Marketing Matters: Patient Acquisition and Retention

Now that you have secured funding and a location for your dermatology practice, it is vital to develop a marketing plan to grow awareness of your business, acquire new patients, and keep them coming back year after year. It is never too early to generate patient demand for services, and many marketing efforts can be executed for free or with a modest financial investment. Many dermatology entrepreneurs make the mistake of investing only on facilities, equipment, and even personnel — which we’ll cover in our final section — sinking all of their resources into the concrete materials a practice requires to open. But investing time and money into productive marketing efforts early is equally important so there is demand for practice services as soon as the doors open.

An effective, modern marketing strategy requires a blend of developing a unique brand identity, sharing quality information, and creating two-way engagement with potential patients, informing them about your practice’s expertise and quality of care. 

Setting yourself apart from competitors

Establishing a compelling brand and an optimized online presence is essential to differentiate your practice and draw in new patients. When kicking off such efforts, be sure to reference your “why” of starting the business, your target patient demographics, and the competitive analysis outlined in your comprehensive business plan. With an understanding of the demographics, preferences, and needs of your ideal patients, you will more effectively be able to tailor your messaging and subsequent advertising to the right audience.

Here are the key foundational efforts you should focus on to develop a strong brand and set yourself apart from competitors.

• A memorable tagline
  A strong tagline sums up the value you deliver in a few impactful words. It should be simple, aligned with your mission and patient demographics, and clearly communicate the essence of your services.
  
  
• Consistent visual elements
  Using the same logos, colors, and fonts across your digital and printed materials builds a cohesive, trustworthy brand. Consistency reinforces recognition and professionalism—both online and in-office.

Building a strong foundation

Your practice’s website is the most important tool for marketing your practice. It serves as a hub for patients to learn about your services, build confidence in your unique skill set, and contact you to schedule an appointment. The site should feature your unique brand logo, tagline, and be easy-to-navigate and informative.

"Your website needs to work effectively. Don't focus so much on what your website looks like—focus on how well it works."

—Brent C., MetaMed Marketing

Once you’ve established your website, it is important to optimize it to be discovered in search results. While the home page is most often the “front door architecture” of your practice, patients may also find you while searching for information about conditions they have or procedures they are interested in. Some no-cost, foundational ways to optimize your website to appear in relevant searches are listed below. For a more robust search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, you may consider investing in an expert agency partner. 

• Include relevant keywords and phrases in your content
  Use keywords that potential patients are searching for—like acne treatment, skin cancer screenings, cosmetic dermatology, or dermatologist in [your city]—throughout your website content. This helps search engines understand what you offer and improves your visibility when people search for dermatology services in your area.
• Answer frequently-asked questions about conditions you treat
  Create content that addresses common patient concerns such as "What causes eczema?", "Is this mole dangerous?", or "What are the best treatments for adult acne?" Answering these FAQs builds trust, positions you as an expert, and boosts your site’s SEO by matching what people are actually searching for. It also addresses “intent-based searches,” which search engines increasingly are responding to. 
• Add page titles that include your service areas and location
  Each page on your website should include a clear, keyword-rich title—for example: "Dermatology Services in Austin, TX" or "Botox & Fillers in Scottsdale." This helps local patients find you and improves your rankings in location-based search results.

In tandem with these foundational SEO efforts, it is important to develop a strong digital footprint across search engines and directories. It is critical that information about your practice—such as your address, phone number, hours, and services—are listed consistently across the web. 

As Google is the most-used search engine, creating and optimizing a Google My Business Profile is essential. Once you create an account, be sure to do the following:

• Add key contact information 
• Add a description of your practice (this should include your tagline, key differentiators, and service areas)
• Add your brand logo
• Add photos of your practice 
• Respond to reviews 

Begin engaging with potential patients 

Creating opportunities for engagement with potential patients throughout their decision-making journey is key; you’ll want to first address curiosity to drive awareness of your practice, then ensure that your demonstration of offerings earns consideration in the context of their medical needs, and finally, receive a commitment in an inquiry to pursue  services through an appointment. Engaging marketing takes a potential patient on this journey, moving them step by step toward earning their visit in-office. 

Social media platforms are a cost-effective way to begin to drive such engagement. These platforms can work in tandem with your website to highlight your competitive advantage through a healthy mix of content—whether that covers the benefits of a specific service, the positive attitude of the staff, or a current event.

