One of the biggest problems that acupuncture practitioners face is keeping their appointments scheduled with patients consistently. Many health practitioners find after practicing for some time and building up a steady practice of regular patients, they still are not seeing enough new patients coming into their practice. This can lead to empty appointment times in their future. The only way to keep a practice healthy and thriving is to have an influx of both new and returning patients on the books consistently.

This leads to acupuncturists scratching their heads to find ways to entice more new patients in their doors. Something effective that is frequently overlooked is to get their existing patients to help them do this. Basic marketing courses will tell you that word of mouth advertising is one of the best ways that a business or practice can use to become successful.

So how do you get existing patients to help you get new people in the door? One successful acupuncturist sends out a nice Christmas card with two vouchers for a free exam and consultation to his existing patients each Christmas season. These are to give to friends or loved ones as a gift. He only asks that these be given to people who have not been seen by his office before and could benefit from his services. This has been a very successful marketing campaign for his practice.

Another great way of keeping your office and practice in the front of your patient’s mind is to keep up with your patient’s birthdays. Send them a nice birthday card. If the patient has not been seen in some time, offer a visit at a reduced rate as a birthday gift to them. You can include a voucher for a friend or a loved one at that time as well. Patient’s love to give away things and will tell others how great you are when they give these out as gifts. It is an excellent example of two ways you can market your acupuncture practice in an effective manner without having to pay for expensive advertising that may or may not give you the results that you are looking for.