everything can feel like juggling flaming basketballs. That’s where a content calendar comes in! A content calendar helps organize and track all aspects of your marketing plan. It is a schedule of content types: blogs, videos, social media posts, emails, and when they will be published.

Why use one? Here’s the game plan: 

• Ensures content is structured logically throughout the year
• Helps plan campaigns and coordinate across marketing channels
• Makes it easy to track performance and adjust strategies

A clear, organized content calendar is essential for an effective and manageable medical marketing strategy.

18. Reboot Your Blog

A well-maintained blog can boost your practice in multiple ways:

• Establish authority: Showcase your expertise, experience, and knowledge in podiatry.
• Improve SEO: Fresh, high-quality content ranks higher on Google and other search engines.
• Engage patients: Informative, entertaining content keeps visitors coming back, making your practice top-of-mind.

Posting regularly and maintaining quality ensures your blog continues to deliver long-term value to both patients and your practice!

19. Follow Best Current Practices for Content Marketing

To maximize your results, follow current content marketing best practices. This involves two key elements:

1. Ever-changing practices: Stay updated on search engine algorithms and content ranking strategies. For example, longer, high-quality content currently ranks better than short, frequent posts.
2. Timeless practices: Always prioritize strong storytelling, logical structure, and audience-focused messaging. These fundamentals remain effective regardless of algorithm changes.

Combining both approaches ensures your content consistently performs well and engages potential patients.

20. Make Your Content the Best It Can Be

For maximum impact, your content must be high-quality, optimized, and promoted effectively:

• Set clear goals: Define whether your content aims to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, generate leads, or establish authority.
• Create high-quality content: Mix articles, videos, infographics, and podcasts to meet different audience preferences.
• Optimize for SEO: Include relevant keywords in titles, headings, and throughout the content.
• Promote content: Don’t just rely on organic reach. Use social media, email, influencer partnerships, and paid ads to expand reach.
• Encourage engagement: Invite comments, shares, and discussions. Respond to comments and foster conversations to build a community online. 
• Measure and iterate: Track traffic, conversions, and ROI to continuously improve your content.
• Stay relevant: Update content and adapt to industry trends and audience behavior.

Consistency, relevance, and value are the cornerstones of effective content marketing for healthcare practices.

21. Consider Your Audience

Your content must speak to your ideal patients, not just what you want to say. Ask yourself:

• Who are they?
• How do they consume information?
• Where do they spend time online?
• What problems do they need help solving?

For instance, runners often attend local 5k, 10k, and 20k races. Position your content where your audience is most likely to see it.

A buyer persona map can help you craft messages that resonate, making patients feel understood and more likely to choose your practice over competitors.

22. Provide Valuable Information in Your Posts

Content must deliver genuine value to your audience. A beautifully written blog that lacks usefulness can damage your credibility.

Ensure posts:

• Address real patient concerns
• Provide actionable tips or insights
• Align with your overall content strategy

By offering useful information, you build trust, enhance your brand, and encourage patient loyalty. (Remember when we mentioned content calendars? This goes hand in hand with the importance of being strategic and creating a calendar so you can easily look at the bigger picture!) 

23. Create Original, Unique Content

Never copy content from other sources. Original content is critical because:

• It’s ethical and aligns with your professional credibility
• It helps your SEO. Google penalizes duplicate content, so creating unique pages and posts boosts your overall rankings. 
• It strengthens your brand. Your voice is a key part of your practice’s identity. Copying others dilutes that. 

Original content also ensures your patients receive fresh, relevant insights that differentiate your practice from competitors! You need to stand out! 

24. Make Sure There Are No Errors in Your Content

Your online presence reflects your professionalism. Grammar, spelling, and formatting errors can harm your brand.

• Maintain accuracy in all blog posts, web pages, and social media content
• Ensure content is both professional and approachable

Polished content strengthens credibility, builds trust, and supports your medical practice marketing strategy. Fair or not, people WILL judge you negatively if your website and social media accounts are prominent with grammatical errors. 

