The Best Marketing You’re Not Doing: Survey Your Patients
How reverse-engineering from your current loyal clients builds smarter, more effective marketing
Most practice owners believe that marketing success hinges on constantly finding new patients. The logic seems sound: more new evaluations must mean more revenue. But here’s the problem—without the right systems to retain those patients, earn their referrals, and generate positive reviews, the funnel leaks. Practices end up spending more and more to attract patients who leave just as quickly.
There’s a better way—one that costs little, strengthens relationships, and delivers marketing messages that actually resonate. It starts with the people who already love you: your patients.
The best marketing you’re probably not doing is surveying your patients and then reverse-engineering your marketing strategy from what they tell you.
Why Patient Surveys Are the “Cheat Code” to Marketing
Most owners guess why people choose their clinic: location, reputation, or maybe the physician referral. But when surveyed, patients often reveal entirely different reasons—things like:
“My therapist explained things so clearly.”
“The front desk made me feel welcome.”
“I finally felt heard.”
These insights don’t just make you feel good. They are marketing gold.
If you know why your loyal patients already trust you, you can stop wasting money on gimmicks and start amplifying those very reasons in your community. Instead of throwing dollars at Google Ads or direct mail campaigns that sound generic, you build your marketing around the exact words of satisfied patients.
This approach is more sustainable because:
It aligns with reality. You’re not trying to be something you’re not.
It resonates emotionally. Messages feel authentic because they come from real patients.
It lowers acquisition cost. Instead of chasing strangers, you leverage loyalty and word-of-mouth.
TIP- Survey your public- don’t just take word of mouth info. The truth is most patients will only tell you “good” news to your face. As an owner you want to know unbiased answers and surveying your patients allows them to tell you in a non-confrontational way.
The Reverse-Engineering Framework
Here’s the approach I teach practices, adapted from years of running, scaling, and consulting for physical therapy and healthcare companies:
Step 1: Gather Honest Feedback
Use simple surveys at multiple touchpoints:
First visit – ask, “How did you hear about us?”
Third visit – ask, “What made you choose us over other options?”
Eighth visit (or discharge) – ask, “What have you valued most about your care?”
These can be paper forms, EMR-based surveys, or quick check-ins at the front desk. The key is consistency—you want enough data to spot themes.
Step 2: Identify Patterns
Tabulate answers and look for repetition. For example:
If 70% of patients mention “personalized care”, that becomes a headline message.
If many say “my doctor recommended you”, strengthen physician relationship marketing.
If patients rave about “quick recovery”, highlight treatment efficiency in advertising.
Step 3: Build Marketing Messages Around Patient Language
Take the exact words patients use and turn them into outward-facing messages:
Website testimonials
Google review campaigns
Community talks
Doctor-facing “success stories” packets
Instead of abstract claims like “We provide excellent physical therapy,” you’re able to say, “Our patients tell us they chose us because we listen, explain clearly, and get results.”
Step 4: Train Your Team to Live the Message
Marketing fails when it’s only external. If your surveys reveal that warmth at the front desk is your secret sauce, then doubling down on receptionist training becomes part of the marketing strategy. Consistency between promise and delivery is what turns happy patients into raving fans.
Step 5: Leverage for Growth
Once you’ve got a clear patient-driven message, plug it into every growth channel:
Google reviews: Ask patients to share exactly what they told you in surveys.
Referral letters to doctors: Include short patient “success stories” thanking the physician.
Reactivation campaigns: Send newsletters featuring survey-driven testimonials.
Community talks: Lead with survey insights (e.g., “90% of our patients say they can return to activity faster”).
Real-World Example: Bear Lake PT
When working with Bear Lake PT, we implemented patient surveys early on. Their strategic plan included “Launch first patient satisfaction survey—make sure to ask patients ‘How did you hear of us?’”.
The practice had relied heavily on community reputation but had no structured marketing. By surveying patients at the first, third, and eighth visits, they uncovered that word-of-mouth and trust in the owner-therapist were their biggest draws.
We used this data to:
Build a referral relationship plan with local physicians.
Train admin staff to highlight consistency of care in calls and scripts.
Set a goal of 30+ Google reviews per location by encouraging patients to post survey-based feedback.
Instead of trying to outspend larger competitors on ads, Bear Lake PT leaned into what their patients already valued most—trust, personal connection, and consistent results.
Why Most Practices Don’t Do This (and Why You Should)
The irony? Surveying patients is nearly free. Yet most owners don’t do it because:
They’re too busy “in” the practice instead of “on” the practice.
They think they already know the answers.
They’re focused on getting new patients instead of learning from current ones.
But skipping this step is like ignoring the treasure chest sitting in your waiting room. Every satisfied patient is a case study in why your business works.
By surveying systematically, you gain:
Clarity. No more guessing at your unique selling proposition.
Control. Marketing becomes a faucet you can turn up or down depending on need.
Confidence. Your message comes straight from the mouths of those you’ve helped.
Turning Surveys into Growth Systems
Surveys are not a one-off tactic. They should become part of your practice’s operating rhythm:
Quarterly survey analysis at leadership meetings.
Team huddles to discuss themes (e.g., “patients love when we explain home exercise clearly—let’s make that a standard expectation”).
Integration with financial KPIs, like tracking survey scores alongside plan-of-care completion rates.
Done consistently, this transforms patient feedback into the driver of your marketing, PR, and operational improvements.
The Bottom Line
Healthcare entrepreneurs often chase more new patients, believing volume equals profit. But the reality is, profitability and reputation grow when you listen to and leverage your loyal clients.
Surveying patients isn’t just about improving satisfaction—it’s the best-kept marketing strategy you’re not using. By reverse-engineering from what your happiest patients already say, you create authentic, cost-effective, and scalable marketing.
Your patients are telling you every day why they choose you. The only question is—are you listening?
