How do I develop a marketing strategy for my private GP practice?

Start with the patient you want to reach

“Everyone locally” is not a target. Pick one to three groups you can serve well and describe what each wants. For example:

• working people who cannot get time off for a GP appointment and value early or late slots
• families who want same-week appointments for children
• women looking for time to discuss menopause symptoms and options
• travellers who need vaccinations and advice before a trip.

Then write one sentence that says what you offer them and why they should choose you: for example, “30-minute appointments with the same GP, usually within 48 hours, near the station.” Every channel you use should repeat that message. Base it on what you can actually deliver, because every claim you make in marketing has to be accurate and supportable.

Get the basics right before you promote

Marketing sends people somewhere. Before you spend on it, make sure that place converts interest into bookings:

• a website with services, prices, location and online booking
• a Google Business Profile with your real name, address and hours
• a way to answer calls and messages quickly
• a name and look you use consistently.

Choose two or three channels

A small practice cannot do everything well. Choose the channels your target patients use, and do them consistently.

Channel	Cost	Time	Best for
Referrals from clinicians and employers	Low	Medium	Steady, high-trust patients
Local search (Google Business Profile, website content)	Low	Medium, slow to build	Patients searching for a private GP near them
Reviews and word of mouth	Low	Low	Trust, over time
Email newsletter to existing patients	Low	Low to medium	Return visits, new services
Social media (organic)	Low	High	Awareness in a defined community
Paid search ads	Pay per click	Medium	Patients ready to book now
Paid social ads	Pay per click or view	Medium	Reaching a specific group
Local print, talks and events	Varies	Medium	Older patients, community presence

Booking marketplaces are another route once your prices and availability are settled. A good example is Quokka Health, where patients compare named clinicians on price and live availability and book and pay online. For more on referral routes and directories, see how to find patients.

Being found in search

Write a page for each main service, in plain language, with the location, price and a booking button. Answer the questions patients ask before booking. Local terms such as the town or area help, but write for patients rather than stuffing in keywords. Keep your practice details identical everywhere they appear online.

Social media

Social media works best as a way to show who you are and what you know, not as a direct sales tool.

• Pick one or two platforms where your patients spend time, and post regularly rather than joining every platform.
• Share general health information, practice news and what to expect from an appointment. Posts promoting your service are advertising and must meet the CAP Code.
• Do not give individual clinical advice in comments or messages. Invite the person to book or to contact their own GP.
• Protect confidentiality. Never post about a patient or show one without explicit written consent, and do not confirm in public that someone is your patient.
• Label paid content. Marketing must be obviously identifiable, so paid partnerships and sponsored posts need a clear label.
• Never name or show a prescription-only medicine, including in images and hashtags.

Email and text marketing

Keeping in touch with existing patients is often the cheapest marketing you can do. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations you need a person’s specific consent to send them marketing emails or texts. The exception is the soft opt-in: existing patients who bought a similar service and were given a clear chance to opt out when you collected their details, and in every message after. Keep clinical messages, such as results and recall reminders, separate from promotions. The ICO is updating its guidance after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so check the current version.

Set a budget and measure it

1. Set a monthly budget for money and time, and write it into your business plan.
2. Record where every new patient came from, at booking or registration.
3. Work out the cost of each new patient for each channel: what you spent divided by the new patients it brought.
4. Compare that with what a patient is worth over a year, including return visits and tests.
5. Review every quarter. Put more into what works and stop what does not.

Stay within the rules

As a doctor, you are personally responsible for your marketing, even if an agency writes it. Claims must be accurate and backed by evidence, prices must be complete, reviews must be genuine and you must not advertise prescription-only medicines to the public. In England, once the CQC has rated you, your website must show your current rating. See advertising rules for private GPs for the detail.

Do it yourself or use an agency?

Many solo GPs do their own marketing at first, which keeps costs down and teaches you what patients respond to. An agency can save time once you know what works. If you use one, choose one that understands healthcare advertising rules, agree what it will measure and check every piece of copy before it goes out.