Connected Paediatrics Weekly: The £0 Marketing Strategy Nobody Talks About…

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Dad Joke: Why did Cookie Monster apply for a marketing job? He heard they were tracking cookies.

So...

Numbers are low…you’ve thought about running ads. Maybe you are running ads. Funnels, lead magnets, “this one weird trick chiropractors are using in 2026”… and yet it still feels harder than it should to get new patients through the door. So, the answer is more ads.

But what if I told you…

Your most powerful marketing is happening at 10:17am on a random Tuesday, when you’re running late and thinking about lunch?

Every interaction in your clinic is an advert. Not the polished Instagram version…the real one. The one where a parent is quietly deciding, “Ahh… these are my people,” or “Hmm… not sure this is for me.” And here’s the kicker - you don’t get to choose whether you’re marketing. You’re doing it 24/7.

Chiro A is incredibly knowledgeable. A parent asks a question and gets “Yes, that relates to neuromotor integration and subcortical organisation…” The parent nods politely, while thinking, “I have no idea what’s going on here.” They don’t refer, they don’t commit, they drift off.

Then there’s Chiro B. Same level of skill. Same question. But the answer is, “It’s your baby’s early wiring. Right now it’s a bit overactive, so instead of helping movement, it’s getting in the way.” The parent immediately gets it. They leave thinking, “I need to tell Susan about this place.” Same knowledge. Different message. Completely different outcome…and a new referral you didn’t even pay for!

You can nail a session. Assessment was great, adjustment felt right, exercises were spot on. At the very end, the parent asked, “So… are we on the right track?” And you reply, “Yeah… we’ll just see how it goes.” That one sentence just undid the entire visit. Not because it was wrong, but because it felt uncertain. And uncertainty doesn’t get referrals.

The reality is you don’t lose patients in big dramatic ways. It’s death by a thousand tiny signals. The rushed hello that says “I’m busy.” The complicated explanation that says “You won’t get this.” The vague plan that says “I’m not sure either.” And the silence that says “Don’t ask questions.” None of this feels like marketing, but it 100% is.

So before you spend another cent on ads, try this - for one day, act like everything you say will be repeated to someone else later. Because it will be. Tighten your explanations. Be clearer than feels necessary. Slow down your endings. Give parents words they can actually repeat.

Because the truth is, you don’t need better marketing. You need to realise that your clinic already is your marketing.

The only question is… is it saying what you think it’s saying?

Chat Soon

Mike