First time here? Subscribe

Hey again — it’s Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

When choosing a new healthcare provider, 71% of patients say their decision comes down to access—how easy it is to find you, book with you, and work with you. (accenture)

I sure hope this week’s newsletter talks about how to make your practice easier to find and easier to choose...

In This Week’s Email:

• [1 min] Do you feel seen?: Google profile updates that get you found

• [4 min] Access: Making your practice the easy choice

• [30 sec] 10 free social media & ad templates: This week our set is focused on joint pain (shout out to the PTs & Chiros)

QUICK TIPS

Google Business Profile Checkup: Get Found Fast

Want more patients to find your practice?

These 5-minute fixes to your Google Business Profile can make a major difference in local search visibility. (how to do it)

🔍 Update These First

• Make sure your business description highlights key information about your practice that a prospective patient might look for

• Verify your practice category is specific (e.g., "Physical Therapy Clinic" not just "Medical Clinic", or “Orthodontist” not just “Dental Clinic”) (categories list)

• Add your exact services and the specific conditions/issues you treat

• Confirm your hours are current and match your website

• Doublecheck your phone number is correct and—if you use call tracking—that it has the right HIPAA-compliant call tracking number (CallRail*)

• Make sure your appointment link works and has UTM parameters for tracking clicks (UTM parameter builder)

💡 Pro tip: Notice how many of those help patients determine if you're the right fit before they even contact you? That's by design.

📱 Mobile-Ready Must-Haves

Since over 60% of searches are done on phones, you need to consider your patients on the move: (source)

• Add a "Call now" button 

• Include clear parking/entrance instructions

• Add recent photos of your office exterior (helps patients find you)

Want to check if these changes are working?

Google your practice name and look at your Knowledge Panel (that big info box on the right).

If you can easily determine your specialties, hours, and how to book - you're on the right track.

MAIN CONTENT

Access: Making Your Practice The Easy Choice

3-4 min. read

Picture this:

A potential patient just tweaked their back getting out of bed.

They grab their phone and start searching for help.

In the next 5 minutes, they'll likely decide whether to contact your practice or your competitor's.

What influences that decision?

Our 71% stat regarding how patients choose their providers tells us an interesting story. (accenture)

Think about the last time you needed a service - maybe an oil change or haircut.

Two places had great reviews, but one made it crystal clear when they could fit you in, exactly where to go, and what to expect.

Which one did you choose?

Healthcare isn't that different.

While clinical expertise matters, patients often choose based on how easy you make it for them to get that expertise.

It’s their first impression of you and they unconsciously correlate that process with your abilities.

After all, unless they’re also medical or dental experts, they don’t have much else to go on when choosing a provider.

So, let's break down what "easy" really means to patients and how you can become the obvious choice.

🗺️ Finding You

Imagine Sarah, who needs physical therapy for her knee.

Before she ever reaches for her phone to call you, she's:

1. Checking if you treat knee issues

2. Looking up your location

3. Seeing if you take her insurance

4. Trying to figure out if you have appointments that work with her schedule

📅 Booking With You

Now Sarah's convinced you’re the best choice and she’s ready to book.

It’s in the bag, right?

Wrong.

Here's where many practices lose potential patients:

• No clear next steps

• Confusing phone trees 

• Uncertainty about new patient processes

• Lack of modern booking options (e.g. online)

🤝 Working With You

But let’s say you make it past this hurdle and she’s booked her appointment.

Even after booking, Sarah might still have doubts:

• Where exactly do I park?

• What should I bring?

• How long will it take?

• What happens at the first visit?

• Do I need to fill out paperwork ahead of time?

Will she cancel the appointment if she doesn’t get these answers?

Probably not.

But every part of this interaction is framing her initial experience with you and your practice.

You want it to be smooth.

If each step is muddled and leaves a bad taste in her mouth, then by the time she sees you (or your provider), she’ll be looking for reasons to be upset.

Think she’ll refer a friend to you after all that?

Making This Work For Your Practice

Let's make it practical so you can improve your patient acquisition flow.

Here's how to remove these barriers:

🚪 1. Digital Front Door

Think of your online presence—primarily your website and Google Business Profile—as your 24/7 front office.

They can work together to:

• Answer common questions

• Show clear directions

• Explain your process

• Make booking simple

Although your website will do most of the heavy lifting here, your Google Business Profile is often the direct gateway to your website.

🕵️ 2. Remove Mystery

No one likes surprises at a healthcare visit.

Save the mystery for your Valentine 💌 and give your patients what they really want for Valentine’s Day (or any other day):

• Clear parking instructions

• New patient guides

• Insurance information

• Expectations setting

These things may not sound sexy to you, but they’re the difference between 5-star practices and 3 or 4-star practices. It’s often not the treatment that patients complain about, but the operation and process.

I’m swooning already just thinking about new patient guides and parking instructions.

🕦 3. Show Availability

Like it or not, you aren’t a spy. So you shouldn’t be hiding your whereabouts, whatabouts, and whenabouts.

That means if you offer special services or any of the following, make them known:

• Same-week appointments

• Extended hours

• Emergency slots

• Response time expectations

Communication, clarity, and ease are your goals here.

💡 Pro Tip: Great credentials and expertise are essential, but they work even better when paired with accessibility. Make it easy for patients to benefit from your expertise.

Quick Wins You Can Implement Today

Take a few minutes and have someone from your team do the following. Total time: ~30 minutes

✅ Write down your exact new patient process (10 mins)

✅ Take photos of your parking area and entrance (5 mins)

✅ Document your typical appointment availability (5 mins)

✅ Test your own booking process as if you were a new patient (10 mins - test both phone and online)

Look for friction, mismatches between what is advertised and how things actually work, and confusing workflows.

Put the photos on your website and your Google Business Profile.

Track Your Progress

Monitor these numbers over the next few weeks to see if your changes are working:

• New patient calls/inquiries

• Website-to-appointment conversion rate ⭐️

• First appointment show-up rate

• Time from contact to first visit

Being the "easy choice" doesn't mean compromising on quality—it means removing the barriers between great care and the patients who need it.