As a general rule of thumb, you should be spending about 9-10% of your expected yearly gross revenue on marketing and advertising a new private health care practice. If you need a big spurt of growth, make that 10% of your current annual gross income, 7-8% for moderate growth, and 5-6% to maintain your existing patient base.
Those percentages get eaten up very quickly, given the cost of the almost obligatory (though of questionable value) Yellow Page ads; print or broadcast media ads; promotional and marketing material including flyers, mailings, brochures, etc.; and the marketing of open houses, health fair booths, and other activities and events.
That helps explain why many wellness professionals turn to the internet. Look at some of the press releases posted by chiropractic offices online at 1888 Press Release and PR.com. They announce almost everything — changes in staff health, health lectures, new equipment or services, notable events, etc.
Press releases can (and probably should) be posted on press release distribution websites, but to take full advantage of free publicity, they should also be sent to newspapers in your area — along with high-quality photos showing your office in action or a professional portrait shot of the person highlighted in the release.
While press releases should be a primary part of your marketing campaign, you don’t want to submit material that sounds like an advertisement.
Examples:
“The Acme Chiropractic Clinic will hold a public educational forum this Sunday on how a balanced diet and chiropractic care affect your immune system and may help prevent colds and flu this season.” Here we have true press release material. It serves the purpose of publicizing your practice and offers a needed service as well.
Then there’s this: “Say well with Acme! This Sunday, the doctors at Acme Chiropractic Clinic will tell you all you need to know about how coming to us can boost your immune system — and keep you from getting colds and flu this season.” This belongs in an advertising section. An internet site where you pay to have your press release posted might accept it, but most print publication editors will reject it as being too promotional for editorial copy.
Also, be careful how you word your press release so it doesn’t violate any of your state’s regulations. Thankfully, chiropractors have fewer limitations on advertising than medical doctors do, but press releases could be classified as “marketing and advertising” by state boards, and be subject to the same restrictions.
You can write your own press releases if you have the time and talent. Still, it might be best to engage the services of a professional marketing company that can coordinate the releases as part of your overall message. If you decide to go that direction, be sure to choose one that’s thoroughly familiar with your particular health care approach. A company that really doesn’t understand what you do will obviously have difficulty trying to explaining it to the public.
For more information on writing press releases, see PRWeb and WikiHow.
Terry Rondberg, D.C. is Founder and CEO of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), an international organization that promotes subluxation-based chiropractic. A leading figure in the health care community, Dr. Rondberg is dedicated to promoting health and wellness. Dr. Rondberg, is an accomplished author, public speaker, educator and advocate of drug-free chiropractic. 
Dear Doctor Rondberg.
Thanks for the intersting article on marketing a professional practice. Our practice has had remarkable success useing Social Media Marketing (aka; Facebook and Twitter etc…). It’s by far and away the most cost effective measure i have found for our office to educate, inform, and connect with our patients, their family, friends, and collegues. Thanks again for sharing your marketing insites.
Very helpful article Terry
This is a good article about marketing. I’m a student just trying to learn more about this business and I really enjoyed your post. Keep up the great work!