Ask "How did you hear about us?" on your enrollment form. Asked every time, with clear answer choices, it tells you which efforts bring members and which only cost money.
Ask every new member
Make it a required question at enrollment, with a short list of choices and an "other" box. Ask again at the first visit if the answer is unclear.
Good answer choices
- A friend or family member who is a member.
- Another doctor or provider.
- My employer.
- Google search or Google Maps.
- A DPC directory.
- Social media.
- An event, talk or open house.
- A mailing.
- Other.
Keep the list short. Update it when you start something new.
Read it each quarter
Count new members by source, and next to each one put what you spent in money and time. In a made-up example, referrals bring 14 members for nothing, Google brings 9, and an ad test brings 3 for $900. That tells you where to put next quarter's effort. How to tell if marketing is working.
In your books
Ask your bookkeeper to split advertising spend by campaign or channel, so cost and results line up.
What I'd do this week
- Add or fix the question on your enrollment form.
- Make it required.
- Count last quarter's new members by source, as best you can.
Common questions
What if people name two sources?
Record the first one they mention, and note the second.
Can my membership platform do this?
Ask yours whether it can add a custom question. Ask how to export the answers.
What about employer members?
Record them as employer members, separately from individual marketing.
Want marketing spend split by channel?
We reconcile every account every month and send your P&L and Balance Sheet by the 15th, so you can see what each new member is worth and what it cost to get them. If that's what you need, apply to work with us.