25. Show Some Personality

A likable, relatable brand makes patients more likely to choose your practice. Incorporate personality by:

• Writing in a conversational tone
• Highlighting office events and staff stories
• Demonstrating empathy and understanding in your messaging

At the end of the day, people do business with brands they trust and find credible! So, your office should be a trusted, credible, likeable authority in the podiatry community. 

26. Establish Authority

Going a bit deeper into something from that last tip, you need to use your marketing plan to establish your authority in the industry. To do so, ensure posts:

• Are accurate, useful, and easy to understand
• Avoid unnecessary technical jargon for non-medical audiences
• Position you as a trusted professional patients can rely on

Being authoritative online reassures patients and encourages them to seek care at your practice.

27. Make Your Content Last Longer

When it comes to content, think evergreen. Sure, local events and seasonal topics are fun, but they can also make your blog posts go out of date a lot faster. For example: 

• Instead of a post about a specific 5k event in 2019, write: “What to Do If Your Heels Hurt After a 5K” 

The second version works year after year, no matter what races your readers are running. 

Evergreen content maintains traffic over time, while time-sensitive topics are better suited for social media and email campaigns. In this case, you could still reference the local event with a quick social media post: “The Jingle Bells 5K is coming up! What would you do if your heels hurt afterward? We’ve got you covered!) 

28. Post Consistently

Consistency is key for blogs and social media:

• Regular posting builds engagement, followers, and trust
• Helps accumulate content that can be repurposed across channels
• Improves search engine rankings when combined with high-quality posts

Quality is key here. Gone are the days when quantity alone ruled the internet. Short, low-value posts won’t do your site any favors, they could actually hurt your performance. 

Additionally, aim for a sustainable posting schedule. 1–3 high-quality blog posts per month, while maintaining consistency across social media. (Again, this is where your content calendar comes in handy!) 

29. Repurpose Old or Out-of-Date Content

Maximize the value of existing content by repurposing it:

• Turn blog sections into emails or social posts
• Use video testimonials across blogs, social media, and email campaigns
• Update older posts to link to new pages and services

A form that is especially nice for repurposing is video! Use your marketing and testimonial videos on blog posts and web pages to increase views and engagement. (You can also share them on social media!) Repurposing content overall saves time and strengthens your marketing reach. 

30. Audit and Update Your Content Regularly

Over time, some content may become outdated, redundant, or underperforming. Conduct regular audits to:

• Update pages for new services, staff, or locations
• Rewrite low-performing pages to improve SEO
• Remove or redirect redundant content to prevent keyword cannibalization
• Ensure links point to current, relevant resources

It is important to review ALL of your content on a regular basis of some sort. Regular content audits improve search engine rankings, keep your site relevant, and enhance patient experience.

31. Get Testimonials to Feature on Your Website

Referral marketing is one of the most powerful forms of advertising. When someone shares a positive experience, trust increases immediately.

Even if a testimonial isn’t from a close friend or celebrity, it still works. Just look at how people trust reviews on Amazon without knowing the reviewer personally.

Featuring patient testimonials on your website builds credibility and reinforces trust. Video testimonials are especially effective because they feel authentic and personal.

Adding testimonials to your medical website strengthens your brand, improves conversion rates, and supports your overall digital marketing strategy.

32. Ask Patients for Reviews

Online reviews are critical for both reputation management and local SEO.

Google tends to rank medical practices higher when they have a strong volume of positive reviews. But reviews don’t appear automatically, you have to ask for them.

Instead of requesting a 5-star review, simply ask:
“Would you be willing to share your experience with our practice on Google?” 

Consistently requesting reviews helps generate more 4-star and 5-star ratings, which boosts search visibility and patient trust. If you want to generate reviews easily, ask us about our Integrated Local Solutions Platform! 

33. Keep an Eye Out for New Reviews

Monitoring reviews is essential for protecting your online reputation.

Regularly check platforms like:

• Google
• Facebook
• Health-specific directories

Why this matters:

• Negative reviews may reveal opportunities for improvement.
• Some reviews may be inaccurate and need to be flagged.
• You may need to professionally share your side of the story.

Staying proactive ensures your medical practice maintains credibility and visibility online.

