Get More Patients: 6 Easy Steps to Build a Marketing Funnel That Converts

Joe Edgley - Director at Amplified Marketing
Joe Edgley

I’m the director and chief strategist at Amplified Marketing and I love helping Allied Health Practices grow with simple, effective digital marketing. Need help with your practice marketing? Book a call with me.

Are you struggling to attract new patients to your allied health practice? Building an effective strategy is crucial for growing your practice and helping more people in need.

In this article, we’ll explain six simple steps to creating an allied health marketing funnel that converts leads into loyal patients.

From defining your ideal customer to nurturing leads and converting them into customers, you’ll learn how to stand out in a competitive market and achieve long-term success.

Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer

When it comes to creating a successful marketing funnel for your allied health practice in Australia, the first and most crucial step is to define your ideal customer.

This means taking the time to really understand who your target audience is and what motivates them to seek out your services.

For example, if you’re a physiotherapist, your ideal customer might be a middle-aged person who leads an active lifestyle but has recently experienced a sports injury.

They’re looking for a healthcare professional who can help them recover quickly and get back to their favourite activities.

How to Get it Done

Start by considering their demographics. This includes factors like age, gender, location, income level, and occupation. Understanding these basic characteristics can help you tailor your digital marketing messages and choose the right channels to reach them.

Next, dig deeper into your ideal customer’s pain points and goals. What challenges are they facing that your services can help with?

Are they dealing with chronic pain, recovering from surgery, or looking to improve their overall health and wellness? Understanding their specific needs and desires will help you create content and offers that resonate with them.

For instance, if you’re a psychologist targeting busy professionals, you might focus on the stress and anxiety they experience in their high-pressure careers.
Your marketing messages could emphasise how your services can help them manage their mental health, improve their work-life balance, and enhance their overall well-being.

Step 2: Create a Lead Magnet

A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content or resource that you offer to potential patients in exchange for their contact information, typically their email address.

The key to creating an effective lead magnet is to address the specific pain points and goals of your ideal customer.

For example, if you’re a chiropractor targeting people with chronic back pain, your lead magnet could be a free eBook titled “5 Simple Stretches to Relieve Back Pain and Improve Your Posture.”

Here are some other lead magnet ideas that could work well for allied health practices:

  • A video tutorial demonstrating proper exercise techniques for injury prevention.
  • A webinar on managing stress and anxiety through mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
  • A quiz that helps people identify the root cause of their health issues and suggests potential treatments.
  • A checklist of essential questions to ask when choosing a healthcare provider.

Tips for Creating Lead Magnets

When creating your lead magnet, focus on providing real value to your ideal customer. The resource should be informative, engaging, and easy to consume. It should also showcase your expertise and position you as a trusted authority in your field.

To maximise the effectiveness of your lead magnet, make sure to promote it prominently on your website and social media channels. Use eye-catching visuals and compelling copy to highlight the benefits of the resource and encourage people to sign up.

Step 3: Build a Landing Page

A landing page is a standalone web page designed with a single focus: to convert visitors into leads by encouraging them to provide their contact information in exchange for your valuable resource – such as an eBook.

When designing your landing page, keep your ideal customer in mind. Use language and visuals that resonate with their needs and preferences. Mention their pain points, and how your resource can help alleviate them. The page should be clean, easy to navigate, and optimised for both desktop and mobile devices.

Here are some key elements to include on your landing page:

  • A compelling headline that clearly communicates the main benefit of your lead magnet.
  • A brief description of what the lead magnet is and how it will help solve your ideal customer’s problems.
  • Bullet points highlighting the key takeaways or benefits of the resource.
  • An eye-catching image or video that visually represents the lead magnet or its benefits.
  • A simple form that asks for the visitor’s name and email address in exchange for the resource.
  • A clear call-to-action (CTA) button that encourages visitors to submit their information and access the lead magnet.

For example, if you’re an exercise physiologist offering a free video tutorial on “5 Easy Exercises to Improve Balance and Prevent Falls,” your landing page headline could be: “Discover the Simple Exercises That Can Help You Maintain Your Independence and Avoid Dangerous Falls.”
The description could briefly explain how the video tutorial will demonstrate easy-to-follow exercises that can be done at home to improve balance and stability.
Bullet points might highlight the benefits, such as increased confidence in daily activities, reduced risk of falls, and improved overall mobility.

Landing Page Tips

When designing the form, keep it short and simple. Only ask for the information you need to deliver the lead magnet and begin building a relationship with the lead.
Make sure the CTA button stands out and uses action-oriented language like “Get Your Free Video Now” or “Claim Your Free Balance Exercises Today.”

Finally, ensure that your landing page is focused solely on promoting the lead magnet. Remove any distracting elements like navigation menus or links to other pages on your website.
The goal is to keep visitors focused on the offer and encourage them to take action by submitting their information.

Step 4: Drive Traffic to Your Landing Page

There are several strategies you can use to drive traffic to your landing page:

1. Paid Advertising

Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads allow you to create targeted campaigns that reach your ideal customer based on demographics, interests, and behaviours.
For example, if you’re a psychologist targeting new mums, you could create a Facebook Ad that promotes your free eBook on managing postpartum stress and anxiety.
Or another example may be an exercise physiologist wanting to appeal to people recovering from a workplace injury. You could create a Google Ad that outlines a clear process for getting back to work as quickly as possible.

2. Social Media Promotion

Share your lead magnet on your practice’s social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Create engaging posts that highlight the benefits of your resource and include a link to your landing page.
You can also join relevant social media groups where your ideal customers are active and share your lead magnet when appropriate.

