12 Great Acupuncture Marketing Ideas

If you’ve just started an acupuncture practice or if you’re looking to expand your customer base without having to dig into your savings account to do so, then you can do some marketing on your own that will increase your community exposure. You don’t need to hire a marketing firm to implement these ideas today. You just need to be willing to put in a little sweat equity to make the whole thing happen so that you can begin seeing results.

The first step in the marketing process is to look at how your experience matches up with other providers within your community or region. If you are the most experienced acupuncturist, then broadcast that to the world! If you don’t have the most experience, then discuss what part of the process sets you apart so that a client gets more value from your services.

Set up a joint venture with other businesses within your commercial district so that you can cross-promote each other’s services when a customer walks through your doors. These promotions can be as simple as having your business cards placed up by another store’s register. It might mean direct marketing too, but all of that is up to you and what you think will work.

Best Acupuncture Marketing Ideas

1. Focus on the sales of niche procedures so that people who normally wouldn’t receive this therapeutic treatment might be tempted to do so. The number of specific demographic niches is virtually unlimited and it all just depends on the makeup of your local community. Teacher days, parent days, military veteran days, and whatever else you can think up can help drive a few extra bodies toward your location every week.

2. Partner with your state association and come up with a contest or loyalty program that will help people earn great prizes. You could give them box seats to the next baseball game. You could score them free passes for a suite during football season. It could be a VIP experience for a concert. Whatever is popular in your community, make that be the initial focus of your partnership.

3. Use mobile marketing techniques by getting your name and number on the side of your vehicle so people can see it whenever you drive somewhere. The best option is to have this done professionally, but if you’re in a budgetary pinch, you can get magnetic signs that just slap onto almost any vehicle for less than $30. Make sure your phone number is easy to remember because people won’t usually have time to write it down.

4. Get into the local parade scene and build floats that represent the benefits of acupuncture. Everyone loves a good parade and your participation will help to integrate you into the community even further. As an extra benefit, many parades offers prizes to the best floats.

5. Sponsor a local award or scholarship for the youth in your community and your name will get out into the media every time a kiddo wins the award or scholarship that has been offered. The best part about this marketing effort is that you completely call the shots on the award and dictate the rules. If you offer a $1,000 scholarship, for example, you could ask local students to write about the historical benefits of acupuncture.

6. Be a Toys for Tots drop-off point during the Christmas season if your business is based in the United States. Otherwise consider getting involved in the local holiday toy drives with as many businesses as you can so that you can do something good for your community while you’re getting your name noticed every time a toy is provided for a kiddo that is less fortunate.

7. Declare specific days as a way to defeat common problems that people have with their lives at any given moment. You could use a “Defeat Insomnia Day” to discuss with your leads the benefits of acupuncture and how it can lead to the permanent defeat of the nightly tossing and turning routine. You could bring up arthritis, muscle spasms, or any other bothersome symptom to drive traffic.

8. Rent out a conference room and host a business seminar that discusses the professional advantages that an acupuncturist can provide to the business world. Discuss the fact that you can help people to relieve stress during the work day or help people cope with difficult situations they may face. If you can partner with public servants, like firefighters or the local police department, then you’ll have a better chance of getting a lot of free press.

9. Collect business cards from customers and have them get put into a community bowl. This will give you their contact information and in return, offer people who do drop in their business card the chance to win something great. It could be a free acupuncture session or whatever else fits in with your overall business model.

10. Partner up with a gas station to offer a discount on your services when someone fills up their tank with a minimum amount of fuel. It can also work in reverse because a 45 minute acupuncture session could then validate a 20 cent fuel discount the next time someone needs to cure the hunger pains of their vehicle.

11. You can’t forget about the benefits of cold calling people about the services that you provide. Even if you just call 4 people per day, you’ll have contacted an extra 80 potential prospects over the course of a month. Add more calls to the mix and you’ll generate even more potential results! Cold calls can be a little scary at first, so start with the people or businesses in your comfort zone. Emails and even direct mail brochures on a cold call basis can drum up business too.

12. Start a club so that you can meet with other like-minded professionals in your area or field and talk about how everyone can help each other find greater levels of success. Many clubs meet just once a month for breakfast on a Saturday and as you get out into the community more, you’ll be recognized more.