34. Respond to All Reviews (Good and Bad)

When it comes to online reviews, it might seem like the obvious focus should be on the negative ones, but don’t forget the positives! 

Respond to all reviews. 

For glowing reviews, it’s simple: say thank you and acknowledge the kind words. It’s an easy way to show your practice is engaged and appreciative of your patients. 

Negative reviews take a bit more finesse. This is your chance to demonstrate professionalism and show that you care about patient experiences. 

One non-negotiable rule: always follow HIPPA regulations! Even when responding to complaints, patient privacy must come first. 

35. DO NOT Hide Less-Than-Perfect Reviews

It may feel counterintuitive, but keeping some less-than-5-star reviews visible actually builds credibility.

Why?

• A perfect rating can look suspicious.
• Mixed reviews show authenticity.
• Thoughtful responses showcase professionalism and accountability.

Handled correctly, even negative reviews can strengthen your brand and demonstrate transparency.

Tips for Social Media Marketing:

36. Use Social Media to Promote Other Content

Your social media accounts should drive traffic back to your website, which is the centerpiece of your marketing strategy.

For example:

Instead of writing about a specific local 5K event, publish an evergreen blog about heel pain after running, and promote it through social media posts tied to local races.

You can also use social media to:

• Promote landing pages
• Grow your email list
• Share newsletters
• Highlight services

This integrated approach increases website traffic and patient conversions.

See how we use social media by following our Facebook page, and our Instagram! 

37. Use Social Media to Show Your Personality

Remember how we said your practice should be liked, trusted, and seen as credible? One of the best ways to build that connection is by showing personality, and social media is the perfect stage for it. 

Social media is the perfect platform to:

• Share office events
• Highlight staff
• Post behind-the-scenes content
• Showcase community involvement

Even if you’re not personally a fan of social media, your audience likely is. And social media marketing is not going away anytime soon, so showing patients that your practice is friendly and part of their community goes a long way! 

38. Engage with Social Media Followers

Social media is meant to be interactive. Your practice’s social media accounts allow people to engage and feel connected with you. 

If someone comments on your post:

• Reply
• Like their comment
• Start a conversation

Engagement builds connection and connection increases conversion! 

39. Follow Local Organizations

Engage with local community groups and organizations online. This will allow you to stay in the loop about what’s happening and establish your presence in the community. To best do this, consider what you do and how it relates to various groups and organizations within your area. 

For example:

• A podiatrist can follow local running groups.
• An optometrist might follow schools for back-to-school promotions.

Commenting and engaging provides valuable exposure, often more effectively than paid sponsorships. Community involvement strengthens local SEO signals and builds brand visibility.

Tips for Email Marketing

40. Utilize Email Marketing

Email still remains one of the highest-ROI marketing channels.

Since most people check emails on their smartphones daily, email marketing helps you stay connected with current and prospective patients.

It’s a direct, reliable way to build trust and nurture long-term relationships. The next few tips will give you some things to consider trying for optimal results. 

41. Create a Monthly Newsletter

A monthly newsletter provides consistent value.

It allows you to:

• Share helpful healthcare information
• Reinforce branding
• Showcase personality
• Highlight blog content and promotions

When done correctly, newsletters improve patient retention and brand recognition. On top of that, it’s a great way to share information that people might find useful and/or entertaining! 

42. Develop Custom Email Campaigns

While general email blasts are great for sharing practice-wide news, segmented campaigns can be more powerful. When you tailor emails to specific patients’ needs and use your updated patient list, you can send the right message at the right time, automatically. 

Examples include:

• Review request campaigns
• Appointment reminders
• Condition-specific care instructions
• Automated follow-up emails

Personalized email campaigns increase engagement, improve compliance, and strengthen patient relationships.

43. Use Email Blasts to Share News

Email blasts are ideal for:

• Office relocations
• New providers
• New services
• Practice announcements

Use blasts for broad updates and campaigns for targeted messaging! It can be confusing, but that’s why you have us! 

44. Write Subject Lines That Increase Open Rates

Your subject line determines whether your email gets opened.

Avoid clickbait. For example:
“25 Amazing Ways to Avoid Heel Pain (You Won’t Believe #17)!” 

