Skip to content 
You’re a chiropractor, and you’re excellent at one thing: getting new patients. Your Google Ads are working, your SEO is bringing in traffic, and your Google Business Profile is generating calls.
But your practice feels like a “leaky bucket.” A new patient comes in, you get them out of pain, and… you never see them again. You’re constantly spending money on the expensive hunt for new patients, while your biggest asset—your existing patient list—sits cold.
As Chiropractic Marketing Specialists, we know that true practice growth isn’t just about acquisition; it’s about retention. This expert guide provides the direct answers you need to plug the leaks and build a practice for life.
The “Leaky Bucket” Problem: Acquisition vs. Retention
You need both new and existing patients, but most practices only focus on acquisition. This is a huge mistake.
- Acquisition is expensive. It costs 5x-10x more to acquire a new patient than to reactivate an existing one.
- Retention is profitable. Your existing patients already trust you. They are your most likely source of 5-star reviews, word-of-mouth referrals, and profitable, ongoing wellness care.
You are sitting on a goldmine. While a manual recall system is better than nothing, it’s inefficient. Your staff is busy, patients don’t answer, and people fall through the cracks. A digital patient recall system (automated email and text) works 24/7. It’s a strategic system that automatically contacts patients you haven’t seen in 3, 6, or 12 months, reminding them that their health is a priority and bringing them back in.
The Action Plan: How to Use Email for Retention
The #1 concern we hear is from doctors who don’t want to send “spammy” emails. We agree.
- “Spam” is sending a constant stream of “10% OFF YOUR NEXT ADJUSTMENT!”
- Value-based email marketing is the opposite. You’re not “selling”; you’re consulting.
The best email strategy is to leverage your expert blog content. You send a monthly newsletter with your new article, like “3 Stretches for ‘Tech Neck'” or “How to Set Up Your Home Office Ergonomically.” You are staying top-of-mind, providing value, and building authority. When that patient’s back does flare up, you are the only doctor they think of.
The real goals of an email newsletter are powerful:
- Reactivation: To bring “lost” patients back for care.
- Referrals: To give your happy patients something valuable to forward to a friend.
- Reviews: An engaged, happy email list is the single best audience to ask for 5-star patient reviews.
The Partnership: Creating a “Perpetual Growth Loop”
A strong patient retention system makes your new patient marketing better. It creates a “perpetual growth loop.”
- Your Google Ads and SEO bring in a new patient.
- Your world-class care impresses them.
- Your Email Marketing keeps them engaged and reminds them to come back.
- This engaged patient is now 10x more likely to leave you a 5-star review.
- That 5-star review makes your Google Ads and SEO convert better and cost less.
It’s a complete ecosystem where every part helps the others.
Stop Chasing. Start Retaining.
The first step is to stop letting your hard-won patients walk out the door forever. You need a simple, automated system that works for you in the background.
We offer a Free, No-Obligation Practice Growth Plan. We’ll analyze your current marketing and your retention strategy, showing you exactly how to plug the leaks in your “bucket” and build a more profitable, stable practice.
Your biggest asset is the list of patients who already know and trust you. It’s time to re-engage them.
Contact the Chiropractic Marketing Specialist today to schedule your free Practice Growth Plan.