Across your website and social media profiles, the following are key ways to engage with patients:

• Showcasing visual appeal: Highlight before-and-after photos to focus on provider results. Showcasing transformations can be incredibly effective for promoting services related to skin health and aesthetics. Remember to use consistent physical patient positioning, facial expression, background, and lighting so these look professional.

• Telling the story: Potential patients want to hear (and see!) success stories. Document the individual story—gaining patient consent, first—with strong images and some history of a patient overcoming an obstacle or health problem. These stories provide a connection point between existing patients, new patients, and the practice itself.

• Highlighting testimonials and reviews: Testimonials, positive reviews, and patient success stories carry significant weight in attracting new patients. When treating sensitive conditions, potential patients may be calmed by hearing existing patients’ positive experiences.

• Providing patient education: Content about skin conditions, treatments, and skincare routines positions you as an authority in dermatology. Blogs, articles, and photo galleries help build trust with potential patients who value your expertise. By using personalized language, you can make patients feel understood and comfortable with their skin concerns.

• Leveraging seasonal tactics: For dermatology, certain times of the year might be more relevant for specific treatments. Tap into seasonal changes to advertise your offerings (e.g., sun protection tips in the summer, acne treatments for teens going back to school, dealing with dermatitis in the winter).

Expand by meeting patients where they are

Once an engaging digital presence is established, it’s time to expand your marketing efforts across a variety of digital and traditional platforms. A strategic, diversified approach helps you reach prospective patients wherever they are—whether they’re searching online or seeing your name in print.

Dermatology providers aim to inform, educate, and inspire patients — while also engaging them meaningfully. However, the way you reach and resonate with patients varies significantly based on factors like age, preferences, location, and lifestyle. 

For instance, younger patients may turn to Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube for skincare tips, cosmetic procedures, or acne solutions. Older patients might rely more on Facebook, Google search, or local print ads to find providers for skin cancer screenings, rashes, or anti-aging treatments. And parents looking for care for their children may respond well to recommendations from pediatricians, school newsletters, or community bulletin boards.

To effectively reach and engage these diverse audiences, dermatologists can implement a “flood the zone” strategy—using a variety of tactics and touchpoints across both digital and traditional channels. If you’ve set aside funding for Marketing, hiring an outside marketing firm specialized for  medical providers (or specifically dermatology providers) may be helpful in the further development of online strategies including website content, social media messaging, email campaigns, and print brochures.

"It's just a fact: No marketer can know with 100% certainty where and how to actually catch the eye of someone and persuade them to take action. So 'flooding the zone' gives the best chance of resonating with the audience to take action."

—Brent C., MetaMed Marketing

Be sure to prioritize patient retention

Once you have successfully acquired new patients with a robust, modern marketing strategy, retaining these patients—and earning new ones via word of mouth—often comes down to good, old-fashioned quality care experiences.

"The biggest key for patient acquisition and retention is to be nice, be thorough, and do a good job. Dermatologists—more than any other practice—get referrals from their friends, family, and coworkers. Take time with patients, show them you care, and they will be loyal."

—Patty P., Missouri

Even “non-clinical” elements to practice management can be used to acquire and retain patients. Listening intently, responding to patient inquiries in a timely manner via phone or text, and creating an office culture among staff who are willing to go that “extra mile” are major differentiators for a dermatology practice. Patients feel welcomed by a clean, warm, inviting office manned by friendly staff, and appreciate being offered hot beverages, water, or snacks. You can keep patients engaged through regular emails that provide educational resources, updates on services, skin care tips, promotions, or local events. 

As your comprehensive marketing plan takes shape, set clear goals and establish data tracking for various marketing initiatives so you know how they are performing. This will likely entail increasing local awareness, driving website traffic, and/or growing your patient base to a specific volume. You can track results to gauge effectiveness of your campaigns using analytics tools, where feasible, refining your strategies over time. These strategies may require testing, tweaking, and retooling before they are operating at full speed.  Effective marketing of your practice cannot be achieved through a brief, concentrated period of effort. Marketing is an ongoing operational task to keep your practice functional and thriving over time.

"Think about your promotional initiatives as exercise. If you haven't been exercising, get started now. Don't try to run a marathon every day for the next six days, then stop exercising. It's the same with marketing your practice: build up to it, be steady with it at regular intervals. You should always be marketing your website and [performing] other marketing initiatives."

—Brent C., MetaMed Marketing