Using Psychographics to Attract New Patients

Welcome to The Perfect Place to Put a Practice! I’m your host, Mike Green, from Doctor Demographics, where we help private practice owners like you find the perfect location and strategies to grow your practice. Today, we’re diving into a powerful tool that can transform how you attract new patients: psychographics. If you’ve ever wondered how to connect with the right patients on a deeper level, this episode is for you. We’ll break down what psychographics are, why they matter, and how you can use them to supercharge your marketing efforts. 

What Are Psychographics?

Let’s start with the basics. You’ve probably heard of demographics—things like age, gender, income, or location. Those are critical for understanding who your patients are. But psychographics? They go deeper. Psychographics focus on why people make decisions. They’re about values, interests, lifestyles, and behaviors. For example, two 40-year-old women in the same neighborhood might have identical demographics, but one might be a health-conscious yoga enthusiast who prioritizes organic everything, while the other is a busy mom who values convenience and quick appointments.

Psychographics help you understand what motivates your ideal patients. Are they driven by status? Community? Wellness? Cost? Knowing this lets you craft marketing messages that resonate on a personal level. And for private practices, where trust and connection are everything, that’s a game-changer.

Why Psychographics Matter for Your Practice

So, why should you care about psychographics? Let me paint a picture. Imagine you’re a dentist in a suburban area. You could blast out generic ads saying, “We’re accepting new patients!” But those ads might fall flat because they don’t speak to anyone in particular. Now, if you know that a big chunk of your target patients are young professionals who value eco-friendly practices and modern technology, you can tailor your messaging. Maybe you highlight your paperless office or your state-of-the-art laser treatments. Suddenly, your marketing feels personal, not like a one-size-fits-all billboard.

Here’s the deal: patients choose practices based on emotions and values, not just proximity or price. Psychographics help you tap into those emotions. Studies show that practices using targeted marketing based on psychographics can see up to a 20% increase in patient acquisition compared to generic campaigns. That’s because you’re speaking directly to what your patients care about.

Let me give you an example. A chiropractic practice we worked with at Doctor Demographics noticed they were attracting two types of patients: athletes who wanted performance optimization and older adults seeking pain relief. By digging into psychographics, they learned the athletes valued cutting-edge techniques and community involvement, while the older adults prioritized trust and clear communication. They split their marketing—social media ads with dynamic visuals for the athletes and warm, testimonial-driven newsletters for the seniors. Result? Their new patient bookings went up by 15% in just three months.

How to Gather Psychographic Data

Okay, so psychographics sound great, but how do you actually get this information? Don’t worry, you don’t need a PhD in psychology or a massive budget. Here are four practical ways to gather psychographic data for your practice.

1. Patient Surveys

The simplest way to learn about your patients’ values and lifestyles is to ask them. Create a short survey—five to seven questions max—that you can send via email or have patients fill out in your waiting room. Ask things like:

    
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  What’s most important to you when choosing a healthcare provider?

      
    
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  What activities do you enjoy in your free time?

      
    
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  What health goals are you working toward?

      

Keep it simple, and offer a small incentive, like a $5 coffee gift card, to boost responses. Tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey make this easy and affordable.

2. Social Media Insights

If you’re active on social media—and you should be—platforms like Facebook and Instagram provide analytics that reveal psychographic clues. Look at what kinds of posts your followers engage with. Are they liking your tips on stress management? Sharing your posts about community events? This tells you what they value. You can also run polls on Instagram Stories to ask fun, relevant questions like, “Do you prefer early morning or evening appointments?”

3. Observe Your Current Patients

Your existing patients are a goldmine of psychographic data. Pay attention to what they talk about during appointments. Are they mentioning fitness goals? Family priorities? Stress about work-life balance? Train your staff to note these details in your CRM or patient management system. Over time, patterns will emerge.

4. Work with a Demographics Firm

If you want to go deeper, companies like Doctor Demographics—yep, that’s us—can provide psychographic profiles for your area. We use data from sources like Nielsen or Claritas to map out the lifestyles and values of people in your zip code. For example, we can tell you if your area has a lot of “health-conscious urbanites” or “family-focused suburbanites.” This takes the guesswork out of targeting.

Pro tip: Start small. You don’t need to profile every patient. Focus on your ideal patient—the ones who keep coming back and refer their friends. Build your psychographic strategy around them.

Using Psychographics in Your Marketing

Now that you’ve got psychographic data, how do you use it? Let’s talk about three key strategies to refine your marketing and attract new patients.

1. Tailor Your Messaging

Use psychographics to craft messages that hit home. Let’s say you’re a pediatrician and your data shows your target patients are parents who value education and community. Instead of a generic ad like, “We treat kids of all ages,” try something like, “Helping your child thrive with compassionate care and parent-focused education.” That speaks directly to their values.

For example, a physical therapy practice we worked with learned their patients were split between fitness buffs and chronic pain sufferers. They created two campaigns: one with high-energy slogans like “Unleash Your Inner Athlete” for the fitness crowd, and another with empathetic messaging like “Live Pain-Free Again” for the chronic pain group. Their click-through rates on ads doubled.

2. Choose the Right Channels

Psychographics also tell you where to reach your patients. If your ideal patients are tech-savvy millennials who value convenience, focus on Instagram ads or a slick website with online booking. If they’re older adults who value trust, invest in direct mail or local newspaper ads with patient testimonials. Match the channel to the lifestyle.

3. Create Content That Resonates

Content marketing is huge for practices. Use psychographics to guide your blog posts, videos, or social media content. If your patients are wellness-focused, share tips on holistic health or mindfulness. If they’re busy professionals, post about time-saving health hacks. A dermatology practice we advised started a blog series on “Skincare for Busy Moms” after learning their patients valued quick, practical advice. Their website traffic jumped 25%, and many of those visitors became patients.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Before we wrap up, let’s talk about a few mistakes to avoid when using psychographics.

Mistake 1: Over Generalizing

It’s tempting to assume all your patients fit one psychographic profile, but that’s rarely true. Segment your audience into two or three key groups and tailor your marketing for each. Don’t try to be everything to everyone.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Demographics

Psychographics are powerful, but they work best when paired with demographic data. For example, knowing that your patients value wellness is great, but you need to know their age and income to decide if they can afford premium services.

Mistake 3: Not Testing Your Approach

Marketing is not set-it-and-forget-it. Test your psychographic-based campaigns with small budgets first. Run two versions of an ad with different messaging and see which performs better. Tools like Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager make this easy to track.

One last tip: Be authentic. Patients can smell inauthenticity a mile away. If your psychographic data says your patients value community, don’t just slap “community-focused” on your website. Get involved in local events or sponsor a charity run. Show, don’t just tell.

Conclusion 

Alright, folks, that’s a wrap on today’s episode! Psychographics are your secret weapon for attracting the right patients to your practice. By understanding their values, interests, and lifestyles, you can create marketing that feels personal and builds trust. Start small—try a patient survey or check your social media analytics—and build from there. The results will speak for themselves.

If you need help diving into psychographics or finding the perfect location for your practice, reach out to us at Doctor Demographics. Visit our website at doctordemographics.com or shoot us an email at info@doctordemographics.com. We’d love to help you take your practice to the next level.