How to Increase Patient Referrals and Grow Your Practice

Looking to grow your medical practice? Referrals are one of the most effective ways to attract new patients to your clinic for one reason—they establish trust. 

Trust is paramount in any health and medical setting. For a patient to be willing to place their health and well-being in your hands, they first need to know you’re equipped to perform the treatment safely and achieve the intended result. 

When a prospective patient hears from a friend or family member that they had a positive experience with a doctor, physician or practice, it instills the belief that they too would have a good experience. 

Want to know how to increase patient referrals for your practice? Here’s what you need to do…

How to Increase Patient Referrals: 7 Simple Strategies

1. Ensure the patient experience is hitting the mark

An unhappy patient is never going to recommend you to their family and friends, so your top priority should be to ensure you’re actually providing a great patient experience.

Start by considering what the customer journey is like, and ask current patients for feedback on what you’re doing well and where there’s room for improvement.

2. Make a habit of asking for referrals

Whether you ask in-person, send a text message or put it in an email, it’s important to make asking for referrals standard practice.

Even something as simple as placing a sign at reception letting patients know you’d appreciate any referrals can prompt patients to think if they know anyone that might be interested in your services.

3. Develop a referral incentive program

Offering rewards such as discounted or free services in return for referrals is a great way to encourage patients to spread the word about your practice to their personal networks.

You can even incentivize staff to tap into their personal networks by offering a referral commission for any new patients they bring to the practice.

4. Host a ‘bring a friend’ event

This is a great, fun way to tap into your patients’ personal networks and meet a cohort of prospective new patients face-to-face.

Set a theme for the event and provide some catering, entertainment and enticing freebies for those who attend and it’s sure to be a hit! 

5. Develop a social network marketing strategy

Online networks can be just as valuable as personal networks, so it pays to build a strong online presence where your followers can view, comment and share content relating to your practice. 

Post regularly about industry trends, share updates on your latest treatments or even run outreach campaigns.

6. Connect with local businesses, medical practices and specialists

Referrals don’t just come from personal networks. Reaching out to local businesses and other medical practitioners to introduce yourself and let them know about the services you provide can be a great way to generate more referrals. 

They’ll be sure to think of you the next time they speak to a patient or customer from your local area that could benefit from your services!

Want more surefire strategies to rapidly grow your medical practice or clinic? Contact the team at MD Logica for personalized medical marketing advice.