Lately I’ve been getting quite a few emails asking “What do you think of this (acupuncture marketing system or tactic)?”

Just about every acupuncture marketing or acupuncture practice building system works. EVERY one of them. The question is, how well do they work? Are they worth the effort to bring in new patients?

I won’t tell you the answer, for two reasons. First, I’m biased and think my method is the greatest thing since sliced bread (or Chinese medicine, or the Internet). So you shouldn’t take what I say at face value. Second, it’s important to me you can make an informed decision. Whatever you choose, you should be comfortable and understand what’s going on.

So here’s how you can evaluate any acupuncture marketing approach for yourself. There’s two things to look at:

First, does the system, tactic or method consist of “Springs”, “Faucets,” or “Buckets”?

Huh? What am I talking about?

Think of it like this. Suppose patients are like water. That means that word-of-mouth marketing for acupuncture is like a natural spring that flows right into your clinic. There’s little effort, and it “feels” good and natural. Best of all, it’s free. That’s what the book Never Market Again is about. It explains a complete, nearly hands-off “marketing” system. It shows how relationships, education and word-of-mouth can not only bring new patients into your clinic, but have existing patients visit more often, for more conditions.

You can actually teach patients to be better at referring and be better patients. Best of all, they’ll be happy about it, respect you more, and like you better as a result.

That’s the ideal in acupuncture marketing and practice building. It’s easy, natural and almost free. (You can read more about Never Market Again here.)

You may also want to have the next best thing. What I call “Faucets”. A “Faucet” is a marketing system for attracting new patients. It’s much like the word-of-mouth spring, but requires work setting up the “plumbing.” Once one or more “Faucet” acupuncture marketing system are in place, they can be turned up or down as desired to reliably bring in new patients. (Only some “Faucet” acupuncture marketing systems can be turned on and off easily. I hardly think you’ll complain about faucets stuck in the on position, however.) Examples of “Faucets” are websites, yellow page ads, and more. That’s why I wrote the book “The Faucet” to go with Never Market Again. You can buy “The Faucet” separately, but probably shouldn’t. (Read more about “The Faucet” here.)

The last kind of marketing is what’s called “buckets”. “Buckets” are one-shot deals where you put in some effort to get some patients. A few examples of “Buckets” are giving patient talks, participating in community events, and ads. Buckets work, but as you may have guessed, they require quite a lot of carrying. That usually, but not always means they’re far from the first choice. “Buckets” are best for new practitioners who are ok with taking the time getting their name out in the community. Kevin Doherty describes some particularly excellent buckets in his book “Build Your Dream Practice.” Highly recommended.

A particularly excellent “Bucket” is holding a patient appreciation day. Patient appreciation days are actually a secret way of jump-starting the “Spring” and increasing word-of-mouth and more. This event has far-reaching effects - far beyond most “buckets.”

So, whatever acupuncture marketing or acupuncture practice-building system or idea you’re looking at - does it consist mostly of “Springs”, “Faucets”, or “Buckets”? Remember, whatever method of acupuncture marketing you choose, the more natural and automatic it is, the easier and cheaper it will be.

That’s the first step in evaluating any method for marketing acupuncture or Oriental medicine.

The second thing to consider is the answer to a simple question:

“How did your hear about us?” (Or for existing patients, what made you decide to see us today?)

Without knowing the answer to this question, you’re not going to have much of an idea what acupuncture marketing method, advertisement, tactic or whatever is working for you. Did they find you through your website? Or a talk you gave or a patient referral?

There are many acupuncture marketing “systems” that take a single method and promise to bring you all the patients you need. Perhaps you’ll get all the patients you need through a website. Or through sending out mailing pieces or advertising. Or giving talks. I haven’t seen any single acupuncture practice-building method alone do the job, but it’s possible.

There’s just one problem with all these systems and their promises. How would you even know if the “system” was living up to its promises?

It’s simple, actually. Ask that simple, magical question (”How did you hear about us?”), and you’ll know. The answers you get will tell you what acupuncture marketing system or method working - and what’s not. Even better, you can use just a bit of math to determine the lifetime value of a patient. The money you receive from the patients should be several times the expense of that marketing method. When that happens, it means the marketing method is paying for itself.

(”The Faucet” gives details about how to conservatively estimate the lifetime value of a new patient. It can really help in evaluating your marketing, but isn’t necessary. Just assume the “lifetime value of a patient” = “average number of patient visits” X “your fee per visit.” )

So really, evaluating any marketing system comes down to two questions:

1. How much work and expense is it for you? (Springs, faucets or buckets?)
2. How well does it work for you? (”How did you hear about us?”)

It really is that simple - don’t let anyone complicate it for you.