Marketing Your Chiropractic Clinic, Part 4: Live Events That Build Your Brand and Fill Your Schedule

Key Points:

• Community events help build trust and name recognition through face-to-face connection.
• Focus on workplaces or schools with 30+ people and good insurance coverage.
• Offer mini massages, spinal screenings, snacks, and new patient sign ups.
• Even if no one books on the spot, you're planting seeds and building local brand equity.
• The hardest part isn’t showing up — it’s the prep, follow-up, and consistent execution.
  
  

When it comes to growing your chiropractic clinic, digital strategies are important — but they’re not everything. Sometimes, the best way to connect with your community is to get out there and meet people face to face. Live events still work because they give you what online marketing can’t: the opportunity for instant trust, personal interaction, and memorable conversations.

In this final post of our four-part marketing series, we’re diving into how to use community outreach and local events to generate warm leads, build brand awareness, and position yourself as the go-to chiropractor in your area.

Where to Go: Target the Right Schools and Workplaces

Start by focusing your outreach where it counts. The best events are at locations with 30 or more employees or staff members — that’s the sweet spot where you’ll see a return on your time. Prioritize workplaces that offer insurance coverage your clinic accepts or companies that emphasize employee wellness.

Not sure where to begin? Think local: elementary and high schools, warehouses, fitness centers, fire departments, small manufacturing plants, or corporate offices. Ask your current patients if their workplace ever brings in wellness providers. A warm intro can go a long way.

Real life example: Teachers make up a significant portion of our patient base at SSCC. We prioritize events in our local schools every year to retain existing patients and bring in new ones. 

What to Bring: Tools, Offers, and a Friendly Face

Showing up with the right materials makes all the difference. A simple spinal screening setup — like an iPad with a posture assessment app — helps make your presence feel valuable and professional. A chair or massage table for mini massages and a few snacks (think protein bars or bottled water) help draw people in and keep things approachable.

Have a team member ready to talk with attendees, answer questions, and walk them through signing up for your new patient appointment. A discounted new patient offer is not always necessary here — you are looking for the right fit patients who want to improve their health or relieve pain with your service, not just get a good deal. You’re not trying to sell — you’re inviting them to experience real relief.

Why It Works: Brand Awareness + Warm Leads

Community events aren’t just about getting new patients on the spot — although that does happen. They’re about building recognition. When someone meets you in person, shakes your hand, and hears how you can help their back pain or migraines, it sticks. That personal connection is far more memorable than a social media post or Google ad.

Even if people don’t book right away, they’ve now had a positive, in-person experience with your clinic. That’s how you create warm leads — people who know your name, remember your face, and are more likely to call when the time is right or even recommend you to their friends and family. You’re planting seeds that can grow into long-term patient relationships.

The Real Work: Prep, Scheduling, and Follow-Up

The easiest part of live events is showing up. The hard part? Everything else.

Your events will succeed or flop based on what happens before and after the big day. That starts with preparation. You need to communicate clearly with the business or school ahead of time, confirm the schedule, and secure an internal champion who can help promote the event to their team. These aren’t “drop-in and hope for the best” situations — you need appointment slots and internal buy-in.

Here’s a simple system that works well:

Start with an initial outreach email to the HR lead or office manager.

If there’s no response, follow up in two days.

Once it’s booked, drop off event flyers and light snacks (if there is a way to deliver these to the employees directly, such as teacher mailboxes or employee lockers) about a week before the event to build hype and drive sign-ups.

Use a tool like SignUpGenius to facilitate sign ups, manage appointment times and ensure smooth flow the day of.

If engagement is low and the signup sheet is empty? Don’t be afraid to cancel or reschedule. Quality matters more than just showing up.

After the event, the follow-up is just as important. Send a friendly email the same or next day thanking attendees for their time. Make a quick call to anyone who showed interest but didn’t schedule — even a short voicemail reiterating that you’re accepting new patients and work with their insurance can spark action. People get busy. A warm reminder can be the nudge they need to book.

