Did you know that the overall open rate of healthcare emails is 41%? This means that knowing how to market an urgent care via email and other channels is vital for growth.
If you want your urgent care to thrive, you need to learn a few different digital marketing strategies that will help you attract the right patients, build local trust, and convert online searches into real visits.
In this article, we’ll go through 15 proven strategies that will show you how to market an urgent care facility for SEO, PPC, online reviews, and more.
Trying to build a brand new marketing strategy for your urgent care business but don’t know where to start? Let us help.
How to Market an Urgent Care: Our Favorite Strategies
This list is in no particular order. We have researched every single strategy and added them to the list due to the impact they can have on your urgent care company.
All of these strategies are actionable and should be considered when thinking about how to market an urgent care.
1. Build a High-Converting Website
Your website is generally the main point of contact that patients will have with your practice.
If it doesn’t look professional, load fast, and clearly communicate what services you offer, then they will look for another facility.
Your websites should have these things set up and organized:
- Mobile optimization: Most urgent care services happen on mobile, which means your website should be responsive and load in under 3 seconds.
- Calls to action: Your CTAs should be clear and to the point. Use CTAs such as “Book Appointment” and “Find a Location” in strategic places above the fold for higher conversions.
- Service Clarity: List every single condition that your urgent care clinic treats so both Google and patients know what you are offering.
- Conversion Design: Use clean and minimalist visuals, strong typography, and trust elements such as Google reviews and certifications.
Don’t forget to also add HIPAA-compliant forms for online check-ins and insurance verification to improve user experience and operational flow.
2. Optimize for Local SEO
When patients search for “urgent care near me,” Google instantly shows them the most important and dominant urgent cares they have nearby.
If you’re thinking about how to market an urgent care but you’re not considering local SEO then you’re potentially missing our on hundreds if not thousands of potential patients per quarter.
Ranking in the top 3 map results alone can double your patient volume.
Here are some actionable tips you can follow:
- Make sure your Google Business Profile is claimed and optimized.
- Double-check that your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) is exactly the same everywhere.
- Use high-quality photos, add business hours, and service categories.
- Encourage patients to leave reviews and make sure to respond professionally to each one.
If you have multiple locations, consider creating landing pages for each location to capture local search intent there as well.
3. Run Google Ads
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads give your clinic instant visibility. This is great as long as you’re targeting key intent-driven searches such as “walk-in clinic near me” or “urgent care open now.”
Make sure you focus on geo-targeting to show ads within miles of your clinic. You don’t want your ads to target people in another state; instead, you want to focus on patients who are within driving distance.
Use ad extensions for phone numbers, hours, and locations on all of your ads to make it as convenient as possible for patients to get in contact with you.
Set up conversion tracking for calls and form fills to measure your ROI on ads.
If you want to stretch your budget, you can schedule your ads to appear mainly during peak decision hours, like mornings, evenings, and weekends.
4. Social Media Advertising
Social platforms aren’t just for engagement; they can also be used as a powerful local patient acquisition tool. Focus on both Facebook and Instagram ads to target nearby households while highlighting your convenience and quality of each service.
Promote seasonal activities such as flu shots or school physicals. You can also take advantage of video testimonials or physician introductions as a way to humanize your urgent care center.
You can also retarget users who visited your site but didn’t end up booking an appointment with some limited-time offers or reminders.
5. Content Marketing
Patients often search for their symptoms and how they are feeling before visiting any urgent care.
By posting helpful and authoritative content, you can capture traffic very early in their decision journey.
Make sure to create content such as:
- Blog posts talking about when to visit an urgent care center vs an ER.
- Guides on how to treat a broken finger at home.
- Articles about important local health alerts, such as flu season and COVID testing.
This type of content not only builds organic traffic but also trust. Make sure you target keywords that actually reflect what people type into Google. Make use of apps such as Ahrefs to figure out which keywords are worth using.
Over time, these articles and blog posts will signal to search engines that your urgent care center provides authoritative and relevant medical information.
This will greatly improve your ranking for both informational and transactional searches.
Make sure to add internal links to every single blog post and article you make to increase your visibility in Google results.
6. Collect and Use Online Reviews
When considering how to market an urgent care clinic, online reviews need to be taken into consideration. They are the modern equivalent of word of mouth.
More than 87% of patients nowadays will read reviews on different sites before choosing a healthcare provider. This means that establishing your urgent care’s reputation with reviews is a must.
But how do you even get a good amount of reviews in the first place?
There are a few strategies you can implement right now to get more reviews.
First, make sure to send automated review requests via SMS after visits.
This way, the patients who might have forgotten to leave a review can do so. Make sure to display all of your positive reviews on your homepage and on your service pages as long as the reviews talk specifically about said service.
If you ever get a negative review, make sure to respond professionally and try to find a solution to the problem that patient had.
Never delete negative reviews either. A 4.7-star urgent care that is consistently getting reviews will always build credibility faster than a 5-star urgent care that gets a review every 3 months.
7. Use Local Partnerships
Offline visibility still matters. Make sure your urgent care center sponsors different activities such as community events, small sports teams, or local health fairs.
These efforts build awareness of your urgent care center and reinforce your reputation as a trusted health provider in your neighborhood.
Make sure to take photos and share all of these activities on social media and your website for extra SEO and PR value.
The goal isn’t just visibility; it’s a connection. Patients are more likely to choose a clinic they’ve seen participating in a neighborhood event or supporting local causes over other alternatives.
8. Email and SMS Marketing
Email and text communication are fantastic channels for patient retention and engagement.
The use of automated messages can confirm appointments, remind patients of any upcoming visits, or follow up afterward with care and wellness tips tailored to them.
Seasonal newsletters can be used to promote flu shots, travel vaccines, or new service offerings, and can be completely set up via email.