3. Email Marketing

If you have an existing email list, send a targeted campaign promoting your lead magnet.
Segment your list based on factors like age, location, or past interactions with your practice to ensure your message resonates with each group.
Use a compelling subject line and email copy that emphasises the value of your resource.

4. Content Marketing

Create valuable blog posts, videos, or podcasts that address the pain points and interests of your ideal customer.

Within these pieces of content, include calls-to-action (CTAs) that encourage visitors to check out your lead magnet for more in-depth information.

You can also guest post on relevant websites or partner with other allied health professionals to cross-promote your resources.

Additional Factors to Consider

When driving traffic to your landing page, it’s important to track your results and monitor key metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per lead. This will help you identify which strategies are working best and optimise your efforts accordingly. By measuring these things, over time you’ll be able to understand the cost of acquiring a new lead, and the value that lead can add to your practice.

For instance, if you notice that your Facebook Ads are generating a high volume of leads at a low cost, you may want to allocate more of your budget to that platform.
But, if your email campaigns have low open rates, you may need to experiment with different subject lines or segmentation strategies.
Remember, the goal is to get as many targeted visitors to your landing page as possible. Using a combination of paid advertising, social media promotion, email marketing, and content marketing allows you to reach your ideal customers where they’re already spending time online.

Step 5: Nurture Your Leads

The goal of your lead nurturing emails is to provide ongoing value to your leads, establish your practice as a trusted resource, and increase the likelihood that they will book an appointment with you when they need your services.

Here are some tips for creating effective lead-nurturing email campaigns:

  • Segment your leads: Not all leads are the same. Segment your email list based on factors like the lead magnet they downloaded, their location, or their interests. This allows you to create more targeted and relevant email content that resonates with each group.
  • Provide valuable content: Your emails should offer helpful tips, educational content, or resources that address your leads’ pain points and interests. For example, if you’re a physiotherapist, you could send a series of emails with stretches and exercises to help alleviate common aches and pains.
  • Personalise your emails: Use your leads’ names in the email subject line and greeting to make your messages feel more personal and engaging. You can also use dynamic content to tailor specific sections of your emails based on each lead’s preferences or browsing behaviour.
  • Include calls-to-action (CTAs): While the primary goal of your lead nurturing emails is to provide value, it’s also important to include CTAs (once again) that encourage leads to take the next step. This could be booking a consultation, downloading another resource, or following your practice on social media.
  • Set a consistent schedule: Determine a regular cadence for your lead nurturing emails, such as once a week or twice a month. This helps keep your practice top-of-mind without overwhelming your leads with too many messages.
  • Monitor and optimise: Track the performance of your email campaigns, including open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Use this data to identify which types of content and CTAs are resonating with your leads and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Here’s an example of how an Osteopath might structure a lead nurturing email campaign:

  • Email 1: Welcome new leads and provide an overview of your practice’s approach to patient care. Include a CTA to book an initial consultation.
  • Email 2: Share an educational blog post on the benefits of Osteopathic treatment for common conditions like back pain or headaches.
  • Email 3: Offer a free downloadable guide on ergonomic tips for the workplace to help prevent musculoskeletal issues.
  • Email 4: Highlight a patient success story and explain how your practice helped them achieve their health goals. Include a CTA to book an appointment.
  • Email 5: Invite leads to a webinar or online workshop on a relevant topic, such as managing stress or improving posture.

Step 6: Convert Leads Into Customers

The final step in your marketing funnel is to convert your nurtured leads into paying customers.
After providing valuable content and building trust through your lead nurturing campaigns, it’s time to encourage your leads to take action and book an appointment with your allied health practice.

Here are some strategies to help you convert leads into customers:

Targeted Email Campaigns

These emails should focus on the benefits of your services, showcase your expertise, and include a clear call-to-action (CTA) to book an appointment.
For example, a psychologist might send an email highlighting the importance of mental health check-ins and encourage leads to book a session to discuss their well-being.

Retargeting Ads

Use retargeting ads on platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach leads who have previously interacted with your website or lead magnet.
These ads can showcase your services, offer promotional discounts, or emphasise the benefits of booking an appointment with your practice. Targeting leads who have already shown interest in your practice will likely convert them into customers.

Optimised Website

Ensure that your website is well-designed, user-friendly, and optimised for conversions. Make it easy for leads to find information about your services, read patient testimonials, and book appointments online.

Use prominent CTAs throughout your website to encourage visitors to take action, such as “Book Now” or “Schedule a Consultation.”

Limited-time Offers

Create a sense of urgency by offering limited-time promotions or discounts for first-time appointments. This can motivate leads to take action and book an appointment before the offer expires.
For example, a chiropractor might offer a 20% discount on the first visit for leads who book within the next week.

Note: When running offers or promotions, it’s important to consider Ahrpa’s advertising guidelines to ensure you’re staying compliant.

Streamlined Booking Process

Make the appointment booking process as simple and streamlined as possible. Offer online booking options, provide clear information about appointment availability, and minimise the number of steps required to schedule a session.

The easier it is for leads to book an appointment, the more likely they are to convert into customers.

The Verdict?

Implementing these six steps will help you create a powerful allied health marketing funnel that attracts more patients and grows your practice.
Consistency and continuous optimisation are key to long-term success. When you understand your ideal customer, provide valuable content, and build trust, you’ll be well on your way to helping more people in need and achieving your business goals.

Take the first step by booking a free strategy call, and your practice will be on its way to generating a lot more revenue.

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