How do I create a marketing plan for a medical practice?

Why does a medical practice need a formal marketing plan?

A strong marketing plan gives your practice direction and consistency. Marketing isn’t just about advertising — it’s about aligning your operations, patient experience, and messaging so that what you promise matches what you deliver.

As Medical Economics explains in “Your practice’s marketing toolkit”, many physicians confuse marketing with promotion. But promotion “can be a two-edged sword if the experience does not match the promise.” A marketing plan forces you to define your goals, identify your audience, and coordinate your team so that the patient experience fulfills your brand promise.

It’s also a cornerstone of long-term business stability. A well-defined plan helps attract new patients while maintaining relationships with existing ones, ensuring steady growth even during competitive or uncertain times. (Medical Economics, “How to build a strategic business plan for your practice”)

What key components should every marketing plan include?

A complete marketing plan should include:

• Mission and positioning – Define what your practice stands for and what makes it different.
• Target audience/patient personas – Identify your ideal patients by demographics, payer mix, and motivations.
• Competitive and market analysis – Research your competition and how they market their services. (Physicians Practice, “Planning your practice’s strategy”)
• Goals and metrics – Establish clear, measurable objectives, such as new-patient volume or increased retention. (Physicians Practice, “3 marketing metrics for medical practices”)
• Strategy and tactics – Determine which channels — SEO, social media, community outreach, or referral partnerships — will reach your target audience.
• Budget and timeline – Allocate resources and set realistic launch and review dates.
• Evaluation and adjustment – Track results and make regular updates based on what works. (Medical Economics, “Evaluate your marketing plan: How to tell what’s working and what’s not”)

How can practices identify and reach their target patients?

Understanding your audience is the foundation of effective marketing. Developing patient personas — composites of your ideal patients — helps focus outreach.

Marketing strategies should be customized by demographic. For example, Medical Economics notes that marketing to senior patients requires different tactics than reaching younger, tech-savvy groups.

Local visibility also matters. Physicians Practice recommends ensuring your Google Business Profile and other local listings are optimized, since “making it easier for potential patients to find you on the internet” is one of the fastest ways to boost new-patient flow (“Local marketing tips for small practices”).

What cost-effective marketing tactics can smaller practices use?

Many practices can see big results without a large budget by focusing on high-ROI activities:

• Search and reputation management – Claim and optimize your Google and Bing business listings and monitor online reviews.
• Content marketing – Blog posts, FAQ pages, and patient education articles improve search visibility and credibility. (Medical Economics, “Three content marketing steps to achieving success for medical practices”)
• Social media engagement – Social platforms can significantly increase visibility; one Medical Economics feature noted that some primary care doctors now get 60%–70% of new patients from online efforts (“Effective marketing methods for primary care doctors”).
• Community partnerships – Participate in local events, offer free health screenings, or collaborate with employers.
• Tracking results – Focus only on measurable tactics like cost per lead or conversion rate. (Physicians Practice, “3 marketing metrics for medical practices”)

How do you set meaningful metrics and measure success?

Metrics show whether your marketing dollars are paying off. According to Physicians Practice’s “3 marketing metrics for medical practices”, the most valuable indicators include:

• Patient acquisition cost (PAC) – How much you spend to attract each new patient.
• Cost per lead (CPL) – The expense of generating interest or inquiry.
• Return on investment (ROI) – Income generated compared with marketing costs.
• Retention and referral rates – How many new patients return or refer others.
• Conversion rates – How many website visitors or leads actually schedule visits.

Tracking these metrics allows practices to double down on effective tactics and refine or drop those that underperform.

When should a practice consider hiring a marketing consultant?

For practices without in-house expertise, hiring a consultant can help establish structure and accountability. Physicians Practice’s “Hiring a marketing consultant for your practice” outlines the benefits, including fresh perspective, time savings, and strategic guidance.

Before hiring, clearly define goals, budget, and expectations. Confirm that the consultant understands healthcare regulations like HIPAA and has proven results with similar medical practices.

What common mistakes should practices avoid?

Marketing mistakes can be costly and difficult to undo. Common pitfalls include:

• Inconsistency – Sporadic efforts or one-off campaigns rarely work. As Physicians Practice notes in “Guerrilla marketing your practice”, “You can’t just send out a one-time postcard mailer and expect people to come beating down your door.”
• Poor patient experience – A great ad campaign won’t save a bad in-office experience. (Medical Economics, “Your practice’s marketing toolkit”)
• No measurement – Without metrics, you can’t know what works.
• Trying too many tactics at once – A scattershot approach wastes money.
• Ignoring your niche – Practices that focus on a specific audience or service often thrive. (Physicians Practice, “Attracting more cash-paying patients to your medical practice”)

What’s a practical timeline for building and rolling out a marketing plan?

A six-to-nine-month rollout works well for most practices:

Months 1–2:
Define your mission, analyze your market, and audit current marketing assets.

Months 3–4:
Optimize your website and local listings; launch blog or social channels; start review management.

Months 5–6:
Run community or online campaigns; evaluate cost per lead and new-patient growth.

Months 7–9:
Refine based on results; expand top-performing tactics; adjust goals and budget for the next cycle.

A marketing plan is less about flashy promotion and more about strategic, measurable growth. By defining your value, identifying your audience, and tracking outcomes, your practice can compete effectively in today’s healthcare market.

Learn more

In this video, Neil Baum, M.D., discusses how you can court media attention yourself as a supplement to your marketing efforts.