Be sure all communications comply with HIPAA regulations and only include the necessary patient information. Keep messages short and to the point.
Patients always appreciate reminders and next steps, especially if they feel like the message is talking to them directly and it doesn’t feel automated.
Over time, consistent follow-up done right can reduce no-shows, boost repeat visits, and maintain brand visibility throughout the year .
9. Optimize for Google Maps
When a patient searches for urgent care on their phone, Google Maps often decides which clinic they will end up picking. Ensuring that your urgent care center actually appears on the map is vital.
Make sure that your business pin is placed correctly on the map and verify that the description includes keywords such as “urgent care near me [neighborhood].”
Keep your hours updated, especially during holidays, and regularly update your GBP with photos and announcements to keep it active.
Google values activity and how complete your account is, so posting updates, responding to reviews, and confirming information regularly can help you rank higher in map results.
10. Track Analytics
Data should be the backbone of all your marketing strategies.
Without it, you’re flying blind and guessing. Install Google Analytics on your website to measure website traffic, call tracking, and conversion tracking on appointment forms.
Regularly check and review metrics such as cost per booking, bounce rate, and conversion rate by channel.
By knowing which areas are bringing the most traffic and conversions, you can shift your marketing focus towards that.
If Google Ads is bringing strong returns while Facebook is making you lose money, you can shift your spending accordingly and tailor your marketing strategy to focus on something else.
For the most part, you can get a sense of how everything is going in a monthly report. This ensures that you give your new strategies time to play out for a month, and you can adjust and tweak as the months go by.
11. Be Transparent About Insurance and Pricing
Many patients hesitate to visit urgent care because the fear of costs being too high can scare them.
Clear, upfront pricing information can transform a patient who is hesitant and uncertain into one with confidence and ready to go to your urgent care center.
Create a dedicated pricing and insurance page where patients can see a list of accepted plans, average self-pay rates, and available discounts. Make sure not to use technical jargon and be as plain and concise as possible.
Being transparent also improves trust with search engines and patients alike.
Make sure to include a structured data (schema) on your pricing page so Google can understand your offerings and make it easier to link into your booking options.
When patients are informed and not withheld important information, such as pricing and insurance policies, they are far more likely to follow through with a visit.
12. Invest in Video Marketing
When it comes to learning how to market an urgent care clinic, video marketing is by far one of the most engaging ways to build trust and familiarity.
Patients want to know who will treat them and what the experience will be like.
This means that short videos introducing your staff, showing your facilities, and explaining common procedures can make your brand easier to approach and believe.
A simple one-minute video explaining what patients should expect on their first visit can drastically reduce anxiety for patients.
While a video of a doctor explaining how a procedure is done and how it will be handled can help patients understand what they are getting themselves into without having to feel scared.
Make use of YouTube by uploading all these videos to your urgent care center’s account and then use them on your website and your Google profile.
Don’t forget to caption every video to make it accessible and mobile-friendly.
If you want to take it a step further, you can grab said videos, cut them into small bite-sized pieces, and post them on social media as well.
13. Monitor Reputation
Reputation management is not only about checking reviews and responding to them. It’s about understanding trends in said patient reviews and acting on them. You can use monitoring tools like Podium or Birdeye to track mentions across multiple platforms and analyze what they’re all saying.
You can then internalize what the reviews are saying and adjust your strategies accordingly.
When answering questions or reviews, remember to show empathy and be professional with what you say. Most people judge a company based on how they react and answer complaints rather than the complaint itself.
Over time, a consistent and transparent voice will reinforce trust and position your urgent care center as both responsive and caring.
14. Online Scheduling and Telemedicine
Convenience is what defines urgent care. Providing online scheduling makes your clinic feel modern and efficient.
Patients should be able to reserve their spot in line, confirm insurance, and receive SMS updates on wait times, all without having to call your facility.
Make sure to integrate any scheduling with your electronic medical record (EMR) to prevent double bookings while also helping staff prepare for any visit.
Telemedicine takes that convenience even higher by offering virtual visits for minor conditions such as rashes, allergies, or medication refills.
This is perfect for patients who might not convert due to not wanting to go to an urgent care clinic.
Make sure to promote your telehealth options on your website and Google listings by explaining all the conditions covered by this service and the average cost.
15. Strong Brand Identity
Marketing only really works if it’s backed by a clear and consistent brand identity. A patient should be able to easily recognize your urgent care logo, colors, and tone across your website, signage, and social media accounts. Make sure to use clean visuals and language that emphasize care, speed, and professionalism.
If you manage multiple locations, ensure visual consistency across every single one so that patients know they can expect the same level of quality regardless of the location they go to.
Last but not least, tell your story with sincerity and transparency. Explain why your urgent care center came to be, what sets yours apart from others, and how you support the community.
Branding is more than your logo and what colors you use; it’s an emotional bridge that lets your urgent care company connect directly with your patients’ trust.
Get a Custom Marketing Strategy for Your Urgent Care Center With Blacksmith
After going through these strategies on how to market an urgent care, you might have noticed that creating a good marketing strategy takes a lot more work and effort than it might seem at first.
Not only do you have to tweak your website and the places where your urgent care company appears, but you also have to consider your patients at every single step.
Understanding exactly what they need, why they need it, and the best way to market those services to them takes a lot of time and testing from your end. This is time you could be using on other aspects of your urgent care company.
So now what?
That’s where we come in. Blacksmith is a professional urgent care marketing agency with a group of digital experts ready to create the perfect marketing strategy for your urgent care business.
Still unsure if a custom marketing strategy is what your urgent care company needs? Don’t worry, click here to schedule a call with us and we’ll provide you with a free brand audit. This way, we can show you the areas where you are losing potential patients and how we can help you.