At Simply Southern Chiropractic Center, Brand Manager Kelsey runs point on all of our events — from logistics to communication to being the friendly, welcoming face of the clinic at each event. With a background in theatre and people-first outreach, she knows how to read the room, match energy, and make people feel comfortable. And it works: in the last year alone, 88 new patients came directly from community outreach events.

For your clinic, make sure you assign someone who is bubbly, friendly, and a clinic expert to run these events, and make sure your chiropractic assistants or anyone who is helping out on the day can bring this attitude as well. Nothing will tank an event faster than a team member with low or negative energy. It happens to all of us, but do your best to ensure your team shows up with their best energy and friendly faces to make a great impression at your event. 

Make It Easy, Make It Repeatable

When you’re doing events regularly, you’ll want a system you can rinse and repeat. At Simply Southern Chiro, we use an “event kit” that includes everything from posture screening tools to massage chairs to snacks for restocking desk drawers. (It’s quite the puzzle to load up everything into one vehicle, but we manage it!) We’re always aiming for pampering, not pitching. At the end of the day, you’re there to promote wellbeing and put your best foot forward for your clinic — new patient sign ups come as a result of this purpose. 

To ensure everything flows smoothly, assign team roles ahead of time. Ideally you have one person managing the full process, but if you need to split it up, one person could handle scheduling and communication, another can take the lead on setup and logistics, and someone else manages sign-ups and post-event follow-up. Track what works — how many people you screened, how many signed up, how many became patients — and refine the system as you go. 

Bonus: events also make great social content. Take a few photos, tag the business or school, and share a quick story about how many people you helped feel better that day. It’s another way to stay top of mind with your local community.

Build Community, Build Trust, Build Your Clinic

Live events aren’t always flashy, and they don’t guarantee same-day new patients. But what they do build is trust — the kind that only happens face to face. They help your clinic become the name people think of when their back starts hurting, or their coworker says they’ve had a headache for three days.

Consistency is key. Keep showing up, stay top of mind, and give people a reason to remember you — and eventually, they will.

📣 Ready to grow your team before you ramp up outreach?

Before the leads start rolling in, make sure your clinic is staffed to handle the growth.
👉 Download our free Hiring Funnel Guide — the step-by-step system to attract, vet, and hire your next A-player.
🔥 Want to fast track your clinic growth? Learn more about coaching with Dr. Duncan →

Marketing FAQ: Recap of the Full Series

Q: Where should I start if I’m new to marketing my clinic?
Start with your website and SEO (Part 1). If your website isn’t built to convert, no amount of ads or outreach will help. It needs to load fast, explain what you do, and make booking simple.

Q: Do I need to be on social media?
Yes — but not to go viral. Use social media as a retention tool (Part 2). Show up consistently, share patient wins and educational tips, and keep your practice top of mind.

Q: Are paid ads worth it?
They can be — if your systems are ready. Paid ads (Part 3) amplify what’s already working. Use Google and Facebook ads to target locals, and billboards for visibility within a half-mile radius. Track your ROI, or you’ll just burn your budget.

Q: What if no one shows up from a live event?
That’s okay. Community outreach (Part 4) is still valuable. Every event builds brand awareness and relationships. Even if people don’t book today, they may call you in six months. That face-to-face connection leaves a lasting impression.

Q: I don’t have time to do all this. What now?
You’re not supposed to do it alone. Delegate, systemize, and bring in help. Whether that’s a brand manager, front desk assistant, a marketing agency, or a coach — build a team that supports your vision. 

The Marketing Your Chiropractic Clinic series:

Marketing for Your Chiropractic Practice (Overview)

Marketing Your Chiropractic Clinic Part 1: Website + SEO

Marketing Your Chiropractic Clinic Part 2: Social Media

Marketing Your Chiropractic Clinic Part 3: Paid Ads