The 3 Biggest Mistakes Chiropractors Make That Keep Them Playing SMALL

Chiropractors make many mistakes on their way to scaling the practice of their dreams. I've narrowed it down to the three biggest ones. In today’s post, I’m going to lay it all out on the line for you so that you don’t make these mistakes, and you can accelerate through the practice and life of your dreams.

Mistake #1: The False Belief That You Don’t Need to Market

One of the biggest pet peeves I hear in our industry is this: “I don’t need to market.”

Whether you’re intentionally or unintentionally marketing, you ARE marketing. Whether you put money into marketing or not, you’re still marketing. Patients see you, they refer to you, you’ve created a brand—even if it’s not cohesive.

Maybe you’re established enough that you’re getting enough new patients to pay the bills. But is that why you built this practice? Did you build it just to survive? Or did you build it to create a life you love, to have a bigger impact, to gain the free time you’ve always wanted? If you want those things, marketing is essential.

Marketing drives everything. If you don’t have a marketing budget, that’s a big problem. A common question I get is, “How much should my marketing budget be?” It depends on your practice and goals, but typically, it’s between 5-10% of revenue.

For example, if you’re running a $50K/month practice, you should be investing somewhere between $2,500 and $5,000 per month in marketing.

But it’s not just about spending money—it’s about being intentional. You need cohesive, strategic, and data-driven marketing. And that means tracking two key numbers:

1. Total Scheduled New Patients

2. New Patient Acquisition Cost

If you don’t know those two numbers, you can’t control marketing, and you can’t measure success.

Now, let’s talk about who you want to attract.

Think about the best cases that have come through your doors in the last 3-6 months. The patients you absolutely loved working with. What was it about them? Their mindset? Their commitment to their health? A specific condition they had?

What if you could duplicate those ideal patients?

That’s where a 12-month marketing calendar comes in. When you plan your marketing with intentionality, you create content, show up in the right places, and work with agencies to attract those dream patients into your practice.

This is NOT a drifter community. This is a community about building scale. We call you Driven Docs.

Mistake #2: Not Building Your Local Provider Network

The second biggest mistake is not leveraging your local provider network.

Who are the other like-minded businesses in your community that serve the same type of patient?

Think about local gyms, spas, restaurants, dentists, holistic pediatricians, midwives—they all have patient bases that could be perfect for your practice.

Here’s a powerful strategy: Cross-Promotion through New Patient Gift Packets

Most community providers offer new patient promotions. What if you collected those offers and included them in your new patient gift packets?

For example, imagine your new patient gift package includes:

• A free teeth whitening from a local dentist

• A 7-day gym pass

• A free massage at a local spa

• A free dinner at a local restaurant

That could be over $1,000 in added value!

Now imagine the impact of marketing your practice with a “$1,000 New Patient Gift Package” instead of just another standard new patient offer.

Of course, be sure to check state laws regarding what you can offer for patient referrals.

Mistake #3: Not Leveraging Patient Testimonials

This is one of the simplest and most effective strategies—yet so many doctors miss it.

We recently hosted an IQ Accelerator Event in Las Vegas, where we gave our Data Driven Practice community a simple tool: a testimonial whiteboard.

Here’s how it works:

1. At the end of a treatment, ask the patient: “How was your experience today?”

2. If they say, “Amazing!” then ask, “Would you mind sharing a quick testimonial?”

3. Have a team member ready with a whiteboard and marker.

4. The patient writes something simple like: “I came in suffering with migraines, now they’re gone!”

5. They sign a HIPAA-compliant release form.

6. Take a picture of them holding the whiteboard.

7. Post it on social media.

Why does this work?

Because when someone scrolling through their feed sees a success story from a patient just like them, they think: “If they got results, maybe I can too.”

Many people don’t even realize chiropractic care can help their condition until they see a testimonial.

When you integrate consistent testimonials into your social media strategy, it builds trust, momentum, and brand awareness.

The Path to Scaling Your Practice

Avoid these three mistakes, and you’ll set yourself apart as a driven, data-focused chiropractor who is serious about growth.

1. Get serious about marketing—track your Total Scheduled New Patients and New Patient Acquisition Cost.

2. Leverage your local provider network—build win-win partnerships that create irresistible new patient offers.

3. Use patient testimonials—build trust and attract more of your dream patients.

When you implement these steps with intentionality and consistency, your practice will stop playing small—and start scaling in ways you never imagined.

Are you ready to take action? Join our free Facebook group, The Data Driven Practice, and let’s build your DRIVEN Doc empire!