Why avoid it? It may grab attention, but if your email doesn’t deliver what the subject line promised, you risk losing trust. 

Instead, focus on subject lines that are clear, honest, and compelling. Make a promise you can keep and you’ll increase opens while protecting your credibility. 

45. Keep Emails Short

Most emails are read on mobile devices. Shorter emails perform better because:

• Phone screens are smaller
• Attention spans are limited
• Readers skim content

Deliver value quickly and include a clear call-to-action.

46. No Spam!

Over-emailing leads to unsubscribes.

The number one reason people unsubscribe from email lists? Too many emails.

Instead, focus on: 

• Sending strategic campaigns
• Delivering value 
• Making each message beneficial to the reader

Don’t be annoying in the email marketing world, be helpful! 

47. Update Email Lists Frequently

Keeping your email lists current is essential for a couple reasons: 

• Your emails reach the right people 
• You don’t miss the chance to stay connected with existing patients

Sending irrelevant emails, especially to those who aren’t your target audience, damages trust and brand perception.

Regular updates protect your reputation and maximize marketing effectiveness.

48. Use Videos on All Platforms

Video marketing offers one of the highest returns on investment. Studies show people are 85% more likely to take action after watching a video. That could mean booking an appointment, calling your office, or signing up for your email list. 

And not just long-form videos. Short-form content like Instagram Reels, TikToks, or YouTube Shorts works wonders too! They are highly shareable, and easy to produce! 

Use videos to:

• Introduce providers
• Share patient testimonials
• Explain treatments
• Encourage appointment scheduling

Video increases engagement and conversion rates, so if you’re not using video yet, it’s time to start! 

49. Ensure Videos Look and Sound Professional

Video quality reflects your professionalism.

You don’t need Hollywood production, but you do need:

• Clear audio
• Good lighting
• Steady visuals

With today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to make videos that feel polished without breaking the bank. High-quality videos reinforce credibility and trust.

50. Consider Utilizing a Practice App

A dedicated medical practice app can:

• Allow appointment scheduling
• Send reminders
• Share newsletters
• Deliver updates

An app keeps your practice accessible and top-of-mind. Plus, it’s more convenient for those patients who do everything on mobile devices these days! 

Tips for Monitoring Progress

51. Determine Appropriate Metrics to Track

Marketing without measurement is guesswork.

Track metrics relevant to digital marketing, such as:

• Website traffic
• Call volume
• Conversion rates
• Appointment requests
• Engagement metrics

Focus on SMART goals and track metrics that align with revenue growth and patient acquisition.

52. Review Your Analytics Regularly

Collect and review data at least monthly.

Maintain a spreadsheet or dashboard to track:

• Traffic trends
• Engagement changes
• Conversion improvements

Historical comparisons help you evaluate progress accurately.

53. Modify Your Strategy If Needed

If analytics show limited progress, it might be time to figure out what’s not working, adjust your approach, and keep the parts that are working. 

Marketing requires flexibility. Refinement, and not abandonment, often leads to success.

54. Get Your Staff Involved

Marketing a medical practice requires teamwork. 

Some ways your team can be involved: 

• Contribute blog ideas
• Help manage social media
• Participate in content creation
• Capture photos and videos

Even simple involvement makes a big difference, having your staff involved makes your practice feel more personal and connected! 

55. Consider Hiring a Marketing Agency

Medical marketing is time-consuming and complex, especially when you’re doing it all on your own. 

If you lack in-house resources, partnering with a specialized healthcare marketing agency, like ours, can give you access to:

• SEO experts
• Content strategists
• Web developers
• Social media managers
• (Basically anything marketing related you could think of!) 

If you don’t have the time or resources in-house, outsourcing can save you the stress, give you better results, and let you focus on what you do best: treating patients! 

BONUS TIP: Work WITH Your Marketing Team

Whether you work with staff or an agency, collaboration produces better results than a completely hands-off approach.

Even minimal input improves alignment, messaging accuracy, and performance.

When you’re ready to elevate your medical practice marketing strategy, partnering with the right team can make all the difference.